To get a cheap deal at center parks, the trick is to travel outside the school holidays and during the week as opposed to weekends. Make sure you choose the best center parks too! We have already revealed the best UK Center Parcs: Whinfell vs. Sherwood vs. Longleat vs. Elveden vs. Woburn. The best pool, activities, lodges & how to book cheap deals.
This is, of course, not always convenient. Still, the savings can be huge if you’re willing to do this, with a UK Center Parcs midweek (Monday to Friday) stay during winter term time starting from as little as £299 GBP for a Woodland Lodge (which would cost in excess of £1,000 GBP during school holidays!).
There are also other ways to keep your Center Parcs costs down, and here are my top 10 tips:
Tip One
Avoid 7 nights and opt for either a 4-night midweek stay (Monday to Friday) or a 3-night weekend break (Friday to Monday). Plus, Center Parcs stays are exhausting, so a full 7 nights would probably wipe out both you and your kids, so shorter stays are probably preferable anyway!
Tip Two
Choose to go in winter as opposed to summer months; they’re cheaper, and Center Parcs is pretty weather-proof and good fun all year round! And book during term time, when the rates are as much as 70% cheaper! Obviously, this is headteacher permitting!
Tip Three
Book ahead. Center Parcs has a ‘demand-driven’ pricing system for school holiday bookings, with rates rising as the villages fill up, so the sooner you book, the better the price!
Tip Four
Be flexible on village location. If your dates are fixed, but your location isn’t, then check out the price to stay at other villages. I found that the older villages were often £1-200 GBP cheaper for the same stay.
Tip Five
Take a friend! The more people in your group, the bigger the property you can afford, splitting the stay 2/3/4 ways. An affordable stay can be enjoyed in one of the most luxurious Treehouses, provided you are using it at full capacity with several friends or family members.
Tip Six
Choose an Apartment, Hotel Room over a Woodland Lodge, Executive Lodge, or higher. If you’re a couple or your children are able to share a room, then book an apartment or hotel room, as these are by far the cheapest ways to visit the parks. And how long do you want to spend in your room anyway? Make the most of the facilities and activities, and keep your accommodation simple, sweet, and cheap!
Tip Seven
Bring your own bikes! If you’re planning to cycle, and if you can, bring your own bikes as this will save you the high daily rental rates: £30 GBP for an adult bike and £22 GBP for a child’s bicycle, adding more than £100 GBP to your bill for a family of four before you’ve even arrived!
Tip Eight
Don’t dine out. It may sound obvious, but self-cater as much as possible and bring your own groceries, as the ParcMarkets are handy but pricey! There is a range of dining options at the villages, but they have inflated prices, and none of the food is gourmet, so if you dine in, you’re not missing too much!
Tip Nine
Book fewer activities, especially if your children are young. Instead, bring their scooters or bikes, and they’ll have a wonderful time zipping around the villages. Pack your own picnics and enjoy time on the ‘beaches’ and in the woodland areas. Make the most of the free facilities like the play areas and Sub Tropical Swim Paradises’ and keep paying for activities to a minimum. You’ll still find there’s plenty to keep little ones occupied!
Tip Ten
Finally, and I’ve said it before. If you’re willing to travel abroad, then the cheapest way to get a Centre Parcs experience is on the continent, and often the weather can be better too! Tip: book a continental break over the May half-term because French and Dutch schools do not have this time off, so stays can be as much as half the price of a stay in a UK village, though don’t forget to add in the extra cost, and time of getting to your chosen continental Center Parcs.
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