10 Essential Items to Pack for Your Center Parcs Holiday

Every Center Parcs holiday revolves around fun, relaxation and family time. This is the kind of holiday where memories are made, and your kids will have a huge amount of fun. If you’ve booked your holiday already, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what’s included. However, although the cottages provide almost everything you need, there are a few things worth packing that will make your stay easier and mean you don’t have to run to the shop the minute you arrive.

A little disclosure: there are affiliate links on this page! That just means if you click on a link, find something you like and buy it, I’ll make some cash. You won’t pay any extra, though.

1. Handwash

If your family is anything like ours, the minute you get into your cottage, somebody will need the toilet. Keep some handwash easily accessible, so you don’t have that awkward ‘How do I wash my hands?’ moment. Remember to pack one for each bathroom and the kitchen.

2. Towels

Some cottages include a bath towel and hand towel for each person, but some don’t. Check what is included with your accommodation. It’s possible to add a towel package onto your booking, but this does push the price up, particularly for big families. And remember your swimming towels! If you do forget to pack towels, the onsite boutique sells beach towels along with armbands, inflatable rings, swimming costumes, etc.

3. Bath Mats

I only recently had this brain-wave, and I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before. Packing bath mats may seem a bit over the top when you’ve got so many other things to fit in your suitcase, but it’s worth doing. Nobody wants to slip over after a shower or walk wet footprints around the place. Remember to pack one for each of the bathrooms in your cottage.

4. Travel Plugs

So obvious, but so easy to forget. No country seems to use the same plugs as we have in the UK. Your plugs will not work in any of the sockets, so remember to pack some travel adapters. One for each person/device is a great idea to avoid some lively disagreements.

5. Kitchen Essentials

Some cottages include a kitchen package, but this is very basic – tea towel, hand towel, cleaning sponge, matches and a few dishwasher tablets. Pack washing-up liquid, washing-up brush, kitchen towel and extra dishwasher tablets. Then you won’t need to stock up in the supermarket as soon as you’ve arrived.

6. Wetsuits

Wetsuits might not be high on your list or packing essentials. And you might struggle to squeeze them in after you’ve packed all the essentials. But if you’ve got your own wetsuits and space somewhere in your car, you might prefer to take them. Center Parcs does provide wet suits for all the water activities on the lakes. We prefer to take our own as this seems like a more hygienic option.

7. After Bite

Western Europe has been enjoying a bit of a mosquito surge recently with some rather interesting species making an appearance. Leaving your windows and doors closed, and checking every room carefully before going to bed seems to make no difference – the little wotsits still manage to invade your space and feast on your flesh. I highly recommend taking some After-Bite because even bug spray can only do so much. After-Bite is great for any type of insect bite or sting. It comes in a pen shaped gadget, and stinks to high heaven, but it stops the itch, and that’s why I love it. After-Bite cannot be used to treat an allergic reaction to a bite or sting. In this case, seek medical attention. And I wouldn’t usually kill any insect – remember, spiders are our friends – but I make an exception for mosquitoes. I’ve found a sharp smack with a flip flop usually does the trick.

8. Portable BBQ

We love having a BBQ when we’re at Center Parcs. Some of the fancier cottages have a chiminea type thing on the patio, but you’ll still need something to cook the food on. Disposable BBQs are convenient, but incredibly bad for the environment. I recommend taking a portable mini BBQ instead. There are loads of these on the market – look for one with sturdy legs that won’t buckle or tip over. We have a George Foreman one that does the job beautifully.

9. Monzo Card

We only discovered Monzo very recently after our son returned from a back-packing trip and insisted that we get one. After the usual resistance with a bit of huffing and puffing thrown in, we looked into it and found that Monzo is indeed brilliant. Basically, you use it like you would a credit or debit card when you’re abroad, but you don’t get charged any transaction fees. You can also see the conversion rate, so you know exactly how much you’re spending in GBP. You can add it to your Google Wallet for contactless payments, although it’s best to keep the card with you as well in case of IT glitches.

10. Suntan lotion

Last, but absolutely not least, remember to pack suntan lotion. I could bore you to tears talking about how no tan is a safe tan, but protecting your skin is about as serious as it gets. Factor 50 is a must even if you’re going to the Aqua Mundo as you’re most likely going to spend a fair amount of time in the outdoor pool. Always use a recognised brand, and remember to re-apply after swimming. One of my favourite discoveries is Boots No. 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Facial Sun Protection which goes on like a dream and doesn’t make you look sticky or shiny.

Happy Holidays!

I hope this little list has been helpful, and given you some great ideas to make your holiday a bit easier. Or jogged your memory to pop a few forgotten things in your suitcase. And if you forget anything, there’s always the onsite supermarket or boutique where you can pick up those essential holiday items.

Check out Travelling to Center Parcs in Europe to find out the best way of getting to each village.