Anyone been to Dunreill? How does it work?

[MsJaneAusten]

I’m considering booking a trip to Dunreill for me and DC (DS1 will be 11 when we’d go and DS2 will be 8). I’m a single parent and have taken them in holiday, camping etc in the UK multiple times but not been abroad with them on my own. Duinrell looks great, but I can’t quite figure out how it works. I book accommodation, then what…?

Is it like Haven / Bluestone where you book activities via an app or online? Is it free (unlimited?) access to water park and theme park?

We’d be flying to Amsterdam then a friend would meet us and drive us to Dunreill so I wouldn’t have a car for the week. Terrible idea, or doable? Is there a decent (food) shop on site?

I’d really appreciate any insight as the park looks great but I can’t work out the details!

(Any other suggestions for active 8/11 year olds and a slightly lazier mum also appreciated!)

Thank you!

@Cannyshite

We went and really enjoyed it. Second going shopping at the Jumbo in Wassner. It’s a beautiful little town and the ice cream shop is a must, just be prepared to queue! We took public transport from Duinrell to Amsterdam and to Linden (bus stop is just outside main entrance). The beach is so beautiful with lovely bars etc, definitely worth the cycle ride from the park.

I can't believe we got this far through before someone mentioned the ice cream shop in Wassannaar. It's incredible and last time we went was incredibly good value.

We were talking about Duinrell this week with the kids deciding where we'd like to go on holiday. When the kids were younger we used to do a 2 centre holiday with 3 or 4 days in Efteling and a week in Duinrell or Center Parcs at Het Heiderbos. Now they're older (17, 15 and 12) they've voted for just Efteling but have very fond memories of Duinrell.

Is it very noisy with the theme park?

No, the lodges are quite far from the theme park. There's a big house thing in the middle which can get very noisy but away from that and the central plaza was quiet.

Ah, this is bringing back memories. We went twice when the children were young and loved it. First time with Eurocamp and had a fab brand new caravan in the woods, second time we treated ourselves to a Duingalow, but it was old and smelly (this was a very long time ago, so hopefully better now).

I recommend Wassanar, Scheveningen, Madurodam, Zaanse Schans, Den Haag (there was a fab Escher interactive museum there) and if you have transport Delft.

I've been and it's all very easy. Lovely Italian near the supermarket in town. Best ice cream parlour ever around the corner . I won't go again as they played silly fuckers during covid with refunds but I've been several times before that and loved it - and I'm a LP who is super stressy. I booked direct, nicest bit is in the woody bit .

Ooh, @Kerberos, can you tell me about Efteling? That was also on my list, but I couldn’t work out the logistics of that either. Thank you!

@MsJaneAusten

Ooh, *@Kerberos*, can you tell me about Efteling? That was also on my list, but I couldn’t work out the logistics of that either. Thank you!

Of course :)

We've been three times and likely to go back again this year.

Essentially it's a large theme park with accommodation on site. Stayed in both the village and woodland houses. The houses are well appointed and have everything you need in them. It's a short walk from the closest houses and a bus goes round if little legs can't make the walk.

The park itself is large with lots of activities and rides for all ages. You get free entry from your day of arrival to the day of leaving.

Foodwise theres a small onsite shop, and a larger supermarket about 10 mins drive away, but you can buy food in the park and onsite restaurant. We struggled a little to find gluten free food (family member has coeliac) which is why the supermarket was important.

There's also a giant area with animatronics of popular fairy stories which is was a huge hit with mine when they were younger.

As for travel, we always take the car. Dover-Calais then a couple of hours drive the other side. I googled and closest airport is Eindhoven about 30kms away.

We went a couple of years ago and stayed in a Duingallow.... amazing!

We hired bikes and also rode to the beach which was fabulous! All the roads have great cycle paths. Beach is lovely and has a great cafe.

In Duinrell we loved the Tiki Bad, theme park and the pancake house! We also enjoyed cycling around the site in the evening and visiting the massive play park.

My son swapped his bike for a go-cart on the last few days and really enjoyed that.

It’s an excellent location for visiting other nearby places. The Hague is a lovely city with interesting shops and restaurants, Scheveningen is although a bit scruffy, a lovely place and interesting cities are nearby.
Amsterdam and Rotterdam obviously, Breda and Dordrecht are also nice. If you travel by train from The Hague, avoid Station Den Haag Holland Spoor esspecially at night for safety reasons and travel from Den Haag centraal.

By the way, we didn't take a car... got passenger ferry to Rotterdam and got a train to Dem Haag then took the bus from the station. Very easy.

In the way home we took the double decker train to Amsterdam! Kids loved going upstairs on a train! But be aware that the upstairs carriages are supposed to be quiet zones!

We then spent a couple of days in Amsterdam before getting the ferry home. We hired bikes in Amsterdam, very easy.

You don't really need a car in Holland, as public transport is so excellent and cycling is very accessible and safe.

The Duingallows were excellent when we went, super modern and compact yet comfortable. Very clean!! With a little sitting out area at the front and back. I think they must've been updated.

In terms of getting there, the Harwich to Hoek of Holland ferry is great. My kids definitely always saw it as a highlight of the holiday and it’s very close to Duinrell at the other end.

Hi all, I grew up in wassenaar and want to take my kids to Duinrell - has anyone taken their dogs too?

We have been 4 times in the last 7 years and off for our 5th visit in February. We LOVE it!
Theme park a bit antiquated but great fun. Water park is absolutely top class - the best I have been in.
We have stayed in various accommodations but the Premium Plus is by far the best . The one we stay in even has a sauna!
Be careful of the cheaper Duingalows- they are grim.

Lovely restaurants in Wassenaar, Luciano's is the best ice cream shop in the world! Near enough to Amsterdam for Van Gogh, Anne Frank .
Day trip to Efteling - an amazing , other worldly theme park !

Hire bikes and cycle to the beach, visit The Hague, Lieden etc.

Cannot recommend it more highly but choose accommodation carefully. Also go out of season, WAY cheaper!

I am going to Duinrell in August this year. Can you use cash on site and surrounding towns/villages? Thank you

hi
We went to Netherlands last month and visited Duinrell but didn't stay there
We found Neth overwhelmingly anti-cash. We regretted bringing so many euros as lots of signs up saying 'card only' especially drinks and ice cream stalls etc.
So make sure you have a debit or credit card that doesn't charge for foreign transactions.

That all being said no issue with using cash in larger supermarkets and restaurants. It was the the smaller transactions that needed plastic, kind of the opposite of what you'd think.

Evan anyone recommend the best time to visit weather wise? Would May half term be ok for outdoor swimming?

The rides bit is free, just walk along any time it's open. The water park depends on how you book. If you book directly from dunrill you get a set number of visits, which you book online. If you book through a third party (eg. Eurocamp) then you have to pay to visit the warer park.

If your friend is willing, ask them to take you to a supermarket on the way to the park, so you can stock up for the week. There is a shop on site, but it's limited and expensive. You could still eat out each night if you don't want to cook, but it's handy to have stuff for breakfast, sandwiches and snacks.