Middle class families might be stepping away from Center Parcs, according to a public relations specialist, criticizing that the beloved activity holiday brand now resembles ‘a budget experience at upscale costs’.

In the early 1990s, the scene was quite different. Back then, the newly introduced Dutch holiday company gave families bragging rights when they announced their week of active, outdoor enjoyment at Center Parcs. 

Booking up at the first village in Sherwood Forest, which opened in 1987, suggested one subscribed to an active, wholesome lifestyle.

Importantly, it suggested that you had the means to afford a not-so-cheap holiday – going to Center Parcs was a status symbol, much like owning a large television or a luxury car. 

Those embarking on more humble English holidays, like a caravan stay in Great Yarmouth or camping in Devon, often aspired to visit this created utopia amid the woods, with its modern domed swimming area and a dizzying variety of activities.

Almost four decades on, four additional UK locations in scenic spots have been added – at Elveden, Longleat, Whinfell, and Woburn forests, with a new site planned in the Scottish Borders by 2029.

For many, the quintet of parks remains Britain’s go-to for a family getaway. 

Center Parcs welcomes around two million visitors each year, and TikTok features numerous videos applauding the brand, with many applauding the wide range of activities that cater to all family members across generations.

However, ongoing criticism over high holiday costs and ‘too mainstream’ dining options at Center Parcs – plus the bizarre decision to try and evict guests ahead of the Queen’s funeral in 2022 – haven’t helped the holiday operator’s image in recent years. 

And in the decades that have passed since Center Parcs welcomed its first guests, the UK holiday landscape has evolved enormously, with rivals offering high quality alternative breaks, often at much lower prices.

Those collaborations with mass market brands such as Starbucks and Bella Italia could prove a turn-off for more discerning holidaymakers.

One Daily Mail journalist, who’s visited all five UK parks, described them recently as ‘a bit tacky and out-of-date – or, you could say, just plain naff’. 

CRITICISM OVER ‘CRAZY’ SCHOOL HOLIDAY PRICING

While many maintain that a Center Parcs break is ‘worth every penny’, others have suggested that even a short break in the school holidays is out of reach for many families. 

A one-week holiday this October half-term in a standard two-bed self-catering woodland lodge for a family of four at Longleat Forest in Wiltshire racks up at from around £3,148. 

While access to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise pool and a selection of playgrounds is free, almost every other activity comes with a charge – with bikes from around £160 per family (if booked in advance), paintballing coming in at around £50pp and spa treatments from £99 for body and face treatments.  

Add in dining on-site – including at Cafe Rouge, The Pancake House, Starbucks and Bella Italia – and a seven-night holiday is the wrong side of £5,000. 

Even self-catering can sting; a TikToker posting earlier this year said he felt ‘dizzy’ at the price of a Cook-branded lasagne sold in the supermarket at the Whinfell Forest village, exclaiming in the short video: ‘£40 for two lasagnes!’ 

How do other holidays compare cost-wise? Upmarket Forestholidays.co.uk has a two-bed lodge in Blackwood Forest in Hampshire the same week in October for £2,195, which comes with a hot tub, Arran of Scotland products and underfloor heating.  

At Butlin’s Bognor Regis, a similar two-bed apartment will set you back just £1,064 for four, with pool access and fairground rides included. 

Activities at site’s new PlayXperience entertainment centre start from £9pp for neon mini golf, with spa sessions from £25 for two hours. 

Earlier this year, the rising costs of Center Parcs breaks sparked a backlash from British holidaymakers searching for a family holiday, saying the inflation in prices during the school holidays was ‘criminal’. 

In January, Ian Addison, a teacher and father-of-two from Hampshire, fired up debate on the brand’s pricing structure after he took to X to share the cost differences he found when booking a stay.

A four-night getaway in a two-bedroom Woodland Lodge at Woborn Forest in Bedfordshire cost just £429 on February 10th but soared to £1,449 a week later for the same stay during half-term.

One person said the brand was encouraging people to take children out of school with such high prices, with one writing: ‘This penalises poorer families. They can’t afford to take their kids away in half term. 

‘They then end up breaking the law by taking them in school time or can’t take them at all! It’s so unfair.’

Choosing a Center Parcs abroad can also cut hundreds from the price of a family break. 

Though operated by two separate companies, both Center Parcs UK and Center Parcs Europe offer the same kind of nature-based getaway, but often at vastly varying prices. 

Center Park’s most affordable option this half-term, at Whinfell Forest, sees a four-night break come in at £1,499. 

In the Netherlands, the average price for the same dates during October half term comes to €645.56 (£561.25).

A spokesperson for Center Parcs told the Daily Mail: ‘Center Parcs offers unique family short breaks in the UK. We welcome over 2 million guests to our villages annually, and we are 97% full all through the year. 

‘Our guests place great value on their breaks, over 60% of guests will go on to make another booking with us, and last year we had our highest ever guest satisfaction scores. 

‘Our guests demand a high quality experience and each year we invest tens of millions of pounds improving our villages to ensure we meet their expectations.’ 

EMBARRASSING GAFFE OVER QUEEN’S FUNERAL IN 2022   

Another indicator that the brand has perhaps lost sight of its audience came in 2022, when Center Parcs announced that it would be closing all of its five sites for 24 hours to mark the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. 

The news left families who’d paid for their holidays devastated at the prospect of finding alternative accommodation, and the brand quickly u-turned after being hit with thousands of complaints. 

Center Parcs said in a statement at the time that it had wanted to enable employees ‘to support our Queen on her final journey’.

One disgruntled parent, Denzil Demarara, wrote following the decision: ‘I have paid for a week and I have a written contract stating my arrival date and my departing date, I will not be leaving early. They will have to drag me and my children out.’ 

The company made the embarrassing climb down days later, allowing guests to stay – although the vast majority of services were closed. 

Center Parcs said it had ‘reviewed our position regarding the very small number of guests who are not due to depart on Monday and we will be allowing them to stay in our villages rather than having to leave and return on Tuesday.’

It also then appeared to perform a further U-turn, telling guests on Twitter, now X, at the time that they would be allowed to stay on its parks but must ‘remain in their lodges’.

The brand thanked guests for ‘helping us create the unique opportunity’ for staff to have the day off.

A letter delivered to those staying at the Sherwood Forest site said its restaurants would be closed but residents could ‘arrange food delivery from the local area’.

The note also said that anyone residing there was ‘welcome to walk or cycle around the village or leave the village to explore the local area should you wish to do so’.

Guests were told in the note sent to lodges: ‘Thank you again for helping us create the unique opportunity for our team to be part of this historic event.’

CENTER PARCS COLLABORATIONS JUST DON’T APPEAL TO CORE CUSTOMER, SAYS BRAND EXPERT 

While Center Parcs is largely self-catering, there are own-brand and high-street restaurants at all five parks…but they might not appeal to Middle England. 

A partnership with The Big Table, which owns Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge, means both restaurants feature at Center Parcs. 

The two eateries once enjoyed high-street locations across the country but have increasingly disappeared from view, with The Big Table shedding 700 jobs during its last financial year. 

Other collaborations, with Starbucks and The Pancake House, have done little to make Center Parcs’s guests feel like they’re enjoying a high-end experience – a hard sell when families are paying thousands for a holiday. 

On Mumsnet, often a bellwether for family holiday trends, one user didn’t hold back on how they perceived the dining opportunities, saying: ‘Strangely, it feels like aspirational middle classes in the 90s, Café Rouge, Starbucks etc. By now no one middle class would actually go to any of these places in their real life.’

Branding and marketing expert Chad Teixeira says its an own goal if the brand wants to keep attracting big spending families. 

He told the Daily Mail: ‘Center Parcs has long been positioned as the quintessential middle-class holiday with its safe, familiar and aspirational image without being unattainable.’ 

‘However, the issue now is that its brand promise hasn’t evolved in line with consumer expectations. 

‘For years, families accepted the premium because it delivered a controlled and convenient environment, but now the same middle-class audience has far more choice – from affordable boutique breaks in Europe to high-quality domestic alternatives that feel fresher and better value.’

Teixeira says enjoying dining out is fundamental to any successful family holiday and that Center Parcs’ offering is simply too mainstream. 

He explains: ‘One of the sharpest points of frustration is the food for customers, and that’s where there is often noise on social media and bad reviews. 

‘Rather than offering distinctive, place-led dining, Center Parcs has doubled down on high street chains like Starbucks, Café Rouge, Bella Italia and others. On paper, these are safe bets. In reality, they strip the holiday of uniqueness and it’s at risk of becoming bland and mainstream.’

‘Customers paying luxury-level prices don’t want a dining experience that feels identical to their local retail park. It comes across as lazy, generic, and formulaic, ultimately undermining the sense of escape people are seeking.’

The brand expert adds: ‘Center Parcs is also in danger of being left behind as the middle-class consumer is becoming increasingly savvy. They research and compare before making a booking, and they expect authenticity and design as well as culinary quality to justify a premium price point. 

‘Center Parcs’ current formula struggles to deliver on those emotional drivers. Instead, it risks being seen as an expensive but underwhelming option, essentially a Wetherspoons experience at Mayfair prices.’

Responding to Teixeira’s comments, a spokesperson for Center Parcs said: ‘We offer our guests a wide choice of food and beverage options, including our own much-loved brands like Huck’s, the Pancake House and Rajinda Pradesh. 

‘We are constantly looking at how we can enhance our restaurant offering and recently introduced a new premium gastropub, The Dozing Duck, at Sherwood Forest which is proving hugely popular with our guests.’