Our top tips for swimming with little ones

Heading to the pool with a baby or toddler can be filled with trepidation – how will they behave? What should you pack? What will the facilities be like? Will the staff be understanding? Suddenly, popping to the local leisure centre is an operation requiring military precision.

Not so at Center Parcs.

We understand your concerns, so we’ve designed the experience of the Subtropical Swimming Paradise to be as easy as possible. With these tips, you’ll have a happy and hassle-free trip to the pool with your little ones, whether it’s their first time or fiftieth time in the water.

Meet our expert: Sean

Sean Murphy has been part of the Center Parcs team for 27 years. He’s now the Subtropical Swimming Paradise Manager at Elveden Forest. Having seen thousands of families come and go over the years, his tips come from a wealth of experience.

1 Packing for the pool

Top of the list to remember for little ones, of course, is swim nappies. For toddlers and older children, arm bands and goggles will make everyone’s lives easier. Towels with hoods are also great for making changing time into a game.

2 Forget anything?

Don’t stress, just pop to Aquatique, our one-stop swimming shop. There’s nappies, toys, inflatables, costumes, caps and goggles – there’s even a free goggle-fitting service to make sure they won’t leak in the pool.

3 Changing rooms

The battle of the changing room can be the most dreaded part of the whole trip if you have little ones in tow. So to make it a breeze, we have family changing rooms that you can all use together, complete with changing table. Hassle = gone.

4 Get comfortable

“We have a great way to introduce young ones to the water,” says Sean. “Our free Baby Dolphins activity runs before the pool opens while it’s quiet, and introduces babies and toddlers to the water and the Subtropical Swimming Paradise before it gets busy.”

5 Taking the plunge

You made it here. You got everyone changed without a hitch. Now what do you do? There are toddler and children’s areas at all our Villages, as well as shallow areas in the main pools, and Lazy Rivers to bob around. “Venture Cove at Elveden Forest is a favourite with guests,” explains Sean. “It’s enclosed with warmer, shallower water. It’s perfect for toddling and splashing, with lots of bits to explore.”

6 Need a hand?

“We have a team of almost 90 lifeguards in total,” says Sean of the Subtropical Swimming Paradise at Elveden Forest. “They’ll keep you safe, offer advice and give you directions. Just ask!”

7 Take a break

As little ones get over-excited and over-tired, wouldn’t it be great to have somewhere private to relax for a while? Hire a family cabana at any of our Villages for your own enclosed space with free soft drinks, comfy seating and a television. They’re the perfect place to rest and recuperate with a snack before you head back to the pool.

8 Making memories

“Most public pools these days have ban photography,” explains Sean, which means you miss out on capturing those memories. But we know how important that is to you, so not only do we allow photography of your own group, we also have roaming photographers who’ll happily take professional snaps of you and your little ones that you can purchase.

9 All the family

If there are family members in your group who aren’t big swimmers, they’re still more than welcome to join in the fun and grab a chair at the poolside. “We just recommend you wear swimming clothes,” says Sean. “After all, it’s 29.5°C, it gets warm!”

10 Snack attack

Swimming makes little ones hungry, but you don’t have to pack up your things and leave if you need a bite to eat, explains Sean: “Starbucks and The Canopy Café and Bar are right by the poolside, serving hot and cold drinks, snacks and baby food.”

11 In the water

Did you know that experts advise it’s safe to take your baby into a pool from just six weeks old? Babies have a natural affinity for water and in instinct to hold their breath if needs be. For their first time, it’s important to give lots of praise and eye contact. You could practise blowing bubbles under the water together.

12 Quiet time

Our final tip is for families looking for a quieter pool experience. “Our quietest times are early in the morning,” says Sean, “or after 5pm.”

Do you have any tips of your own with little ones in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise? Share them below.

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Your Center Parcs summer activity to-do list

The Center Parcs forests are spectacular all year round, but we can’t deny that some of our activities really sing in the height of summer. There’s nothing quite like cruising around the lake while the water sparkles, or tearing up the Quad Biking track in glorious sunshine.

So here are our top picks for activities to try during your summer break this year – plus a few wet weather ideas in case all doesn’t go to plan.

Take to the lake

Without a doubt, the lake is the place to be when the sun has got his hat on. If you fancy something leisurely, hire one of our Electric Boats which do all the hard work for you as you sail in comfort, taking in the best views of the Village.

Or if you’re in the mood for a little more action, why not try out Stand Up Paddle Boarding? It’s great fun and test your balance and co-ordination – not to mention your core strength. If you’re a natural, you might even get to try a paddle board headstand!

If you prefer your watersports with less chance of taking a dip, hire a canoe. You can take in laps of the lake at your own pace, dodging swans as you go.

A spot of adventure

There’s always something exciting to try at the Outdoor Activity Centre. Why not kick up some dust with Quad Biking (or Junior Quads for younger ones)? You’ll learn how to drive these tough, all-terrain quads before really putting them through their paces on our bespoke off-road track.

Or perhaps you’re a real-life Katniss Everdeen who can rack up the bullseyes in Target Archery. After being shown how to use a bow and arrow safely, you’ll compete in a series of games and tournaments to see if you’re a crack shot. Will you make it onto our highest scorers leaderboard?

If you’ve got a head for heights, you’ll love what goes down (or up?) at Action Challenge. Slip on a harness and helmet before making your way across Aerial Adventure, our obstacle course in the canopy. Suspended up in the trees, you’ll tackle rope bridges and ladders before making your final descent on a thrilling zipwire.

Save it for a rainy day

If the weather doesn’t behave, it doesn’t mean you have to stop play on your break. Take a trip to the Pottery Painting Studio for all-weather family fun. Choose a piece of pottery from our wide selection and let your creative side out with brushes, sponges and stamps. Once you’re finished, we’ll professionally fire and glaze it for you to take home and treasure.

What other activities are on your summer to-do list for this year?

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Waanzinnige Woensdag, extra voordelig naar Center Parcs!

Vandaag is het weer Waanzinnige Woensdag. Boek al vanaf €299,- 3 nachten voor 6 personen! Profiteer nu! 

Vanaf €299,- voor 4 pers, 6 nachten (inclusief verplichte kosten) OP=OP 

Inhuldiging van 'Belevingsbox' in Vossemeren

Deze namiddag werd in Vossemeren de 'Belevingsbox Bosland - Nature Cabana' ingehuldigd. Het is een soort kijkdoos geworden waarin toeristen van het park een blik krijgen op de Sahara, Pijnven en Hobos. Het is een samenwerking tussen Bosland en Vossmeren. De eerste bestaat dit jaar 10 jaar, de tweede mag volgend jaar al 30 kaarsjes uitblazen. En dit zal zeker niet onopgemerkt voorbijgaan, maar daarover later meer.
Natuur en duurzaamheid zijn altijd al belangrijke pijlers geweest bij Center Parcs. Elk park bestaat voor 90%  uit bos en water en onder leiding van huisbioloog Jean Henkens creëert Center Parcs een omgeving waar mensen, maar ook dieren en planten, zich thuis voelen. Omdat natuur zo belangrijk is, werkt Center Parcs al jaren samen met verwante partners om bewustwording bij kinderen en hun ouders te creëren over het belang van duurzaamheid voor mens en natuur. Het is binnen deze context dat deze 'kijkdoos' vandaag werd voorgesteld. Dankzij deze 'box' hopen beide partners om nóg meer toeristen de weg te laten vinden naar de prachtige natuur die Bosland te bieden heeft. Vorig jaar alleen al waren er 25.000 toeristen die via de achteringang de doorsteek naar de Sahara ontdekten; dankzij deze investering kan dit aantal nog hoger oplopen.

Bron en meer informatie: Internet Gazet

We asked guests to design their dream Treehouse. You won’t believe what arrived at our office…

To celebrate the upcoming launch of the Elveden Forest Treehouses, we challenged our Village Life readers to design their own dream treehouse with the chance to win a family Center Parcs break.

First there were the email entries – professional-standard computer modelling, video walkthroughs and even treehouses ingeniously created in Minecraft. Then the amazing pictures and drawings began arriving, from colourful collages by little ones to intricate, detailed blueprints.

Then came the sculptures – every day for weeks, our desks were slowly submerged under giant boxes of beautifully crafted, 3D models of the most imaginative treehouses – from one made of sweets and gingerbread, to an ‘under the sea’ themed creation.

They were all amazing, and as ever, we were blown away by your creativity and commitment.

But one entry had the whole office talking, and staff making special trips to our corner to admire it. It was the clear winner.

The Stevenson family created their ‘Four Seasons Treehouse’ over five weeks. It was painstakingly assembled from dead branches. “Then we made the little houses from lollipop sticks, and the idea just kept on developing,” explains mum Kate.

“Our inspiration came from our breaks at Center Parcs. We’ve been to Sherwood Forest twice – last summer and last Christmas. We loved how different each time was, and thought how amazing it would be to be able to change the season when you wanted.”

There are four miniature Lodges on their creation, each one themed around a different season. Spring is covered in colourful blossoms, and autumn in golden leaves. There are sea shells and rolled up ‘beach towels’ in the summer Lodge, and a tiny, fully decorated Christmas tree in the winter Lodge.

But the detail doesn’t end there. There’s a library with miniature versions of some of the family’s favourite books – including Harry Potter and Robin Hood, an outdoor dining table, set for dinner, a water slide, a hanging bench made from balsa wood and even a tiny sail boat for venturing out on the lake.

The whole thing is decorated with artificial cherry blossoms and the overall effect is, well, breath-taking.

Kate and husband Scott created the work of art with their two children, four-year-old Molly and two-year-old Tom. Although they did most of the structural work (of which there was a lot!), the little ones helped out where they could.

“Molly did most of the painting and flower gluing,” explains Kate, “and the playing with it when it was finished, of course! She came up with lots of ideas too – she wanted the water slide and the Christmas tree in the winter Lodge.” Little Tom, meanwhile, mostly played with the shells and did some painting of his own.

We’d like to thank every single guest who entered our competition – it was such a joy to open all of your wonderful entries.

For their incredible effort, the Stevenson family have won a family break at Center Parcs this summer. The Four Seasons Treehouse, meanwhile, will be going on display in the reception area of our Head Office.

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Center Parcs steeds meer op zoek naar private investeerders

Na een succesvolle opknapbeurt van Port Zelande, vooral gefinancierd door particuliere investeerders, wil Center Parcs deze werkwijze ook gaan toepassen op meerdere parken in België, Nederland en Duitsland. De grondige renovatie van de cottages gaat altijd gepaard met een opknapbeurt van de centrumvoorzieningen.

Investering in renovatie
Met de opknapbeurt van diverse parken in België, Nederland en Duitsland is een bedrag gemoeid van 400 miljoen euro. Zo blijkt uit een artikel in het FD. “De opknapbeurt is bijzonder grondig”, laat Enrico de Koster, verantwoordelijk voor Center Parcs vastgoed in de Benelux en Duitsland, ons weten: “De cottages worden volledig gestript en opnieuw ingericht. Er is bijna sprake van nieuwe vakantiehuizen. Daarbij wordt ook gekeken naar de centrumvoorzieningen in de parken die we onder handen nemen. Op dit moment wordt er bijvoorbeeld een nieuwe Dome gebouwd in park Heijderbos en in Port Zelande zien de centrumvoorzieningen er inmiddels weer als nieuw uit.” De particuliere investeerder wordt volledig eigenaar van de opgeknapte cottage.

Bron en hele artikel: Pretwerk

New menu at the Lakeside Inn

The new menu at the Lakeside Inn, Whinfell Forest, launches today (Friday 17 June, 2016).

The Lakeside Inn offers some of the most picturesque dining on any of our Villages, perched on the edge of the water, overlooking Whinfell Forest‘s stunning Lake District scenery.

The new menu still contains all your old favourites – big, rustic sandwiches, perfectly cooked steaks and a daily carvery. But now there’s lots more besides. There are nostalgic dishes inspired by home-cooked classics – battered fish and chips and a rich, cheesy fish pie. There are some new twists like twice-baked souffle and crispy prawns with chipotle mayo. And on the dessert menu are all your favourites from childhood – the rhubarb crumble and sticky toffee pudding are two of our favourites.

As ever, we’re committed to creating menus that our guests with dietary requirements will love. We’ve been speaking to some of our gluten-free guests about their struggles and frustrations with eating out. They told us firmly that fruit is not a pudding. So we listened. At the Lakeside Inn, our gluten-free desserts include a zingy passion fruit roulade and a moist, decadent syrup sponge. Gluten-free or otherwise – try them, you won’t be disappointed.

Take a look at some of the new dishes (click on any photo to open the gallery).

Start with crispy prawns and a chipotle mayo dip A blue cheese salad with or without bacon The perfect light lunch - cheese and onion tart Premium spirits - gin, vodka and rum Rump steak and a selection of delicious sides Fish pie, served hot and bubbling A national favourite: crispy battered fish and chips A popular carvery with all the trimmings is served daily Refreshing, fruity cocktails The stuff of childhood dreams - sticky toffee pudding Gluten-free syrup sponge with custard Traditional school desserts done right - rhubarb crumble and syrup sponge

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Kids Climate Conference 2016: Boordevol energie

De Kids Climate Conference bestaat inmiddels al 4 jaar en is sindsdien altijd een succes geweest. Het is uitgegroeid tot een groots duurzaamheidsevenement dat in Nederland en België wordt gehouden en, sinds vorig jaar, ook in Duitsland.

Het initiatief is opgezet door Center Parcs en het Wereld Natuur Fonds, waarbij kinderen betrokken worden bij 'volwassen' onderwerpen zoals duurzaamheid. Het leuke ervan is dat kinderen een frisse en verrassende kijk op de onderwerpen hebben, en zij beleven zelf veel plezier tijdens de vele workshops. De kinderen zullen meer leren over duurzaamheid, maar op een leuke manier!

Dit jaar is het thema 'energie'. De kinderen leren niet alleen over energiegebruik, windenergie of zonne-energie, maar ook over mensen-energie! De mens heeft namelijk heel wat in zich als zij vol van energie zijn: denk maar aan het bouwen van grote, hoge gebouwen, en het bedenken van allerlei uitvindingen en medische ontdekkingen. Heb je er weleens bij stilgestaan wat de mens eigenlijk allemaal kan? Fascinerend!

Brandstof is voor de mens ontzettend belangrijk want zonder brandstof komen we niet ver (of zelfs niet eens ons bed uit). Voor ons is brandstof alleen geen benzine of een accu, maar juist voedsel. Daar krijgen wij energie van, en daardoor is de mens in staat om dingen uit te vinden, te bouwen, creatieve oplossingen te bedenken, sporten… noem het maar op!

Voedsel zou eerlijk verdeeld moeten zijn over iedereen ter wereld zodat we allemaal genoeg brandstof krijgen, en daar streven wij naar. Tijdens de Kids Climate Conference 2016 in Het Heijderbos van 23 t/m 25 september, zullen wij dus samen al onze energie steken in het bedenken van een goede oplossing waardoor ervoor gezorgd dat al het voedsel eerlijk verdeeld wordt. Dat is nog eens een goed doel om je energie voor te gebruiken!

Bron en hele artikel: Inspiratieplatform Center Parcs

CPMG designs new Center Parcs complex

Nottingham architecture practice CPMG has designed a new hotel and spa complex for Center Parcs.

The £6m development at the Center Parcs Elveden Forest site in Suffolk will comprise 48 rooms adjacent to a nine-hole golf course. It is expected to be completed for autumn.

Chris White, project director for CPMG, said: "We have made significant inroads for clients requiring hotels and this is one that we are delighted to see take shape recently.

"The new hotel has been designed around the visitors’ needs; we incorporated a subtle entrance area and elevation leading to external balcony spaces which will provide a relaxed and spacious setting for guests.

"Based on three floors, all 48 rooms will have a stunning view of the golf course and will sit adjacent to the spa and restaurant facilities. We’re hoping this design will put us on the map in terms of what we can offer for other clients in the commercial and leisure sector."

Bowmer & Kirkland Build Services, Edmond Shipway, Elliott Wood and Illuminous are also working on the project.

Bron: Insider media

Center Parcs verkoopt 7000 bungalows

Center Parcs wil zijn Nederlandse vakantieparken een flinke opknapbeurt geven. Het geld dat daarvoor nodig is, zo'n 400 miljoen euro in totaal, wordt bijeen gebracht door de bungalows te verkopen aan particuliere beleggers. Dat bevestigde het bedrijf donderdag na een bericht in het Financieele Dagblad. De huisjes van Center Parcs zijn nu eigendom van institutionele investeerders. Die werken mee aan de verkoop, die bij elkaar 1,2 miljard euro moet opleveren. Een derde van dat bedrag is bestemd voor investeringen, de rest gaat naar de huidige eigenaars.

"We investeren continu in onze parken", zei directeur Mark Haak Wegman van Center Parcs. "Dat willen we versnellen." Omdat de genoemde 400 miljoen euro neerkomt op wel twee derde van de jaaromzet, zijn daarvoor nieuwe geldschieters nodig.

Stijgende bezettingsgraden bewijzen volgens de topman dat klanten graag blijven komen bij Center Parcs, steeds vaker ook uit het buitenland. Maar ze willen wel meer luxe dan voorheen. "Denk aan een regendouche, een sauna, een kookeiland en een draadloos netwerk om muziek te streamen."

Bron: Bouw en wonen