We’ve just come back from a family trip to Center Parcs and, of all the things we packed – vs what we actually used – there were some real surprises! Some things we thought we’d use loads, but we barely touched… and some random items ended up being our new Center Parcs must-haves!
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Here are some of the most surprising items we packed that I’d definitely take again next time….
Bungee cords
Believe it or not, we used these nearly every day of our break!
It turns out they’re perfect for strapping your umbrella to the side of a pram or buggy – to save you carrying it around on those grey, rainy days (hello, unpredictable British weather!).
The ones we took were bungee ball cords, which were so easy to use. They were small and compact to carry, and easy to keep on the pram handle when not in use, too.
Admittedly, this one’s most useful if you have a pram or buggy, but we found they can be used for other things too – like strapping swimming towels to your bag or tying things to your bike!
Link: Bungee ball cords on Amazon*
A window bird feeder
We bought this on a whim and weren’t expecting much, but this actually became one of the stars of our trip! The animals and birds loved it, the kids loved it, and even us adults spent more time watching it than we’d care to admit…! Safe to say, we’ll definitely pack it again next time.
We picked ours up from Wilko for around £5-£6, but I’ve also seen them in places like Home Bargains, B&M and Amazon, for just as cheap. Well worth the investment, and you can bring it back home again, too!
(We also took a big bag of bird food, and were glad we did, because we couldn’t see it anywhere in the Center Parcs shop… so definitely another one to pack next time too.)
Link: Window Bird Feeder on Amazon*
Link: Wild Bird Food on Amazon*
A sharp knife
The Center Parcs kitchens do come with most cooking equipment supplied, including chopping boards and knives, but sometimes the “sharp” knives can be quite blunt – which can make cooking a pain…!
We took one of our favourites from home (this one is Victorinox but we also have a similar one from Kitchen Devils), which turned out to be a great choice, because the rounded end made it easier and safer to pack, too.
Link: Victorinox Serrated Tomato Knife on Amazon*
Link to similar: Kitchen Devils Control Multi-Purpose Knife on Amazon*
Coat hangers
This might sound a bit random, but these coat hangers were actually one of the most-used items we packed!
Hanging space in the bathrooms is very limited in the Center Parcs lodges and, when you’ve been swimming, it’s basically impossible to fit all your wet swimwear and towels on the heated towel rails to dry.
After struggling with this on a previous trip, we packed a few coat hangers with clips – and they were perfect! We hung our swimwear above the bath, with plenty of space for everything to dry out, and everything was ready for the next day of swimming. Great!
If you don’t have a spare clippy coat hanger (although I’m sure you do!), something like these metal clip hooks* could also work… or some people find it easier to pack their laundry airer from home!
Link: Metal Clip Laundry Hooks on Amazon*
Link: Over-Door Laundry Airer on Amazon*
Plastic plates and bowls
We were surprised to find on our previous trip, that Center Parcs lodges don’t have plastic plates and bowls for the kids to use! And after spending a week nervously watching our toddler waving around breakable ceramic bowls, we made SURE to bring plastic ones with us next time.
We also took plastic cups and kid’s cutlery because the plastic glasses in the lodge are adult sized, and our toddler found them way too big!
These might also be useful: Toddler Travel Cutlery Set on Amazon*
Tassimo coffee pods
If you’ve got a Tassimo coffee machine at home, you’re in luck! All the Center Parcs lodges come with Tassimo machines (and a couple of coffee pods) – so if you already have some of these pods at home it’s definitely worth bringing them!
They do sell the pods in the Parc Market shop, they were £7.50 for a pack of 8 when we were there (2023), and there was a choice of three: Costa Cappuccino, Costa Americano and Costa Latte.
We found we could get them much cheaper online (or from shops like B&M etc) before we went, and there was more choice too – we got some hot chocolate ones, which the kids were very happy about!
(As with everything, it’s always worth double checking if your lodge/village does use the Tassimo machines before going out and buying them – we found the online chat with Center Parcs guest services is really useful for checking these types of things before your holiday).
Link: Tassimo Cadbury’s Hot Chocolate Pods on Amazon*
Link: Tassimo Baileys Latte Macchiato Pods on Amazon*
Link: Tassimo Kenco Flat White Coffee Pods on Amazon*
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