Is Center Parcs an autism-friendly stay? An Irish mum shares her review

With a fellow parent’s feedback on ASD provisions at Center Parcs UK fresh in her mind, our writer checked in to Longford Forest with hopes it would fare better for her autistic child...

The Subtropical Swimming Paradise at Center Parcs Longford Forest

Chrissie Russell

We’re on our third swirling loop of the lazy river and, if anything, my five-year-old’s enthusiasm is only building. He whoops as the current propels him forward, and shrieks with delight as his big brother splashes him under a tiny waterfall.

There’s an initial look of disappointment when I finally drag him out of the tunnel’s gentle jets back into the light of the main pool. But it’s short-lived, because tentative ripples have started to swell, and soon he’s smiling again, bobbing happily and tumbling in the surf as the pool’s wave machine cranks into life.