Candyfloss & Dreams

Author: Kat Candyfloss

First Family Holiday to Center Parcs Longleat

If you’re looking for holiday parks near longleat I’m sure you will have come across Center Parcs as an option and it is well worth considering for post-COVID staycations. Our first family holiday to Centre Parcs, Longleat Forest was an amazing holiday and probably my favourite of our UK staycation trips. Going with friends to Center Parcs really helped make it an even better break for us, so much so that we have booked again to return with the same friends at another of the locations. If you are thinking about booking a Center Parcs break, I really recommend it.

me and evie at the center parcs winter wonderland village square

Accomodation at Center Parcs Longleat

We stayed in a three bedroom executive lodge at Center Parcs so we each had our own ensuite bathroom. You can read my full write up of our accomodation and watch a lodge tour to see where we stayed. The longleat site is huge, there is actually a Landtrain to help make the place more accessible to everyone. There isn’t space for an upright pram so if you’re visiting Longleat you might want to consider a baby carrier or sling or even pay to be closer to the centre. Otherwise, prepare for a long walk! Our accomodation was based at the top of the cascades walkway and whilst beautiful and peaceful, it was a good 20 minute walk down to the sports centre and a further 40 or so minute walk to the plaza which hosts the swimming pool and restaurants. Longleat self catering accomodation is suitable for a variety of family sizes.

Food At Center Parcs

We ate out pretty much every day which was really nice but you do have a fully stocked kitchen if you want to go self catering. There are also takeaway options if you fancy a meal in and don’t want to cook. We tried Hucks American Grill, The Pancake House, Las Iguanas, Bella Italia, Dexters and had afternoon tea at Cafe Rouge. We also had a BBQ one evening at the lodge. The best meal was Las Iguanas. It is set in a beautiful part of the plaza with a little river full of fish running through it. It’s a gorgeous place for the cuisine. Bella Italia was a great place to eat too. We love that each food place has a kids play area so it’s really family friendly. On site there are parc markets and Starbucks coffee too. Because of social distancing many of the Center Parcs Longleat resturants offer delivery to your lodge service which is well worth considering.

Pin image for center parcs holiday

Tropical Paradise Swimming Pool

Without a doubt the best swimming pool I’ve been too. On the first night we went after eating for a couple of hours. It was cold outside and really dark but the pool is open until 9pm so you can do the outside rapids in the dark. It’s actually really fun. The slides shut off in the evening but the rapids and lazy river are open, as is the wave pool. I loved swimming at night. Next time we go we plan to spend a full day doing pool stuff as Felix will be bigger and able to enjoy it a little more. There is a hotdog cafe and plenty of seating around the pool area for those that aren’t swimming and for a little bit of resting space. The inside of the pool is heated all year around which is ideal. There are also plenty of hot tubs to warm up in. The rapids and slides also get the adrenaline going.

Winter Wonderland at Center Parcs Longleat

We loved going in November, it was such a lovely week and we had so much fun. Having all of the Christmas decorations available and the winter wonderland set up in the Village Square was such a nice touch and really got us all in the festive spirit. I would absolutely go during the winter wonderland celebrations again because it’s so magical for families although this did of course make things a little busier on site.

Overall our trip to Center Parcs was so much fun and I am converted to going back year on year. I can’t wait for our next trip! You can watch our family vlog including some pool time and water shots below.

July 6, 2020
3 Bedroom Executive Lodge, Center Parcs Longleat Forest

Our family stay at Center Parcs Longleat in an 3 Bed executive lodge during Winter Wonderland in 2019. We had a great time at Center Parcs and saved a bit of money by going with some friends. There is a room tour of our lodge below.

Sitting on the Ice Bench in the Plaza at Center Parcs Longleat Forest during Winter Wonderland 2019

Center Parcs is a family friendly forest based holiday with lots of fun outdoors activities. During the Winter Wonderland festivities the whole park beautifully lit and you will find lots of artificial snow and beautiful Christmas decorations. The tropical paradise swimming pool is amazing and a must-visit for families. I now confirm I love center parcs. I will go again and would love to try and stay at every park I can.

Center Parcs Longleat – Family Lodge Holiday

I had never been on a Center Parcs holiday before and it was actually my partner who suggested it as a place to consider for a family trip. Center parcs have so much outdoor stuff going on we thought it would be really nice to go with friends so that we could try and make the most of everything it had to offer. We went to Center Parcs Longleat Forest with a nine year old and a one year old so having some friends with us that we trusted to look out for the children meant we could have some adult time too, and that was a huge plus.

Our Three Bed New Style Executive Lodge at Center Parcs Longleat

Center Parcs accomodation is really varied. There is so much choice available depending on family size and budget. From one bedroom apartments to four bedroom treehouses, you can broaden your holiday from cute lodge in the forest to luxury spa experience with a click of a button. There are a few things that help us to narrow down our seach when looking at Longleat accomodation. The biggest need for us was ensuite bathrooms as we were going with friends and no one wants to get caught out. This gave Evie her own shower and bathroom too. One of the bathrooms has, in an executive lodge, a whirlpool bath which was a huge plus. Our lodge also came with an infared sauna.

The outside space of our 3 bed executive lodge at Center Parcs Longleat Forest

Executive Lodge Benefits and Perks at Center Parcs

Other perks of an executive lodge include daily housekeeping, a coffee machine, dishwasher, woodburner and outdoor patio space. The lodge at Longleat Forest is, I think, a comfortable size for four adults and two children. We had plenty of seating space, a fully equipped kitchen and a lovely outside space for a BBQ. Even though we went in the middle of November we still had a little BBQ one evening which was great fun. Center parcs longleat accomodation is spacious, innovative and the beds are really comfortable. I love that a cot and highchair is included as standard too, a really helpful touch.

Each of the three bedrooms at Center Parcs Longleat had a widescreen TV. Two of the rooms have large double beds, and the third room has two twin beds. The Lodge can sleep eight people really comfortably. If you are taking a baby I would suggest putting the cot in the room with the spa bath as it seemed to be slightly bigger and fit easier.

The lodges are beautiful and have a nice design. It is so picturesque and easy to relax with the forest surrounding you. A lodge close to the cascades may mean a long walk to the central activities but includes a beautiful walk and some waterfalls along the way.

Our Center Parcs Accomodation Tour

Now I have experienced a center parcs holiday I will be going back again. Our next Center Parcs holiday will hopefully be next year at Woburn Forest and I am so excited. We are going with the same friends, although slightly older children and I will be comparing the two for sure. I do know that Longleat is one of, if not the, biggest site so we will be booking somewhere closer to the centre this time.

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July 5, 2020
Illumicrate In the Shadows Unboxing

Illumicrate book box is a subscription service that I purchase each month. Although, excitingly, one of my photos won the Instagram unboxing challenge for the May Monstrous box last month so I’m getting my July box for free. The June Illumicrate box was themed with In The Shadows and was by a mile by favourite illumicrate box.

Illumicrate In The Shadows Unboxing

The box items are pictured above. This box had the most stunning edition of The Court of Miracles that I can not wait to read. Affiliate link to get the standard edition below.

Other items in the June box included:

A Nevernight inspired fan
A Rosie Thorns designed mug with the chracters from Vicious by VE Schwab
A Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood print featuring Bryce and Hunt
Fable & Black designed pin inspired by the book of the month
Teatowel/Tapestry featuring Arya’s Kill List from A Game of Thrones
Serpent & Dove Bookmark

I love the book. It is so beautiful and I can not wait to get reading. This is the first time the Pin has been included in the box rather than a seperate subscription and I really love it. Pins are lovely collectibles and I love these exclusive bookish designs. The fan was a nice touch considering the day of delivery it was incredibly hot. I am a huge fan of Serpent and Dove so having a bookmark with my favourite ship was great (I am eagerly anticipating Blood & Honey so this was a nice touch). The illumicrate book edition has a rose gold foil cover and black sprayed edges.

Next month’s theme is all about joining the resistence and has serious Star Wars vibes so I’m very excited to see what will be included!

July 2, 2020
Mid Year Reading Challenge Update

This year I’ve been challenging myself to read more and aiming for 52 books in total. At this point in time I’m ahead and around 75% done but this could all change if I hit a reading slump so I’m reluctant to increase my total right now. I seem to be averaging around seven books a month which is quite good for me. I read fast but I often take breaks between books to do life things like parent…and with the current pandemic affecting school and routine I haven’t had a lot of quiet time to myself lately!

My first book of the year was A Curse so Dark and Lonely and my most recent (at time of writing) update was Incendiary. I’m at book 39 so yes, very close to reaching my goal and if I do increase it then I’ll probably increase it to about 80 books for 2020 but again, we will see.

I’ve noticed I’ve become a bit fairer in my good reads ratings and not just automatically 4/5 starring a book. Don’t get me wrong I’ve read some fantastic reads this year but I’ve also struggled with a few. One thing I’ve really liked is how book boxes have helped me get out of my comfort zone and read a few I wouldn’t have thought to read before. I’ve done some fun unboxings on my youtube channel too.

It’s hard to say what my favourite read has been so far but I’ve loved Chain of Gold, Nevernight, Hold Back the Tide and Crescent City. I wasn’t too keen on Havenfall, The Sisters Grimm and The Beautiful. I have got a jam packed TBR shelf in my living room though so I will need to unhaul some books soon I think!

my to be read bookshelf

My to be read for July includes Girl, Serpent, Thorn, Fated (a reread, but it’s been years) The Court of Miracles, The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea and I want to finish The Library of the Unwritten. As I’ve been getting more into a bookish aesthetic IG account I’ve also started a hashtag #bookchatwithkat to share reviews and hopefully connect with other readers too!

One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.

July 1, 2020
One of Us is Lying: Book Review

I really like a good thriller, and usually anticipate it to be full of who dunnits, mystery, intrigue and fast paced. I particularly like insights from the ‘killer’. I saw a lot of love for this book before picking it up and I had huge expectations and unfortunately the book just missed the bar for me. I gave this 3 stars on goodreads but it’d probably put it closer to 3 and a half as it’s not bad, it’s just average, and I was a bit disapointed.

I’m really getting through the multiple POV book this month. One of Us is Lying has four characters you frequently read through in a chronalogical timeline and includes an epilogue three months after the murder. The premise is, 5 students walk into detention but only 4 walk out alive. So someone died in the room. The death actually happened pretty quickly and right at the start of the story so the rest of the book, I knew, would be focusing on the investigation and experiences of the other four characters.

Each chapter seems to unveil a bit more about each character so you begin to build a picture of their character but I found it quite slow moving. I enjoyed some of the contemporary references but some of the stereotypes made me feel uncomfortable. It felt like what teen movies are based on and that just reminded me of the film ‘Cabin in the Wood’s (this book is nothing like this film, but the select characters, princess, geek, bad boy, jock etc made me feel reminisent). Actually, of all the films it reminded me of The Breakfast Club meets Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars. It was all very relevant I guess which made it feel like this is something that could really happen.

I wouldn’t say I disliked this book, it was just average and I felt it didn’t live up to the hype. There are a couple of red flags which do make a lot more sense with the big reveal of which I didn’t see coming actually at all. So that was good. I just felt some of the filler content was a bit bland and where it was multiple POV’s you didn’t really get as much character depth as I would have liked but for a 370 or so page book it’s a fairly quick, easy read.

One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.

June 29, 2020