As with any self-catering holiday, a Center Parcs break requires quite an extensive packing list. Whether it's your first time or you're a regular visitor, knowing what to take with you can save a significant amount of money and time during your break.
Having visited numerous times with our children from when they were just a few months old, right through to their teenage years, we often feel as though we're taking the whole house with us. But believe me, it's worth it - for both cost and comfort.
Here, I've put together the ultimate Center Parcs packing list, separating in to different areas to make it easier to follow. Some items are available to buy, hire or use during your stay, but it goes without saying it's much cheaper to bring your own from home.
For your Lodge
General:
- Chalk for the chalkboard (no longer provided in your lodge)
- Toys & activities - eg. colouring books, pens,
- Travel games - eg Uno, Dobble, Playing cards
- DVD’s
- Reading books
- Small music speaker
- Chargers for all devices
- Bird seed
- Toilet rolls
- Liquid hand-soap
- Kitchen towel
- Washing up brush/sponge
- Kitchen surface wipes
- Disposable barbecue
- Matches
If travelling with babies and/or young children:
Each lodge is equipped with a cot, highchair, children's step, and stair gates (where necessary). You will need to bring a few extra items if your party includes babies and/or very young children. These include:
- Bedding for the cot
- Plastic plates/bowls/cups/bottles
- Children’s cutlery set
If staying for longer than a weekend break:
A small cleaning pack is provided in your villa, consisting of: 3 dishwasher tablets, a sachet of washing up liquid, a cloth, sponge, bin liners, plus a tea towel.
These may suffice for a weekend break. For a longer break, we would also recommend taking extra:
- Washing up liquid
- Dishwasher tablets
- Tea Towels
- Bin Liners
For the Subtropical Swimming Paradise
- Pool towels (available to hire for £2 each)
- Swimming costumes/trunks
- Swim bags/Beach bags
If travelling with babies and/or young children:
- Swimming goggles
- Pool toys/beach ball
- Armbands/swim aids (swim vests are available at the pool)
- Swim nappies
Getting around the village:
Bikes and children's trailers are available to hire for use during your stay, and provide a great way of getting around the village.
It obviously works out much cheaper to take your own mode of transport. Don't forget the extras to keep you and your property safe:
- Bikes or Scooters
- Helmets
- Bike locks and keys
- Small backpack
- Torch
If travelling with a baby
- Pushchair - including rain cover
- Fully stocked baby changing bag
Clothing
You will be holidaying in the UK, so make sure you pack for all weathers!
Most guests wear casual clothing, although some dress up a little more during the evening - jeans and a smart top tend to be the normal attire for eating at restaurants.
- Leggings/jeans/tracksuit bottoms/shorts
- T-shirts
- Long sleeved tops / jumpers
- Smarter tops to wear when eating out
- Appropriate sportswear for any planned activities
- Sleepwear - including slippers and dressing gowns
- Underwear
- Hoodies
- Waterproof coats / umbrella
- Trainers or other comfortable walking shoes
- Crocs/Flipflops or other easy slip on shoes
- Sunglasses
- Hat, scarves & gloves if visiting during the colder months
Toiletries etc.
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Soap/shower gel
- Deodorant
- Toothbrushes / Toothpaste / Mouthwash
- Face-wash/Make-up remover
- Moisturiser
- Suncream
- Razors / Shavers
- Tweezers
- Ear Buds
- Hair products and accessories
- Make-up
- Jewellery
- Feminine hygiene products
- Small First-Aid kit - containing: plasters, wipes, painkillers, etc
- Hand sanitiser / wipes
- Pocket tissues
- Nappies, wipes, nappy bags etc if travelling with a baby
Note: Complimentary travel sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner are no longer provided in the lodges, so you'll need to bring your own.
Miscellaneous extras:
All Center Parcs villages have some sort of beach area, providing a great space to enjoy during warmer weather.
If you have young children with you, you may also wish to pack a few extras for playing on the sand:
- Buckets & spades
- Beach Towels
- Cool bag with ice packs
Food & Drink
Each village has a well stocked Parc Market where you can purchase a number of everyday essentials and fresh produce, as well as ready meals and snacks.
We've always found the price of many products are slightly inflated compared to local supermarkets, therefore, if you can fit them in your car, we would recommend purchasing some before you arrive. Plus, it's easier to transfer heavy and bulky items directly from the car on arrival day.
Although we pick up extras during our stay, we tend to take certain items with us. These include:
- Tea / Coffee / Hot chocolate
- Sugar / sweeteners
- Milk
- Cereal / bread / other breakfast items
- Snacks - fruit, crisps, nuts, biscuits, chocolate
- Wine / Beer / Spirits
- Soft drinks / mixers
Note: Tea, coffee, sugar, sweeteners and milk are currently not provided in lodges.
You'll need to add to this list according to how much cooking you intend to do at the lodge, and which meals these will be.
As a minimum, you'll also need to pack some cooking essentials such as:
- Cooking oil
- Salt & pepper
- Foil
If travelling with a baby
- Baby Food - jars are available for free from all restaurants, but you may want to take your preferred brand/food
Shopping
If you are planning to use the Parc Market or other shops on the village, we would also recommend:
- Reusable shopping bags - the foldaway pouch variety are ideal
Hint:
For real ease and cost saving, consider taking a recipe box with you to cook meals during your stay. All ingredients are provided in one neat box, meaning you don't need to pack or purchase extras such as spices and sauces to make a particular dish.
We've had a Gousto recipe box delivered to our home address the day before our last few trips (obviously unpacking and refrigerating the necessary ingredients, then repacking before we left).
Taking this with us meant, for less than £50, we were provided with 4 easy to cook family meals - some as lunches, others as dinner. A much cheaper alternative to eating out.
I hope you find this Center Parcs packing list useful. If there's anything I've forgotten to include, drop me a comment below, and I'll add it to the list.
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{Elvelden} Beach toys – buckets and spades, beach towels, cool bag/ice blocks for beach beers.
Great ideas! Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll add these to the list as we also took buckets & spades to Sherwood Forest when the kids were younger (wish I’d thought about the cool bag for drinks!)