General news
General important information and latest news about Center Parcs.
Keep up to date with the latest news and updates for all our individual villages.
Looking for UK updates?
Breaks now available until 16 December 2024
14 March 2023
We are pleased to let you know that we’ve added more breaks, so you can now book for arrival dates up until (and including) 16 December 2024 at all six villages.
Brand-new Electric Vehicle Charging Points
Last updated 13 March
Guests can now recharge their batteries and their electric car too! Our EV charging points at Sherwood Forest, Woburn Forest and Elveden Forest are now available for guests to book. We have charging points available to pre-book online and a small number of points available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Guests will need to download the VendElectric App to charge their electric vehicle (payment is also made via the app).
Charging points can only be booked on Mondays for four nights and Fridays for three nights. The points will charge the vehicles overnight, although they can remain safely plugged in throughout the whole duration of your stay – checking the status of the charge on the app.
Pre-book your electric vehicle charging point for peace of mind and a smooth arrival.
Weather update
Posted 9 March
We’re delighted to confirm that Longford Forest is currently open and we’re looking forward to welcoming our guests on Friday 10th March.
The village looks magical with a covering of snow but severe weather can bring some operational challenges. Guests may find some disruption to our usual service and facilities if weather conditions continue. Our focus will be on keeping our guests and staff as safe as possible.
We recommend that all guests travelling to us plan their journey in advance.
Updates to age restrictions on our activities
Posted 23 February 2023
We’ve listened to your feedback about some of the age restrictions on our activities, and we’re delighted to let you know that we have widened the age ranges for 23 of our most popular activities so that your little ones can now enjoy even more adventures together.
The changes will come into effect from Monday 27 February.
Even earlier arrival
Posted 21 February 2023
We’re delighted to announce that our early arrival time has now changed from 3pm to 2pm. If you’ve booked early arrival (or have an Exclusive Lodge, Waterside Lodge or Treehouse booking), you can now check in to your lodge from 2pm and get your break started even sooner!
Impact to usual operations
Last updated 03 October 2022
Like many other businesses we are unfortunately impacted by staff shortages, which means that you may find some disruption to our normal services. For guests who have an impacted restaurant or activity booking we will contact you directly.
Please see below a list of current changes, please check back regularly as there are often last-minute changes
Vitale |
Closed from 7pm |
If you or anyone in your party already have an affected booking, you will need to cancel your reservation. To do this simply login to your Center Parcs account and cancel by following the instructions below prior to the start times:
Step 1: Access your Center Parcs account
Step 2: Go to Booking overview in My Booking
Step 3: View your itinerary
Step 4: Click on the booking, you will then see a ‘cancel’ button on the details page, click on this button*
Step 5: Click on the green refund button
Step 6: That’s it - you should now see a confirmation screen
*If this button is inactive:
- The booking may have been booked by one of your companions, please instruct them to follow the same process above
- The booking(s) were made via our Contact Centre (you won’t be able to cancel your booking online, please contact Guest Services)
- The start time is in the past (you won’t be able to cancel your booking online, please contact Guest Services)
For any other village please visit the news page of the village you’re visiting to understand any changes to our normal operation:
We will keep this information as updated as possible but there may still be extremely late during break changes not listed.
If you or your party test positive for COVID-19 prior to your break
Last updated 25 July 2022
As always, our priority is to protect our guests and staff as much as possible, and we recommend that all guests due to visit take a COVID-19 test before visiting our villages. Guests who test positive for COVID-19 should follow the government guidance for self-isolation.
Should you need to reschedule* or cancel your break due to a positive COVID-19 test result, please complete this form and our team will make contact.
*If the new date is more expensive guests will need to cover the additional costs, however, if the new date is lower in price we will of course refund the difference.
We’re now cashless
Last updated 25 July 2022 (originally posted 19 July 2022)
All our villages are cashless and can no longer accept cash payments, including for the purchase of gift cards.
Join Nutmeg and Clove on an adventure at Center Parcs
23 December 2021
We are pleased to share our exclusive stories featuring our friendly reindeer Nutmeg, Clove, and our newest reindeer Cranberry, Nutmeg’s friend. Watch our familiar storybooks Nutmeg’s Antlers and Nutmeg’s Little Sister along with our latest storybook Nutmeg’s Flyers and join in on the adventure.
Introducing Flex Your Stay
Last updated 6 December 2021
We understand that things change sometimes and our guests often require flexibility with their booking and therefore we are now offering a new bookable product name ‘Flex Your Stay’.
Flex Your Stay (“Flex”) provides peace of mind which allows you to cancel or amend your break without charge for any reason, much closer to your arrival date. It can only be purchased at the time of booking or within 14 days of booking your break.
Please note that the Flex Your Stay fee is non-refundable.
View the T&Cs and see how Flex Your stay compares to our standard terms and conditions.
Great news… you can now book activities and restaurants even earlier before your break
Last updated 3 December 2021
As you may know, throughout COVID-19 we shortened our activity booking window to 28 days before a break, which gave us more time to react to government announcements and make any necessary changes – keeping everything running as smoothly as possible for our guests.
However, we know that many of our guests like to be organised and plan ahead, and we now feel that the time is right to extend our booking window. Over the next few weeks, we will gradually increase our booking window, and guests arriving from mid-February onwards will be able to book activities and restaurants 59 days before arrival.
We’ve listened carefully to guest feedback, and we’re also trialling a change in the time activities and restaurants are released. We will trial opening the booking window at 8:30am so that guests can get a little more sleep.
Guests should also be aware that we constantly review capacity and often add additional availability where we can so guests should always check back if something isn’t available at the time of release.
We’re also going to trial moving our bookings opening day from a Monday to a Tuesday. Monday is a busy day as our staff often need to support guests who are arriving on village, meaning that guests who need help booking activities and restaurants can’t get through to us. Tuesday is generally quieter, and we’re hoping that this trial will help us to support all of our guests a little better.
From 10th December we will start the transition to extend the booking window. All guests will be notified in advance via email so they will know when their booking window opens to book their activities and restaurants.
Gift cards temporarily unavailable to purchase
Last updated 26 November 2021
Due to a technical issue with our gift card provider, we are currently unable to sell gift cards.
We know that many guests will be particularly keen to purchase gift cards during the festive period, and we are working closely with our provider to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Don’t worry if you already have a gift card, as these can still be redeemed pre-arrival via our Contact Centre or on any of our villages during your break.
If you are planning to purchase a gift card in the near future, please keep checking this page for updates.
Allergen update
Last updated 03 November 2021
Like many other businesses, we are currently experiencing challenges due to staff shortages, some sporadic supply chain issues and remaining COVID-19 safety measures. Our menus clearly highlight where allergens are present within the ingredients and whilst allergy-free menu options are still available, unfortunately, we cannot, in the current climate, provide a 100% guarantee against cross-contamination, either within our supply chain or in our restaurants or takeaway service; we cannot provide details of any ‘may contain’ allergen statements.
The most important thing for us is the safety and wellbeing of our guests and we feel it is important to make our guests, especially those with severe allergies, aware of the challenges we are facing ahead of their arrival. Of course, our lodges do have kitchen facilities which many families already use for self-catering as another option. However, we understand how disappointing this situation may be to some families and we are offering anyone affected the option to cancel their break and receive a full refund or to move their break to a date in the future* when we hope to have resolved these issues.
We have long prided ourselves on our varied menus and excellent practices in regards of allergens and we are working hard to return to this standard as soon as practicable.
*We do not have a confirmed date when we will be in a position to offer the detailed information we previously did
Electric scooters, hover boards and other motorised wheeled equipment
18 June 2021
There are lots of ways to explore the forest but please be aware that electric scooters, hover boards and other motorised wheeled equipment are now prohibited. You can still use traditional non powered scooters and electric bikes, just make sure you are looking out for the no wheels signed areas and find an alternative scenic route. The Cycle Centre have plenty cycles and accessories on offer if you are looking to travel the village in style.
Treehouses are coming to Longford
15 June 2021
We’ve announced our intention to submit a planning application to further develop Center Parcs Longford Forest
Building on the success of the village since opening in July 2019, we’re now planning to increase the number of lodges and expand some of the existing facilities.
The plans include the addition of 200 new lodges, including four of our most luxurious accommodation type - Treehouses. Hidden away within the heart of the forest, each Treehouse sleeps up to eight people and comes complete with a games den, outdoor hot tub, private parking and a dedicated Treehouse Host for the duration of the break.
Alongside the plans to increase the number of lodges, we’re also proposing to extend existing facilities, including leisure facilities, restaurants and cafés, back of house facilities, the Subtropical Swimming Paradise and Aqua Sana Spa.
The development will remain within the existing site boundary and is estimated to create around 300 jobs during construction and a further 250 permanent jobs once operational.
We will now begin detailed design and site survey work, as well as a programme of community engagement, before submitting a planning application, with a target date of the end of 2021 for the submission.
New Joules stores to open
30 March 2021
We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with the popular lifestyle brand, Joules.
The company, who are renowned for their distinctive designs, will open a store at Center Parcs Longford Forest, as well as at the five villages in the UK, over the next few months.
The stores will offer menswear, womenswear and childrenswear, as well as offering a click-and-collect service.
Joules and Center Parcs are a natural fit – we both love the great outdoors (whatever the weather), we both know how important time spent with friends and family is and we both have a deep respect for the forest and woodland.
Center Parcs recognised for commitment to charity
13 June 2019
We are delighted to announce that Center Parcs have won the award for Best Scheme to Encourage Staff Fundraising at the 2019 Better Society Awards. Celebrating our long-standing partnership with Together for Short Lives.
Dog owners' advice
In recent years, an unexplained dog illness known as 'seasonal canine illness' has been found in an increasing number of forest areas around the UK, particularly in late summer and early autumn. The illness is currently believed to be triggered by a naturally occurring cause and has affected a number of dogs in areas across the country, including those local to some of our villages, particularly Sherwood and Elveden Forest. There appears to be no comprehensive explanation as to why this has occurred.
Cases of Alabama Rot have also been reported around the country. This is another unexplained disease affecting dogs. None of our villages have been identified as locations with cases of Alabama Rot, but in the interest of vigilance, we recommend dog owners familiarise themselves with the symptoms on the Forestry website.
If you are visiting Center Parcs with a dog please ensure you’re aware of the potential risks of a forest environment to animals. Please research or talk to your veterinary surgeon about SCI (Seasonal Canine Illness) and Alabama Rot.
If you are bringing a dog to one of our villages and have concerns, please call our Contact Centre team on 03448 266 266.
Please note: if you are visiting Longleat Forest, dogs are not allowed on our Land Train except guide dogs.
Tommy’s Award for Best Family Friendly UK Holiday
5 April 2018
We are delighted to have won Best Family Friendly UK Holiday Provider at the Tommy’s Awards, which took place on 16 March at the Landmark Hotel, London to a packed audience of household name companies and Tommy’s supporters.
Parking on village
We are keen to keep our villages as traffic-free as possible so that guests can enjoy the tranquillity of the forest environment. There will of course be a small amount of traffic during times of developments and to support village operation. However, once you have unloaded your belongings from your vehicle, we kindly request that all guests move their cars to the car park as soon as possible, on the day of arrival. In response to recent feedback from our guests, the Security team will be supporting this by requesting that all cars left on the village after this time, are moved. Should the accommodation type include a car parking space, please use the space allocated.
External shows, events and festivals
Because our villages are set in some of the most beautiful parts of the UK and Ireland, they are often close to popular tourist areas which can mean increased noise and traffic in the surrounding area. Despite our best efforts to preserve the tranquillity of the forest in our villages, there may occasionally be noise from local events, shows and music festivals.
It's never too early to have a short break in the diary, so book now and give yourself something amazing to look forward to.
Accommodation upgrades
As many of our guests will already be aware, we upgrade a number of accommodation units every year at Center Parcs. Work is regularly underway across most of our villages to ensure we continually improve our standards. Such works are closely monitored and disruption to our guests visiting during this time will be kept to a minimum.
Forestry works
As we are in a forest setting it is essential that we manage the environment and preserve the natural outlook. This means that from time to time forestry works such as tree felling may be taking place during your break with us.
The lake in winter
Being close to nature is an important part of a Center Parcs break, but it also means our villages are subject to the whims of Irish weather! For this reason, and for our guests’ safety, our lakes may close for watersports during the winter. But don’t worry, we still have plenty of indoor and outdoor activities available during this time, from cosy indoor crafts to bracing bike rides.
*available when break booked is 26 weeks or fewer away.