The first person we met on arrival at Center Parcs Longford Forest was Pamela at check in. Her positive energy was infectious. Before with family breaks the check in process has been stressful and long, but because we didn’t even have to get out of the car, the kids were none the wiser and were busy gazing at our new forest home.
The Center Parcs bicycle hire facility was the highlight for the two little boys. For some reason I thought Tommy (aged 4) would be able to ride a bike with stabilisers even though he’d only previously ridden his balance bike. However it wasn’t a problem and the staff went above and beyond to amend our booking and get us set up with a trailer which Tommy absolutely loved.
On the Saturday of our weekend break, Ella (aged 16) and I went off to the Aqua Sana Spa while Shane took the two boys to try out the Off Road Explorers - an electric car adventure experience with the boys.
Ella and I had never been to a spa before, it was great to spend time with Ella where we could just be together with no agenda and nowhere to rush off to. We tried all the different saunas in the spa. When it came to the crushed ice, I was only brave enough to rub it on my face while Ella went for the full body experience. We sat in the hot tub outside and just laughed at nonsense, we had so much fun relaxing together.
That evening, we were all back together for dinner in Cara’s Kitchen. I sometimes find options for family meals can be limited, but there was plenty of choice and the dipping donuts were a big hit with the boys. I got to hear about their off roading adventure over dinner as did all the staff at Cara’s kitchen (all the staff were so friendly with us and the children which was lovely).
Joe in particular loved the freedom of cycling everywhere without the safety issues of being at home. For the whole weekend he asked – ‘Are we cycling there’- which was followed by a cheer.
The Sub-Tropical Swimming Paradise was a massive hit. I was pleasantly surprised that there was plenty for the boys to do that was age appropriate. This gave Shane and Ella a chance to try out the bigger slides. And because they were out of sight from the boys, nobody thought they were missing out or wanted to go where ‘Dads going’. There were plenty of chairs all around the pool areas for parents who needed to keep a watchful eye, and for those who were with smaller children and feeding. Because we could use our accommodation key for the lockers this made everything that little bit easier.
The Pottery Painting activity was also great fun because it was something we could all enjoy. The time just flew by and by the end of it we were all pretty happy with our master pieces
We made sure to hit the Treats and Just Kids retail shops in the Village square before heading home. If I’m being honest, I expected both to be overpriced because of past experiences in similar shops. However I thought they were great value and really fun shops for everyone.
Center Parcs was a massive hit with the whole family and we would 100% go back. Everything from the accommodation (the only issue was not knowing where the master switch was, but the staff quickly helped us), to the activities, to the beauty of the forest. It was the best Family break we’ve had to date.
