Want a perfect break? Center Parcs has just opened a new village and, if anything, it’s even better than the rest.

Woburn Forest is the fifth village to be created in the UK and it’s been ten years in the planning – though remarkably it only took two years to build.

Perfectly placed to welcome visitors from London, there is no doubt Woburn Forest has been specifically created to capture this market. Though, I’m sure people will also travel from much further afield.

Booked on a five-day break, we arrived at our Woodland Lodge at midday on the Monday. I will let you look at the pictures and decide for yourself, but personally I was astonished by just how good the accommodation was. Nothing has been left to chance and your every comfort is catered for.

But, even before we reached the door, at the booking in station in fact, we were given our ingenious wristbands.

Now I know the saying, ‘little things please little minds’, but I have to say these are an ingenious solution to a number of those annoyances which can otherwise be a right nuisance. First, there is no need for keys, this clever little device both locks and unlocks your lodge.

Then, when you go swimming, it also operates the locker system (so, no need to hunt out a £1 coin). In fact if, like me, you’re absent minded you can wave it at a mini scanner in the changing room and it even reminds you which locker is yours. It might be a small thing, but is saves a whole load of hassle.

And that, to be frank, is the joy of a stay at Center Parcs. They think of the small things and eliminate any potential niggles so you’re totally free to enjoy yourself.

Just last month Center Parcs was named as the top travel company by the Institute of Customer Service’s annual UK Customer Satisfaction Index, I, for one, am not surprised.

So, what we did we get up to during our stay? Far too much to mention it all, but I’ll give it a try.

The segway experience was absolutely brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone. They say you should try everything once, perhaps excluding morris dancing, but definitely sign up for this. Likewise a laser combat session, again great fun and highly recommended.    

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Of course, with all these high-octane activities, I also needed a little time to relax and chill out.

And there can be no better way to do this than with a spa session at the Aqua Sana Spa.

I’ve completely lost count of how many different steam rooms, saunas, chill out rooms, but I would defy anyone to come away from this experience not feeling completely relaxed and refreshed. Probably the best thing I did the whole week.

And, something else which came as a real surprise was the quality of the slides in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. Not for the fainthearted, there are three exciting water rides that will take your breath away, you’ll love them. After the three Ts, tornado, twister and typhoon my advice is to head for the lazy river.

Finally, just to reiterate how good the customer service is, one member of our party, who will remain nameless, left her hair straightners in our lodge when we left. When contacted the staff were brilliant, not only were they located immediately, but they were carefully packaged up and returned within a matter of days – along with a very nice letter from the helpful assistants Paula and Karen. All we had to do was pay the £2.90 postage, you can’t say fairer than that?

All in all, if you’re looking for a stress-free, relaxing break for the family in an ideal location just a few miles from London then head for Woburn Forest.