Here is the thing nobody says about Center Parcs: it is not actually luxurious. It is comfortable, efficient and very well run. But a summer week in one of its treehouses costs more than £11,000, and you still pay for every activity and share the pool with a few thousand other people.
If you are spending that kind of money, the UK does family luxury better elsewhere. Country house hotels with free Ofsted registered crèches. Lakeside estates with their own spa. Treehouses with private hot tubs. Safari lodges where the giraffes walk past your window.
This guide covers nine luxury alternatives to Centre Parcs, what they include, what they really cost, and who each one suits. There is also a section on places like Centre Parcs for adults, for couples and friends without children.
Looking to spend less rather than more? See our guide to cheaper Centre Parcs alternatives.
The quick answer
Best overall for families: Calcot & Spa, Cotswolds. England's Hotel of the Year at the AA Hospitality Awards 2026, with four hours of free childcare a day.
Closest to the Center Parcs format, only posher: Lower Mill Estate, Cotswolds. Lakeside houses, a spa with indoor and outdoor pools, paddleboarding and an activity hub.
Best in the north: Another Place, The Lake, on Ullswater. A 20 metre infinity pool and a free Ofsted registered crèche.
Best treehouse: Chewton Glen, New Forest. Private hot tubs, breakfast hampers delivered to the door, and three pools at the main hotel.
Best one-off experience: Port Lympne, Kent. Sleep in a treehouse overlooking the rhino and cheetah paddocks.
Best value luxury: Bedruthan Hotel & Spa, Cornwall, from £284 a night with dinner and breakfast included.
What luxury at Center Parcs actually costs
The top Center Parcs lodges are where the comparison gets interesting, because you are already paying luxury hotel money.
Center Parcs lodge (Sherwood Forest, 2026) | August week | Mid-September week |
|---|---|---|
Woodland Lodge, 2 bed, 4 people | £2,398 | about £1,250 |
Exclusive Lodge, 4 bed, 8 people (hot tub, sauna, steam room, games room) | £7,200 | £4,600 |
Treehouse, 4 bed, 8 people (hot tub, sauna, host and maid service) | £11,400 | £7,900 |
A summer treehouse works out at more than £1,600 a night. Every activity is still extra, and you still queue for the same pool as everyone else in the village. At that price, the places below give you more for your money.
Luxury prices compared, like for like
Nightly "from" prices are useless for comparing family hotels, because they are for the smallest double room. These are indicative 2026 prices for the same trip everywhere: two nights, two adults and a two year old.
Hotel | 2 nights, 2 adults + toddler | Free childcare |
|---|---|---|
Bedruthan Hotel & Spa | £580 | Crèche for under 5s (pre-book) |
Watergate Bay | £895 | Kids' club, 6 months to 12 years |
Another Place, The Lake | £1,040 | Ofsted registered crèche, 6 months to 12 years |
Chewton Glen | £1,620 | Kids' club at weekends and school holidays |
Calcot & Spa | £2,382 | 4 hours a day, newborn to 8 |
Gleneagles | £2,500 | One free session per child per day |
For comparison, two nights in a Center Parcs treehouse in August works out at around £3,250, and nothing is included.
1. Calcot & Spa, Cotswolds: the best luxury family break in England
Calcot near Tetbury was named England's Hotel of the Year at the AA Hospitality Awards 2026, and it has solved the problem most luxury hotels ignore: what to do with the children while the adults relax.
What you get: the Playbarn, an Ofsted registered crèche that takes babies from newborn, with four hours of free childcare a day. Older children get The Mez, a hangout for over 8s with games consoles and a 12 seat cinema. There is an indoor pool with daily family swim sessions, a heated outdoor pool in the warmer months, and free bikes, tennis and disc golf. Breakfast is included, and Generous Family Suites have two bedrooms, a lounge, bottle warmers and sterilisers.
The adults' bit: the spa is adults only for most of the day, with heated indoor and outdoor pools. A baby listening service lets you eat dinner in the restaurant while the children sleep.
Price reality: rooms start from around £334 a night in low season. Outside school holidays, children stay and eat free Sunday to Thursday. Extra babysitting is £25 an hour.
Good to know: kids' tea from 5pm is free and does pizza and fish and chips, so plenty of families skip paying for children's dinners. The indoor pool can feel cool for babies, so pack a baby wetsuit. Check the cot and baby kit on arrival, as the setup varies room to room. It is properly rural with no shops nearby, so bring anything you might need.
Best for: parents of under 8s who want a proper break, not just a change of scenery.
2. Lower Mill Estate, Cotswolds: the Center Parcs format, done properly
If you like the idea of Center Parcs (your own house, water, trees, a pool, things to do) but want it nicer, this is the closest match on the list. Lower Mill sits among the lakes of the Cotswold Water Park near Cirencester, with luxury self-catering houses spread around the water.
What you get: most houses sleep 8 to 10, and some have hot tubs, enclosed decks or direct lake access. The spa has heated indoor and outdoor pools, a sauna and steam room. The Activity Hub hires out paddleboards, kayaks, bikes and scooters, and runs soft play, tennis, archery, clay shooting, mini golf and crafts. There are two playgrounds, a farm-to-fork restaurant and a pizza shack.
Price reality: houses booked through Cotswold Sleeps start from about £225 a night in low season and £562 a night in high season. Split between two families, that undercuts a Center Parcs Exclusive Lodge in August by a long way.
Good to know: pool and spa sessions are an hour long and open in the app at 10.30am the day before. Popular slots can go within minutes, so set a reminder. You can book the soft play just for your group for about £20. Each house is privately owned and standards vary, so read recent reviews for your specific house, and check whether it has blinds or air conditioning if you are going in summer, as the glass fronted ones get hot. The on-site shop is small, so do a supermarket shop on the way in.
Best for: two or three families travelling together, dog owners, and anyone who searched for a Centre Parcs alternative in the Cotswolds.
3. Another Place, The Lake, Ullswater: the best in the north
Another Place sits on the shore of Ullswater in the Lake District, in the same corner of Cumbria as Center Parcs Whinfell, and it is the hotel families in the north west should look at first.
What you get: a 20 metre indoor infinity pool looking out over the fells, an outdoor hot tub, and the Kid's Zone, a free Ofsted registered crèche for babies from six months. Two more play areas, the Cabin (ages 3 to 7) and the Safari Tent (7 plus), are free all day. Outdoors there is family kayaking, paddleboarding, pony trekking and wild swimming from the hotel's own shore, with archery, raft building and night walks in the school holidays.
Rooms: family suites with bunk beds, a family cottage with its own kitchen and wood burner, and a two bedroom treehouse. Couples can book a shepherd hut with a copper roll top bath.
Price reality: doubles start from around £196 a night. Babysitting is £12 an hour (three hour minimum), and dogs are £15 a night.
Good to know: ask for a room in the modern wing, as the old house can feel stuffy in warm weather, and a lake view is worth the upgrade. The lakeside Glasshouse wood-fired pizza is the food everyone raves about, with takeaway boxes if the tables are full. Kayaking and paddleboarding are run by outside providers and cost extra. Restaurants open at 12pm and 5pm, so bring snacks if your toddler eats earlier. School holidays are very busy with little ones.
Best for: active families who want the lake on the doorstep, and anyone in the north west or Scotland.
4. Chewton Glen Treehouses, New Forest: the treehouse Center Parcs wishes it had
Chewton Glen on the edge of the New Forest is one of England's best known country house hotels, and its 14 treehouses are the closest like for like answer to a Center Parcs treehouse.
What you get: each treehouse loft suite is around 85 square metres, with a private hot tub on the deck, a wood burner, underfloor heating, floor to ceiling windows and a freestanding bath with forest views. They sleep two adults and up to four children, breakfast hampers arrive at the door each morning, and a shuttle runs you to the main hotel.
At the main hotel: a large indoor pool, a heated outdoor pool from March to October, a spa with a 17 metre pool and a big hydrotherapy pool, and a children's club at weekends and in school holidays (book ahead).
Price reality: rooms at the main hotel start from around £446 a night, and the treehouses cost more. Dogs under 40kg can stay in the treehouses for £35 a night.
Good to know: a 12% service charge is added to food and drink, and drinks are expensive, so check your bill at checkout. The Kitchen is the relaxed option with big portions; book the Dining Room well ahead. The treehouse concierge team gets singled out for praise. Parking and EV charging are free.
Best for: special occasions, couples and smaller families who want the hot tub and the forest without the crowds.
5. Watergate Bay, Cornwall: luxury on the beach
Center Parcs has no beach. Watergate Bay Hotel sits directly above two miles of north Cornwall sand, five minutes from Newquay airport.
What you get: a heated infinity pool at the spa, with family swim times and kids-only hours in the school holidays. The Kids' Zone runs sensory play for under 2s, craft and cookery for 3 to 8s, and sports, quizzes and film nights for under 12s. Wavehunters next door teaches surfing and paddleboarding, and the Beach Loft family suites open straight onto the bay.
Price reality: rooms start from around £162 a night. Babysitting is from £35 (two hour minimum), and dogs are welcome for £15 to £20 a night.
Good to know: ask about air conditioning when booking, because some sea view rooms get very hot in summer with no cooling. The Coach House family rooms are the roomiest, with space for three children. Zacry's is the restaurant for a special dinner, and the adults-only swim hours are the calmest time at the pool. The car park gets busy, so use the drop-off bay for bags.
Best for: families with children old enough to surf, and anyone who wants a beach holiday that feels like a treat.
6. Bedruthan Hotel & Spa, Cornwall: the best value luxury
A few miles up the coast at Mawgan Porth, Bedruthan is the cheapest way into family luxury on this list.
What you get: a warm indoor pool with a separate children's pool, the Jungle Tumble soft play, a bookable crèche, and an adults-only spa with a sauna and hydrotherapy pool. The lifeguarded beach at Mawgan Porth, with its own surf school, is a five minute walk away.
Price reality: the Little Explorers break starts from £284 a night for two adults and one child, including breakfast, dinner, a messy play session and a rock pooling guide for the kids. It can be booked for stays until 22 December 2026.
Good to know: always book a sea view room. Rooms have no air conditioning, and interconnecting rooms can be noisy. Book spa slots in advance, as they fill up. Parking is tight, so a small car helps, and register your number plate at reception on arrival to avoid parking fines. Check whether a cooked breakfast is included in your rate.
Best for: families with toddlers and young children who want luxury without four figure nightly rates.
7. Port Lympne, Kent: the safari you cannot get anywhere else
Port Lympne is a 600 acre wildlife reserve near Hythe, and its accommodation sits inside it. Nothing at Center Parcs comes close.
What you get: treehouses in the canopy overlooking the rhino and cheetah paddocks, each sleeping up to four, plus glamping lodges near the giraffes and bears. Treehouse stays include entry to Port Lympne and its sister park Howletts, your own golf buggy, and access to parts of the reserve after the public has gone home. The glass fronted suites look out over the reserve and, on a clear day, 26 miles across the Channel to France.
The catch: there is no pool and no kids' club. The animals are the holiday.
Price reality: treehouses run from about £300 to £750 a night, with a two night minimum on peak weekends. That is still well under a night in a Center Parcs treehouse in August.
Good to know: take the buggy out early in the morning, when the animals are active and the park is almost empty. On hot days many animals sleep in the shade, so plan around feeding times. Some treehouses are surrounded by leaves in summer, so ask for one with an open view. The kitchens are basic for four, so bring extra plates and a decent pan if you plan to cook. You can drive to your treehouse to unload, so ask on arrival.
Best for: a one or two night special occasion, and children who love animals.
8. Gleneagles, Perthshire: the top end
If money genuinely is no object, Gleneagles is the most complete family resort in Britain. It sits in 850 acres of Perthshire, about an hour from Edinburgh.
What you get: a free kids' club built around a fantasy treehouse and a railway carriage, a crèche, and The Den for teenagers. There is a heated family pool, and the estate activities include falconry, fishing, horse riding, archery, golf, and mini Land Rovers for the children to drive off road.
Price reality: rooms start from around £675 a night in low season and £775 in high season, with breakfast.
Good to know: book restaurants and activities before you arrive, as both fill up. Falconry, the off-road driving and clay shooting are the activities families talk about most. A 12.5% service charge goes on everything, but it is discretionary and can be removed on request. Drinks are expensive.
The catch: babies are not allowed in the Michelin starred restaurant, and there is little nearby beyond the estate, so you will stay on site.
Best for: milestone birthdays, multi-generational trips, and families who want everything in one place.
9. Forest Holidays Golden Oak Treehouses: the big group lodge
For groups who want the Center Parcs Exclusive Lodge experience in a quieter forest, Forest Holidays' Golden Oak Treehouses are the answer. They are at 10 of its 13 sites, including Delamere Forest in Cheshire, Sherwood Forest, Blackwood Forest in Hampshire, the Forest of Dean and Strathyre in Scotland.
What you get: at Delamere, a four bedroom cabin plus a treehouse pod reached by a wooden rope bridge, sleeping up to 10. There are four bathrooms, a private hot tub, a log burner, a gas barbecue, underfloor heating, a Nespresso machine and robes in the master bedrooms.
The catch: there is no swimming pool on Forest Holidays sites.
Price reality: prices vary by site and date, so check yours. Split ten ways, it is far cheaper per head than a Center Parcs treehouse. Pets are £15 a night in pet friendly cabins.
Good to know: dates matter enormously. At Delamere, guests have paid around £1,200 for four nights in a cabin over Easter and about £500 the week after. Expect mud, so bring wellies and something to protect the car mats, and take the potholed entrance road slowly. Arrive before the 4pm check-in to use the café and bike hire. For bigger groups, ask how many robes and how much cookware come with the treehouse. Chester Zoo and Chester itself are both easy day trips.
Best for: big family gatherings and friends' weekends where the hot tub matters more than the pool.
Places like Centre Parcs for adults
Center Parcs has no adults only village, and in the school holidays you will be sharing the pool with a lot of children. If it is just the two of you, or a group of friends, these work better:
Chewton Glen Treehouses: private hot tub, wood burner and breakfast hampers to the door, with a serious spa a short shuttle away.
Another Place, The Lake: book a shepherd hut with a copper roll top bath, then swim in the infinity pool or straight from the shore.
Calcot & Spa: the spa is adults only for most of the day, with indoor and outdoor pools.
Watergate Bay: the infinity pool has adults only hours, and the beach is right below you.
Bedruthan: the spa is adults only, with a hydrotherapy pool.
Forest Holidays Golden Oak Treehouses: for a group of friends, the hot tub, log burner and rope bridge beat a Center Parcs lodge, and sleeping 10 brings the cost per head right down.
One name you will see on lists like this is Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire. It is excellent, but you need a Soho House membership to stay, so it is not an option for most people.
Which luxury alternative is right for you?
If this is you | Go here |
|---|---|
Babies and under 5s | Calcot & Spa or Another Place (free Ofsted registered crèches) |
Two or three families together | Lower Mill Estate |
Big group or multi-generational | Forest Holidays Golden Oak Treehouse or Gleneagles |
You want a beach | Watergate Bay or Bedruthan |
Luxury on a tighter budget | Bedruthan |
A once in a lifetime night | Port Lympne |
Live in the north | Another Place or Gleneagles |
Bringing the dog | Lower Mill Estate, Chewton Glen Treehouses, Watergate Bay or Another Place |
Just the two of you | Chewton Glen Treehouses |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best luxury alternative to Centre Parcs in the UK?
For families, Calcot & Spa in the Cotswolds. It was named England's Hotel of the Year at the AA Hospitality Awards 2026 and includes four hours of free Ofsted registered childcare a day.
Is there a luxury version of Centre Parcs?
Lower Mill Estate in the Cotswold Water Park is the closest. You get your own house among lakes, a spa with indoor and outdoor pools, paddleboarding, archery and an activity hub, but in far nicer surroundings.
Is Center Parcs luxury?
Not really. It is comfortable and well run, but even a Center Parcs treehouse in August, at around £11,400 a week for eight, still charges for every activity and shares the main pool with the whole village.
Are there places like Centre Parcs for adults only?
There is no adults only Center Parcs. For couples, Chewton Glen's treehouses with private hot tubs are the best swap. Calcot, Bedruthan and Watergate Bay all have adults only spa time.
Is there a luxury Centre Parcs alternative in the Cotswolds?
Two. Calcot & Spa near Tetbury for a hotel, and Lower Mill Estate near Cirencester for self-catering houses with a spa and lakes.
Which luxury alternatives have treehouses?
Chewton Glen in the New Forest, Port Lympne in Kent (overlooking the rhinos and cheetahs), Another Place on Ullswater, and Forest Holidays' Golden Oak Treehouses at 10 forest sites.
Are there luxury lodges with hot tubs like Centre Parcs?
Yes. Chewton Glen's treehouses and Forest Holidays' Golden Oak Treehouses both have private hot tubs, and some Lower Mill Estate houses do too.
Before you book
Facilities and prices in this guide were checked in October 2026 against hotel listings and recent reviews. Luxury hotel rates move a lot with season and demand, so always confirm on the hotel's own site. Stayed somewhere on this list? We would love to publish your story: every TravelPen review comes from a real trip.
If you would rather keep the money in your pocket, our cheaper Centre Parcs alternatives guide covers nine UK parks from Bluestone to Butlins. And for evenings once the kids are down, here is what to do on holiday when the kids are asleep.