Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims

“Fabulous Center Parcs in a lovely area of France”

We had two weeks here, and still didn't manage to fit everything in. We loved the area, which doesn't get many British tourists, so some basic French will really come in handy. Accomodation: great for a family of 4, only issue is no proper oven, even though they sell things like frozen pizza in the… more

We had two weeks here, and still didn't manage to fit everything in. We loved the area, which doesn't get many British tourists, so some basic French will really come in handy. Accomodation: great for a family of 4, only issue is no proper oven, even though they sell things like frozen pizza in the onsite shop. Also bring sharp knives and a chopping board if you're going to cook. Activities: Best to confirm everything with an English-speaking member of staff if you can. We booked a few that turned out not to be what we were expecting. The "Family E-Bike" was not electric, purely pedal power. The "Family Laser Battle" tells you to only book one lot of €16, which seemed reasonable for a half hour session, including briefing. Turns out they wanted €16 each! There was also a little confusion with the kids' "Parcour". It said "all ages", but it was quite complicated with the ropes and clipping on, as well as fairly high level of difficulty. Our 8 yo was only just able to struggle through. Restaurants: Reasonable if your kids are under 10. If over 10, you'll have to pay full adult prices, which is pretty harsh for an 11 year old with a small appetite. The best value was the Marche, as drinks are included. For a family of four, average bill was around €120-160 depending on what you order. Area: Loudun is a nice little town to visit on Market days (Tuesday and Saturday), completely dead on other days, not much open, even in August. Saumur has a lovely fairytale castle, and great vineyards. Also a zoo nearby, but we didn't visit. There are two big supermarkets in Loudun, our favourite was the LeClerc, and there is a McDonald's near the Super U. Must visit is the Chateau de Mothe Chandeniers. Overall: Much better than Center Parcs in Netherlands we've been too, and a lot more chilled than the one near Disney.

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“Good for families who aren't necessarily looking for culture in their holiday but just want the kids entertained.”

Ovrrall, wonderful for a family with young children. The pools are unrivalled and well watched. Our second time there, and i wouldn't rule out a third visit. We do like to combine a werk here with a week travelling around France, because there isn't the place to absorb culture. The exception to … more

Ovrrall, wonderful for a family with young children. The pools are unrivalled and well watched. Our second time there, and i wouldn't rule out a third visit. We do like to combine a werk here with a week travelling around France, because there isn't the place to absorb culture. The exception to my above point was the market all you can eat French style buffet. This is pricey but absolutely worth it, so much so, we went twice. I'm a vegetarian, but no matter...loads of salads, gorgeous cheeses, breads, wonderful polenta cake, and the desserts! The most delicious you can imagine, and the kids' dessert area is a heaven for them. Obviously loads of meat dishes too - the husband said they were delicious. They could move away from dull chicken nuggets and chips and offer something more interesting for children, although of course kids can eat the other stuff. We ate in Cocoon once, but we're all disappointed. It was only ok. Crepe Suzette was amazing food. They're not overly sensitive to a kid who drops their icecream though.... you're buying another, they'd never replace it out of kind customer service or good reputation like I've known other places to do. On that note, if you want icecream, get a triple boules, not a sundae...they cost more but are mainly cream. Not worth it. The chalets are great, very clean and sensitive to children. The park is well designed and as a runner i often was out in the mornings, so I saw how the staff went round cleaning, spraying, and generally prepping. It's very well managed. On that note, if you want to run, you can make up any distance of runs. The Orry character is unnecessary entirely. It's not even a clear mascot. The children don't care, it's not entertaining, and it's just a bit irritating. Again, i always say thus, but why is your poor English better than my poor French. I really do try to use my French, all you have to do is be patient and speak slowly. You don't have to default to poor English. If someone clearly can't speak French that's one thing, but let people try if they're initiating in French. Please. Drivers are more prolific that one expects for CP and I wouldn't assume my children are safe to cycle unwatched. Also, no one goes at the 30 / 15 km speed limit, including the staff. Its disappointing. Also adults are not immune from ABIs so I can't understand why they're not encouraged to wear helmets when they cycle.

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“Good, but room for improvement.”

Stayed here for a week with our 1 and 5 year olds. Both had a wonderful time and enjoyed their stay, particularly the swimming pool. My wife and I also had a good time. Cost - Expensive, though compared to the UK the upfront cost was significantly better value for money than was being offered at h… more

Stayed here for a week with our 1 and 5 year olds. Both had a wonderful time and enjoyed their stay, particularly the swimming pool. My wife and I also had a good time. Cost - Expensive, though compared to the UK the upfront cost was significantly better value for money than was being offered at home. We had the full board (where everyone has a certain number of meal vouchers for the duration of the stay) which was probably more than we needed but removed the stress element somewhat, and it cost the same as basic accommodation at a UK park. Yes there’s the travel cost on top of that but still better bang for your buck. Activities - The variety of activities is very good, particularly for children the age of our two. Aqua Mundo was a favourite for both with the five year old enjoying the water slides and our toddler enjoining a good splash. The five year old also had a go at pony riding (which she adored) and both enjoyed the petting zoo. Dining - What was less good is the variety of food. The buffet food was above average quality but surprisingly limited in variety and seemed to be materially the same every day. The kids buffet was chicken nuggets and chips (plus peas / green beans) for lunch and dinner every day bar one where the nuggets were replaced by frankfurters. Picture Flunch but with less choice, and I would like to have seen a bit more variety. Having stayed in an all inclusive before I quite enjoy when they have different themes each night. Away from there there’s Quick (a better quality McDonalds) and a decent pizzeria, plus a créperie and a fancier cafe (which we didn’t try as the kids wouldn’t eat anything on either menu.) And of course there’s the on site supermarket, and we cooked a couple of times. Accommodation - The accommodation is basic Center Parcs fare - though with a slightly more rustic feel to make it blend in with the surroundings. We had a premium cottage which showed its age in places but was perfectly acceptable for our needs. Bewarned though, if you don’t buy the towel package then “no towels” means NO towels. This includes tea towels and bath mats! I would say also not being able to move into the cottages before 4pm is a bit annoying. While you can drop the bags off and go and enjoy the park there’s no secure outside storage for bags etc, so if you may end up with a long walk to and from the car park if you do choose to use the facilities before your cottage is ready. Some kind of large lock box to store bags would not go amiss :-) Staff - Finally, all the staff were very helpful and between us we were able to communicate (my GCSE French got a long overdue workout but generally the quality of English was good for more complicated requests). We are very grateful to them. Score - I’ve scored it 4* good - the variety of activities trumps the adult grumbles. The kids had a fantastic time which in the end was the primary reason we chose CP. I felt “Average” was a little too harsh. Would we go back? Yes, though in a few years when the kids (particularly the toddler) can do more. Hopefully the buffet will have a little more variety by then :-)

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“Three stars for nostalgia”

We have been going to Center Parcs for 35 years in the UK and Europe but I’m sorry to say their standards have slipped significantly. We had a 4 bedroomed VIP villa that needed a deep clean - cobwebs and mould in the shower. Worn chairs, dishwasher worked but didn’t clean the dishes, central heati… more

We have been going to Center Parcs for 35 years in the UK and Europe but I’m sorry to say their standards have slipped significantly. We had a 4 bedroomed VIP villa that needed a deep clean - cobwebs and mould in the shower. Worn chairs, dishwasher worked but didn’t clean the dishes, central heating failed twice. Aquamundo OK but so overcrowded on the Sunday after Christmas with people with day passes.The deep nature spa is very poor - accessed by the aqua mundo - no towels or robes provided, no separate showers, outside pool chilly. A real waste of money. On the plus side, the staff were very pleasant and there are a wide range of activities. Quick response to failed central heating. Fast food restaurant pretty good and there is a well stocked Carrefour. We had a good time and the children really enjoyed the Parc. Shame that maintenance and standards are now poor. We won’t be returning.

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