Center Parcs Weekend

Center Parcs at Sherwood Forest was brilliant and I absolutely loved the time away with some of the ladies from the club. I believe that going to the spa first thing on Friday morning was a great idea and definitely got everyone in the mood for a relaxing fun packed weekend.

The spa was very impressive with a wide range of facilities including sauna and relaxation rooms. While there I indulged myself with a pedicure whilst a number of the other girls treated themselves to relaxing massages.

The spa also does twilight spa sessions from 4-9 in the evening so keep an eye on the event calendar as we maybe paying another visit before the end of the year! The morning in the spa was absolute bliss and a great way for a small group of us all to catch up before we unpacked the cars and got the keys to our villas.

Following the spa session we had the opportunity to meet up with a few of the other ladies for lunch at Strada, a restaurant that serves the most delicious Italian food. I was still riding my health kick from the session at the spa so I chose a salad and shared a pizza whilst avoiding the temptation to order a glass of wine.

With lunch complete I decided to head off on foot to the two villas we had rented for the weekend both of which were located in the Maple area of the village. It felt quite relaxing to go for a walk after lunch and it also allowed me to explore the surrounds a little whilst making my way to the villas.

The Friday night BBQ was great fun and Lisa our Family Fortunes quiz master for the evening was very witty and entertaining. We split up into groups and played 3 rounds of Family Fortunes each.

Even though we are all friends there was plenty of competitiveness between the groups and it was Rach’s team who finally won, receiving a prize each which Carolyn and I had kindly donated. Carolyn did an absolutely fabulous job on the BBQ producing a fantastic spread that included burgers, chicken and sausages. Luckily the weather stayed fine and it was quite late by the time we all called it a night.

For Saturday morning I planned on taking three of the girls into Sherwood Pines for a short bike ride around the family circuit. It felt great to be back on a bike again and the ladies enjoyed their time too.

Once we got back to the villas it was a quick change and back out for the belly dancing class. I was looking forward to this event as I haven’t belly danced before and the instructor made sure that it was an fun and enjoyable class for everyone, even if we weren’t doing it properly she didn’t seem to mind!

During most of Saturday, Carolyn, myself some of the ladies had been planning how we were going to surprise Rachel for her birthday. We decided that we’d get Rachel to go round to Carolyn and Sam’s villa in the evening before we were all due to go out to dinner.

We managed to make sure Rachel didn’t go next door until I finished her make-up, making sure that she looked her best for her big birthday surprise! On arrival she was so shocked because she hadn’t suspected anything. Banners and party poppers festooned the villa whilst we broke out numerous bottles of fizz to toast Rach’s birthday!

The meal out on Saturday night at Café Rouge was amazing. We managed to persuade the restaurant to bring out the birthday cake and balloons that we had bought previously for Rach. She told me at the end of the night that it was one of the best birthdays she has had and loved all the fuss we made over.

The evening ended well with a few glasses of the delicious port that we had bought in May at the wine tasting event the club had gone to. An impromptu game of truth or dare followed and all I can say is that what was revealed on tour stays on tour! No secrets are being divulged on this blog!

Sunday morning arrived and we headed off for the jazz brunch which was being organized at Hucks. They do the best all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet with the widest range breakfasts you can imagine available.

Come Sunday afternoon some of the girls went to try out cheer-leading, whilst the others headed to the pool and were kept amused for a few hours with the fantastic slides and Jacuzzi. We tried our hand at the quiz on Sunday evening and said goodbye to some of the ladies that were leaving that night.

There will be another weekend next year and all I can say is get your place early as it is going to be extremely popular and I’ve already got a few activities in mind for next year!

Throughout the long weekend the ladies managed to fit in all the following activities:

• Abseiling
• Kayaking
• Horse Riding
• Roller Skating
• Belly Dancing
• Biking
• Spa session
• Cheer-leading
• Pilates and of course, swimming!