Well, given some of the horror stories about Center Parcs at Whinfell (particularly the Winter Vomitting virus - yeuk!) I was pleasantly surprised by our visit last weekend (21-24th Apr 06). We were a group of 3 families in 2 houses. We'd requested that they be as close as possible when we made the booking, and CP were true to their word - a short hop through the woods, at most 50 metres. The accomodation was basic but clean, not new but not ragged either. The beds were comfortable and the kitchen reasonably well equipped. If you want to do cooking for a large number of people, however, I'd take your own big pots and pans.

The facilities were as expected, although too many of them were shut (particularly in the swimming centre) due to health and safety - probably not enough staff to supervise the areas but hard to know the real reason. For instance, the canyon run - a long, fairly gentle water slide that takes you outside, was only open on one of the four days we were there.

The place seems very secure, once the cars are back in the car park anyway, and the kids could cycle off for hours at a time without causing us any concern. Appearances can deceive, however, as one of the families in our group had their hire bikes nicked on the last day, from outside their villa - probably a scam to pinch the deposit they left. The staff handled it very well, though, and they got their money back.

I can't comment on the catering - we cooked for ourselves on most days, only eating at one of the cafes for lunch - it was acceptable, if a bit expensive.

I'm sure it can be pretty much the luck of the draw with Center Parcs, but you can bet that most of those that had a bad experience will write about it here, while most that had a good one won't, so I'm just trying to keep it balanced.

We stayed for the easter holiday weekend and had a great time. Nobody was ill, cabin was fine, showers were lovely. It was our first stay but we will definatley be going back.The kids (aged 9 and 12) thought the pool was fantastic and wanted to stay there all day. The only down side is that we didnt book in advance and found it difficult to get on some activities., but we will next time!!

Well it's obviously not the Savoy but considering the amount of hammer it gets from families & kids etc. Oasis Whinfell gets a thumbs up from me. No shortage of things to do. We stayed in an Executive Lodge during the very cold snap end Feb/early March and found the lodges perfectly warm enough, clean, comfy, great space. Bear in mind there is no central heating, just wall mounted heaters, but they quickly get the place as warm as a bakery.

Incidentally and in contrast to some reviewers we had no problems with towels - a constant stream, and more than we knew what to do with!

Location is fantastic, though visitors should note it is very much a wilderness theme - don't go expecting manicured lawns or twee drifts of bulbs - it's very au naturel but personally I liked this.

It was very efficiently run during our stay - getting that many people onto and off site was surprisingly hassle free and we found housekeeping to be prompt and very friendly. I've seen much worse housekeeping in expensive hotels.

The spa is magnificent and an absolute must. Good on them for investing so much in this.

Top notch if you have little ones; our party's kids adored the Messy Play session and also the supervised play sessions, and the mini Fun Factory bit next to one of the more decent cafes were all good finds.

Couple of gripes - main one is eating out. No doubt they're giving the market what it wants but I found the stale chip fat smell, burgers etc. depressing. The main central area looks great on TV but in reality it seems strangely cramped and just feels like yourlocal shopping mall.

One exception I must say was the Indian restaurant where the food was truly knockout and they also do a takeaway service.

Other gripe was the bike hire (which I thought a bit steep incidentally). Bizarrely they will only put a toddler seat onto the back of ladies bikes. Lucky mums. However, ladies bikes have no gears ie. ZERO and there are some nifty little hills around the site. Be warned. Dads can get macho with a trailer stuck on the back which the kids loved.

We say : go for it, no question, but some kids/families might find the setting 'boring' rather than charming. Know what to expect and you'll be happy. Yes tons to do but it's not a stage-managed theme park - you have to get out and make the most of it.

We (family of 4) went to Centre Parks in April 2006 for 5 days. We stayed in a 2-bedded comfort lodge in Badger Wood which was very clean and spacious.

Pre-ordered some tickets for events and also the grocery pack. All were waiting for us on arrival with no hitches. A cot and highchair were also provided for our youngest.

The nightly entertainment was excellent. Our son (6)even wanted a signed poster! Good variety of things to do in the day!

Restaurants were a bit costly so we ate out for 2 nights and in for 2 nights. Definately a place to visit if you haven't been before.