Review: Santa’s Woodland Workshop at Centerparcs

Affiliate links in this post will be clearly marked with a * and if you click one of these links I will earn a discount or receive payment.

My husband and I are big fans of visiting Centerparcs. We have taken part in a number of activities in the past but last year my favourite, hands down, was visiting Santa’s Woodland Workshop. Our daughter Daisy was just 7 months old when we visited and it was such a lovely time that we have booked to go back again this year. This is our review of Santa’s Woodland Workshop. If you’re reading this as you’ll be visiting Centerparcs soon then be sure to check out what to pack for Centerparcs! Also, if you’re wondering how I can afford to visit Centerparcs so much it is because I get free holidays thanks to matched betting! I save up the money that I make through the year and use some of it to have lovely breaks with my family.

As you can see we were all excited to get inside! It was raining LOTS that day but it didn’t dampen our spirits or stop us from having fun.

When you first arrive at the entrance to Santa’s Woodland Workshop you see trees decked with snow.

Then as you go inside these create a pathway for you to follow.

Once you get to the end of the pathway you can see lots of little houses, forming a village.

There are lots of moving parts, lights and lovely decorations to enjoy here. This little post office was my favourite!

Daisy was fascinated with the moving parts and loved having a look at everything.

As you can see there was so much to stimulate Daisy. She loved exploring and looking around the forest.

I was really excited for us to get inside…!

It was harder to take lovely photographs to share inside, and also I don’t want to spoil the magic of what is inside Santa’s Woodland Workshop. Suffice to say it is even more beautiful inside and while there I shed a little tear that my baby was finally here after so many years of waiting!

Daisy was in awe of everything and there was no rush to walk through, in our allocated slot, and to get to meet Santa at the end.

When Daisy met Santa it was wonderful! And so well thought out. There were these low but wide chairs, for parents to sit on, and Santa asked if we wanted him to hold Daisy. I thought this was really thoughtful and perfect to allow parents to choose how they want their photograph to come out. Also, Santa’s elf shook Jingle Bells to get Daisy’s attention before snapping us some lovely photographs!

As you can see Daisy was looking right at the camera, as was Santa! 

Cost of Santa’s Woodland Workshop

In 2016 the cost was £13. In 2017 the cost is £14. This included a gift from Santa and the photograph you see above. I felt that this was a reasonable price. The toy that Daisy received from Santa was an official reindeer from Centerparcs, and we then chose to buy an extra book and an additional photograph. I don’t remember the exact price but it was around £10-12 for the two items plus a keyring.

Overall impression of Santa’s Woodland Workshop

We loved it! We can’t wait to go back this year. Daisy was so entranced by the lights, snow and all the moving parts. I loved the inside part of Santa’s Woodland Workshop and I was really emotional as we went around together exploring everything.

This year Daisy will be 19 months old and I can’t wait to see what she thinks of Santa. Also, I’m looking forward to the overall experience, as it really was quite magical. Being able to have some nice family photographs taken, and enjoy Santa’s Woodland Workshop, is definitely going to be a staple part of our annual Winter Wonderland visit to Centerparcs.

We will be in Woburn this year, instead of Elveden, for the first ever time for Winter Wonderland, so I’m excited to see what the Grotto is like! Fingers crossed it will be just as nice!

If you’re looking to book Santa’s Woodland Workshop then pick the date of your choosing. They make sure that the slots aren’t filled and we were able to enjoy the entire walk, and the workshop, without seeing other people until the gift shop. This was perfect! We are visiting on the Friday morning this time, after check out. We want to make the most of our final day there and this feels like a fantastic way to start off!

This review is based on our visit in 2016.

Looking forward to visiting Centerparcs? Check out some of my other posts

What to pack for Centerparcs – to save money

Centerparcs Aqua Sana Elveden Forest review

Pottery Painting at Centerparcs

Target Archery at Centerparcs

If you enjoyed this post I’d love it if you could pin it on Pinterest!