We’re just back from spending February half term enjoying a center parcs winter break so I thought I’d share why we think it’s a great place to visit in the winter. Read on to find out why center parcs winter breaks are great for families. Find more UK family days out and holidays here.
I never thought I’d be writing about enjoying a center parcs trip with my family. We’d never considered visiting until this winter when we booked a last minute break.
We’re a family who enjoy walks and exploring (both cities and countryside) so the idea of staying at center parcs never appealed as we like to be out exploring different places each day. However February half term is my least favourite school holiday for travelling.
Our last trip away at February half term was visiting Hadrian’s wall where we have strong memories of being pelted by hail stones whilst walking with young children! Never again!
We decided from then that we’d either go abroad where the weather was likely to be better or find somewhere in this country where the weather doesn’t affect your enjoyment as much.
After spending most of December searching for the best campsites in the Netherlands with indoor pools, it’s probably not that surprising we ended up at center parcs.
So why is it so great for families needing a winter break?
The subtropical swimming paradise
This was the biggest draw for us. Our kids love swimming and requested swimming at half term, “somewhere more fun than the leisure center”. We visited the pool every day during our stay for at least 2 hours!
I didn’t get any photos of the pool as it is always so busy but you can see the pool in this video.
There are a variety of water slides for all ages including the tropical cyclone, the canyon ride (that goes outdoors), flumes and slides for little ones. There are loads of different areas to the pool over two floors and outdoor pools too.
We loved the main pool which had regular wave sessions. Listen out for the noise that indicates the waves will be starting soon. There is also a small lazy river that my kids loved.
There is a dedicated area for little ones, lots of whirlpools and bubble benches, an activity pool (for prebooked sessions) and lots more.
One thing worth mentioning is that it does get very busy. Also they are doing maintenance to the pool so there were a few areas closed but the majority was open.
There is a rolling maintenance plan for pool on their website.
You can do as little or as much as you like
You really can do as much or as little as you like at Center Parcs. We took the kids scooters and one day we did 8 miles exploring the site and going to and from the village center from our lodge. Another day we did swimming in the morning followed by a lazy afternoon in our lodge.
We took plenty of entertainment for spending time in the lodge including some craft kits and family bored games.
You can book loads of additional activities such as tennis, climbing, tree top treks and so many more.
There are plenty of different places to eat too. They are more expensive but we enjoyed the food and drinks we had. We only had one main meal out though at Cafe Rouge. If you wanted to you could eat out every night in a different restaurant.
The lodges have everything you need for a relaxed family break including a kitchen for self catering.
The winter forest lights
After the swimming pool, the winter lights was our other favourite thing to do during our stay. We visited on 3 out of 4 evenings. I’ve written a full article on the winter forest lights over on North West for kids. Read it here – Winter forest lights at Center parcs Whinfell Forest.
The winter forest lights are included in the price of your holiday and you can visit as often as you like. We found the first night to be the quietest night to visit but the forest fayre area for food and drink is closed.
On Tuesday’s and Saturdays there is an hour of additional performances. Well worth visiting but this is the busiest time to visit. In 2024 there were drummers, light jugglers and pixies.
There’s something to do in all weather
There are a variety of indoor and outdoor activities to do in all weathers. You can also go to the pool in the rain or choose to stay and relax in your lodge. We did a real mixture and had a great family holiday.
It costs less than going abroad
I’m not going to say that a trip to center parcs is going to be cheap but there are ways to save money. If you have preschool children then you can get some really good prices during term time. If like us you have school children then it’s still worth taking a look as not all February half term dates are the same across the country.
Our half term was a week later than some and the price was half of what it was the previous week. We had looked at going abroad and flights alone cost more than our 4 night break.
You can spend a lot during a stay at Center Parcs but we really didn’t. We took plenty of food with us, cooked in our lodge 3 out of 4 nights but we had a few treats like drinks at the lakeside inn (with free soft play) and marshmallows at the winter forest lights.
We didn’t book any additional activities but there are a few that are quite low cost as well as lots that are quite expensive. We took the kids scooters with us instead of hiring bikes and we made the most of the free swimming, winter lights and indoor and outdoor play areas.
Have you had a winter break at Center Parcs?
We stayed at Whinfell forest. You can read my full review over on my other website here –Center parcs Whinfell forest review.
Planning on cycling whilst you are here? Find the top tips for family cycling here.