For many families, Center Parcs is the gold standard for short breaks in the UK. The woodland settings, Subtropical Swimming Paradise domes, me-time in the spa, encyclopaedia of activities and restaurants… it’s no surprise they’re popular, with around two-thirds of the two-million-plus annual guests on repeat visits. But, boy, does it come at a premium.  Browsing online earlier this year for a summer holiday at Center Parcs Longleat Forest for my family of six, the first in around 20 years, my eyes stung.  The cheapest three-bedroom lodge available was £4,598/US$6,179 for a week, rising to a staggering £9,500/$12,767 for the most expensive. That was before the main school holidays began. Added to that would be notoriously costly activities and food.  Recent TripAdvisor reviews bemoan the prices: “Budget well for activities as they’re extremely expensive”; “Loads on offer but way too expensive… wouldn’t mind but it’s not cheap to stay”; and “It’s become a rip-off.”  According to a Mumsnet survey this year, 60 per cent of parents said budget was their number one concern when booking a holiday.

Finding a half-priced alternative

Out of interest I turned to a lively Brittany holiday resort called Domaine des Ormes that we’d stayed at when my children were young. To my surprise, the same week in July was available for around £2,000/$2,700 for the six of us. Admittedly, the mobile home listed was not as luxurious as the Center Parcs lodge, which had a hot tub and sauna, but there were plenty of activities on offer and even with the cost of return ferries to France factored in, the total was still less than the Center Parcs break. I booked through Eurocamp, which offers good value for larger families like mine because you pay for the accommodation as a unit rather than per person. (Photo: Oscar Wong/Getty/Moment RF)

St Malo

We added an extra night to the break with an overnight Brittany Ferries crossing from Portsmouth to St Malo, in an en-suite cabin with shower and pull-down bunk beds. Dinner on the starboard side of the boat came with mesmerising views over the Isle of Wight backlit by the sunset.  After rolling off the next morning, we hung around to explore the walled city of St Malo’s cobbled streets (pictured) and fudge-coloured beaches before driving 40 minutes south-east to Domaine des Ormes.   (Photo: aluxum/Getty)

Revolves around a glass-domed indoor water park

The resort is in the 400-acre grounds of a family estate. A river dotted with water lilies cuts through the centre, dragonflies buzzing above, while heron-surveyed lakes provide opportunities for quiet walks or fishing. Lots of the accommodation is arranged on quiet cul-de-sacs among woodland and wildflower meadows. Despite its size, there isn’t quite the depth of activities that Center Parcs resorts offer – no spa, gym, ten-pin bowling or falconry, for example – but there is still plenty to do and none of it is over-priced. Like Center Parcs, the fun revolves around a €7 million glass-domed indoor water park with slides, a wave pool and a lazy river which spills outside into an open-air pool. Another outdoor pool complex and a further three pools dotted elsewhere are also on offer, all of which are free to access. (Photo: Paul-N. Dubuisson/Eurocamp)

Activities

Family archery sessions (€12 at Les Ormes compared to a hefty £21-£32 at some Center Parcs) made us giggle, particularly when we had to ping arrows at tennis balls. Whizzing down zip lines (€6) and footgolf (€6) also kept us all happily occupied, as did pedalo rides (a reasonable €2pp compared to between £18.50 and £20.50 at Center Parcs).  The teenagers enjoyed a treetop adventure course – a two-hour jaunt over seven cleverly-thought-out courses was pleasingly challenging. It cost between €10 and €18 depending on age. At Center Parcs one circuit of an aerial tree trekking course that lasts around 30 minutes costs between £33 and £39.  Pitch and putt, tennis, crazy golf and pony riding were also reasonable, as was wakeboarding and a climbing wall. A free-to-use multi-sports pitch and basketball court were popular with our energetic boys, while Eurocamp also had free kids’ clubs. (Photo: Eurocamp)

Resort-run restaurants serving holiday staples

Our good-sized air-conditioned mobile home – classed by Eurocamp as “Premium” – had three bedrooms and a large deck where we ate in the evenings, largely from the charcoal barbecue outside. However, the kitchen had everything needed to cook inside, as well as a Nespresso machine.  An onsite pizzeria and three other resort-run restaurants served holiday staples including €21.50 steak and chips and pizzas from €10. However, the bar felt pricey, with pints of Brittany’s famous and plentiful cider nearly €7 and a 250ml Coke nearly €4. A supermarket was well-stocked but predictably dear, while a few large hypermarkets lay within a 15-minute drive.  (Photo: N. Dubuisson/Eurocamp)

Chậteau de Combourg and Mont-Saint-Michel

For a change of scene we enjoyed strolls to the tiny hamlet of Saint-Léonard and in dainty Dol-de-Bretagne, a historic episcopal city where we mooched around the imposing cathedral, tried the region’s famous crepes and savoured a beautiful €22 three-course menu that included a lightly seared tuna steak at the delightful L’Évêché. At the medieval Chậteau de Combourg, we learnt how French writer François-René de Chateaubriand was terrorised by the hauntings of a black cat and a former count’s ghostly wooden leg.  Around half an hour’s drive away is Mont-Saint-Michel (pictured), the tidal island that was once a great Christian pilgrimage site.  Its narrow, cobbled streets lined with restaurants and gift shops were heaving with visitors, but its stunning 1,000-year-old abbey was worth battling the crowds to witness. (Photo: Lou Benoist/AFP via Getty)

Hirel beach

Further west towards St Malo, Hirel beach is one of France’s foremost sand yachting venues. Char à Voile offers group lessons and we were lucky enough to be taught by French champion Amaury Martin. Perched in three-wheel karts with a tall sail to harness the wind, we picked it up surprisingly quickly, careering along the beach at speeds close to 50kmh. The kids reckoned it was one of the best things they’d ever done.  As we sailed back to Portsmouth there was one more memory to be made as dolphins swam alongside the ferry. You wouldn’t have seen that driving down the M4 to Wiltshire. (Photo: Fiona Whitty)

Travel

How to get there: Brittany Ferries sails between Portsmouth and St Malo year-round with prices from £351 for a car plus family of four. This includes an en-suite cabin on the outward overnight sailing. / Where to stay: Eurocamp offers a week at Domaine des Ormes in a Premium holiday home sleeping up to eight from £2,097/$2,818 in August / What to do: Entry to the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel costs from €13 and to Chậteau de Combourg €13,70 for adults and €5,70 for children. A sand yachting session with Char à Voile costs €37 for adults and €27 for under 18s.  / More information can be found through the Brittany Tourism website. (Photo: Fred Tanneau/AFP via Getty)