As someone who loves to travel and braved interrailing in Europe with a toddler, six-year-old and my husband, going on a mini-break on our doorstep was quite out of our comfort zone and a big step back from the chaos of planning an international trip. But it's safe to say that our recent family trip to Centre Parcs Sherwood Forest has been our favourite family adventure so far, and we're already eager to go back.
When we go on holiday normally, it's quite chaotic packing, and we barely get two minutes to just relax, even beach holidays can sometimes feel hectic! Being from Yorkshire we don't live too far away from Centre Parcs Sherwood Forest, and I can't believe the calm we have missed out on all these years. I can honestly say that I have never felt more relaxed on my own doorstep, surrounded by nature and my family and effortlessly creating memories that really are going to last a lifetime.
If you’re planning to book a trip to Centre Parcs Sherwood Forest, here’s everything you need to know as a first-time visitor, and my honest opinion of our recent trip.
Accommodation
We stayed in a two-bedroom Executive Style Lodge, which is a series of connected lodges nestled amongst a natural environment. I was concerned at first about hearing those in the connecting lodges and also not having any privacy to sit outside and enjoy the woodland view, but to say we had two young families as neighbours, we never heard or saw them and didn't feel overlooked at all when sat outside.
There was so much space in the lodge as well, which was a pleasant surprise and just like the rest of the Centre Parcs Sherwood Forest site, the lodges were extremely clean and well kept.
Our kids loved the huge window and glass door in the living area, which let in a lot of light during the day, as they loved being able to see all the squirrels and ducks that were outside the lodge and would come up to the windows.
There was a main bathroom and a small toilet facility in the lodge, which did come in handy when our two kids needed to use the toilet at the same time! There's also a step stool in the main bathroom, which my three-year-old daughter loved as it allowed her to independently wash her hands and brush her teeth.
The lodge came with everything that was needed and was well equipped with utensils, cooking facilities and plenty of dishes and glasses. We were really impressed that there was also a cheese grater and bottle opener, and even a highchair for babies.
There was plenty of storage space for cupboard foods, but we did find the fridge a little on the smaller side for what we needed for a week, but we managed to make it work.
The lodge rooms were well-sized, and we were pleasantly surprised with how comfortable the beds were. One thing that's usually an issue when staying in hotels or alternative accommodation is the lack of pillows, however there was more than enough in the lodge!
Getting around
What Centre Parcs does brilliantly is restrict vehicles. You're only allowed to take your car to your lodge at 4pm to drop your belongings at your lodge, and again on the morning you are checking out. This meant there were no vehicles other than maintenance on any of the roads so you wasn't constantly watching over your shoulder when walking or cycling.
Everything on site is accessible on foot, but you could also cycle to the village if you wanted as well. You can't cycle in the village centre, but there are plenty of cycle-parks where you can park up your bike, secure it and leave it until you return.
You can bring your own bikes, or you can hire them with bike locks and helmets included in the price. You can also hire a wagon that attaches to an adult's bike, for children who can't yet ride their own bike. My three-year-old does have her own bike, which we took with us, but hired the wagon separately just in case she was to tired to cycle.
The wagon comes with two secure seat fastenings and also a boot space to store any bags, which we found really handy. We actually used the wagon to fill with our belongings when we checked in, rather than driving to our lodge and there was plenty of space for everything.
Activities
There are plenty of activities to do when at Centre Parcs if you're wanting to fill the gaps between cycle rides, walks and swimming. All activities vary in price, but I really liked that when looking to book an activity, you could see the age suitability, price per person and also select days and times.
We noticed that there was also plenty of availability for activities and time slots as well.
Bowling
One activity we chose to do as a family was bowling. Rather than paying for a game, you paid for a certain amount of time instead and could keep bowling until the time ran out. We booked a 45 minute bowling session, which allowed us to have one full game with four people, and a few extra bowls after the game had finished.
While the kids loved it, we did find the facility to be a little outdated, and there was recommendations to wear the bowling shoes but you could help yourself, so it wasn't actually clear if the shoes had been disinfected between use.
Pottery
While this activity was incredibly fun, it can get a little pricey! My daughter and I opted to do a pottery class while my husband and son did a sport activity. It was £6 each to reserve our seats in the painting studio, but once in, there is the additional costs of choosing the type of pottery you wanted to paint.
Prices varied depending on product, my daughter opted for a £17 dinosaur and we also chose a plant pot for £21.
The session was listed as 1 hour and 30 minutes, which is plenty of time to paint, and you can actually choose and pay for as many pots as you'd like to paint! All the paints (and there's plenty to choose from) and accessories to paint were included, as well as protective equipment if you didn't want to get messy. There was also more intricate painting tools for those who were a little more advance at pottery painting.
It is worth noting that you do have to leave your pots at the studio for 24 hours, as they prepare them for you, so make sure you don't book this on your last two days!
Sports
While at Centre Parcs, we also booked a Pickleball activity and the Football Fun Factory for our daughter, both priced around £12-£15 each.
We are a very sporty family, so it was great to see the range of sports options available, and my husband and son loved the Pickle ball session, as it's something they've never done before.
Our daughter also loved the football class, and found it was really engaging for three-year-olds and she had so much fun.
You're not just restricted to paid, sports activities though, there is a cycle trail you can follow which is free to do, as well as a Forest Discovery Trail that you can do on foot.
Subtropical Swimming Paradise
Even if you haven't been to Centre Parcs before, it seems everyone knows about the pool! Whilst we went outside of term time, we were expecting the pool to be busy, which it was, but the only place you notice how busy it is was in the changing rooms.
There are plenty of lockers and family changing rooms which are all brilliantly sized, but it was difficult grabbing a changing room when there were people trying to head into the pool, and others who were coming out.
We were impressed with how clean they felt though, and our kids loved putting their wet swimsuits in the drying machine before we left.
We found the best time to go to the pool if you wanted a quieter experience was actually after 3pm. There was plenty of lighting, and even as it got darker outside there was a nice ambiance inside the pool itself so it wasn't overly bright, but you could still see where you were walking or swimming.
Aqua Sauna Forest Spa
The grandparents came on a visitor's pass for a day, so my husband and I got to take full advantage of the Aqua Sauna Forest Spa.
Nestled away from the rest of the village, the Spa was such a tranquil area! You get four hours in the spa in total, which we found to be plenty of time to use all the facilities. The changing rooms were immaculate and you felt relaxed the minute you walked in. Once checked in, you were given complimentary robes and a towel as well, which you could get fresh ones if needed throughout the Spa experience.
There is a discount for pregnant women using the spa, and there are clearly labelled areas which are safe for pregnant women to use.
Food
If you don't want to cook, there are a good number of restaurants and places to eat onsite. They usually take a £5 per head booking fee as a deposit if you book through the app (which I do recommend just in case it is busy), but this gets deducted from your overall bill.
We found the portion sizes to be just right for the kids and each venue also had a kids deal where you could get a starter, main, dessert and drink for a reasonable price.
Our favourite place was Hucks by far. They had a play area for the kids which wasn't overly crowded, and the staff were so lovely! The food and drinks were of high quality, and couldn't believe the portion sizze. The restaurant was very clean, and they even had a make your own sundae bar which my daughter loved choosing her own toppings for on her ice cream.
We didn't enjoy eating at the Sports Bar as much. The play area was a little outdated and seemed to be always crowded, and we thought the food was very basic, however it was really clean and the staff again were very accomodating.
Bella Italia we found to be extremely busy, but this was located right next to the swimming pool, and the menu would appear to be more familiar for kids with pizza, pasta and chicken nuggets as an option. It's worth noting the kids meal didn't come with chips, so an extra portion is necessary.
There were plenty of options on the menus at each restaurant, and we were also impressed that there was a colouring page and crayons available everywhere too! We don't take tablets out for meals, so these kept our children entertained while we waited for our dinner. We did find service to be quick, apart from at Bella Italia, but we did go at an extremely busy time in the evening, which was probably why.
Shops
On-site, there is a handy convenience store that literally has everything you'll need from a bakery to logs for the fire pit in your lodge. I reallyloved that they had little trolleys for children to use, which my daughter absolutely loved as she felt very independent choosing her ownsnacks from the shop.
A lot of people did pre-warn us that the shop can be quite expensive, so it is better to take your own foods, however we found it to be similar price points to Co-op and ASDA. We did prepare and took our own cupboard essentials and a few fridge foods, but we bought meats and dairy from the shop as we didn't want to travel with them.
Centre Parcs App
Gone are the days are ordinary maps or even having to remember your itinerary on a piece of paper! The Centre Parcs app definitely does play a pivotal role in your stay.
The app helps you through the check-in process and also shows your itinerary for the week, and also allows you to book extra activities if you want to.
I really liked that it has a map function too, so if you needed to get to a certain location, such as your lodge, or a facility, you could click where you wanted to be and it would tell you how long it takes to walk or cycle there.
It was really hassle-free and so easy to use, you didn't have to be a technology expert to navigate it.
Overall
When people have mentioned staycations at Centre Parcs, I've always wondered what people actually do while they're there, because you could just go out for the day in a forest, but honestly, we are already planning our next visit and have been telling everyone we know they need to go!
You do have to plan your days a little if you want to do activities and have dinner reservations, but you don't feel restricted or as though you're on a strict time schedule at all.
It's one of the most peaceful holidays we've had as a family and the quality time we got to spend together was invaluable. We try and be as technology-free as a family as possible, but Centre Parcs allowed us that extra level of feeling off-grid, the kids could explore and choose activities they wanted to do, and would have spent hours cycling around or swimming if they could!
I would personally say that Centre Parcs Sherwood Forest is worth the hype. We spent so much quality time together, and despite just being a woodland retreat, there is so much to do, but even if there wasn't, you wouldn't get bored of just walking or cycling around and exploring the natural surroundings, rain or shine.
Top tips for visiting Centre Parcs Sherwood Forest
Download the app
I can't stress enough how important the app is! It has everything you need from booking activities to seeing your itinerary, and information about check in and departures. Another great feature is it provides a map, so you can easily find facilities or your cabin!
Plan your arrival
You can't check in until 4pm unless you have an early check-in, however you can use the facilities from 10am on the day of your check-in. Whilst a lot of people take advantage of this and arrive early, we actually found it better arriving around 3pm.
This way, we were able to get straight into the carpark without queuing to check in, and a lot of people were departing at this time, so while the carpark was a little chaotic, it still meant we could get a good parking space.
Make a note of where you're parked
The car park does have zones to make it easier to locate your car, but it could also be worth downloading what/three/words to help you find it. There are plenty of maps dotted around the site as well to help you get back on track if you get lost.
Take your essentials
While there is an onsite shop that we did actually use most days, we found that they didn't have larger-sized nappies and there is only one brand. I personally found that it's better to overpack on essentials such as toiletries and snacks and bring them home than it is to take fresh food.
Samantha Ball is a Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby, having written for the brand since 2018. She's a mum of two aged seven and three, and is currently expecting her third. She loves searching for the best and current trending products for little ones. She loves to bake, but spends most of her free time between football and ballet classes.