First trip to Efteling in May... Efteling Hotel or Bosrijk

[Imnewhere12]

Hi All

We’re off to Efteling in may with our daughter age 4... I’d like you advice re staying at the Efteling hotel v Staying in the Bosrijk village in one of the houses/apartments. Bosrijk looks beautiful but the hotel is closer and has restaurant/bar etc.. Also I heard the characters come out at breakfast is that true?

Many thanks

We stayed in a Bosrijk Cottage which was really wonderful - the lake and grounds were amazing and very quiet ...the restaurant is very close by just a few minutes walk....so is the pool. Cannot help about the characters ...I would say it depends on your length of stay - hotel room for a couple of nights OK but I think the cottage gives you more flexibility and maybe quieter.

We stayed in the hotel. You can only book a 3 night package in the hotel and 4 in the village, plus no pool in the hotel.

The characters are at the hotel at breakfast and evening but be aware that they aren't easily recognisable to English children. My DD was happy to ask them who they were, and to listen to the Sandman telling a story in Dutch but she was 10.

Bosricjk without an doubt, it also has restaurant and bar and its in much much nicer setting than the hotel, you have to cross road from hotel.. It's by motorway.

I'd only stay in hotel if it was on a suite. Bosricjk is far nicer setting.. Lots of play areas lovley walk through small wood to the park.. Bat's flying about, wild life..

We had some characters at bosricjk but it was nice surprise... My then four year old wasn't too bothered... It's not like Disney in that respect

Sorry op another option is loonsche land hotel.. Again nicer setting than main hotel but don't thinks you get bosricjk pool access.

My dd was, by all measures, a complete wimp at 4, but just in case yours is too, she was completely freaked out by Efterling. She is 22 and still remembers how utterly terrified she was by the bins! All the other children In our group loved it, even though they didn’t recognize the characters, and the grown ups were charmed too. But just in case dd was’t a one off snowflake, I thought I’d warn you!

Your must have been very rare my dd was 3 when first went to efteling and loved it but we only went after extensive research on its suitability.. Having been three times now we have never seen any dc crying or freaked out!

Just mine then!

We did spend several years having to case village fetes for clowns......

She’s quite normal now, I promise.

Thanks for the heads up BertandRussell.. We’ve been to EuroDisney and she loved Mickey etc so fingers crossed! We’re currently booked into the hotel but am being tempted by Bosrijk, it looks beautiful and imagine in May we’ll hopefully have great weather!

We went at Easter and it was lovely ....so May will be really nice.

I would really cancel and stay in bosricjk its just so much nicer unless your in a suite. It has pool, restaurant etc.

I think Bertrand comment is the only negative I have ever heard, read about efteling.

And that really is the reaction of one particularly pathetic 4 year old-the rest of us loved it!

Haven't stayed in the hotel (although we've had dinner there a couple of times and the dining room is pretty awesome) but Bosrijk is magical.

Thanks for all your help! It’s lookinv like it’ll be Bosrijk!!

My twins were completely freaked out by Efteling! They were 3 or 4 when we went. They still haven’t got over it, but we are dragging them back again this summer and I hope it cures them! (They are 5 now).

We’re going over Easter (just over a week to go!!). We’re staying in a Lake house in Bosrijk because there are 6 of us and we’ll need the space. There are a few YouTube travel videos we’ve found useful to get a feel for the different bits (including hotel and the villaves).

Have fun!! Please let us know how it goes!

It's wonderful! Have a fantastic time.

I'm an Amsterdam/Netherlands blogger - you may find some of this post useful. Let me know if there's anything I can help answer

amsterdamwonderland.com/2016/06/13/efteling/

Ok so at the moment there are no houses in bosrijk however I know that closer to the time there are sometimes ones that are available at the last minute ie a week beforehand has anyone upgraded in this way from a hotel booking?

Yeah I’m booked for Tuesday to Thursday but I’m hoping that closer to they may become available, going by this week as an example it seems that they may amend start/leave days if there is last minute availability..

The centrally located apartments are wondeful too and very convenient, right by pool, restaurant, lake. Portyhuus or something but they run from particular days only.
I would call too.

Loonsche land hotel was nice though and also maybe more better times

You do realise that the hotel is really lovely and that Bosrijk is no way an upgrade?

I was a bit upset that we couldn't afford the themed rooms and was expecting something like a travelodge. The non-themed rooms still have lots of theming (like the TV is inside mirror doors and the bath is on pretend claw feet) and are actually pretty high standard.

Weasel it's the general location of the hotel.. Compared to bosricjk. Bosricjk is in beautiful wood, by gorgeous lake, endless natural play areas... Inside I'm sure rooms are lovely as all stuff is quite high standard there, loonsche land hotel and cottages are also really lovely and have different feel again although bizarrely in the cottage.. No hangars or anywhere to put clothes loonsche land is next to bosricjk but all in sand dunes..