Center Parcs, Longleat Forest

I'm, a 70 year old disabled man who is struggling to walk. My wife and I decided to go for a three-day break to Longleat Forest Village, mainly because we don't live far. I went on their website and read all the information given. Nowhere it said it's a car-free village and that are SEVERE RESTRICTIONS to using or even parking a disabled car. Only AFTER we booked and paid, we received an email and noticed at the bottom of the message a message giving a telephone number for those who have reduced mobility, disability or medical needs. I called and explained my situation only to be tols that the village will "take care of me" and there's help.

When we arrived, we were told to drive to our lodge and park our disabled car close to a mile away from our lodge, despite me having a blue badge! How was I supposed to move around, I asked? The answer was there's a village train of some sort that can take us back to our room. We tried to call customer service and asked to be able to park our car close to our lodge. but they said we're not allowed to and suggested we call medical services. After about 30 minuted of waiting on line the medical services coldly said we CAN'T PARK CLOSE TO OUR ROOM DESPITE US HAVING A BLUE BADGE! We have to take our car to the general car park which is nearly 0.6 miles away, let alone not being able to drive around. Now, I can't move without my car and I ask why this wasn't mentioned on their website BEFORE we booked and paid? I've traveled all over the world and had never encountered a hotel, airbnb or similar venue that restriced my parking. Had we known of these restrictions beforehand we wouldn't have booked! Later, when we read some reviews about Centreparcs, we've noticed some people said they had to wait up to TWO HOURS for the village transport to take them back to their room!

They left us no choice but to leave the place, not even two hours after we got there.

At home I wrote to them asking for a refund but they refused.

If you're looking for a reasonable disabled-friendly holiday venue look elsewhere.

For 2016, the Pinewoods Apartment Longleat Center Parcs is within 20 feet of a huge building / construction site. Constanct noise, banging, sawing, work lorries from 9am to 5pm. Lots now on google and twitter. There is a compensation website that has been set up. Absolute disgrace as guests were not informed prior to booking or arrival and offered £100 vouchers as compensation !!

We booked the executive lodge in longleat but it looked more like a chalet with wood stuck to the front.

The interior looked good when we got inside on a dark evening on closer inspection in the day the rug was stained, the furniture shabby, the bathroom floors were grubby with black stains on the floor and cobwebs even the little bin at the side of the toilet was grubby. Some dishes in the kitchen were dirty, it did have a dish washer so we put them in there to wash before using.

The activities needed to be booked in advance which means you are not waiting about too long. The pool is free but you've got to pay for all other activities which can add up, cycling seems to be the way around the park that's if you like cycling of course.

The food is really expensive for four adults and one 21/2 year old the cheapest meal we had was £73.00 for 2 fish and chips, two paninis 1 childrens burger and four cokes and that wasn't very tasty.

I think this would have been slightly better in the summer.

On a plus the staff at the food places were very friendly,

A great place to relax and have fun. Cycle paths, pool, food, and games for all the family. We like to go with friends to make it more fun for us and the kids. The accommodation is clean, in good repair and simple. Great for a short break with enough equipment to make a meal if that is what you want.

We had a new style Executive villa in Pine which cost approx £1800 for the week. The villa was OK and comfortable but did not justify the price. It was quite dirty and looked very shabby from the outside. You could not see out from one of the patio doors as the seal had gone on the double glazing. The restaurants are basic pub chain types with very inflated prices.

The forest however is nice but very hilly in places. Do not use the Parc Market if you can avoid it as it is very expensive. My son enjoyed his activities though which is why we went there in the first place. I did not use the pool but my husband and son did and they enjoyed it. All in all not a bad holiday but I got quite angry on my return as I felt like I had been mugged!!!

Unless we got a good deal on a short break it is very unlikely we will return here for a second fleecing! Park is looking tired and needs upgrading.

Nice concept but they desperately need to reinvest in the accommdation and reduce their prices.

Longleat was great. Had villa 632 good location if you fancy having a walk to the jardin de sports, Village or Plaza, instead of the train. Kept us fit!! Its a lovely walk down the hillside, hard walking back though ;)

Stayed in a woodland lodge which was clean and spacious.

My husband and son did the target archery which they really enjoyed the instructor was great. My 9 year old daughter did the aqua jetting in the big pool at night, when the pool is closed, which she loved, a lot better than at Sherwood, they went all around the big pool and into the lazy river and by the bottom of the water slides, great fun.

Me and my older daughter had our nails painted, we felt very special, lovely environment and very relaxing.

We have ducklings come into villa, saw a type of deer and some lovely birds.

Rapids great fun, its quite hard to get into them, but fun!!

After reading a few reviews on Longleat, I was worried because people commented on the hilly terrain. We decided to go anyway and it was superb. Staying in Pine meant that we had access to so many of the exciting activities and it was not too hilly at all. We hired bikes but walking was just as nice. We did take the landtrain round the village and yes, the outer lodges, although lovely were definitely on hilly terrain.

Our lodge in Pine was amazing. Everything all seemed brand new. Even the frying pan had its label still attached. Loved it!

After the long weekend break I felt healthier and refresh ed . My 3 year old was spoilt for choice with the free play areas that were scattered around the island. There was no need to pay for extra activities but my 8 year old did enjoy quad biking.

I definitely would recommended this amazing place and cant wait to go back...

The blinds in our accommodation kept falling down as they were only stuck to the ceiling with duct tape. this was dangerous as we had small children. the dishwasher is very complicated to use and doesn't come with instructions. we booked a 45 mins fencing lesson for my son which only lasted 25 mins. what a rip off. the swimming pool is freezing. the staff were rude and informed me I wasn't teaching my son how to cycle properly, and questioned my parenting skills. I brought this to the attention of the customer service desk and nothing has been done to my knowledge. restaurants are very expensive and therefore we ate in the lodge every day.

Always have a fab time, loads for the kids to do and feels safe enough to let them go off on their own, huge choice of places to eat. Always feel tranquil and relaxing, would recommend to anyone. Little quiet in the evenings so not the place for people who like night life but we make our own entertainment.

We have just spent one week in Longleat in the Pinewood Executive apartments, which are perfectly located within the resort, both for the Plaza (the back entrance for it is just opposite) and for cycling into the woods, as they are very close to the car park and entrance. On the downside, if you are a light sleeper, chances are you will be awoken early in the morning by the machinery which is used for forest maintenance - the sound is very faint and won't be an issue for anyone else.

Shearwater Lake is a 20 minutes bike ride away from the main Center Parcs entrance, and a lovely pub, the Bath Arms of Crockerton, is another 5 minutes ride further down the road (just go to the main road and turn left. The pub will be on the left). They have a large beer garden, they serve good quality food and local ales and cider, and are extremely dog friendly!

There are several routes to the lake, generally the way there is downhill and easy and the way back is a bit more of a challenge!

We love the Plaza in Longleat, as all of the shops, including the Parc Market, and most of the restaurants are within its temperature controlled dome - rain or shine you will be comfortable and in lovely surroundings, with fish ponds and plants. Unfortunately we found that this is not the case at other locations, such as Evelden, where the dome was really disappointing as it only contained sport courts and the water area - all of the shops where exposed to the rainy and cold weather, which truly detracts from the experience.

The Parc Market is not too overpriced and you can get some real bargains with their reduced items. The quality of their products is very good, especially their breads and meats. This is where we spent our £25 vouchers (that was indeed very nice!)

If your accommodation includes maid service, you will be provided with toilet paper and bin liners, and the premises will be tidied up for you each morning. Everywhere else you will need your own toilet paper and bin liners. Don't forget to bring along your own soap/shower gel, kitchen paper, washing up liquid and dishwasher tablets (only a couple are provided if you have a dishwasher).

The actual Pinewood Executive apartment was identical to the one we had previously stayed in at the Redwoods. They are very well laid out, with a perfectly functional kitchen and eating area (we cooked every meal there - you do not get a traditional oven, but you do get an excellent combi microwave). If you find that any equipment is missing or not up to scratch, just contact guest services and they will promptly replace them for you - Center Parcs staff are excellent.

HOWEVER, the cleanliness in the apartments themselves is unfortunately quite poor - we have found this to be the case during both of our stays at Longleat.

On this occasion two plates had cheese stuck on them, a wine glass had lipstick stains, the floors and windows were visibly dusty, the surfaces in the bedroom had dirt rings on them, a bottle cap was on the floor by my side of the bed. The seal around the kitchen sink had black mould all around it. In the bathroom, the sink was slimy and there were big clumps of long hair in the bathtub and wrapped around the plug chain and shower hose.

These are definitely NOT the standards of cleanliness I would expect for the price Center Parcs charge for self-catering accommodation - unfortunately this is what we have always found, and what is confirmed by many other reviewers.

We therefore ensure to bring lots of washing up liquid, cream cleaner and sanitiser (I immediately wash every bit of crockery and kitchen equipment as well as all kitchen surfaces, shower, bathtub and bathroom sink area!). A vacuum cleaner can be found in the airing cupboard.

The park itself is very clean (however we cannot comment on the water area as on this latest trip we did not take advantage of these facilities).

We also found the shower in our accommodation extremely disappointing and not up to basic standards: the water temperature could not be set to hot and the water pressure was non existent - in fact there was more water pressure from the shower hose in the bathtub!

We do not use any of the restaurants or pubs on the premises as they are far too overpriced and often of poor quality (we were appalled by the Pancake House on our last visit).

For the first time, we also did not visit Aqua Sana - although they are by far our favourite spa - we found the price (£99 for day entrance for two people) prohibitive and not worth it. In January we had taken advantage of an offer which gave two of us a day in the spa area and an afternoon chocolate treat for £75 - frankly we would have been happier with something healthier and less indulgent, but it did give us day access which is what we wanted. Even then, one of our favourite rooms, the Greek Herbal Bath, was out of order, and in the afternoon the place was extremely noisy and packed due to groups of women having booked half a day in the afternoon - members of staff made no attempt to ask them to be quiet as they were clearly purchasing products. Again our experience is echoed by many other reviews. Because of this we feel that we are not prepared to pay £99 to simply access the facilities. Shame.

As long as you know what to expect, a break in Center Parcs is lovely, to slow down, and relax in peaceful surroundings, close to nature.