Villages Nature Paris, a beautiful new Center Parcs location that is close to Disneyland Paris and also a good distance to discover Paris. I would be happy to tell you how we experienced a stay at this unique Center Parcs park and what you can expect.
So our trip goes to Villages Nature Paris. Less than a five-hour drive from our house, a high-profile Center Parcs park looms up, where we can stay an entire midweek by invitation. By the way, immediately after a weekend that we were already on the road, I can now unpack and pack again as the best. As soon as we enter Villages Nature Paris I can already hear the ohhhhhs and the ahhhhsss from the back seat of the car. The adventure can begin and I would like to take you on our journey!
Table of Contents
There is no way around it, Villages Nature Paris does not meet the 'standard' image you may have of Center Parcs. Not that that standard image is not okay, but this new Center Parcs location does look a bit different from the houses you see in the Netherlands. Not surprising, because Villages Nature Paris was built with one thought in mind:architecture and nature merge to create a world where discoveries and experiences are central during your stay. And we noticed that, you have a different experience in this park than at other Center Parcs locations.
Do not read any further but book directly at Center Parcs? You can do that here.
First of all, I will tell you something about how Villages Nature Paris is put together and in the end you will of course also read our review between the lines
Also read:a city trip to Paris with children
The Center Parcs park is divided into five worlds:Aqualagon, BelleVie Farm, Forest of Legends, Extraordinary Gardens and Lakeside Promenade. In these worlds you will be enchanted, surprised and pampered and I would like to tell you more about it.
For the water rats among us; Don't skip this part of course. For the non-water rats among us; even then you don't skip this part. Of course, when you are in the absolutely enormous swimming paradise of Villages Nature Paris, you will enjoy it. Even if you are not a huge water lover, you still want to be surprised by the spectacular slides. Can your child really not get you to go down such a slide with him? Then at the very least go and have a look at the climbing rock, go aqua jumping or visit the water gardens. Or do as I do… and enjoy the open-air lagoon.
Even though I've decided for this holiday to say 'yes' to the kids more often, I now had a good 'excuse' to let the slides of the Aqualagon pass me by, because my knee can do that. so-luut don't act yet. Fortunately, the children have each other. And even though they regularly fight each other… those slides they conquer together.
But that lagoon? Heavenly! This open air part of Villages Nature Paris is naturally heated to a standard temperature of 30°. Also the part where there is extra current in that outdoor pool in which you are taken along by the warm water. Wonderful of course, and that view? It does to him.
The Farm of Villages Nature Paris is the cherry on top for us. We may like to relax every now and then, exertion is also fun. Especially when animals are involved! Every Saturday we normally take care of the animals in an animal park around the corner, this time we visit the animals in Villages Nature Paris!
Super nice that the kids can hang out like that. Looking after ponies and collecting eggs, or working in the vegetable garden/greenhouse and checking the bees. Besides the fact that you can have so much fun with the animals, you can also follow educational workshops. For example, what do you think of a bread baking workshop? Or let your children do a creative crafting workshop and go for the wine tasting workshop yourself, that sounds like something to me!
Have you read enough of my review and also want to get started? You can book at Center Parcs.
In addition to this educational part, this world of Villages Nature Paris also contains a fantastic indoor playground with trampolines made of hay bales, pedal tractors and so on. Also nice with bad weather of course. Our kids are just a bit too big for it (they thought), but they checked it anyway. Their conclusion:this is great for smaller children!
In addition, mom and dad can also stay here. While the children are playing to their heart's content, you can drink a delicious cappuccino here with something delicious!
This is the place to be for our kids. A holiday is not really a holiday for them if they can't romp around in, for example, a climbing forest. They have already done that several times, fully secured and all. At this place there are rope bridges, zip lines and slides, to let yourself go completely.
But here too there is an opportunity for playful learning. The enthusiastic employees of Center Parcs turn an activity into a true experience through their passionate way of communicating. For example, in this part of the park you learn to build huts with natural materials.
Relaxing in one of the beautiful gardens of Villages Nature Paris is also not a punishment. Or get inspired for how you want to design your garden at home 😛 . Without fooling around, you look your eyes out and for me certainly applies:do not skip. It is a wonderful way to let the hectic pace (for example after a day at Disneyland Paris) flow away from you.
Nice tip:find a gardener and ask him or her your questions. They are happy to chat with you and you will go home with useful tips for your own garden!
A promenade with nice boutiques, nice restaurants and a grocery store and bakery for your daily shopping. Would you rather cook in your house? Then you will find here what you need to prepare your meals. If you prefer to have a bite to eat, that is of course also possible. If you can choose at least 😉 .
From delicious Italian (in restaurant Vapiano) to very fancy in Cépages. Or really enjoy pure organic food in Pur. You can not think of it so crazy or they can satisfy your Burgundian wishes. And then it suddenly turns out to be very nice that you are here a little longer, so that you can try everything out!
Game Town with a large arcade is also located here. Personally, I'd rather skip that one. Normally my kids don't fall for that, but in this case they didn't mince words about this at all. Too much to do I think 😉 .
Even late at night, Villages Nature Paris can almost be called fairytale with all the lights. Not only the swimming pool and the promenade are beautifully lit, but you will also find lighting between the trees, in the grass and on the hills. All in all, we thought this resulted in beautiful pictures!
Above I have already mentioned some activities that you can do in Villages Nature Paris. It ranges from renting a canoe to baking bread and from an escape room to a trip with an e-car or electric boat. Keep in mind that not all activities are free. Quite a few are included, but some you have to pay extra for. Logical of course, but just so you know.
On the Center Parcs website they have a very handy overview of the activities that can be done there. Here you can also immediately see for which activities you may have to pay extra and even more convenient… what you may need to bring with you to attend the activity. For example, you read that for a survival in the woods you have to take into account closed shoes and clothing that can get dirty. Still good to know in advance.
I have already briefly explained above what you can expect in terms of restaurants on the Lakeside Promenade of Villages Nature Paris, but I feel like I am doing the eateries short. So I'll go into it a little more deeply.
We ate a number of evenings at the Villages Nature Paris park and a number of evenings we ate outside the park (in Disneyland and in Paris itself).
This restaurant was recommended to us by an employee of the Villages Nature Welcome House. And that turned out not to be for nothing. Besides the fact that the manager of the restaurant is very nice, the food is really delicious! That makes my Burgundian stomach happy. And I have rarely had/made a picture of us where all four of us look nice 😉 .
First a tasty mixed plate with charcuterie and tasty cheeses, followed by a steak that I have never eaten as tender as here. Even Luc looked the steak off my plate… and he's not really a meat eater.
The majority of people first go to Vapiano, the restaurant in the Villages Nature Paris park where you can sit comfortably with small children and where Italian food is the order of the day. The interior is again very cozy and focused on nature, see for yourself.
It is good to know that this restaurant is a self-service restaurant. Upon entering you will receive a pass with which you can get food. You order your food directly from the cook and you wait for him to prepare your meal. Then he scans your order on your card and at the end of the evening you pay with your card. In itself a very handy system, but it does mean that you often eat alternately. When your meal is ready, your partner's meal may still need to be prepared. I think that takes some getting used to and is less pleasant. So you are really here for the food, not to have a nice dinner together. You can still have dinner afterwards 😉 .
Butrrrrr… we ate here twice, because the food here is delicious again. I had a delicious scampi spinach, highly recommended for the pasta lover. In addition, the chefs are very nice and you can practice your French and English well when you are waiting for your meal and chatting with the cook.
Another advantage:you can see exactly how they make your dish… You can recreate it at home!
Besides everything there is to do in this fantastically designed park, you naturally want to relax at the end of the day. That's the only way you can go back on the road fully charged the next day, right?
Now you have to pay close attention to what you want to go for when booking. Do you want the peace? Then choose a cottage that is a bit further from the 'center' of this park. Do you want your own place, but do you think the noise is fine? Then an apartment is also excellent!
You can make it as crazy as you want here. From an apartment with a fireplace, a Kingsize bed and a spa bathroom to a cottage with a private garden where your little kids can romp around a bit.
All Villages Nature Paris accommodations have one thing in common. They are modern and equipped with a very stylish interior that also seems to bring you a step closer to nature.
We were in a Cocoon VIP house, with a fireplace (which has not been lit) and a lovely bubble bath in the bathroom of the master bedroom. Upon entering, there was a small discussion with our mini diva and although I had thought of saying 'yes' to the children more often, I did not give in. The master bedroom with king size bed and spa bathroom that is for mom and dad 😉 . The kids had their own bathroom, by the way, so they had nothing to complain about either. And of course they were allowed in our bath, I don't bother about that of course.
Almost all houses in this park are adjacent to the water and have a fantastic view that will help you relax. Having breakfast outside when the weather permits is the perfect way to start your morning. You can get fresh bread rolls at the bakery!
And when a swan rises out of the water to make your breakfast extra special, you also notice that you are closer to nature. The rest of the family was there in no time 😉 .
Much more likely than what we've done. In the 5 days that we stayed in the unique holiday resort Villages Nature Paris of Center Parcs, we went to Disneyland for 2 days (20 minutes by bus) and 2 days to Paris (an hour by public transport). You can read more tips for a visit to Disneyland Paris at Yvette.
Actually we should have booked a longer stay so we could have done more at ease. We didn't relax enough to my liking and made too little use of the beautiful facilities of this special Center Parcs, but all in all it was a special experience. That means we have to go back to Villages Nature Paris one more time 😉 .
As excited about this review as we were? Book your holiday at Center Parcs here.
Ps… I have another excellent tip for public transport if you don't just want to go to Disneyland from Villages Nature Paris, but also to Paris. Soon I will tell you more about that in a new blog.
If you prefer to stay closer to home in a Center Parcs accommodation, check out this blog about Center Parcs het Meerdal America by one of my fellow bloggers.
