Center Parcs Elveden Forest, Brandon

We've visited Center Parcs Elveden Forest with our family five times now, three times for the Winter Wonderland which takes place for about a month before Christmas. We've always found it to be a great place to visit. It can be a rather expensive holiday, but if you are able to visit during term time then it can be much cheaper. One criticism that we do have is that the extra activities can be very expensive. If you visit at Christmas there are a few extra free activities, for example a Festive Fireworks display, Christmas Market, Bjorn the Polar Bear and lots of decorations to see. There are lots of things for the whole family to do, and because the village is closed to cars you can take little ones out on bikes, trikes, scooters and so on without needing to worry about the traffic. It's also a good place to go with friends or extended family because you can all stay near to each other and yet have your own space. Would fully recommend for a family holiday!

We went to Center Parcs when our eldest daughter was a little under a year old. We shared a two-bedroom cabin with some friends who had a little girl about the same age. The bedrooms were big enough for a travel cot so we all fitted in! Our cabin also had a highchair which was useful. Center Parcs is very child friendly, all the paths are fine for pushchairs, no cars during the week so little ones can run about or cycle safely. The swimming pool is great with a special area for small children, and the family changing rooms had fold-down changing mats for the baby. There are children's clubs and activities as well but our little one was too small for those at the time. There are playgrounds too with swings and climbing frames, and of course running around in the forest climbing the trees is always good fun! All in all we had a good time and hope to go back again now our girls are older.

We have stayed twice at this centre parcs with our children of 19months and 4. The accomadation is lovely and spaceous. Very high quality with open fires with covers of course, fully equipt kitchen, some with dishwasher. Maid service is proived in some of the packages. Food is not included so it is a self catering holiday but there are loads of restaurants to choose fromsuch as Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge. They also have a Pancake house serving savoury and sweet pancakes. You can hire bikes andbike trailers for the week at a resonable cost or of course take your own. They have a takeaway delivery service if you do not want to cook at all or if you do not want to eat out they have a mini mart on site that sells all you need. The ice cream and milkshakes are delicious. The staff are so friendly, coukld not fault any stafff on either week we have been. The accomadtaion is very clean and the environment is very safe. In each restaurant they have a play area for the children which makes life in a restaurant so much easier and keeps the children entertained. Couldnt recommend this holiday enough.

We would go back in a heartbeat; we never want to leave, and always spend our last day at Elveden Forest wishing we could book some additional nights! We first visited Center Parcs when our son was 3 months old, and were sleep-deprived, stressed out with a colicky newborn and in bad need of a break. Our prayers were answered - we were amazed that everything was made so easy for us, travelling with a small baby. It was just ebfore Christmas, and the forest was beautifully decorated to be a winter wonderland. Having paid for the Comfort Plus villa (brilliant, as we had a dishwasher and some nice extra comforts) we then added some extra activities to our stay, booked in advance, such as a horse-drawn carriage ride, a visit to see Santa in his lovely grotto (mulled wine for the parents, and a wrapped gift). Inlcuded in your stay is unlimited access to the subtropical swimming pool, which is heated and warm even in the depths of December, and this has a wave pool, flumes, a cafe, a toddler pool with slides and a sand play area. Beside the pools you'll find lots of seating but also some cot beds which are great for placing small babies while you gather your things or get dried. Changing areas feature walk-in drying machines, for £1. On site, you'll find shops, chain restaurants such as Cafe Rouge and Pancake House, and lots of them have play areas for children, bike parks, and everywhere you go the staff are polite and helpful, always smiling, and we found this really unusual these days. The holiday parkis designed for walking and cycling, so bring your own or hire them at reasonable cost (with helmets, trailers, kid seats or whatever you need). Zoom around the car-free lanes to get around, carry your shopping or enjoy the woodland setting. We used the babysitting service last time we went, and tis was brilliant. A lovely lady (vetted and approved by Center Parcs) came at the time we said, and she stayed at the villa while our son was asleep while we went out to have dinner. We were nervous about doing that, but shouldn't have been - she was lovely. Now that our son is older, there are heaps more activities he can join in with (all pre-bookable and are around the £6 mark for an hour depending on what you choose) such as mask-making, teddy bear's picnic, music, etc. There's also an Ofsted-registered creche facility during the day, which might just give you time to visit the Spa - a definite MUST for all mums.

Centreparcs Elveden Forest is great for children as there is plenty to do and loads of space. We took our children when they were very young and it was lovely. We spent most of our time in the central dome and the swimming pools. As there is a crèche we were also able to have some adult entertainment whilst they enjoyed painting and having messy play. We visited Centreparcs again recently and, now that our children are teenagers, found it very expensive. The prices go up at least double in the school holidays to stay at Centreparcs and the children did not want to spend much time in the free swimming pools. There is a mini High wire assault course but it is really better to go to the nearby Go Ape in Thetford as the price at Centreparcs is very high and the course small. My teenagers did enjoy their weekend here especially mountain biking on a very rough and deliberately wet course. The accommodation is great especially for large families like ours but the downside is it is very expensive here.

We stayed here last year and loved it. We stayed in a woodland lodge which had everything we needed for the children, cots, high chairs and is all round very child friendly. We booked up a couple of activities but to be honest you don't really need to as there is plenty to do. We hired bikes and the children went in a trailer on the back, it was quite expensive to hire them but well worth it, I think the adults enjoyed it just as much as the children. I loved the fact that some of the restaurants had small soft play areas in so you could actually sit and enjoy your food while the children played. The nice thing about centerparcs is that everyone is in the same boat so no one cares when your child is having a paddy at the table, they have seen it all before! The kids disco is very cute, lots of flashing lights and songs like 'Bob the Builder' !! Everything is totally aimed towards children and having fun, will definitely be going again this year.