Is Villages Nature Paris any good? Charlotte Smith-Jarvis finds out. We take the wrong turning on the way to Villages Nature Paris β a year-old collaboration between Center Parcs and Disneyland.
My complete mis-reading of the tiny map on my phone leads us to the gates of Disney itself. The children hold onto the edges of their open windows, staring up at the hot air balloon suspended in the sky and the fairytale castle beyond. Mr Jarvis sees the car park fee and promptly does an angry about turn, setting us off on the correct path. Pulling up to the familiar entrance all Center Parcs locations tend to have the same vibe we're each given a blue wristband not dissimilar to a watch.
We're told this acts not only as the key to our apartment for the weekend, but to the swimming pool and lockers. Naturally number two child misplaced his within half an hour. Thank goodness I'm an anal nag who insisted from that point onwards on popping them in my handbag just in case! Emerging into the park it was clear this place was just nothing like any Center Parcs village we'd been to before.
The collection of apartments and lodges, many of them with lakeside positions, had a Lost World vibe. There was a German utilitarianism about the exteriors, which were festooned with foliage β draping ferns and ivy, 'living walls', tiny trees β blending them into the landscape. While the accommodation directly by the lake the park's hub looked like it had been lifted from the pages of a Steampunk picture book.
Truly extraordinary. Our apartment was more like a mini penthouse. The interior wasn't what we expected at all. The highlight was the view over to the Aqualagon and lake β illuminated purple and blue at night. Our only gripe was the pillows on the beds. They were square. I've never slept on a square pillow before β have you? Let me tell you, this was the crowning glory of Villages Nature. Once you've gotten over the fantastic idea of using your wristband to operate the locker, and have sauntered past the pleasingly clean showers, you enter a whole other world.
