One thing that Center Parcs is very good at is the huge range and variety of activities that are available. From baby sensory play through to pampering sessions there is something for everyone. Of course, it is in their interests to do this as this is where they make a lot of their money.
Some of the more unusual activities are held in the falconry center where last year I went with one of my sons and had an enjoyable time. This year our granddaughter was old enough to take so we booked up to go along to “Encounter with Owls” with my other son, her father.
It has to be said that they were both a little apprehensive about the prospect before going but both bravely donned the leather glove and allowed a tiny owl fly onto it! Next up we were escorted outside where we were treated to a number of much larger owls whose handler tried to encourage to variously fly, hop and stand in front of us. They were magnificent birds and you really were seeing them up close and personal.
We also learned lots of owl facts along with the fact that a four-year-old doesn’t have the patience for a full 45 minutes of owl-watching!
One more thing
One thing that always fascinates me is how much things cost or make. For example, I regularly count the number of people in the audience at a gig, multiply that by the ticket price and then divide that by the number of performers and am left wondering why they do it.
At Center Parcs I was interested in the capital required to create the village in the first place – someone must have had to work out the number of lamp posts they needed, paving slabs, sinks etc. to work out the costs and then done the same for the running costs to work out just how many “Encounters with Owls” they needed to sell to break even!