Center Parcs Longleat Forest, Warminster

The best bits about Center Parcs Longleat are the pool and the spa. There is lots to do in the pool to keep the whole family happy for ages and the slides are fun. The Aqua Sana spa is lovely, it's large with lots of rooms which you can relax in and there are many treatments there too. We used the babysitting service one evening so we could go to the spa and that worked out very well. There are lots of activities at Center Parcs although you need to be quite organised and book before you arrive if you want a reasonable choice. You have to pay extra for each activity although the pool is free to use when you're staying there. There's a creche which we tried out and our son enjoyed it. Our accommodation was very basic (we went for the cheapest option) but it was clean, the chalet was quite dated but had been updated inside. There was little attempt to make it attractive outside: we were surrounded by dying nettles which had been sprayed with something to kill them off. In theory the best way to get around is by bike although there's actually little space to do this: most of the paths are shared with pedestrians and there are few cycle-only paths. There were a few pedestrian-cyclist range incidents during our time there, including someone who refused to move out of the way to let us cycle past. There are a range of cafes and restaurants which aren't great and are quite expensive. There's a mini supermarket which is very expensive. Center Parcs provides a safe family friendly environment and is a good holiday if you like all your activities centred in one place. I'd recommend paying more for the better accommodation but it's not cheap.

Center Parcs is a brilliant resort for any age, whatever the weather! we are going next week for the third time as everyone in the family enjoys it. The facilities are very good including the swimming pool with rapids, waves and even slides for the babies! The accomodation is brilliant, its child -friendly and you can often see wildlife wandering around, we loved feeding the ducks! Center Parcs is a fab resort and has top marks from us!

We visited with a 5yr old and a 9yr old. Great ages and plenty to do to keep them busy. We didn’t book activities to keep costs down but the children loved the swimming pool and could have spent all week there. There are a selection of slides for different ages, the outdoor pool with rapids and also a ‘lazy river’ which had a very strong current so hang onto younger children. There was a café in the pool area so you could have lunch there in your swimming costumes without having to go back to your villa. Apart from swimming we did some cycling and hired bikes for the kids. The cycle centre is great, the staff are happy to make adjustments to the bike for you. We even swapped to a different size after a day when we realized one of the bikes was too big. You can hire or buy locks there too if you need to. The accommodation was good and we saw lots of wildlife on our terrace – squirrels, ducks and even deer. A great holiday whatever the weather.

We visited Center Parcs Longleat during term time and though it was fairly busy we didn’t need to queue for anything and didn’t come across any activities that were completely booked up. We had booked our activities before we went but didn’t need to. In fact when we arrived they gave us discount vouchers to get the activities cheaper. I’m sure it’s completely different during the school holidays though. My son’s favourite activity was the aerial adventure which ended with a long zip wire over the lake. He also loved the mini bowling and crazy golf. We took all the food we needed with us but did notice you could get most things from the supermarket in the park. It was a bit more expensive than tescos but not bad. It’s worth trying to get accommodation in the centre of the park, any further than that and you have a long walk/cycle ride to the pool and shopping area. The land train does run round the park but only every 20 minutes when we were there.

"Great place for families!! Villas lovely and comfortable, cots provided - absolutely fine. I had a teeny weeny when we went and put the moses basket inside, and going back with a 1 yr old soon and will be happy to use the cot with our own bedding. Swimming great for young and old. Baby change and breastfeeding rooms.

We've visited this Center Parcs two years running now and plan to go again next year. We first went when my daughter was 6 months and there was plenty of free stuff to do, to keep us all occupied. This year we "splashed out" and booked a couple of activities for her as she was by then ,18 months. We did the soft play and messy play- she loved the soft play but wasn't so keen on the messy play- only 18 month old I know who couldn't wait to wash her hands!! We generally bring one bike and hire a second one to save on packing space. Their bikes are ok but make sure you get one with gears, if not hilly parts can be hard work! The chap in the bike centre couldnt have been more helpful! It is a little pricier tham some family type parks, but there is never a "rowdy element" and the staff take your money very nicely! Highly recommended.

For years we have visited Center Parcs every summer, including the summer I was pregnant and subsequent summers. I cant fault the place. We have never had a bad experience here and staff have always been wonderfully attentive to any problems that have arisen! The bikes you can hire are rather tough to ride shall we say so if you have your own and plan to do alot of cycling then bring it with you, bikes are the general form of transport around the huge grounds although there is also a land train that runs. The swimming pool is brilliant here and perfect for little ones as they have their own area with small slides and a little beach type area. The wave machine can be pretty harsh so sometimes best to avoid that with them! There are some great flumes and rapids for the adults if they get a chance to use them. There are some lovely restaurants on site but if you were to eat out every night it would work out pretty expensive, the kitchen in your villa is ideally suited and the on park Parcmart is ideal for picking up dinners and also do a delivery service if you spend over so much, which saves you cycling back with lots of bags! The accomodation even the lowest grade is lovely, all within wooded forests looking out over trees and often lakes. Ducks literally come into your villas to feed if you will allow them too. While your at Center Parcs you feel like your in another country, you wouldnt believe you were just a few hours from home. The only downside for me is the cost, its certainly a case for us of either do center parcs or holiday abroad, either of which would probably be about the same cost as Center parcs during summer holidays is pretty dear and of course many extras are another cost however there are also alot that arent so make a point of reading your activity booklet carefully and finding the secret hidden gems.

Center Parcs is wholly geared towards families. Each villa is equipped with a cot and a high chair (and more are available if needed). Footpaths are all buggy-friendly and buggy parks are provided everywhere that pushchairs can't reasonably be taken (such as the side of the pool!). There are plenty of baby-changing areas throughout the resort and the swimming pool has a large number of family changing cubicles designed to accommodate the whole clan! At peak swimming times though, we found these to be VERY much in demand. The best thing about the park is that you never have to worry about whether it is “done” to take your little one with you; one evening we went ten-pin bowling and while we waited for our lane, we sat in the bar – there was never any question that a baby wouldn't be welcome in either the bar or the bowling alley. The villa we stayed in, although a little dated, was certainly spacious, perfectly comfortable and wonderfully placed at the top of a hill next to a small pond that was home to plenty of wildlife. The paths and boardwalks went everywhere we needed and nothing was more than a 20 minute walk from our villa. The steep hills meant that we got plenty of exercise and fresh air. The booking mechanism that Center Parcs uses for most of the activities doesn't breed spontaneity. You are encouraged to book your activities online or over the phone before you arrive, meaning that many of the things get booked up quickly, offering less choice once you get there. We fancied using the spa facilities one afternoon but when we went to one of the booking points, we found it was fully-booked for the week. Additionally, if you want to go to one of the many restaurants you need to decide well in advance; we saw people being turned away so decided to book a slot for later in the week, only to find out that there was nothing available. Luckily we were able to stock up at the supermarket which was surprisingly reasonably priced and had an enormous range of products, including any baby bits you may have forgotten to take with you.

We have had several lovely holidays at this park. The initial price is quite high but the accomadation is always top notch and very clean which is great when you have little ones. With most villas you have bbq's provided and it is not unusual to have ducks knocking at the patio doors for breakfast and to see deer in your garden. The surroundings are really nice. Hiring bikes is the ideal way to get around especially if you don't pre-book your villa location because you can end up miles from the centre. But, even if you do, there are land trains running regularly so you can get around quite well without bikes if you wish. With older children you do tend to get wrapped up in booking lots of activities which bumps the price up a bit and the restaurants are not cheap. If you have under 5's you can definitely get away with swimming most days (free) and there are activities which are less costly or even free such as treasure hunts etc so you can strike a reasonble balance if you are on a budget.

I have just returned from a visit to Longleat Centre Parcs with my daughter, son in law and grandson and can recommend it to all reasonably fit grandparents. Our one year old grandson enjoyed the heated swimming pool and various water features. The adults made the most of the water slide and rapids. We hired mountain bikes (childseats and helmets are available at an additional cost) and cycled daily. The hills were a bit of a challenge though and we thought the bikes were fairly expensive. However, it was a good way to get around. This is a childfriendly place and it lived up to our expectations in this respect. All the cafe\'s and restaurants we visited had high chairs and changing facilities and our grandson was welcomed everywhere we went.