How Center Parcs holidays within the UK are far costlier than Europe
Britons planning on a Center Parcs holiday in the UK could save nearly £1,000 on their accommodation by opting for a European site, it can be revealed today.
The price of holidays at 32 of the chain’s sites across England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany was found to vary wildly in peak school holiday periods.
The costs of four-night stays for a family of four during five separate weeks in May, July, August and October were compared by experts at consumer champion Which?.
They found average prices for UK resorts were ‘considerably higher than prices paid elsewhere in Europe’ and Brits could save ‘hundreds of pounds’ by going abroad.
Across the five weeks, the average price for accommodation at a UK Center Parcs was £1,435, while Germany averaged £857 and the Netherlands £866. Savings could also be found in France, with an average of £1,098; and Belgium where it was £1,121.
When MailOnline delved deeper into the figures for the last week of August – from the 26th to 30th, the cheapest price was in the Netherlands with £566 at Parc Sandur. In Germany it was Park Nordseeküste at £634, while the cheapest in France was Les Trois Forêts at £746, and in Belgium it was Les Ardennes at £755.
This was well below all the UK sites – with Longleat Forest in Wiltshire at £1,499; then Elveden in Suffolk, Woburn in Bedfordshire and Sherwood in Nottinghamshire which were all at £1,399. The cheapest was Whinfell in Cumbria but this was still £1,249.
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/16/16/84966061-13425653-image-a-1_1715873687764.jpg)
![Longleat Forest in Wiltshire was the priciest Center Parcs UK site, costing an average of £1,649 for four nights for a family of four, across five weeks during school holidays checked by Which?](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/16/11/84952473-13425653-Longleat_Forest_in_Wiltshire_was_the_priciest_Center_Parcs_UK_si-a-15_1715857137566.jpg)
Longleat Forest in Wiltshire was the priciest Center Parcs UK site, costing an average of £1,649 for four nights for a family of four, across five weeks during school holidays checked by Which?
![Whinfell Forest in Cumbria was the cheapest UK Center Parcs on average across the five weeks examined by experts at Which? at £1,299 for four nights for a family of four](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/16/12/84952551-13425653-image-m-18_1715857252079.jpg)
Whinfell Forest in Cumbria was the cheapest UK Center Parcs on average across the five weeks examined by experts at Which? at £1,299 for four nights for a family of four
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/16/13/84956049-13425653-image-a-3_1715862227932.jpg)
DATES | UK | FRANCE | BELGIUM | NETHERLANDS | GERMANY |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 27 – May 31 | £1,449 | £597 | £777 | £707 | £661 |
July 29 – August 2 | £1,429 | £1,472 | £1,355 | £1,210 | £1,175 |
August 19 – August 23 | £1,439 | £1,419 | £1,281 | £995 | £949 |
August 26 – August 30 | £1,409 | £1,143 | £1,070 | £872 | £803 |
October 28 – November 1 | £1,449 | £857 | N/A | £645 | £699 |
AVERAGES | £1,435 | £1,098 | £1,121 | £886 | £857 |
France had the biggest savings in May’s half-term holiday where, without factoring in travel costs, a family could save £852 on average compared with booking in the UK.
Researchers at Which? found that at £1,449 on average for May, a UK Center Parcs stay costs 143 per cent more than the average cost of a comparable break in France at £597.
Over the same week, the company discovered British families could save an average of £788 in Germany, £742 in the Netherlands and £672 in Belgium.
Meanwhile, those booking in the October half-term can find the biggest savings in the Netherlands, where a four-night break costs £804 less on average than in the UK.
Using the £1,449 average, this means that a UK Center Parcs break is 125 per cent dearer than a Dutch equivalent at £645.
During the summer holidays, the firm found Germany was the cheapest Center Parcs destination in each of the three weeks checked.
The end of the summer break offered the biggest savings.
A stay at a German Center Parcs between August 26 and 30 came in at £803 on average, which is over £600 less than a stay in the UK at £1,409.
Between August 19 and 23, Which? claimed that travellers could save just shy of £500, and £254 between July 39 and August 2, compared to staying in the UK.
While travel costs could push these prices up, spot checks by Which? suggests that families could still save once they are factored in – particularly if booking ferries well in advance.
It was noted that Center Parks in Belgium and France are the easiest to reach from the south of England.
For example, Park de Haan in Belgium is approximately just over an hour’s drive from Dunkirk, while Calais is around two and a half hours from Center Parcs Le Lac d’Ailette.
Which? revealed that at the time of writing, a return ferry to Calais for a family of four could be booked for £147 during the October half-term or £165 during the May half-term.
Ferry prices are based on a family of two adults and two children travelling in a Ford Fiesta, with no pets or additional roof luggage.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, can be reached via ferry from Hull, Harwich and Newcastle, or by driving a few hours from Calais or Dunkirk.
Center Parcs De Eemhof has the lowest price in October – £505 for four nights.
It is approximately a one-and-a-half hour drive from the Hook of Holland, with a return ferry from Harwich available for £188 at the time of writing, according to the consumer group.
![Center Parcs operates sites in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire; Elveden Forest in Suffolk; Longleat Forest in Wiltshire; Whinfell Forest in Cumbria and Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/16/16/30700328-13425653-Center_Parcs_operates_sites_in_Sherwood_Forest_in_Nottinghamshir-a-7_1715873081343.jpg)
Center Parcs operates sites in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire; Elveden Forest in Suffolk; Longleat Forest in Wiltshire; Whinfell Forest in Cumbria and Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire
![Center Parcs has 27 sites in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands (as shown above)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/16/13/84955905-13425653-Center_Parcs_has_27_sites_in_France_Belgium_Germany_and_the_Neth-a-2_1715862098268.jpg)
Center Parcs has 27 sites in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands (as shown above)
![A stay at the Center Parcs at Le Bois aux Daims in France will cost £961 for four nights for a family of four in the last week of August](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/16/15/84962869-13425653-A_stay_at_the_Center_Parcs_at_Le_Bois_aux_Daims_in_France_will_c-a-2_1715870746192.jpg)
A stay at the Center Parcs at Le Bois aux Daims in France will cost £961 for four nights for a family of four in the last week of August
![Center Parcs De Eemhof in Holland has the lowest price in October - £505 for four nights](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/16/12/84952605-13425653-Center_Parcs_De_Eemhof_in_Holland_has_the_lowest_price_in_Octobe-m-21_1715857350469.jpg)
Center Parcs De Eemhof in Holland has the lowest price in October – £505 for four nights
![A stay at Les Bois-Francs in France for a family of four will be £772 for four nights in late August](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/16/15/84962915-13425653-image-a-3_1715870805446.jpg)
A stay at Les Bois-Francs in France for a family of four will be £772 for four nights in late August
Amounting to a total cost of £693, that is a saving of £606 compared to Center Parcs Whinfell Forest in Cumbria, which is the UK park with the lowest available price that week – at £1,299 for a four-night stay.
Which? does advise, however, that holidaymakers should factor in longer journey times, with a ferry crossing to the Hook of Holland taking more than seven hours.
Flights are also available from London to Amsterdam from £326 return for a family of four, which is the cheapest price across the five weeks. For London to Hamburg, returns start at £302.
While most of Germany’s Center Parcs locations are not close to airports, the best option is Bispinger Heide park which is 40 miles from Hamburg Airport. Flight costs will add at least £302 to the total.
Naomi Leach, deputy editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘While UK holiday parks offer families an easy way to explore the great British countryside, our research has found that casting your net further afield could make your break more affordable.
‘Those holidaying in the May and October half-terms stand to make the most significant savings, but even during the summer, a family could save hundreds of pounds on their accommodation costs.
‘Do factor in the cost of transport and travel insurance to ensure the swap is worthwhile and always double-check European parks have the facilities and activities you expect.’
As for the UK sites, Whinfell was the cheapest on average across the five weeks at £1,299 for four nights – while Longleat Forest was the priciest at £1,649.
A Center Parcs UK spokesman said: ‘Despite sharing a brand name, Center Parcs UK and Center Parcs Europe are entirely separate companies which operate very differently.
‘At Center Parcs UK, our unique offering attracts loyal guests, a high number of whom return year after year – last year, we welcomed approximately 2.2million guests and had continued occupancy of around 97 per cent.
‘We continue to invest heavily in our facilities, accommodation, people and the woodlands in which we operate.’