Centre parcs or similar in Holland

[babypeach]

Hi all,
looking for recommendations for holiday villages in Holland.
well be family of 4 with 7 and 14 yr olds so would like something with good mix of activities for different ages.
ideally would like chalet type thing with 3 bedrooms-tips on specific accommodation type very welcome!
also in terms of food reasonable places to eat (nothing fancy needed just things nice food not extortionate!) we all enjoy most food so no issues there.

were thinking of sailing via Dunkirk and driving .

never done this type of holiday before so all advice gratefully received!

thank you x

We went last year to a center parcs in Holland with DS 9 & 11. Loads of activities to choose from - prices ranged but thought they were pretty good value esp when compared to what you’d get in uk e.g. inflatable water park about half the price we paid in Dorset. Some free summer activities too aimed at younger ones.
Food at the park was quite expensive/not great so either ate in or left the park to go to near by restaurant.
We went for basic chalet - could have done with a lick of paint/comfier sofas but we were out doing things most of the day so didn’t matter.
Had a fab week - would recommend

We went to De Kampervenen last summer with a nearly 15yo.
The park was lovely, and the pool/slides were great. I had hoped for more teens, and there were very few.
The food was awful. Even the pizzas were terrible. We ate offsite lots
We took our own bikes and cycled a fair bit.
We also went to the PSV stadium tour and spent the day in Eindhoven.
I wouldn't go back as I think DS was too old. We have never been to CP before, and I don't think it was for us

Duinrell is lovely.

CP in the Netherlands is good but also check out Duinrell and Beekse Bergen. Both absolutely amazing.

Duinrell is a theme park and waterpark with accommodation - every type from tent pitches all the way up to luxury lodges. On the edge of a nice town and close to Den Haag etc.

Beekse Bergen is a safari resort - the lodges are on safari. We were a few metres from giraffes, rhino, etc whilst eating breakfast. It's very close to Efteling theme park.

I'd recommend Little Clogs blog, and also joining the Facebook groups for those places, to get a feel for what to expect.

Came to say the same! Place looks amazing, we are booking for next years holiday.

Fun fact: Center Parcs was originally Dutch. It was called Sporthuis Centrum, then became Center Parcs when it went international.

Another fun fact: The Netherlands has both very healthy food (lots and lots of salad and vegetables, zero problem finding veggie or vegan restaurants) and very, very unhealthy, but oh-so-delicious deep-fried snack food. Get your kids a broodje kroket (large meat ragout croquette in a roll, preferably with mustard) and watch their eyes open wide. And there are fabulous chips everywhere too.

De Kempervennen is amazing!

Another vote for Duinrell. Quite a few different companies have sites there, so it’s worth looking around. Good location for exploring the country.

We lived in Holland for a decade (not far from Duinrell actually) and loved a place called Hof Van Saksen. It's like a centre parcs but with thatched cottages. We preferred it to Kempervennen.

Duinrell is fabulous . Try their own luxury lodges, really nice . We have been many times.
You could also visit Efteling on a day trip.

We're going to De Kempervennan for the second time this year with a 12 and 14yo. The DC's loved it last year, particularly learning to ski for the first time. That along with the pool and the odd other activity was enough to keep them happy.
We only ate out in the park once (we had the buffet). We've already. Decided that this year we are just going to stick up on nice food in a supermarket on the way and cook. We're going to Antwerp on the way home so we'll eat out there.

My DC's are really looking forward to going. They are at an age where they are very hard to please unless they are gaming with friends so I see that as a big thumbs up for the place!

Check out the Landal holiday parks. We stayed in a lovely one near Gouda.

efteling is just great for a day out.

Out of interest are there any that are readily accessible by train?

We have just booked our 3rd holiday to the Netherlands. 2 years ago we went to Duinrell, we really enjoyed this and I think if the kids had been a bit younger we would have returned (it was delayed 2 years due to covid). I do believe the prices have increased quite a bit though. Last year we spent 3 nights at Efteling then a week at a Landal park near Gouda. The park itself didn’t have lots of facilities, but we hired bikes and padal boards one day. This year we are going to Twee Bruggen near the German border then a few nights on the coast. We have always gone for the 3 bedroom option due to age of our kids. There are plenty of options in all
of the parks we’ve looked at.
Little Clogs is an excellent website with lots of options and recommendations.

Another recommendation for Beekse Bergen. Incredible holiday. We stayed in one of the lodges (I think number 210?) - we had giraffes, rhinos, zebras practically within touching distance, we saw the ostriches lay an egg. The stay includes free entry to the safari park proper, plus to the ‘speelland’ which is waterslides, trampolines, go karts and a beach.

We got the ferry to Hoek Van Holland, and had a day out at Efteling. The food at Efteling was great, at Beekse Bergen it was ok, but the local supermarket wasn’t far, and there was at least one great restaurant in the nearby town (Herberg den Hemel in Hilvarenbeek).

Ha @Mumof278 you did exactly what we did!!! Loved that holiday village and how it was on the water.
Efteling was just ace.
I told my dh I’d be happy to alternate holidays in the Netherlands and Portugal for the forseeable.

only thing I’d change is we got the overnight boat there and the daytime boat back and I wouldn’t do the daytime Hoek-Harwich boat again, deadly boring and the late drive back from Harwich to greater Manchester was a killer.

We stayed at Beekse Bergen and Efteling a couple of years ago. I would highly recommend staying in a lodge at Efteling for a couple of nights. Beekse Bergen is great but I don't think there is much for a 14 year old to do after you have been to the safari park. We are trying Duinrell this year, which I'm hoping will have more for older ones with the waterpark and rides and is only 40 mins away from Amsterdam.

Thanks all for so many great replies! So much info and new ideas!

appreciate them all x

We went to Hof van Sanksen last year and honestly it was one of the best holidays we've had. The accommodation and site is really nice (much better than UK centre Parcs) and so many activities to suit all ages (either free or low cost). It's not all sports either, they have academies where kids can sew, do crafts or learn woodworking. The restaurants and on site shops were excellent and the pool and waterslides were a must every day. You can even get there on the train from Amsterdam so no need to hire a car and we had a few days in the city too.

If you're considering a holiday in Holland I'd really recommend checking out Little Clogs Holidays on Facebook. They were so helpful and recommended lots of things to us- all completely free.

We went to a CP in Holland about 5 years ago and really disappointed after hearing good things about them. Didn't like it at all, communication was poor and nobody wanted to speak English, food was dire and whole place felt tired.

Going to Duinrell this year so fingers crossed, kids love swimming and theme parks so hoping it'll be a hit.
I'd read about Beekse Bergen but was £££ when I looked, although this was soon after covid, so may have reduced slightly.

For a pervious poster we're going by train, Eurostar direct to Amsterdam, staying 3 nights there, then getting a train to Duinrell.
Only negative is limited Eurostar trains from Amsterdam and didn't want to change in Paris. Thought catching the train from Duinrell to Amsterdam and onto Eurostar would be bit tight and a very long day so actually staying 1 night in Amsterdam on way back before an early train the next day.

Duinrell. It is perfect for a family of 4 of different ages (i have got 4). It is a mixture of a theme park (everything was free once you got in) and natural environment with all manner of accommodation ( i am sure ours was called a "dungalow" - we used to book direct, but I know the big campsite brands also have 3 bed mobile homes there. I suspect you can actually camp if you take your own gear (although i remember the campgrounds as "noisy") There is a supermarket on site, not particularly cheap, but good if you don't mind cooking. It has a brilliant pool (called the TIKIBAD i think) with slides etc. but you only get in at certain hours. It is especially good as you can fly to AMS, get the train to Leiden (about 20 mins) and then you have to get a bus (probs another 20 mins). A ten min walk is Waasanaar (sp?) with restaurants etc. I was always happy to let my older kids hang out in the park while we sorted the younger ones, it has a lot of day trippers but there is a far more relaxed atmosphere at night. You or the kids would not get bored there. x

We went last year.
A few days in Amsterdam, a few days at Efteling and just over a week at De Kempervennen. It was a good holiday. Efteling was the highlight, kids were 13 &10 and absolutely loved it. We stayed on site which was great.

CP site was lovely, pool was ok we were a little disappointed with it (small, not the cleanest) but kids enjoyed it. Accommodation was good, right by the lake, fully refurbished, and clean. I took my own pillows which was essential as they only have tiny little half pillow things. We cycled to nearby towns for dinner which was easy. Activities were not expensive, ski centre was great fun.

We went in July weather was okish, not hot and a few days of rain but that doesn't bother us at all.

We took the ferry from Newcastle which was OK.

All in all a really good holiday and quite cost effective but I wouldn't do it more than once.

We've been to Duinrell and De Kempervenen with a day trip to Efteling each time. My DC are 6 and 8 and they loved it both times. I love the Netherlands.
We also went to the Mall of the Netherlands (not far from Duinrell) which was great when it rained on one of the days.

Thanks all so many good ideas-lot of planning to do!