Before I begin this post, can I be the first to point out that Centre Parcs is definitely not a tropical forest hidden underneath a huge dome. It isn't remotely indoors, it's a British forest which absolutely does not contain any tropical springs, none.
I'm glad we've managed to clear that one up, you know, just in case anyone actually turns up to Centre Parcs with that expectation in their minds....
So yeah, anyway, I went to Centre Parcs this week for the first time and it wasn't exactly what I had anticipated. It turns out that it's a huge forest, full of hills, full of cabins, full of bikes, full of kids -Seriously do not go if you're a fan of peace and quiet, there's literally more children than trees.
After my initial shock (what the hell is this place) I decided to embrace Centre Parcs for what it really is - Wet English Woods... I put on my coat and stepped into the (non-dome-covered) forest, I hired a bike and set off on my crazy week. I'm not going to bore with further details about Centre Parcs, i'm going to give you the basic DL. If you're looking to go on a fitness break that doesn't involve trawling over mountains and getting lost in the middle of the Lakes then this is the place for you. It's a village of health activities, ranging from yoga to paint balling to aerial adventures (trekking in the trees). There's a little bit of something for everyone.
With all this said, i'm not sure if i'd go back. The problem with Centre Parcs is that it doesn't feel like a fitness and health getaway, it feels like a week of fun and games and comfort food. After a morning of laser combat (running around trees in the rain with a heavy gun, ducking, hiding and shooting) you don't feel like going home and eating a healthy meal. You want to go home and eat scones and sit in front of the fire, you definitely don't want to spend your time preparing a gluten-free sugar-free muffin... At home a gluten-free muffin is exciting, it tastes so naughty when it's not. But at Centre Parcs, after running through the cold woods, screaming like a child with a gun, you don't care if your muffin's healthy or not, you inherit the mind of a child and you'd happily eat a packet of sugar for breakfast.
HOWEVER- Centre Parcs is THE perfect balance of fitness and good food. If you want to have a break which involves eating anything you want without feeling awful about it, then this is the place for you.
With all this said, i'm not sure if i'd go back. The problem with Centre Parcs is that it doesn't feel like a fitness and health getaway, it feels like a week of fun and games and comfort food. After a morning of laser combat (running around trees in the rain with a heavy gun, ducking, hiding and shooting) you don't feel like going home and eating a healthy meal. You want to go home and eat scones and sit in front of the fire, you definitely don't want to spend your time preparing a gluten-free sugar-free muffin... At home a gluten-free muffin is exciting, it tastes so naughty when it's not. But at Centre Parcs, after running through the cold woods, screaming like a child with a gun, you don't care if your muffin's healthy or not, you inherit the mind of a child and you'd happily eat a packet of sugar for breakfast.
HOWEVER- Centre Parcs is THE perfect balance of fitness and good food. If you want to have a break which involves eating anything you want without feeling awful about it, then this is the place for you.
(^Do not be fooled by the blue sky - I'm in England, we have blue sky and torrential downpours within the same hour - The focus is on the mass amounts of bicycles).
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