Center Parcs Les Hauts de Bruyères

We nearly didn’t come as I didn’t read the reviews before I booked. We spent the entire journey worrying what we’d find when we got there but we shouldn’t have. We are staying in 538, a premium cottage. Is it a little tired, yes. Is it clean? Yes. Does the separate toilet smell a bit as per other reviews, a little, I won’t lie. It’s not a sewer type smell, and it’s just that one room, but it is spotlessly clean so I’ve just put an air freshener in there. I’m majorly OCD so having read the reviews, I came armed with cleaning products and having wiped down all the major surfaces, there were no dirt marks on the cloths so the cleaning teams had obviously done their job. Do the walls have the odd bug splatter on them? Yes, but I’ve stayed in 5* hotels that have those too. We have regular visitors to our patio every morning, ducks, small birds and this morning, 4 peacocks. If you love nature, it’s a great place to be. They sell sunflower seeds in the very well equipped onsite supermarket, so we’ve been feeding the wildlife. Our 8-year old has to be dragged out of the Aqua Mundo every day, he loves it. The water temperature is absolutely fine, and I’m a cold ass. Slides are brilliant, the river sauvage is amazing too. The dome is lovely. We haven’t cooked but next time (and there will be a next time), I would probably bring an air fryer and a small washing up bowl to use in the sink. I’d also bring a bath mat and a drying rack (although there is a small one in the bathroom that pulls out over the bath). There’s an eco McDonalds, an Italian restaurant, a posher French restaurant and a buffet restaurant. We’ve tried them all and they’re all nice. There’s a bakery next to the supermarket which is open till 2pm if you want pastries or fresh bread, once again, it’s lovely. We’ve been to the farm to see the goats and pigs, taken a boat out onto the lake, played mini golf and done loads of walking. There’s a fitness trail round the lake with outdoor gym equipment if you’re into that sort of thing. Then there’s the fun factory. It’s soft play hell for grown ups, but our son loves it, and there’s a bar, so you can have a glass of vin rouge and drown out the sound of kids enjoying themselves. Some reviews have been really scathing of the park, and whilst I understand why, the park itself is lovely and brilliant for children. If you’re expecting a 5* hotel experience, it’s not going to happen, but if you’re open minded, love immersing yourself in nature and want loads of activities for kids at a very good price (UK Cps were 3x the price for Easter week), then go for it!!! We stopped in Arras to break up the journey from Yorkshire. Staff are all lovely and whilst they don’t always speak English, most of the reception staff do and I got through just fine with my limited French. I always think if you try to make the effort, even if it’s basic words, they’ll often to reply in English. Hope that helps anyone else who is looking.