
Center Parcs - Elveden Forest
Center Parcs - Elveden Forest
Date of visit 13/01/25 - 17/01/25
We hadn't visited a Center Parcs site as a family, although I had been to one, nearly 30 years ago. Having checked the Center Parcs website and many of the videos online I felt we had a rough idea of what to expect and had got a good price on our accommodation, going in term time!
We were particularly looking forward to the pool area, as Little One loves water. I was also looking forward to seeing some of the reported wildlife. We had come prepared with monkey nuts, wild bird food and some carrots and parsnips left over from Christmas!
Before I go any further, I need to say, once again, that not all children with autism are the same. There will clearly be parts of what I describe that some children won't be able to tolerate, but I can only use our experiences to write my blog, with the caveat of not all are the same.
Anyway, we decided we would try out Elveden Forest Center Parcs, as being in Suffolk, is only just over a couple of hours from our home in Kent. I had paid the extra for any early book-in time, 2pm instead of 4pm.
You can arrive onsite from 10am, but your vehicle is then held in a very large car park, until booking in time! You are, however, able to use the facilities on parc from 10am, the wrist bands issued at booking in will get you access to the swimming pool lockers, and later your accommodation.
Tip number 1 - make a note of your car park name and number, i.e. Rabbit 1. Or for those more tech-minded than me, drop a pin on Google maps!
We had paid the extra for early booking in, and having arrived at 11.30am were allowed to take our car through and park outside our lodge. There is no guarantee that you will be given this facility, but I think as the site wasn't too busy, being term time, we were given this option.
We had had the foresight to pack our swimming stuff in a separate bag, so were able to use the SubTropical Swimming Paradise before actually unpacking our case and bags!
Another caveat here, indoor swimming pools, by their very nature can be quite noisy and as such can be an issue for some with noise challenges. Fortunately the pool here didn't seem too bad, and didn't adversely affect our Little One - granted his hearing loss may actually help in these situations. Even the Tarzan call that rang out to announce the wave machine coming on didn't affect him. He absolutely loved the waves, but as a non-swimmer we had to keep a good hold of him, as they were quite forceful!
As a non-swimmer we find it important for Little One to have access to some kind of floatation device. Center Parcs are very good in providing float jackets of various sizes, free of charge, to borrow while you swim. Unfortunately we found that after the first use Little One developed a rash on his chin, where the vest had risen up in the water, as the vests don't have crotch straps to keep them in place.
There is also a good, if slightly expensive, store in the central plaza, Aquatique. We had bought arm bands with us to use, but the shop has all sorts, including arm bands, rubber rings and waterproof pouches to put your mobile phone in.
There are limited restrictions on photography at Center Parcs, with the request being to limit videos and pictures, where possible, to your family group and obviously, no photography in the changing areas.
Tip number 2 - just as you enter the swimming pool area itself, after leaving the changing rooms, there is an inflatible blow up point, with a high pressure hose to inflate all your buoyancy aids, without having to huff and puff!
While clearly many people head to Center Parcs for the indoor pool, which is very good, that isn't all there is to a stay here. We only scratched the surface of what Center Parcs has to offer. It has to be said that some of the activities can be a little expensive, particularly when you have to pay as individuals. The group bookings aren't so bad though. For instance we took part in a really fun intervactive wall ball game, which was just over £20 for the 3 + Little One, for 45 minutes.
A word of warning, if you do the wall ball - it is VERY tiring! I don't think I have ever known 45 minutes to feel so long, but at the same time, great fun!
Little One really loved this activity, and taking place in one of the squash courts, meant he was contained and safe, well he was until I knocked him over in my excitement to retrieve a ball to throw - bad parent!
As said, Center Parcs isn't all about the swimming pool. There are also some other good free activities, like the outdoor play areas or just walking or cycling round the forest - obviously the cycling is only free if you've brought your own with you, which a lot of people clearly do, as the bike park can often be packed with a variety of non-site bikes of all sizes and types.
Depending what time of year you go to Center Parcs there are often different themed events on. When we went, mid-January, the trees and village centre were lit up for their Winter Forest Lights fesitval.
The video above gives you a quick feel for the place. As I say on many occasions, we can only base our experience of anywhere we go on our family group and our Little One's likes and dislikes. We all enjoyed Center Parcs and found visiting mid-week, in the winter, a good time to go! The lodges were toasty warm and comfortable, despite some of the reviews you may read online. The village is never far to walk from any of the accommodations, with probably a 15 minute walk tops. It's just a good family location, with the caveat of making sure you have the budget for it, if you want to do the paid for events.