Great Wolf Lodge: Everything we know so far about Oxfordshire's new water park

The 46-acre site called Great Wolf Lodge will be built in the village of Chesterton, near Bicester and feature a 498-room hotel.

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The scheme is set to break ground late 2022 and will be the first of the chain's sites outside the US.

Put forward by American company Great Wolf Resorts back in 2019, the project was met with controversy by villagers who felt the resort was proposed in the wrong location.

It got the greenlight by appeal last May and digging has started at Bicester Hotel, Golf and Spa's golf course nextdoor ahead of the construction of the water park.

Here's everything we know so far about Great Wolf Lodge:

Facilities

• 498-room hotel with themed rooms 
• Indoor water park with twisty slides and a variety of pools
• Adventure park with ropes course, climbing wall, family bowling, arcade games
• Interactive 'mystical quest' game
• Dining including a 'farm to table'-inspired restaurant

CGI of what Great Wolf Lodge will look like in Chesterton

• A 5.74 hectare public nature trail - equivalent to the size of almost six football pitches
• 'Ambassadors of fun' - trained staff who lead dozens of complimentary family-friendly activities throughout the day including morning yoga, arts and crafts, and 'Story Time'
• Conference facilities with access to an outdoor terrace
• Discounted day passes for those living nearby the resort
• Shuttle bus to bring visitors and staff from Bicester to Chesterton
• 900-space car park

Transport

• Shuttle bus to bring visitors and staff from Bicester to Chesterton
• 900-space car park
• Drivers arriving and departing via the M40 (south) will be directed along the A34 and B430 through Weston-on-the-Green - a slower route - rather than the A41 and A4095 as originally planned

CGI of what Great Wolf Lodge will look like in Chesterton

Price

Details on how much tickets cost have not been revealed yet but a one-night stay for a family of four at Great Wolf Lodge in Pocono Mountains in America is $349.99 for a family room.

This includes water park passes, kids activities and unlimited wifi.

Up to 450 day passes, discounted day passes and discounted sustainable say passes for those living nearby the resort.

The discounted day passes would be available to residents of post codes covering the Cherwell area.

Sustainable day passes would be available to the same residents but limited to those who use the staff/visitors’ shuttle bus service

Photo of what a themed room looks like at a Great Wolf Lodge in the US

Building

The project will break ground later this year.

Great Wolf Resorts said it has completed the purchase of the property on which it plans to build Great Wolf Lodge.

It started digging in December at Bicester Hotel Golf and Spa to create a new 18- tee, 9-green golf course, driving range and golf academy.

This is because the hotel, which has an 18-hole golf course, will lose nine of its western holes due to the resort being built on part of its land.

Digging underway at Bicester Hotel, Golf and Spa

What has Great Wolf Resorts said?

The company said recently: “This represents the beginning of a £200 million investment by Great Wolf Resorts into the local community and economy, which includes the creation of 1,000 jobs during the construction phase and approximately 600 jobs when in operation.  

"We’re looking forward to welcoming local families to the resort once open, and plan to provide a significant number of discounts for local residents to experience the Great Wolf Lodge facilities.”

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