Cabin in the woods- My girls weekend at Center Parcs!

Center Parcs.

Tell me. What is the first thought that comes into your head when you read that word??

I’ll tell you exactly what used to go through mine. Children. Chaos. Noise. Mayhem. Unrelaxing….. the list goes on and on.

Well, I was totally made to eat humble pie a few weeks ago, as I went to Center Parcs for a girl’s weekend away. And guess what!!!!! It was the exact opposite of everything above. RESULT.

Now let me rewind a bit…. A few months ago one of my bessie’s texted to say she was organising a girls trip away for early Feb and was I up for it? Ummm let me think about that for all of one second.. YES of course I was!!!! I don’t know if you guys feel the same as me but I just don’t get on with Jan/Feb at all, we have a real love hate relationship and I always find these months utterly relentless, a bit depressing and oh so dark. Basically, spring hurry the hell up hun I’m waiting for you big time.

So to have something to look forward to in Feb was a dream. Plus my work hours are pretty normal at the moment until March and I knew I could book the weekend off. Yippee.

When the location of Center Parcs was announced.. and I really hate myself for writing this… I have to admit I felt a little bit underwhelmed. C’mon you lot know me by now.. I’m an absolute sucker for pure luxury…gorgeous restaurants and quality service. Therefore the idea of self-catering just panicked me a little bit. (Put your hands up if you’re the worst cook ever!) Plus I instantly just assumed Centerparc was for families with children.

However I adore my girls and knew that wherever we booked we would always make it the best fun ever. There was no way I was missing out. Plus you know what they say…never judge a book by its cover…..

So the date was set and the countdown was on. Yay! It was my first adventure of 2019 and I was so excited to spend some quality time with my girlies. We had booked a cosy six bed cabin in the woods and actually got an amazing deal! Although there are a whole range of accommodations to choose from and some cabins even include a sauna so it’s definitely worth checking that out if you are up for spending a bit more.

My girls actually went up on the Friday afternoon, but I was working so said I would meet them early Saturday instead. We had booked the newest Center Parcs in Woburn Forest which was just over an hours drive from Essex. Saturday morning soon arrived, Kisstory was pumped up, and it was time for a solo roadtrip… let’s gooo..

As soon as I pulled into the woods I felt such excitement. You just can’t beat the feeling of knowing you have a full weekend of fun ahead of you. My girls kindly met me in the carpark (which is a maze btw) and escorted me back to our cosy new home for the weekend. And my goodness it was just adorable.

Our cabin consisted of three bedrooms, one main bathroom and an en-suite. As well as a central kitchen/dining/lounge area with a crackling fire. Small but cosy, and for us it was perfect. I instantly felt right at home.

I quickly unpacked and then it was time to explore.

Ummm guys Centerparcs is just the CUTEST. It really is in the middle of the woods, with the tallest trees surrounding you everywhere you look. It’s truly stunning and peaceful with little cabins dotted around everywhere. (Next time it’s totally my aim to stay in a treehouse- they look ridic!)

I channelled Lindsay Lohan and lived my weekend as if I was at a summer camp in America hoping I would meet my identical twin in the forest. I know, send help.

Back to the setting.. The Woburn Center Parcs has a gigantic lake as its main showcase centrepiece, where everything else surrounds that. With the blanket of snow from the night before slowly melting away and the blue skies peeping through it was very postcard perfect. The hustle and bustle of my normal London city life felt miles and miles away and I was instantly relaxed and so happy to be with my girls. So far Center Parcs was everything I didn’t think it was going to be. Oh boy I had got it so wrong and it felt so good.

So with the exploring done it was time for a quick game of bowling. (Yes I lost… BADLY- well done on your win Sarah- let’s move on quickly to lunchtime haa) we filled our tummies with fajitas at Las Iguanas whilst the girls filled me in on everything they had done so far. Let me quickly add that Center Parcs isn’t just self catering (silly Sammy) infact they have over 15 restaurants to choose from including Strada, Leon, The Pancake House and Starbucks. I totally didn’t expect this, so it was a lovely surprise.

Now don’t get me wrong there are hundreds of activities to complete if you want hours of fun here and if you look online there’s a huge assortment of both indoor and outdoor adventures to choose from.

But for us the weekend was about one thing only. Relaxation. And with that in mind we checked into the Spa at 5pm.

With every bit of makeup scrubbed off, bikinis on and our cosy dressing gowns tightly wrapped around us we were ready. Our package included three hours to spend in their Aqua Sana Spa and we wanted to make the most of every second. First stop was the infinity pool and it was by far my favourite moment of the trip. The outdoor infinity pool was heated and surrounded by tall towering trees. The sun was setting whilst we chilled and gossiped in amongst the bubbles. Before we knew it, it was pitch black and all we could see around us were stars, trees and hear the sounds of animals in the distance. How ridic special! I felt really lucky to be experiencing this with my girlies.

We then started a tour of the 25 sensory spa room experience which was hysterical. With the six of us going round together stuck like glue it was anything but relaxing. We felt like naughty school children who had to be quiet when all we wanted to do was giggle and chat oops!

The rooms were a mixture of steam rooms and saunas each with a different theme and feel to it. The three hours flew by, and by the end we felt exhausted. (Why is it you always feel more sleepy when you don’t do anything?) It’s a hard life this spa malarky.

The six of us made the decision to spend our Saturday night having a PJ party in the cabin and to be honest it was perfection. We ate a feast of Spag Bol and garlic bread and then all cosied up under blankets on the couch watching rubbish telly and gossiping the night away. It doesn’t get much better than that does it?

Sunday morning was spent making Matilda style pancakes and carrying on that pj party mentality. In other words we did absolutely nothing. We were just so relaxed and chilled and it was so lovely spending time together without having to look at our watch or think about anything else other than enjoying each other’s company. It’s not often we get to do this. Everyone’s every day life’s is always so manic and busy with babies, work, families etc so I really cherished this time.

We did eventually get dressed and the afternoon consisted of more eating and exploring the forest/lake before all saying our goodbyes and heading off home to get ready for the week ahead.

And there we have it, our cute girls weekend in the woods summed up! I hope this post has inspired and shown you that Center Parcs truly isn’t just for kids.. in fact I think we may have had even more fun than all the families did. There honestly is something there for everyone, whether you want a jam packed weekend bursting with activities…or you just want to live the slob life (yep that’s us) and spend the weekend doing my three most favourite things- eating your heart out, having a pj party and spending time with your faves!

One things for sure.. what happens in cabin 655 stays in cabin 655… or on the black board at least!

Ha, until next time darlings…. happy hump day!!

Sammy xxx

Please note these photos are a mixture of my own and Center Parcs website photos.

If you enjoyed this post you may enjoy my other Hotel Reviews:

New York- The Edition

Soho Farmhouse

Maldives- Kuramathi