Today I’m hosting a guest post from Katykicker to help you save money when travelling to Centerparcs.
I’m a great lover of Center Parcs and my family and I have been multiple times this year alone. I’m heading back in just a few weeks and I’m already thinking about what I’m going to take to save money at Center Parcs. I’ve got a number of tips on keeping the budget low, while still having fun, so here are my top tips:
Meal plan
Think about your breakfast and dinner as a minimum. Many of the on site restaurants have bargain lunches on offer and Tuesday, for example, is steak night at Cafe Rouge. By planning your meals around such offers you can still eat out some of the week and save yourself a fortune in the process.
Take groceries with you
We either load up the car before we head off or we visit a supermarket near to the site and pick up our shopping. This is ideal if you’re arriving on site at the check-in time. However, if you’re arriving earlier then you may want to just pack dry goods and toiletries, rather than meat and fresh produce.
Bring bird food
There is LOTS of wildlife on site. We have seen owls, deers, ducks, fish and much more. It is lovely to be able to see all this wildlife and if you take some specialist food with you then you can encourage the wildlife to your lodge door. This is great fun but it is important to take the correct food, as nobody wants to end up giving ducks bread and getting the look of shame from other visitors.
Take your own towels
You are asked not to use lodge towels in the swimming pool. Because of this they hire towels that you can use poolside. Pack some nice towels for use at swimming, as you’ll probably want to go daily, and save yourself some money!
Take items from your medicine cabinet with you
If you’re travelling with little ones, or clumsy people, then pack some good supplies. Plasters, paracetamol, Calpol for little ones etc. They do sell just about anything on site that you could ever need if someone is ill but obviously the prices are a bit premium!
Overpack rather than under pack
As you’re likely to be driving to Centerparcs be sure to overpack, rather than under pack. Once you’ve been a couple of times you’ll soon know what you do and don’t need to take. I’d personally rather be over prepared than spend an absolute fortune on items I have back at home.
Look for cheap activities each day
If you want to book activities consider either booking well in advance, months before you visit, to guarantee the slots you want, or look every day online, or via the terminals in the guest services area, once you are on site.
Center Parcs is a more premium UK holiday, in my opinion, but I feel that the experiences you have there, and the relaxing you do, is well worth the money. To save money at Center Parcs look to go during off peak times.
You can find Katy on social media as well as on her blog! Follow the links below:
Great advice! We love Centre Parcs and have been a few times since having children. We always plan our meals before we go and bring food for the meals we will have at home x
I think planning is definitely the way forward!