verdict

Within the first six months of 2025 I have visited Center Parcs’ Longleat Forest and Butlin’s Minehead parks – and the contrasts couldn’t be more stark

Two of the leading UK holiday brands have a lot to offer, but it’s exactly what they serve up to unassuming holidaymakers that makes them worlds apart.

When I told my husband I wanted to compare Center Parcs with Butlin’s, he told me it was impossible to compare apples with pears. In other words, their concepts are very different.

But after a long-weekend at Center Parcs Longleat Forest in March, and then an additional four days at Butlin’s in Minehead, there’s a lot to be said for both and what they bring to the table in terms of staycations.

Butlin’s serves the British seaside culture, whereas Center Parcs plunges its guests into the middle of the countryside where urban life feels a million miles away. So yes, of course, they are going to be different and have their own appeals. And they don’t promise to be like each other, either.

READ MORE: Three UK seaside towns set for £150m Butlin’s boost with eyes on ‘fourth site’

Rocking up at Center Parcs in March, the wooden-clad lodges, towering trees, and abundant cyclists told me that this park is for the adventuring family. The ones who like to explore, walk, cycle and stay as active as possible. Let’s be honest, you often need a holiday to recover from an action-packed stay at Center Parcs.

Then, in the height of spring arriving at Minehead’s Butlin’s, the sea breeze, the far-away buzz of fairground rides and loud laughter of children told me this break was all about the simple concept of making children feel as included and entertained as possible. It’s kids first and adults a close second.

For anyone who hasn’t yet been to either and could be looking to book a break to Butlin’s or Center Parcs, I’ve done all the hard comparisons for you.

Center Parcs vs. Butlins: Budgets

The first obvious thing to mention is Center Parcs is way more expensive than Butlin’s. Not only have I been to Longleat, but also to its Elveden Forest branch in Suffolk where the branding and concept is identical.

You’d easily spend well over £600 for a basic family lodge at any of its locations, whereas Butlin’s could set you back just over £100 for a basic apartment at either Minehead, Skegness or Bognor Regis.

Butlin’s offers smaller apartments, hotel-like rooms or self-catering complexes which all vary in cost. Center Parcs also has some variety but its price point starts much higher, with some of its luxurious lodges coming with hot-tubs, saunas and enclosed gardens. It also has designated lodges for people with dogs, which comes at an additional cost.

But it’s not just the price of staying over you’d need to be aware of. At Butlin’s shows are free, as are the indoor and outdoor fairgrounds, something I found incredibly good value for money. We paid an additional £15 per person for VIP wristbands which enabled us to queue jump and get seated first for the performances. Swimming is also free and the indoor and outdoor pools can be used as often as you’d like.

At Center Parcs swimming is also free, but any other activity such as quad biking, pottery painting, seeing owls, and hiring bikes come at an extra cost. But you are not pressured into buying into any of this – you can visit a Center Parcs site and bring your own bikes, explore the on-site parks and walking trails and not spend much money at all. If you are wanting to immerse yourself in the full CP experience, it is going to cost you.

So to conclude – a budget-friendly break is far simpler to complete at Butlin’s than it is at Center Parcs, but it’s not impossible at either.

Center Parcs vs. Butlins: Entertainment day and night

One striking similarity at both parks is, by around 10pm, most of the noise and buzz dies down. After-all these are family-orientated complexes. Butlin’s does, however, offer big weekenders for adults and these types of events go on well into the night.

Guests are reminded of others who are in bed much earlier, and are asked to keep the noise down as they filter back to their accommodation. There’s no doubt entertainment is Butlin’s middle name, with organised shows, character meet-and-greets and fairground attractions taking centre stage.

Center Parcs holds things like quiz nights and has a bustling sports bar at each site which is where adults are seen spending much time. But its concept is less-imposing, and with the site way more sprawled out, I’ve never heard noise after-dark. If you’re looking for an upbeat break where bed-times don’t matter, Butlin’s should be your first choice. If you want to shut the noise away on your terms, it’s Center Parcs all the way.

Center Parcs vs Butlin’s: Things to do

Both holiday parks have more than enough to do – but I’d say Center Parcs has more of a variety than Butlin’s. This is because there’s a lot of activities for families and adults.

Butlin’s is very child-orientated if you are there for a standard week’s holiday. By the end of our fourth day I was more than ready to come home and felt as though we had done everything the park had to offer.

With Center Parcs, unless you have an unlimited bank account and an infinite amount of time, you’ll never get around all the activities in a single stay. This means you can keep returning and there will always be something new to do next time. But much of the activities are outdoors based, so if you’ve picked an unfortunate week weather wise, wellies and waterproofs are essential.

Plus, the sites are varied. At Longleat there’s a little road train which takes guests across the park due to its sheer size, but there’s nothing like this at Elveden as it’s much smaller and not so hilly. Some of CP’s sites also house some incredible spas, which are so sought after that people living nearby visit these alone. Of course, treatments and visiting all costs.

Butlin’s main event tents are dominated by arcade machines, which obviously require cash to operate. They also have a bowling alley and other small scale games for the family to participate in. At Center Parcs, they also have designated areas with arcade-like entertainment, pre-booked smaller scale activities such as teddy bear designing, hair braiding and face painting along with 10-pin bowling.

Both sites have great outdoor parks for children, with Butlin’s recently spending millions on a new interactive playground, with lights and sounds, for kids at Minehead. Center Parcs has wooden, rustic playgrounds – equally as fun – with around the same amount of facilities.

Center Parcs vs. Butlin’s: Eating arrangements

At Butlin’s you can pay for a half-board eating plan which requires you to go to one or two of its on-site restaurants and pick from a buffet-style choice.

This obviously means you can fill up at breakfast time, have a light snack at lunch and be ready for dinner. It’s by far the cheapest option on site, with food court dining priced at £24.95 per adult, per day, and under £7 per child, per day.

Premium dining is only a fraction more expensive at £32.95 per day for an adult and just under £10 for a child. There’s also fish and chips and Costa coffee outlets for anyone wanting to eat on-the-go. There are a number of restaurants scattered around the park for anyone wanting to eat-out and experience table service.

We brought some of our own food, and our apartment was set up with a microwave and oven if we wanted to cook our own, but we didn’t need to bother.

Center Parcs offers no such dining plans. We nearly always do a food shop before arriving and cook our own dinners in the apartment. Center Parcs houses big name restaurants such as Bella Italia, Pret-a-Manger and Las Iguanas to name a few. It also allows you to pre-book takeaways from their on-site restaurants delivered directly to your lodge.

My verdict

My husband was right – directly comparing both parks is no easy feat. They both have their pros and cons, but ultimately, for me, Center Parcs wins my vote. I found the parks more modern, clean, and varied. And I came away with the ability to have stayed longer had the option been there. My four-year-old also fell in love with the pools, which had various flumes and areas designated for children.

We never go over-board when it comes to shelling out on endless activities, and I like the fact you don’t need to feel obliged to do so. Center Parcs had way more for adults to do, with kids in mind too.

Butlin’s was without a doubt a great break for my little one who was buzzing at the shows, the fairground rides and the arcade amusements. She loved the football ground, and the swimming. But as the pool’s flumes were too big for her to go on, she wasn’t itching to go back. I was also more than ready to go on our last day.

If you’re looking for a budget break by the sea, Butlin’s is where it’s at. But if you’re into the countryside and could walk and cycle for hours away from civilisation, Center Parcs is the holiday for you.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer harassed and retaliated against a high-ranking female prosecutor in his office after she raised concerns about his conduct and tried to protect other prosecutors who were sexually harassed by another superior, according to a jury verdict Thursday.

The jury, which heard the case in San Diego County to avoid potential conflicts, found Spitzer acted with malice against Tracy Miller, who was at one point the highest-ranking woman in the prosecutor’s office.

The jury also found that the county did not take reasonable steps to prevent workplace harassment, and took “adverse employment action” against Miller.

“Tracy Miller had the fortitude to resist the most powerful law enforcement person in the county, and she prevailed,” John Barnett, Miller’s attorney, said after the verdict was read. “It took a lot of courage, and the jury saw that she was right.”

The county declined to comment on the verdict.

The jury found the county, Spitzer and former Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Shawn Nelson liable for $3 million in damages, including $1.5 million for past emotional distress.

Late Thursday, the jury also ruled Spitzer would be liable for an additional $25,000 in punitive damages.

In a statement to The Times, Spitzer said he accepted “full responsibility for any and all actions which occur in my administration, including my own actions and the actions of my former Chief Assistant District Attorney Shawn Nelson.”

Spitzer, in the statement, made no mention of the allegations of retaliation or harassment made by Miller in the lawsuit but said he had “set a very high standard which I expected all my employees to meet, and Ms. Miller was overseeing extremely important assignments.”

“It is no secret that there was a lot of frustration on my part with her lack of performance in handling these very serious matters,” Spitzer said in the statement after the jury returned with their verdict. “I respect the jury’s decision, and I am heartbroken over the fact that any of my actions could have been interpreted as anything other than a good faith effort to clean up the public corruption in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and to create a work ethic that adheres to what Orange County residents demand of its District Attorney.”

Unlike criminal trials, civil trials in California do not require a unanimous verdict. In this civil case, juror decisions ranged from 12 to 0 to 9 to 3 for the various claims upheld against the defendants. The jury voted 10 to 2 to award punitive damages against Spitzer.

Miller accused Orange County, Spitzer and Nelson of retaliation and forcing Miller out after she objected to Spitzer’s actions while heading the office. Miller alleged she tried to protect female prosecutors from being retaliated against after they alleged they were sexually harassed by Gary LoGalbo, a former supervisor who was also friends with Spitzer.

Former and current prosecutors in the office described a “challenging” and “demanding” environment inside the prosecutors office, but some said they faced threats of being fired or demoted.

In her testimony, Miller said Spitzer and Nelson used “gender-based slurs,” disrespected her and undermined her authority in the office.

According to her suit, Miller alleged she had raised concerns that Spitzer had violated the Racial Justice Act by bringing up questions about race while determining whether to seek the death penalty against a Black defendant, and that Spitzer used race in case assignments.

Miller said in court that Spitzer, in retaliation, had threatened to fire her close friends in the office and dismantle programs she had spearheaded.

But much of the trial centered on what occurred shortly after several female prosecutors alleged they were sexually harassed by LoGalbo, a former police officer and the best man at Spitzer’s wedding.

When an internal county investigation confirmed the women were harassed, the report identified Miller and her testimony by describing her position and gender. Afterward, Miller testified, Spitzer targeted her and criticized her for writing notes during executive meetings.

“You could see anytime a subject came up, Tracy was taking notes about our meetings,” Spitzer testified. “There was a point of time where it was very curious to me, why do you seem to be memorializing everything we’re doing?”

Spitzer, who testified on multiple days during the trial, denied the accusations of harassment and retaliation. He acknowledged deep tensions within the office after he assumed the role in 2018 but attributed the opposition to employees who supported the previous district attorney, Tony Rackauckas.

“I knew it was going to be miserable, and it was miserable,” Spitzer said in testimony, at one point wiping away tears.

He said that was part of the reason he chose Nelson, now a county Superior Court judge, as chief assistant district attorney when he first took office.

“I picked him because I was going into battle, in the lions’ den,” Spitzer said.

But Miller testified Nelson’s actions also raised problems in the district attorney’s office after the allegations of sexual harassment were made. For example, prosecutors testified that during a sexual harassment training session for managers, Nelson stood up and said there were “no victims.”

On Thursday, one of the attorneys representing Miller urged jurors to seek punitive damages against Spitzer, arguing that the acts of retaliation and harassment against Miller were not isolated events.

“This wasn’t just a single incident,” he told jurors. “It wasn’t negligence. This was intentional. It was a long-term, long series of events.”

In his statement Thursday, Spitzer apologized while also criticizing Miller’s work performance during her time in the office.

“In hindsight, I realize that I was not as sensitive to the issues Ms. Miller was facing at the time as I should have been, and for that I am truly sorry,” the statement read.

Tracy Kennedy, an attorney representing the county, told jurors that there was no need to seek additional punitive damages against Spitzer, and that the $3 million sent a message to the district attorney about his behavior in office.

“He’s heard it, he understands,” she said. “He has been punished.”

The county still faces eight sexual harassment lawsuits involving allegations that were made against LoGalbo.

“It’s very important for the public to know what happened,” said Barnett, Miller’s attorney. “I was confident that our case was strong and we were right.”