A couple of weeks ago me and James headed off to Woburn Forest CenterParcs for a little break. Despite booking off Christmas and saving some days holiday to roll over for our wedding next year I still had a good amount of time off left. So we decided to book a 4 day break that spanned from Friday to Monday
Arrival
Arrival was fairly easy. With check in from 3pm we drove our car up to a kiosk where we were given information packs and information on the hotel room that we would be staying in. We were also given a wrist band that served as a door key to our hotel room. It also doubled up as a contactless payment device that you could use in areas like the Subtropical Swimming Paradise.
As CenterParcs is a car free complex, we drove straight to the hotel car park, unloaded our bags then James went and dropped our car off in the main car park where it remained for the duration of our stay.
The Hotel
The whole complex is pretty much brand new so the hotel rooms are all really nice and fresh. As you walked into our room the toilet cubicle was on the left, and the sink area and shower were more exposed in the middle of the room (maybe slightly awkward if you travel with friends and don’t want them seeing you in the nude!). The bed sat at the back of the room and ended in a door which opened onto a balcony with scenic views.
Activities
Cupcake Decorating
This was one of the festive activities that we booked that I was most excited about! I felt a little bit sheepish at first as the session was for 12+. I was thinking that we’d turn up and would be greeted by multiple cupcake mad 12 year olds, but to my surprise the session was actually filled with adults.
The cupcakes were pre-made so we just got to do the fun bit – decorating them! Our very friendly resident elf Penny led us through how to make all of the different festive designs. From penguins, to santa and his elves.
My favourite was this santa stuck upside down in the snow, so simple to make yet really effective!
Sports
There are a variety of sports activities to book at CenterParcs. From badminton to outdoor activities like mini golf and even Segway riding! Me and James kept it simple and decided to play a game of squash. We booked the court and then hired the rackets and ball, it was a lot of fun but we definitely ached afterwards, a little reminder that I should probably do more exercise!
Swimming – Subtropical Swimming Paradise
We have been to CenterParcs Elveden in the past and always loved the swimming paradise. With heated pools a lazy river, and slides it can keep you busy for hours. Our favourite slides here were the Tornado, a raft slide with a huge dip and the outside wild water rapids. The only drawback here was the slightly small wave pool. But we managed to keep ourselves busy with multiple trips on the water rapids so it was no big deal!
Aqua Sana Spa
On the Friday night we arrived we took a twilight visit to the Aqua Sana spa. from 6-9pm we were given access to the spa and the multiple experiences offered. I have to say that this spa is amazing. It’s absolutely huge and it has a massive selection of different rooms to experience. From the fire and ice spa to the reflexology foot baths you really are spoilt for choice. The outdoor infinity pool is great to relax in, and if you’re feeling sleepy there are an abundance of water beds to lay on.
Both me and James also had treatments, I went for a ‘Lava Shells’ massage which involved heated shells being used to soothe aching back muscles. James had a scalp massage which he was a bit nervous about but actually really enjoyed. The spa staff were friendly and professional and once you finish your treatment you have the option of chilling out in one of their “relax” rooms with a glass of water.
Decorations and Winter Wonderland
In the lead up to Christmas the park was decorated with loads of festive lights. We visited the Winter Wonderland late on Saturday night and there was no one to be seen! There were loads of cute animatronics playing Christmas songs and a chance to pose in Santa’s sleigh. You could visit some real life Reindeer and even meet the man himself in his workshop earlier in the day. There was also a VR experience where you could meet Nutmeg, CenterParcs baby reindeer.
Fireworks
As part of the festive entertainment at CenterParcs there was a fireworks display on the Sunday of the weekend that we stayed. The viewing area for the fireworks was down by the beach, and there was plenty of space. There were a couple of stalls selling food and warm drinks to keep cosy. The best part of this was that our hotel room balcony overlooked the fireworks viewing area. So we retreated back to our room and watched the display from there. It lasted for about 15minutes and it was nice to have your own space and not be stuck in an area.
Overall it was a really nice weekend away and I’d definitely recommend Woburn Forest CenterParcs to anyone looking to get away and relax for a couple of days.
