Efteling in Holland Anyone been and is it really good, or parc Asterix better..

[ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO]

ANYONE Been to either? many thanks

It's all free! Food and drink isn't too bad either cost-wise.

I recommend the vliegende Hollander (the Flying Dutchman - DH and I had to take it in turns as too scary for our DSs and it has a height restriction of 120cm), the Droomvlucht (dream flight - more suitable for children), piraña - which is a fairly gentle white water ride, and the little cars that go round on a track that every dutchie remembers from their youth called "Oude tuffers"

We had a great time! (And I HATE theme parks). No queues as the Dutch children were back at school. We did Centre Parcs at the same time which was also fab.

Which Centre Parcs did you go to Xmasmarket?

Efteling is fab! We go every summer for a day and this year will stay in one of the themed suites in the hotel for our daughter's fifth birthday. The older 'sprookejesbos' (fairy tale woods) is mad, it's very old fashioned and has a charm you will not find elsewhere, the singing toadstools in particular are great. Dutch kids are on holiday this year from April 27 - May 8th, if you can avoid that period do so!

Warning though - you will come back saying 'papier hier' in a deep voice over and over....

if you don't end up saying 'papiiiiiier hiiiiiiierrrrr' YOUR KIDS CERTAINLY WILL

for months and months and months

that, and doing the Star Children waterlilies dance- which has to be seen to be believed

You can't compare either of them to UK parks - we did one year going round all the UK ones and it was miserable, expensive, and dull.

Efteling is great - although I can't get my head round the layout despite having gone quite a few times. Food is pretty bad (esp for vegetarians) but it's all so clean and well thought out. The price of the merchandise is amazingly low for that sort of place too. I think you can get cheaper tickets if you buy them in the supermarkets in Holland.

Love Parc Asterix too - food much better there, easy to work out the layout of the place, has a really nice feel.

I'm not a theme park person in that I don't really go on rides, but I have spent so many holidays in them all - so, in terms of rides, my kids have been going since they were babies and some are now late teenagers, and they all love Efteling, Parc Asterix and DLP, but, for me, as non-rollercoaster person, there is still plenty do at them all.

(not a whole year going round parks, just the holiday that year . . .)

Katiepoes My DS is off from 2nd to 17th May. The holidays are staggered across the country, remember.

We went on a work day out here years ago. I was the only one of my colleagues not on magic mushrooms and can safely say it was one of the wierdest days of my life (and I worked for a pretty zany Dutch company at the time!)

Rides were great though and I don't remember queuing much. Enjoy!

oooh, one last thing (I promise I'll hide this thread after this)

if you do go, stick around for the watershow (can't remember the name) just before the park closes, and make sure you have a good view of the lake

it's lovely. When we saw it a couple of Easters ago, it snowed

I might have cried a little bit

Aquanura

that's it

LOL giraffes

OH said to me once: wonder what this would be like on mushrooms?

we decided it was so very ODD you wouldn't even notice

According to my colleagues I was the odd one for not experiencing it on mushrooms! I don't think they were the only adults there that day having an alternative reality...

* Lalalalandlord Wed 07-Jan-15 22:24:42

I am putting in all dates in may half term and it wont let me look at bor..at all...just hotel

• Katiepoes Thu 08-Jan-15 11:20:24

WOW...what an amazing gift for the birthday...the suites are amazing!

the whole place is my thing....

i am so tempted to try and go this year....lala had another look and saw your deals....yes, thats very very good isnt it....esp as you say including park tickets.

Very tempting, I am now considering this for our summer hols, perhaps staying at centre parcs (can't afford the UK ones). Parc Asterix is great too for anyone considering it, did I tell you about the amazing ghost train? quite unlike anything I've ever seen. When I compare it to the battered, old rubbish we get over here, complete with plastic pound shop skeletons

Efteling is magical. It has charm in spades - we always go for a few days and pootle around the themed bits. Bosrijk holiday village is a great place to stay - it is themed in its own right - lots of 'natural' play areas and a story-teller that goes round the village at night.

For food - go to the ravelijn restaurant. You get like a 'family table' meal - with a whole roast chicken and trimmings - and you can see them setting up the show.

I have been and we all loved it. So clean and essentric. I want to go again maybe in a few years. We stayed at centerparcs for a week and just did a day trip. Didn't manage it all in one day.

Next Elton's I would like to stay in the hotel. The rooms look adorable.

Actually - I don't know why people are knocking the food. Better than Disney - and miles better than legoland.

It's closed now - but they used to do a 'Red Riding Hood' meal - where you were given a picnic basket with bread/cheese/ham/Kilner jar of pickle etc. Then you munched your picnic while actors performed little red riding hood and interacted with you.

And the mini pancake place is lovely.

PandaDroom has a soft play next to a cafe where you can get freshly cooked pasta dishes. It's all done with love and care.

yes had a look and its come up more reasonable, also last week of august is good....i was planning on next year but dont think i can resist this year!

i dont know anytin g about cp or how itworks

Aw man! I want to go to Efteling again. We went in 2002, pre-kids so just me and DH and even then said we'd love to take kids there.

Didn't know there was a themed hotel and park tickets are included. We did two nights at a very nice B&B in the village/town and just walked down to the park. :) Our holiday was through DFDS ferries, we sorted out our accommodation with them when we booked the ferry.

We're looking at doing Efteling in a year or two as we've still never been to Europa Park and want to do a couple of days there too.

Wow, I went quite a few times to Efteling about 45 years ago when we lved in Holland. If I'd realised it was still there I'd have taken my kids when they were little. I still remember it with great fondness.

Looking a photos of it on google I was amazed to see that some of the things I remembered are still there. The flying carpet, the water lilies, the donkey and the toadstools. Just fantastic.