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

[ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO]

ANYONE Been to either? many thanks

Someone mentioned Eflting on a thread about DLP, and now I am about to book it LOVE LOVE LOVE MN!

If anyone is still reading this or comes to it I would be VERY grateful to know if there is much for a toddler, 2.7 not necessarily in rides, but just stuff to do..are there children's play areas in there etc...

Also would i be better to book over last weekend in august or in the week before - mid week..

aww good luck with it, Elf, and have fun

there are lots of sit on rides where you just look at stuff, and at least one playground I can think of for littlies- probably more (because my dcs are bigger we've been a bit more focussed on the big rides)

also ride on trains, monorail, gondolas etc

and the fairy tale forest (Sprookjesbos) is marvellous for little kids. Take a buggy though as it's MASSIVE and you will be exhausted

Thanks Mudda, I am just amazed such a place exists a whole world has opened up .

We were going to just do two nights in uk resort this agust and now ...dd is going to be sooo excited.

So many places to take a toddler!

The aforementioned "Oude Tuffers" is great, there's a gentle boat ride, a maze, lots of little rides and a whole area devoted to old carousels - including an amazing indoor one. we took the boys when they were tiny.

The donkey is great - it's in the middle of the fairytale wood (sprookjesbos) - put a euro in and and shits a coin...

As I said - we spent an entire week there able to come and go as we please.

Though obviously I do need to go back and try it on magic mushrooms...

Twunk do you have to pay upfront for accmd if you stay in theirs or pay deposit? am trying to navigate it but some switches to ducth.

My poor Dh only a day ago I was saying I had found this place but lets do it next year...but I cant resist... I just love having something to look forward too, am thinking of staying there three nights now, to relieve some travelling for toddler and relax in park

Dh and I have done MM actually and we accidenlty took twice the amount we should have done and neither of us had done any drugs before....it was messy.

so we can over lay this experience onto the park

Second that it is very good for toddlers - because it doesn't have that frantic edge that some theme parks have.

Best idea is to arrange to spend 2-3 midweek days at the park - so that you can relax into it without feeling you're going to 'miss' some of it - and because at weekends it is (obviously) busier with locals.

Lots of little fairy-tale exploring areas which can fill happy hours for a toddler. Don't become too focused on rides (although my toddler did love the fairy ride very much! But she also spent 3 hours going in and out of houses in the Laaf village.

Stay on-site if you can - the hotel & village are great - and it allows to take a nap-break in the middle of the day.

Here are a few face-blocked holiday snaps! DS is about 3 in these.

I went about, er well 30+ years ago and loved it, and I was a teenager. Loved feeding the bins.

Oh lovely snaps 5children, the building is that the gate house apartments, thats where I am looking to stay if so.

Waiting for DH to comfirm holiday times, looking at 3 night but over weekend...of if he cant swap 2 night midweek which I am thinking may...be better...Thrilled our toddler will get something out of it too.

So many people seem to love it so...am amazed no one really knows it or talks about it in RL? Its all dominated by DLP....odd

Two words: Marketing. Budget.

It's the entrance to Bosrijk. Don't know the name - but the restaurant and pool are downstairs and there are some apartments upstairs - so it's probably the one you're looking at. The pic is of the water pump/Archimedes screw contraption by means of which DC can pump water out of the lake and then send it flowing down again. Your toddler will have a blast!

Yes thats where the apartments are then - gate house, near pool.

I am glad to have discovered this place now, whilst dc are young enough too so we can make return visits...

Would have been so gutted to have discovered it when they are too old....which could have easily happened.

OldBean we stayed at Kempervennen and had a great time.

The last week of August meant Efteling wasn't busy at all because the Dutch and Germab children were back at school.

xmas thats good to know!

We are going to go last week august....just have to take gamble apparently they also have funny opening hours...sometimes opening till midnight, sometimes not and have more things on on a weekend too....

at least if we are there three days, have more chance to find out where to go and what to do..

anyone know / have a link to the dutch school hols for the summer? Just over in DE my kids break up on 26 June this year and go back on 10 Aug. Was hoping there might be a bit of quiet time at the beginning of our hols when we could go?

dont w doradoo but would also be interested to know.

I don't know but I managed to find something on Google when we went. I think it was different by area as well but they were all pretty much done by about the 22/23 august I think.

The Dutch divide the country into three zones and stagger the school holidays. DS is in the last zone and the summer holiday is from 20th July to 28th August. Back to school 31st August.

So the first zone will break up 6th July, I think.
The busiest time will be 20th July to 16th August as then all three zones will be off.
Before and after then it'll be quieter.