Center Parcs is a lovely place for a family holiday and getaway with friends. While they do have some hotel accommodation, most people stay in self-catering lodges. What you need to bring with you will depend on the type of lodge and what you plan to do while you are there, but Center Parcs makes it very easy for you to take the minimal amount away.
This guide shares what you need to pack (and what not to pack) to take to Center Parcs if you are staying in a lodge.
If you are going on holiday to a Center Parcs in Europe (which I really recommend by the way, we had a great stay at one) what is provided in the lodge will vary. This packing list is for people staying in a lodge in a UK Center Parcs.
These recommendations are based on our most recent visit to Center Parcs (Elveden Forest in Suffolk). I will keep it updated when I get additional information. You might also want to read these tips for spending less at Center Parcs.
Packing List For Center Parcs
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| Center Parcs lodges are great self-catering holiday homes |
What You Don’t Need To Take To Center Parcs
Bedding - All beds are made up on arrival. The exception to this is if you are using their cot in which case you need to bring your own bedding for it.
Bath towels - We had plenty of towels for use in the lodge. I didn’t count them, but there should be at least one big and one small towel per person.
Soap - There was one for all sinks
Kitchen bits - Not only is the kitchen well stocked with crockery, cutlery and basic cooking equipment, but there was a small package with a tea towel, sachet of dish soap, dishwasher tablets, oven glove, cloth, sponge and spare bin bag. There were also a few tea bags and a Tassimo coffee machine with 4 pods. I have listed additional items you might want to bring below.
Hairdryer - there was a hair dryer in the main bedroom, there are also free to use hair dryers in the pool changing area.
If you aren’t on a budget it is worth preordering the family grocery pack. This is delivered to your lodge before you arrive and has a great range of essentials including: milk, eggs, butter, bread, crisps, cereal, tea, coffee, sauces, bacon, sausages, loo roll, squash and fruit. This made it really easy for us.
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| Ordering a Family Grocery Pack gives you the essentials in your lodge on arrival |
Arriving At Your Lodge
One of the special things about Center Parcs is that no visitor's cars are allowed on to the main site except on handover days. On arrival day you can arrive anytime after 10am, but you won’t be able to go into your lodge until 4pm (or 2pm if you have paid for early check in). If you arrive early you park in the large car park until 4pm when you can drive your car to your lodge to unpack. Once unpacked the car needs to be returned to the car park.
Be warned that it can take a long time to get out the car park and to your lodge at 4pm due to the sheer volume of traffic so make sure you don’t book dinner reservations too early on arrival day. Alternatively eat first and unpack later when it's quieter.
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| What to pack for a Center Parcs holiday |
What To Pack For Center Parcs
Food and Drink
There are a great range of restaurants and a well stocked shop on all sites, but if you are on a budget the best way to keep costs down is to bring your own food. We stayed at Elveden Forest which has a Sainsburys and Lidl about 10 minutes away in Thetford so you could do a food shop there. Alternatively you will need to bring food with you.
Our lodge had a Tassimo machine and 4 pods. The website says that “some lodges” have them and they don’t advertise what type of machine, but it looks like you can expect a Tassimo machine in most lodges. Some have Nespresso machines and you might be unlucky and not get any type of coffee machine. We bought some Costa pods in the shop when the supplied Kenco pods ran out, but if I had known there would probably be a Tassimo machine I would have brought some cheaper pods from somewhere else.
Basic grocery list - what you might want to bring
- Tea, coffee, hot chocolate
- Milk (long life UHT will mean you don’t need to worry about keeping it cool, but if you are used to fresh pick some up from the onsite shop)
- Sugar/ sweetener if used
- Squash, fruit juices, soft drinks
- Alcoholic drinks and mixers if required
- Oil
- Ketchup, mayonnaise or other sauce
- Salt, pepper and any other spices you want
- Bread (for toast as an easy snack or quick lunches)
- Butter
- Jam etc
- Cereal
- Snacks: biscuits, crisps etc
Meals
If you plan to cook meals at the lodge (rather than eat in restaurants, have ready meals or use the delivery service) then go through the complete recipe for each meal and make sure you bring all the ingredients and any special cooking utensils if required.
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| The lodges come well stocked with utensils etc for basic meal cooking |
Barbecue
The lodges have built in barbecue areas for large instant barbecue trays (they sell these in the shop), but you can also bring your own disposable barbecue. If you plan to barbecue it is worth bringing your own cooking tools as the lodge ones aren't really suitable for outdoor cooking.
You'll also need to bring matches or a lighter.
Other Items For The Lodge
- Dishwasher tablets - we had plenty provided for our needs, but if you are staying for longer than a weekend or you plan to eat most of your meals at the lodge you might want to bring extra.
- Washing up liquid - a sachet was provided, but again for longer stays or for more washing you might need more.
- Tea towel - one tea towel was provided, but extra may be required if doing lots of washing up.
- Surface cleaning spray or wipes.
- Cling film/ food bags/ foil Tupperware etc - these are great for storing left over food, taking out picnics and for minimising mess.
- Bin bags - one was provided, we also brought a food waste bag and stored recycling separately (there are lots of recycling points around the sites).
- Plastic cutlery and crockery for children if preferred.
- Water bottles - for around the lodge and taking out with you.
- Toilet roll - in our 3 bedroom lodge there were 2 bathrooms which each had toilet roll in to start. We also had the Family Groceries Pack which has toilet roll in, but you might want to bring some so you don’t run out.
- Kitchen roll (if you use it).
- Food for wildlife - you aren’t encouraged to feed the wildlife, but you can tell by their behaviour the animals are very used to being fed. Animals visiting our lodge included a range of birds, ducks, deer and squirrels. If you are planning to feed them bring suitable food that isn’t harmful to them.
- Smokeless fire logs - most lodges have fire places or wood burners which would be cozy in cooler weather. You can preorder logs or buy some from the shop. They say only to use logs bought from them, but the same logs are available to buy in cheaper places. You'll also need matches.
- First aid essentials - including Calpol, thermometer, plasters etc.
Bathroom Items
There were bars of soap in each bathroom, but you might also want to bring:
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Shower gel
- Bubble bath
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
- Razors
- Deodorant
- Hairbrushes
- Any other toiletries.
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| Our bathroom in the new style Woodland Lodge had towels, soap and a step |
Swimming
- Swimming towels - you aren't meant to take your lodge towels to the swimming pool, although using the changing booths you could probably get a way with it. If you forget towels for swimming you can hire them. We like to take microfibre towels away with us because they are compact and dry quickly. Ours are from Decathlon, but if you don’t have a store nearby check out these on Amazon.
- Swimwear - The swimming pools at Center Parcs are brilliant so if visiting with children you will probably go swimming at least once. If you are likely to go swimming more than once I would bring more than one pair of trunks/ swimming costume. They have fast spinning machines in the changing rooms (or at least they did at Elveden) which will help swimwear dry quickly, but even in summer you probably won’t want to leave clothes to dry outside due to the huge amount of wild life so they might not dry overnight.
- Floats - If your children aren't confident swimmers you might want to bring your own armbands, floats, life jacket etc from home, but they do have plenty of wearable floatation jackets you can borrow.
- Pool toys - you can bring pool toys and floats in to the pool if you want.
- Goggles - if normally worn when swimming you might want these.
- Flip flops or pool shoes - not essential, but you might feel more comfortable if you like them for pool side.
- Swim nappies if your children aren't toilet trained.
- Pool bag - we took a bag into the pool area with a towel, snacks, water bottles and pool toys. There are plenty of seating areas where you can sit around the pool and leave bags. Ours was never touched by anyone, but obviously don’t leave anything of high value in the bag as there is a risk it could go missing.
- Wet bag - you will probably be carrying wet swimwear around for a while as it isn't always convenient to go back to the lodge to drop it off, especially if you are with children.
You can read my post all about the Center Parcs Subtropical Swimming Paradise here.
Clothes
- You will need to pack comfortable shoes and clothes for getting around the site. You might want to bring some nicer clothes for eating out or the bar, but with young children you wont want to take the detour back to your lodge. Casual clothes are generally worn at all times by most people.
- Sports clothes and trainers. If you plan to do any of the huge number of sports activities you will want to wear suitable clothing. This includes sports shoes (eg non-marking soles on trainers for sports courts).
- Waterproof jackets and ideally trousers - you can’t avoid going outside so if there is a chance of rain bring waterproofs. For late Spring to early Autumn the type that squishes up small in a bag is ideal.
- There are no clothes washing facilities onsite so if you want to wash anything you would need to wash it by hand in your lodge.
What To Pack For Center Parcs In Summer
- Lighter clothes
- Suncream
- Sun hat
- Sunglasses
What To Pack For Center Parcs In Winter
Winter visits to Center Parcs can be magical, but to make the most of the visit you need to make sure you can stay dry and warm. The list of items above will still be relevant, but in addition you might want to bring:
- Warm clothes are needed for when you are outside and moving between locations. Layers are your friends.
- A good waterproof coat - but if you are cycling make sure it is waist length so it doesn't catch on the bike.
- Waterproof over trousers - these will help keep you dry if it is raining and mean you can sit on wet bikes, seats etc if it has previously been training.
- Extra towels - Take a couple of small towels in your bag to dry bike seats, swings etc.
- Hat, gloves and scarf - especially for children to keep them warm and happy.
- Wellies because puddle jumping is fun.
- A torch or headlight for children will make those walks back to the lodge fun on those dark cold nights (but the paths are normally beautifully lit).
Packing for Babies
Center Parcs is well set up for families and they provide basics for babies including: a highchair and a cot in the lodges. You can also get free baby food in the restaurants. You'll probably be quite good at knowing what you need to pack for your baby, but you might want to remember:
- Bedding, they don't provide it for cots.
- Nappies.
- Wipes.
- Preferred baby food, snacks.
- Feeding equipment/ bottles if required.
- Baby toys.
- A baby carrier/ pushchair.
- A baby monitor if you are staying in a larger lodge.
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| The outdoor areas have an area for disposable barbecue and seating |
Other Items
- Bikes - The easiest way to get around the large sites is to cycle. If you have your own bikes and bike car racks it is much cheaper to bring your own than to hire some.
- Scooters - There were plenty of children who couldn’t cycle who were getting around on scooters.
- Helmet - While helmets aren’t compulsory and with minimal cars it is pretty safe, helmets are still recommended.
- Bike locks - there are lots of large bike parks, but it is recommended you use a lock to secure your bike (or scooter).
- If you hire a bike you can pick up a helmet and bike lock for free at hire centre.
- Buckets and spade if you plan to spend any time at the lakeside beach.
- Backpacks - If cycling it is easiest to carry items in a backpack (everything from a bit of shopping to swimming stuff).
- Torch - There are lights along the paths, but if children are uncomfortable with darkness bring torches.
- Sports equipment - eg tennis or badminton rackets. You can borrow these, but you might prefer to bring your own if you plan to play sports and have a preference.
- Boardgames or card games for in the lodge. We love Uno, Grabolo and playing cards (affiliate links).
- Blankets - we love to snuggle up under a blanket in the morning, evening so it's worth bring some if your family is similar.
- DVDs, tablets, consoles etc - mosts lodges have a DVD player so you might want to bring some DVDs. The range of TV channels was limited and we found we spent time watching some of the live camera feeds from the lake.
- Toys.
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