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Growing up, I used to see the adverts on telly for Center Parcs and think it looked absolutely magical. Cycling through the woods, all that greenery, families looking suspiciously happy. Naturally, it was completely out of our budget. We were more of a Pontins family, because even Butlins felt like a stretch. Alhamdulillah, my mum worked so hard to provide for us, but by the time everything was accounted for, there wasn’t much left over for anywhere “nice.” Our idea of a holiday was visiting cousins in London or Bournemouth. Our first holiday abroad wasn’t until 2009, when we went to visit family in Spain, and even then we found every way possible to save money. It was brilliant though.

Anyway, I’m getting distracted. The point is, we simply weren’t a “Center Parcs kind of family,” and my mum would have told you as much herself. Her exact words were something like, “We can go abroad for the same price,” and to be fair to her, she wasn’t wrong.

Fast Forward to 2025

Alhamdulillah, we finally had the chance to go as a family, and it was actually something my mum wanted to try, just once. So off we went together: 3 adults, 2 children and 1 infant, for 4 nights in Woburn Forest. Total cost was £659, plus a little extra to be in a central area.

This was early October, so considerably cheaper than half term, when I believe the same trip would have crept £1,000 for four nights. So credit where it’s due, we did save money. Being a home ed family definitely helps here, since we can travel whenever everyone else is stuck in school. There was no “formal” learning on this trip, just being in nature, playing, swimming, a bit of nature study, some reading, and of course practising Qur’an. It really was lovely.

It wasn’t overly crowded, though there were plenty of foreign tourists, including quite a few Israeli tourists. A bit awkward, given the looks we got as a visibly Muslim family, some sniggering and pointing from their kids but nothing more than that. No actual ‘trouble.’ My children were having too much fun to realise. 

The Big Reveal

I’ll be honest, I went in with sky high expectations. I’d spent my whole childhood believing Center Parcs was strictly for middle class families with matching wellies, and now here we were, finally living the dream. So naturally, there was a slight sense of underwhelm.

When you compare the cost to other UK holidays, you could easily go somewhere cheaper and probably arrive with lower expectations too, which honestly might be the smarter strategy. I was disappointed to find the shower curtain was mouldy, and the walls, grout and silicone in the bathroom weren’t much better. The kettle was so caked in limescale it looked like it had never once met a bottle of descaler. Then there was the fridge, which still had beer cans left behind by the previous guests, a fairly strong hint that a proper clean hadn’t happened. I understand turnaround time is tight, but a bit more care wouldn’t go amiss.

One of the wardrobes had a stray dirty sock inside, along with what looked like an old tights packet, and the carpets weren’t quite as pristine as I’d hoped. I wear slippers on holiday regardless, so it mattered less to me personally, but it is what it is. Let’s just say the lodge had character, and not always the good kind.

The Sauna

I did genuinely enjoy having a sauna as part of our lodge. The only catch was that you had to step outside into the back garden and into a separate little sauna shed, which was visible from the pathway. As a hijabi, that meant staying covered until I was safely inside, and even then, there’s nothing stopping a random person wandering past for a nosy look. Unlikely, sure, but not impossible. My husband kept an eye out from the living room, but it would have felt far more private if the sauna had actually been attached to the lodge rather than a separate garden shed adventure.

You do have to switch it on from inside and let it warm up for about 30 minutes before use, which worked out well for us. My mum has a frozen shoulder and was in quite a lot of pain after her operation, so swimming wasn’t an option for her, but the sauna gave her a bit of relief and something to enjoy.

The Subtropical Swimming Paradise

This part was genuinely lovely. There was a children’s splash area, a wave pool, slides, wild water rapids and a lazy river. The kids adored it. Yousef was a little unsure at first, understandably, wave pools are basically toddler chaos, but by the end he’d settled into the splash area and cried when we tried to leave. The older two flat out refused to leave, full stop.

The changing rooms were reasonably clean. There were only three or four private shower cubicles, so most people rinse off in the main communal shower while still in their costume, which is standard for these places but worth knowing in advance.

Food and Extras

We didn’t use the restaurants or cafes much, since we’d brought our own food and groceries, partly because of Leyla’s allergies and partly to keep costs down. We did pop into the on site grocery store one evening and picked up a few bits for the kids, including vegan ice cream. Prices were fairly reasonable. There was also a bakery, though it was tricky to check the ingredients to see if anything was halal friendly.

There were ice cream shops too, and an activity centre where you could book various things. Ibrahim tried rock climbing and we did family boat riding, which was surprisingly therapeutic, though the lake was quite small so he got a bit bored after a while. Leyla had her hair braided and absolutely loved it. (additional costs)

The Complaint and the Compensation

On the last evening, the management actually called us to apologise for the issues we’d raised. I hadn’t managed to report the shower curtain straight away, since I only noticed it late at night and just used a different shower instead. By the time we finished our activities each day it tended to be late, so we mentioned things as we walked back to the lodge. The kettle situation was flagged on the first day, and a replacement was dropped off the next morning, so credit to them for sorting that quickly.

They offered us compensation too, \I think it was either a discount on a future stay of around £50, or a free activity. We chose the activity. So we went bowling on our final day, followed by lunch, before heading home.

So, Would I Go Again?

Honestly, it was a genuinely nice trip. People were friendly, considerate about noise in the evenings, and overall it was a lovely time as a family. But would I go again? I’m honestly not sure.

It was really nice, but is it worth the price tag? If you’re just visiting for the day, the day passes aren’t cheap, and all you actually get included is walking around the grounds and access to the swimming paradise. Everything else costs extra on top. It might be worth weighing up the cost against other UK water parks and seeing how the numbers compare before committing. (Day passes are only for family/friends of those who are staying there- you can’t just turn up)

P.S. If you’d rather hire a bike than bring your own, book it during the reservation process. It works out cheaper and they’ll usually have it waiting at your lodge when you arrive. But if you can manage to bring your own, do that instead. Your bank balance will thank you.