But this was the first step on the Center Parcs journey. As the business evolved and grew, tents became lodges and Sporthius Centrum became Center Parcs. In the same year, it was announced that the business intended to expand to Ireland and had found a site in County Longford, with construction beginning on Center Parcs Longford Forest in The sixth village and first village in Ireland opened in but, less than a year after opening, Center Parcs Longford Forest and the five UK villages were forced to close in March due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
This sparked the first-ever closure of all villages in the history of the business, and it would be before all six villages fully re-opened. In , the business announced that a seventh site had been identified, this time in West Sussex, close to Worth.
At the same time, a major expansion of Center Parcs Longford Forest was also planned, adding additional lodges to the hugely successful village. Whilst a lot may have changed since , the underlying ethos of the business has remained the same.
The beds are sumptuous, with posh duvets; in the living room there's a raised giant daybed, from which you can just gaze out at the year-old giant redwood trees. Because it's on the edge of the site, there's nothing to spoil the view of nature. I take delight in masterminding the activities of my family, though.
My niece, a new mother, doesn't need to be told twice that a massage is booked for her at the spa. She returns later with shoulders two inches lower and a beatific smile. Boys and their toys indeed. It may sound like we homebodies don't make the most of Center Parcs, but I sneak a little time in the Aqua Sana spa, where the wide array of experiences is delightful although a waterproof MP3 player to drown out the squeaking hen parties would be worth taking along.
I nod off completely in one steam room, sprawled out on a recliner. And, as a family, we do manage a gang outing to the "swimming paradise" — where my teenage son tries aqua-jetting, which seems to involve zipping through the water holding on to a propeller. That's followed by a disproportionately competitive bowling tournament and an almost obscene amount of food at Hucks. While there isn't yet a high-end restaurant to match the high-end customer, Hucks delivers the diner standards that are so in vogue at the moment onion rings, ribs, out-there American cocktails , while Ortega offers tapas beyond the basics although there's a "hamburguesa" that's not on the menu at its London restaurant.
It's a distinct improvement on the dining-out possibilities I remember from a visit some years ago. But the luxury we crave most is time together, away from the world outside — at each other's houses there's enough room to all sit together over a relaxed meal.
Here, a huge round dining table ensures we have the perfect location for family banter over a big bowl of pasta and the wine we've stocked the chiller with. We brought our own, but the ParcMarket, which has definitely improved its offering, now includes organic and local produce, gluten-free food and a pretty decent DVD selection.
On Monday morning, as we reluctantly put the cover back on the hot tub one last time, the Markwells feel that we've certainly put the tree house through its paces and not found any flaws. Of course, all this comes at a pretty price. I admit we fudged our answer when the landtrain gang asked how much it cost. Some might consider that an unfavourable price compared to a budget holiday in the European sun. But over its 25 years, Center Parcs has built its phenomenal success on acknowledging what we really want — and that's why ground is being broken on a fifth site, this time in Bedfordshire, and why you'll sit in a huge traffic jam to enter the village on Friday afternoons.
What we want is a treat that's familiar, an adventure we can control and a place where everyone truculent teenager, high-spirited toddler or stressed-out breadwinner can find their own distractions — whether it's quad-biking, birdwatching, or acting like an Elvish princess in your own woodland kingdom with a high-thread-count king-size and a designer toaster.
The first village, near Rufford in Nottinghamshire, opens, christened Sherwood Forest. The second site, Elveden Forest near Brandon in Suffolk, opens, using the successful template employed at Sherwood.
Elveden has a hotel, the only accommodation at Center Parcs UK without kitchens. Longleat Forest launches with a different feel and layout. This is a result of the hilly location which brings the introduction of a "landtrain", to carry visitors who are not strong enough, or keen enough, to cycle between attractions.
A rival holiday park, Oasis, is launched near Penrith, Cumbria. Four years later, Center Parcs takes it over. It is now known as Whinfell Forest. Its lodges are more Scandinavian in feel and it has a covered plaza area. It is one of the few places left in the UK with a red squirrel population.
A fire damages the plaza and central area at Elveden; there are no deaths and the closure for repairs also sees the village get a sprucing up and the creation of larger-scale accommodation. After several changes of ownership, Center Parcs is taken over by the Blackstone Group, a private equity company which states an intention to invest in existing villages rather than to expand into new sites.
The interior designer Tara Bernerd is tasked with modernising the accommodation. Her crisp modern aesthetic — which features wall-sized prints of tree trunks, chalk boards and boutique hotel-style linens — is rolled out across the "executive" lodges, although the "comfort" lodges keep their basic look.
Building starts on a new village in Bedfordshire, to be called Woburn Forest. Construction will create 1, jobs and the village will employ 1, when it opens in spring David Cameron gave it this glowing endorsement: "Center Parcs is much loved by many and this new site is not just great news for holidaymakers but great news for the economy too.
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