Review: Center Parcs Woburn Forest has just become an even more immersive experience as resort goes to next level

Anybody who has ever been to Center Parcs – or perhaps seen the adverts on TV – will know it’s quicker to list activities they don’t have rather than those they do.

From badminton to pickleball, swimming to cycling, pool and adventure golf to pottery painting to name but a few.

But a host of activities many felt were missing from their offering are now available – right on your doorstep at Center Parcs Woburn Forest in Beds near Milton Keynes.

Interactive themed bars and activity centres have grown in popularity massively across the UK in the last few years.

Most of them are situated in and around London such as The Cube, Flight Club, Electric Shuffle and Clays.

Now Center Parcs bosses have elevated some of their resorts – including Woburn Forest – to another level by launching similar activities of their own.

Woburn Forest was already a hive of activity but now it has given new meaning to the word.

Because another dimension of gaming has arrived in the shape of the all-new Immersive Gamebox and the Entertainment Hive.

Now you can play Interactive Darts, Interactive Shuffleboard and Puttify interactive mini-golf in Woburn Forest’s new Entertainment Hive.

The Hive is a buzzing new venue - pun intended - which plays host to all three new activities which are levelling up the Center Parcs experience.

There is a bar serving food and snacks for good measure too.

We tried out each activity during our visit and each one was a thrill a minute.

Featuring state-of-the-art technology, neon-lit environments and intricately designed courses, Puttify is a new twist on mini golf. It features digital scoring so players can automatically track progress and easy-to-understand game mechanics so anyone of any age can give it a go. We were fortunate to have great weather when we visited but the Hive is ideal if you want to fill rainy days with family fun.

Interactive shuffle tests your precision, strategy and teamwork with a high-tech twist on the traditional game of shuffleboard. Scores are automatically tracked so you can focus on getting competitive and enjoying the game! It’s another great activity suitable for the entire family with three different game modes to fill out your 25 or 55 minute slot.

One thing to note for those looking to do Shuffle is an important allergen notice. The shuffleboard powder is prepared in a factory that uses nutshells in other products, so there is a slight risk of cross-contamination. There are no nut-based ingredients in this powder but guests with nut allergies may choose to take extra precautions.

Darts has surged in popularity since the rise of young sensation Luke Littler. Now you can experience some Tungsten tension with Interactive Darts bringing an innovative twist by using cutting-edge augmented reality technology with classic darts gameplay in a host of different modes and challenges. The hi-tech dartboard tracks every throw for real-time scoring, so you don’t need to be a maths whizz like the pros! It looks and plays great – but this one is not for all the family with a minimum age requirement of 12 and any under 18s must be accompanied by a paying and participating adult.

When Center Parcs said they were ‘levelling up’ their activities, they weren’t joking.

Because another big addition at Woburn Forest is the Gamebox, where you are transported into an exciting digital realm as your group takes on challenges, solves puzzles and competes in a variety of games. You enter the Gamebox and it uses innovative projection mapping, touch screens, surround sound and 3D motion tracking technologies to play a host of games for ages three and up.

If you are visiting with young children then the Subtropical Swimming Paradise will undoubtedly be like a second home. I'm pleased to say it remains as clean and well run as ever and the rapids are always a highlight.

If it’s relaxation you’re looking for, though, Center Parcs has that covered too.

There’s nowhere better, quite literally, than Center Parcs’ Aqua Sana Forest Spa to do just that after it was named ‘Employer of the Year’ for second time in a row at the most recent beauty awards.

But for all the new digital innovation, the simple things continue to be among the most memorable.

There are few places where deers will come right up to your door as they do at Woburn Forest. Nothing thrilled the youngsters in our party more than their daily visitors and their squirrel friends.

And isn’t that what it is all about too?

Don’t take my word for it, I asked the youngsters in our party to sum up the break.

Sienna, 11, described it as “preppy and slay” which I'm told is the highest compliment possible.

Farley, 9, named her favourite moments “swimming and the deers”.

Center Parcs may be going hi-tech, but at its heart it is still very much about precious time with family and friends - furry or otherwise - while connecting with nature and the outdoors.

And ultimately that is still what sets it apart.