PARC UP
English holiday resort dubbed a ‘posh Center Parcs for less money’ has 18th century manor house and 40 kids activities
Even in the peak summer holidays it is cheaper than Center Parcs
A HOLIDAY resort in the UK has been compared to a fancy Center Parcs "without all of the extra costs" - and it's cheaper in the summer holidays.
Previously called Highbullen Hotel, it reopened in 2023 as The Mole Resort.
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The resort has more than 40 activities to choose from, for both adults and kids.
And unlike Center Parcs, lots of them are all included in the price.
This includes sports such as tennis, pickleball and football, as well as petanque and croquet.
Kids will also love the Trim Trail, an outdoor obstacle course, as well as the wooden kids playground and indoor games room.
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Fitness classes such as yoga and aqua fit are on offer, along with walking and running routes.
A gym and sauna are also onsite, with both indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
Premium activities that cost extra include everything from archery and axe throwing to bushcraft skills and pottery painting.
And in the evenings kids can enjoy everything from movie nights to bingo and quiz.
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For when you get hungry, there is a restaurant on-site which serves everything from breakfast to dinner as well as snacks and cream teas.
Or you can order a meal pack to be delivered to your door, with book prepared meals or ingredients for breakfast and BBQs.
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When it comes to staying onsite, there are the wooden lodges with views over the valley, as well as hotel rooms in the Manor House.
And we've found that stays are cheaper than when staying at Center Parcs.
For example, a four-night stay on June 9 for a family can be found for £500 at The Mole Resort.
The same dates for a Center Parcs holiday costs £629 for the four nights.
Even in the summer holidays, a four-night stay starts from £1,400 at the Mole Resort, while Center Parc starts from £1,549.
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When you factor in the free activities at The Mole Resort, it is a much bigger saving.
People have raved about the resort for being a fancier Center Pacs.
One person wrote: "Probably the best resort in the south!
"We’ve been to quiet a few lodges and holiday parks including Center Parcs and this is by far the most luxurious."
Another agreed: "I'd say this place is a posh version of Center Parcs."
A third added: "The resort is like Center Parcs without the charges for all the extras."
Other praised it for not being overcrowded or busy either.
What is it like to stay at The Mole Resort
The Sun's Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski visited shortly after it reopened.
The activity resort truly showcases the pretty patch of British countryside it occupies — from its rustic wooden lodges overlooking vast landscapes, through to its deer observatory, perched on a steep hill with shutters that open out on to the damp, quiet woodland below where wildlife flourishes.
We were staying in a Valley View lodge, which certainly lived up to its name, propped up on tall stilts and offering uninterrupted views of a patchwork fields, and grazing cows.
Having our fridge pre-stocked with breakfast goodies, such as fresh milk, bread, butter, eggs, veg and bacon, meant that we could spend less time at the on-site farm shop and more hours getting stuck into the stuff that makes the Mole Resort so special — the never-ending list of activities on offer.
If you’re visiting with kids, there are parent-and-child sessions for archery and axe-throwing, plus there’s foot golf, tennis, pickleball, football and nature classes such as fire-lighting, bird box-crafting and den-building.
More of a wellness warrior? There’s an indoor and outdoor pool, as well as a spa offering all the standard massages and facials, through to reiki therapy and hopi ear candles.
The place was serenely empty for the time of year and we barely passed another soul until we reached Pebbleridge Kitchen — dishing up fresh crab sarnies to the hungry punters.
We've also rounded up some other Center Parcs alternative holiday resorts in the UK.
Read More on The Sun
And here's how you could save more than £1,000 by going to Center Parcs in Europe - even including flights.
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