'They've priced British families out of holidays': Dad-of-three exposes the REAL cost of Center Parcs as he brands it a 'middle-class money pit'

It was once the quintessential Great British family holiday – a woodland escape filled with bike rides, swimming and carefree half-term memories.But Center Parcs is increasingly looking like a luxury only the wealthiest families can afford, as soaring prices and eye-watering activity costs leave ordinary parents questioning whether it’s worth the money.Now, one father-of-three who once loved the popular holiday parks says he’s been priced out altogether – accusing the company of knowing families will keep paying, no matter how much it charges.Alex Dodman, 39, a civil servant from Saffron Walden in Essex who shares what he calls ‘real reviews’ online, told the Daily Mail: ‘They’ve priced the British family out of a holiday, but for some weird reason, they just seem to know that they can get away with it.’Alex, who has three children aged one, six and nine, added: ‘I think it’s the middle-class thing, a status thing.‘We actually used to go to Center Parcs quite a bit, but it’s just getting more and more ridiculous. Back in the day, 10 years ago, it was affordable, and then all of a sudden around Covid time, the prices seemed to shoot up.’ Alex Dodman, who has three children, has said Center Parcs has become unaffordable He says activities - such as archery for children - are astronomical'It's so unaffordable, but they've got this cult-like following of people where you get sucked in by it. There's an insane number of people walking about in dry robes there as well, because it's a middle-class thing.'We haven't gone for quite a while now, because, we just can't. We used to do spontaneous weekends here and there, but now you have to plan it miles ahead and save up for it.'He posted a video on his TikTok, @alexdodman, analysing his holiday in Center Parcs Woburn in October 2025.In it, he describes how he booked for a weekend 'just before the prices seem to magically double' for the half-term holiday, paying £799 for a lodge.While this was based on Alex's experience in 2025, next year prices are showing a dramatic rise between non-half-term and half-term breaks. For instance, at Woburn from February 1, 2027, a four-night break for a family of four starts from £439, while the same search starting February 15, half-term time, the lowest available is £1,449.Unfortunately, his break was laden with additional costs and extra activity fees.Alex mentions children's archery, which cost him £24 for two children last year – for only half an hour's entertainment, where they 'just fired some plastic arrows at a pretty old-looking board in a fitness suite'.Currently, you can book last-minute breaks from £649, and get a great deal if planning ahead for 2027 from £439. In November, four nights for a two-bedroom lodge can soar to £849. But the reality is, many trips to Center Parcs are far more expensive than that. The swimming pool is one of the best - free - things to do Interactive squash was enjoyable but did incur an extra costA Bank Holiday weekend over Christmas at the Whinfell Forest branch in Cumbria costs from £1,699 for three nights for a three-bedroom lodge, and £2,299 at the Sherwood Forest branch.Alex adds: 'The pottery painting is the worst thing I've ever experienced, because you pay about £20 to secure your slot, but once you're there you have to buy a piece of pottery too and paint it, so it can easily add up to £100.'A lot of the other activities are only 20 minutes long, like the mini Jeep ride. 'So you'd only be doing these activities if you're ridiculously rich anyway.'Not only that, but the food was exorbitant too.Alex said: 'At the mini-market there, everything's bumped up by a ridiculous amount, like Dolmio sauce, where you'd get it in a normal supermarket, it would be about £1.50, it's about £4.50 here. 'They just bump it up because you can't get out. You can't really get out of the place once you're in there, anyway. You've got to do your shopping before you go. The food and drink in the sports bar is ridiculously priced now as well - a pint is about £8.'Alex admits that his children absolutely love it, 'because they're so oblivious to the price of everything, which is one of the hard things'.Even items in the park's mini supermarket were seemingly inflated Alex says his children still love itIndeed, while these are the prices Alex noted on his last trip, they are not dissimilar today.On the Center Parcs Woburn pricing guide, archery costs £27 for two for 45 minutes.Den building and decorating costs £54, cupcake decorating from £30 and fencing from £43 per pair. Alex concludes: 'I can see why people go, because you're in the forest, tucked away, and you feel like you've escaped the world - but it just gets so busy there.'Does Alex have any warnings for other British parents planning on taking their kids to Center Parcs this Christmas?'Be prepared to spend a lot of money if you want to do any activities, any Christmas-based activities,' he says. 'If you want to go there and save money, do your shopping before you go. Make sure your kids just cycle round and round, and go swimming.'One final warning: 'Try not to do too many activities. Especially the Christmas ones, because they just bump the price up, because they can.'Where should you go instead? Instead, Alex has started a series called Escaping Center Parcs, where he looks at cheaper alternatives. He's taken a look at Bluestone in Wales, and Forest Holidays, for example, both great options.Where else could you try? Warmwell Holiday Park, Dorset Finlake Resort & Spa, DevonLandal Kenwick Woods, Lincolnshire Shorefield Country Park, Hampshire Potters Resorts, Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk READ MORE: These affordable UK holiday parks offer fun-filled winter breaks from just £189, with cosy lodges, indoor pools and hundreds of activities