Center Parcs facts for kids

An original Center Parcs Cottage (called 'Lodges' in UK resorts). It was designed by the Dutch architect Jaap Bakema.

Dutch Center Parcs entrance (at De Eemhof).

Lake at Het Heijderbos.

Center Parcs is a group of holiday villages in Europe. It started in the Netherlands in 1968. Today, there are two main companies: Center Parcs Europe (CPE) and Center Parcs UK. Center Parcs Europe runs villages on mainland Europe. These are managed by Pierre & Vacances and owned by Blackstone Group. Center Parcs UK runs holiday villages in Great Britain and Ireland. It is owned by the Brookfield Properties Corporation.

Discovering Center Parcs History

Center Parcs began with a Dutch businessman named Piet Derksen. In 1953, he opened a sports shop in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was called 'Sporthuis Centrum', meaning 'Sport House Centre'. The shop was very successful. Mr. Derksen opened 17 more shops across the Netherlands. Later, he started selling camping gear too.

In 1968, Piet Derksen bought some woodland near Reuver. He wanted his staff and customers to have a place to relax. At first, people stayed in small tents. The park, named De Lommerbergen, became very popular. So, the tents were replaced with comfortable bungalows. In 1987, Center Parcs opened its first UK resort. This was at Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.

Center Parcs UK: Growth and Changes

In 2001, the company that owned Center Parcs UK, Scottish and Newcastle, sold it. It was bought by a company called Mid Ocean. In 2003, the UK resorts were sold again to Arbor for £285 million. Later, in 2006, Blackstone Group bought Center Parcs UK. It became a private company.

The company's chief executive, Martin Dalby, announced plans for a fifth village. In 2004, they planned to build it near Woburn in Bedfordshire. After some delays, they were allowed to build it.

Another Center Parcs village, Whinfell Forest, was first built by a different company. It was later sold to Center Parcs. Whinfell Forest looks a bit different from other Center Parcs villages. For example, the outside of the lodges and the main swimming pool area, called the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, have unique designs.

When you book a holiday at Center Parcs UK, the price includes your accommodation. It also includes unlimited use of the Subtropical Swimming Paradise and playgrounds. Other things, like meals, bike hire, and special activities, cost extra.

Center Parcs in Ireland

In July 2016, Center Parcs received permission to build its first village in Ireland. The Irish planning group, An Bord Pleanála, approved the project. This new resort will be built in Newcastle Wood. This is a forest near Ballymahon, County Longford. The resort will be called 'Longford Forest'. It is expected to open in the summer of 2019.

Center Parcs Europe: New Owners and Parks

In 2003, the European Center Parcs sites were sold. They were bought by Pierre & Vacances (P&V) and a German investment group. This new company was named Center Parcs Europe (CPE). P&V already owned a large bungalow holiday company called Gran Dorado Resorts.

CPE was based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch government was worried that combining Gran Dorado and Center Parcs would make the company too big. To solve this, CPE sold most of the Gran Dorado Resorts. Six parks were added to Center Parcs Europe. These included Loohorst (NL), Port Zelande (NL), Zandvoort (NL), Weerterbergen (NL), Hochsauerland (D), and Heilbachsee (D).

In 2006, after Blackstone Group bought Center Parcs UK, Pierre & Vacances decided to sell all the CPE sites. However, they still wanted to manage them. In 2009, a new, more affordable version of Center Parcs was created in Europe. It was called Sunparks.

What to Expect at Center Parcs Villages

Today, there are 26 Center Parcs resorts across Europe. You can find them in the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, and the UK. Each village is unique, but they all offer a similar experience. Visitors stay in comfortable lodges or bungalows. These are often surrounded by trees and bushes, making you feel close to nature. Park Zandvoort is a bit different, as it is located among sand dunes. Some resorts also have hotel rooms.

The very first village had a swimming pool, shops, and restaurants. In 1980, a large dome was built. In the UK, this dome is called the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. In Europe, it's known as 'Aqua Mundo'. These domes have swimming pools and many other fun water play areas. Visitors can enjoy lots of activities, like eating at restaurants, going to the spas, and cycling.

Center Parcs Locations Around the World

Center Parcs UK and Center Parcs Europe together have 26 resorts. There are also 4 Sunparks resorts. Six new parks are currently being built.

Country	Name	City / Village	Region/County	Year Opened	More Information
Netherlands	Het Meerdal	America	Limburg	1971
Netherlands	De Huttenheugte	Dalen	Drenthe	1972
Netherlands	De Eemhof	Zeewolde	Flevoland	1980	This was the first Center Parcs with an indoor pool. It closed in 2000 due to a fire but reopened in 2002.
Netherlands	De Kempervennen	Westerhoven	North Brabant	1983
Netherlands	Het Heijderbos	Heijen	Limburg	1986
Netherlands	Port Zélande	Ouddorp	South Holland	1990	Became a Center Parcs in 2002.
Netherlands	Limburgse Peel	America	Limburg	1980	Used to be called Sunparks Limburgse Peel.
Netherlands	Zandvoort	Zandvoort	North Holland	1989	Used to be called Sunparks Zandvoort aan Zee.
Netherlands	Sandur	Emmen	Drenthe	1999	Taken over from Landal Greenparks in 2011.
Belgium	Erperheide	Peer	Limburg	1981
Belgium	De Vossemeren	Lommel	Limburg	1987
Germany	Eifel	Gunderath	Rhineland-Palatinate	1979	Used to be called Sunparks Eifel.
Germany	Nordseeküste	Tossens	Lower Saxony	1992	Used to be called Sunparks Nordseeküste.
Germany	Park Hochsauerland	Medebach	North Rhine-Westphalia	1994
Germany	Bispinger Heide	Bispingen	Lower Saxony	1995
Germany	Bostalsee	Nohfelden	Saarland	2013
France	Les Bois-Francs	Verneuil-sur-Avre	Upper Normandy	1988
France	Les Hauts de Bruyères	Chaumont-sur-Tharonne	Centre-Val de Loire	1993
France	Le Lac d'Ailette	Chamouille	Picardy	2007
France	Les Trois Forêts	Hattigny	Lorraine	2010
France	Bois aux daims	Les Trois-Moutiers, Morton	Nouvelle-Aquitaine	2015
United Kingdom	Sherwood Forest	Rufford (near Mansfield)	Nottinghamshire	1987
United Kingdom	Elveden Forest	Elveden	Suffolk	1989	It closed in 2002 due to a fire but reopened in 2003.
United Kingdom	Longleat Forest	Warminster	Wiltshire	1994
United Kingdom	Whinfell Forest	Penrith	Cumbria	1997	Bought from Rank Organisation in 2002.
United Kingdom	Woburn Forest	Millbrook	Bedfordshire	2014
Parks Called Sunparks
Belgium	Sunparks Oostduinkerke	Oostduinkerke	West Flanders	1981	Became a Sunparks in 2007.
Belgium	De Haan	De Haan	West Flanders	1989	Became a Sunparks in 2007.
Belgium	Sunparks Ardennen	Vielsalm	Luxembourg	1992	Used to be called Sunparks Vielsalm.
Belgium	Sunparks Kempense Meren	Mol	Antwerpen	1994	Became a Sunparks in 2007.
New Parks Being Built
Germany	Allgäu	Leutkirch	Baden Württemberg	2018
France	La Forêt de Chambaran	Roybon	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	2017
France	Forêt du Rousset	Le Rousset	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	2019
France	Forêt de Poligny	Poligny	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	2019
France	Domaine du Papetier	Pindères, Beauziac	Nouvelle Aquitaine	2019
Ireland	Longford Forest	Ballymahon	Longford	2019

Some Center Parcs sites were sold because they couldn't be made bigger. They are now part of Landal Greenparks. These parks are still open and used today:

Country	Name	City / Village	Region/County	Year Opened	Year Sold
Netherlands	De Lommerbergen	Reuver	Limburg	1968	1996
Netherlands	Het Vennenbos	Hapert	North Brabant	1970	1994
Netherlands	De Berkenhorst	Kootwijk	Gelderland	1975	1990

Understanding Name Differences

Some things at Center Parcs have different names depending on whether you are in the UK or mainland Europe. Here's a quick guide:

Images for kids

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  A Woodland Lodge at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest (Nottinghamshire, UK) in 2018