The Center Parcs Experience

This is it

Cal4567 wrote: »

Center Parcs advertises itself as a middle class higher end product, hence the cost which keeps the riff raff out who anyway just want to spend less and go to the Med to spend most of their time in an 'Irish' bar.

We have a solid middle class who will lap this up. They'll be a continous motorcade of 4 x 4s leaving the leafier parts of the southside. Their first question will be 'Where's Longford?'

Couldn't afford the sat nav package in the 4x4

Muahahaha

suicide_circus wrote: »

just looked at a few menus for the longford centre parcs. 20 fcuking euro for a thai green curry.

20 ****ing euro.

No.

Yeah the food is pretty pricey, would imagine feeding a family of four would cost the best part of €100. I wonder will Centre Parks allow local take away businesses up the road in Ballymahon to deliver to peoples chalets?

Anyway this place wouldnt be for me just solely on the basis that summer holidays mean walking out of the airport and getting hit with a wall of heat and sunshine. Being able to dine outside at night, sandals and shorts for your whole stay are important bits of a summer holiday. If we had a heatwave in the way we did last summer I might consider it but the way this summer is going no way would I fancy being down in Longford for a week of rain, I need my sunshine and warm days. Another factor is a holiday is not just a break from work, its a break from Ireland for a bit. I'd much prefer holiday in a different country & culture with different places to see, different food to the same old fare you get here, etc.

Dexter2019

RoscommonTom wrote: »

i cant believe fellas are paying that much for a holiday in longford of all the places when you can go out foreign for the same price, fools and there money as the fella says

Its nit a holiday in longford, it's a holiday in centre parcs.

suicide_circus

might be a good alternative for families with kids who freak out on planes

AndrewJRenko

fits wrote: »

I seriously doubt people will leave the resort in evenings. We have no plan to anyway. The car free few days is part of attraction for me. I don’t think we will eat in restaurants much either.

Did I read something about them not allowing the cars to move, except for arrival and departure days?

AndrewJRenko

ToddyDoody wrote: »

I wonder will they employ peppy teenage staff, some of whom may want to blow their brains out after sufficient amount of time.

https://comb.io/7sa02g

Fan of Netflix

It's not really about Longford is it, it's about the resort itself. Nobody suggesting going on holidays to Granard ffs. It sounds a bit pricey and not for me but a good idea for families to bring the kids, outdoor activity etc. I always went on family holidays on Ireland as a child, nothing wrong with it. Sure look at the amount of tourists we get from abroad.

Fan of Netflix

RoscommonTom wrote: »

i cant believe fellas are paying that much for a holiday in longford of all the places when you can go out foreign for the same price, fools and there money as the fella says

You're a Roscommon man, not sure you can look down on Longford Tom!

Oasis1974

Fan of Netflix wrote: »

It's not really about Longford is it, it's about the resort itself. Nobody suggesting going on holidays to Granard ffs. It sounds a bit pricey and not for me but a good idea for families to bring the kids, outdoor activity etc. I always went on family holidays on Ireland as a child, nothing wrong with it. Sure look at the amount of tourists we get from abroad.

No good to you if it pees down for most of the week or two. And if there fleecing you of your money better off staying at home.

judeboy101

Just heard they doing day trips now.

Cloudio9

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Did I read something about them not allowing the cars to move, except for arrival and departure days?

You're only allowed bring your car in to your accommodation on the two moving days. It's car free the rest of the time which is lovely as everyone is just walking/cycling safely around the forest.

You're free to walk to the car park and head out any time you want. Went to the UK and did that a few times for supermarket shopping as the onsite shop is small.

BarryD2

harr wrote: »

The problem being the majority of people who will holiday in CP won’t see anything of Longford only for the drive in and and out which is a pity , most will park the car up for the week and stay. The mentality being that they paid premium for the stay and why would they want to explore further afield.

I suspect that will probably be about right for most of the visitors. Be interesting to see if Ballymahon gets much of a spin off, I suppose the staff will have to live and shop in the area.

Mr.S wrote: »

One of the biggest earners for Center Parks during off-peak times is businesses using it for team building weekends etc.

Which will put other providers of same service under pressure.

All in all, if it works then CP will make a tidy profit but how much extra will accrue to the local/ regional economy remains to be seen.

Fan of Netflix

Oasis1974 wrote: »

No good to you if it pees down for most of the week or two. And if there fleecing you of your money better off staying at home.

I will support the venture, it's creating thousands of jobs in an employment blackspot. Think people are being unnecessarily critical when it's only opening and they haven't attended. I'm sure we'll see how things are going in 6 months to see if it's a success.

If you sat at home every day it rained in Ireland you'd never leave the house. The weather in Ireland is ****e but can't do much about that. If we had weather like last summer though it would be a different story.

salmocab

BarryD2 wrote: »

Which will put other providers of same service under pressure.

All in all, if it works then CP will make a tidy profit but how much extra will accrue to the local/ regional economy remains to be seen.

On the two points here the first is true of a lot businesses opening in a area. Pubs restaurants shops etc

On the second if the area was to get absolutely nothing else it’s getting jobs that it wouldn’t otherwise. Yes low paid but still jobs that wouldn’t have existed.

Muahahaha

BarryD2 wrote: »

I suspect that will probably be about right for most of the visitors. Be interesting to see if Ballymahon gets much of a spin off, I suppose the staff will have to live and shop in the area..

The spin off is already happening, there was an article a couple of months back that said the average 3 bed house in Ballymahon was €100k last year and now investors have purchased loads of houses and its gone up to €140k-€150k.

Would imagine the towns pubs/restaurants will do well out of it too, some residents are bound to take the five minute drive down the road and check it out. Plus at €20 a Thai curry in Centre Parks I'm sure some people will go looking for better value.

Cloudio9

Local businesses will benefit. People will head out for groceries, as no one eats in the restaurants every day. All the accommodation has outdoor areas for doing a barbecue.

There's a common theme here that people who have visited these parks in the UK are nearly universally positive about the experience and people who have never been are cynical.

I was pleasantly surprised when I went and kids loved it.

suicide_circus

it already has 54 google reviews with a 4 star rating...hasn't opened yet...hmmmm

salmocab

suicide_circus wrote: »

it already has 54 google reviews with a 4 star rating...hasn't opened yet...hmmmm

Just had a look at that if you read the reviews it’s a lot of looking forward to this or else it’s too expensive. The 4 stars are averaged. There are a few lovely place really enjoyed it but they could be just people commenting on the wrong one.

enricoh

Muahahaha wrote: »

The spin off is already happening, there was an article a couple of months back that said the average 3 bed house in Ballymahon was €100k last year and now investors have purchased loads of houses and its gone up to €140k-€150k.

Would imagine the towns pubs/restaurants will do well out of it too, some residents are bound to take the five minute drive down the road and check it out. Plus at €20 a Thai curry in Centre Parks I'm sure some people will go looking for better value.

Yeah, ballymahon is a big enough town, I'd say there will be a few cafes n restaurants reopening on the back of this. Plenty of pubs in it too.
Have relations down in portmagee (next stop skellig Michael) and the place is transformed after it being on star wars.

suicide_circus

salmocab wrote: »

Just had a look at that if you read the reviews it’s a lot of looking forward to this or else it’s too expensive. The 4 stars are averaged. There are a few lovely place really enjoyed it but they could be just people commenting on the wrong one.

theyre ruining the reliability of google reviews!

salmocab

suicide_circus wrote: »

theyre ruining the reliability of google reviews!

As with trip advisor etc you really need to wade through quite a few reviews to get a good sense of what’s what.

Jeju

InTheShadows wrote:

Fencing? Raft building? This is a holiday resort

It the sport fencing and not the farming activity fencing land

JupiterKid

flas wrote: »

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

Bypass, whatever.

So the by pass, that is a constant flow of traffic with never any traffic jams, you have a problem with that?

The vast majority of traffic to CenterParcs Longford from Dublin will be going either on the M4/M6 to Athlone then N55 to Ballymahon or M4 to Mullingar and then on the dead straight R392 from Mullingar to Ballymahon. From Cork the quickest route would be M8/M7 to Portlaoise, the N80 to Tullamore, N52/R392 to Ballymahon.

Longford is central and very accessible for the whole of the country.

Not much CenterParcs bound traffic will be using the Longford bypass.

Cyrus

Darc19 wrote: »

And likewise, a €500 all inclusive week in Spain would now be my idea of hell, and if offered it free, I'd decline.

To be honest I wouldn't take it if I was paid to go!

salmocab

Cyrus wrote: »

To be honest I wouldn't take it if I was paid to go!

To each their own is the thing really, I love a beach holiday but hate eating in the same restaurant every night so wouldn’t go all inclusive except when I went on my honeymoon to Maldives where you really have to, I also enjoy a few days city break and some of the best holidays I’ve had are driving around America. I don’t get the dislike people have for center parks they are a type of holiday that just like other types will suit some and not others. I’d see them as a good idea with the kids for a short break couldn’t see myself doing a full week.

Peatys

salmocab wrote: »

To each their own is the thing really.

Not a lot of that around here

fits

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Did I read something about them not allowing the cars to move, except for arrival and departure days?

Cars can’t come into your accommodation except on arrival and departure. The rest of the time it’s in a car park away from the chalets. You can still leave site if you want.

salmocab

Peatys wrote: »

Not a lot of that around here

Indeed not. I genuinely don’t understand why people are so down on, it is expensive and in high season very expensive but beyond that it seems some just want it to fail for other reasons that I can’t see.
It’s a good news story for an area that could do with a boost.

pwurple

meeeeh wrote: »

In other words exactly the same as most resorts in Spain or wherever.

Which, Kellys? Probably? It's not something I look for in a holiday. All inclusive wouldn't be my bag. Cruises do it.

I don't know of too many activity-based parks across Spain. I know of some in Scandinavia... LaLandia.

France has loads of these campsites/holiday villages you can use as a base as well to see the area. Siblu parks etc...

nice_guy80

The local...
Kayak club
Bicycle hire
Horse riding centres
Airstrip - skydiving and helicopter rides
Pubs
Cafes
Restaurants
Taxi companies
Supermarkets
Fishing gear shop

Will all do well from this