Easiest European Centre Parcs without driving

[Mjmac702]

I’m looking into booking a European Centre Parcs for some time this year, either summer or October week. We live in Scotland and ideally I’d rather not drive as I find driving abroad pretty stressful. I’m more than happy driving anywhere across the UK though, if there is an easier route from somewhere else.

Has anyone done it without a car and if so which one did you go to? My kids are 10 and 8 so can cope easily with public transport.

I have a list of questions, if you are able to answer any of them it would be really appreciated:

Which one did you go to and how did you get there?

How long did you stay?

Did you leave the CP site and visit anywhere else on the same trip?

What accommodation did you book and would you recommend it as looks like a mixed bag?

I’m vegi so also interested in food choices, is the supermarket decent? I always think the restaurants in the UK CP are the worst part, are they any better in Europe?

Do they offer the same protection on your holiday if you can’t go due to Covid? It’s one of the things I like about booking in the UK as I’m not worried about losing all our money!

Thanks so much for any suggestions or tips!

I should think Zandfoort is quite easy to get to if you go on the Rotterdam to Hull ferry and then train. The trains in Holland are great and fairly easy to navigate. The Center parcs is in on the edge of the town centre and right on the beach. You could
also then travel round Holland a bit and maybe go into Amsterdam.

Excellent, thanks BonnyandPoppy, I’ll look into that. Sounds ideal being able to see other places too.

Duinrell should also be easy to get to by train/bus, depending on where you are coming from. It's not CP but has the amusement park and a pool complex. The CP website gives directions by public transport for each of the parcs.

For the Dutch and Belgian CPs my advice is always to go with the best/newest accommodation you can afford. The basic ones are basic - though perfectly fine. Usual not to have an oven. I do prefer the more expensive ones where you get your beds made and get fresh rolls delivered in the morning. Supermarkets on site are usually quite reasonable and the dine around options can be quite good value.

We've been to Eperheide, De Vossemeren and De Kempervennen - probably my favourite. Lots for older kids including the snowdome. We normally only for a long weekend so normally park up and never go anywhere else.

Covid rules state if you cannot travel because of rules either locally or in country of origin they will let you rebook a different parc/different dates. This is quite standard in BE/NL - same for concerts etc - as they are trying to protect the industry - so a refund is unlikely.

Also look at Landal.com - very similar to CPs at some of their parcs and quite often cheaper.

That is amazing, thanks so much for taking the time to reply with all that info MissAmbrosia, really appreciated. Great to hear about your own favs, will start with them.

www.roompot.com/destinations/ is a another company you could look at. We stayed at the Water Village next to the Roompot Beach Resort in Zeeland and really enjoyed it. Pool complex, sandy beach, bike hire, activities laid on, supermarket, takeaway and restaurant on site. It's reachable by train/bus from Rotterdam but I think you would be limited without a car - there's some lovely villages in Zeeland and the Deltapark at Neeltje Jans/ Go Ape place at Haamstede.

Another vote for Duinrell, we took a taxi from Amsterdam airport which took about 30 minutes.

Thank you so much everyone, your comments have been really helpful.

@Mjmac702 where did you book in the end? I'm looking at going from Scotland too and trying to work out the proximity of he parks to an airport and public transport is tricky!