Duinerell campsite Holland

[curryfreak]

Has anyone been here?

Have done a little research on it, and it looks great.

Just wondering if it was doable without a car.

Also, would like to be able to visit Amsterdam while we're there.

Thompson alfresco have some good prices at the moment.

Any thoughts?

Honestly - we lived near there, went for a day once to the water park but didnt bother again. The water park was good - check though if entry is included in your holiday cost. If not access is timed from the point you go in through the gate to the point where you come out again. Seen mixed reviews for staying there.

Public transport in the Netherlands is really good. Duinrell is close to Leiden from where you can get to Amsterdam by train for certain. I recall seeing buses stopping at the park entrance so would expect that you could take a bus to Leiden.

If going to Amsterdam with children I would recommend leaving by dusk as nightime Amsterdam is a whole different place.

Other places to visit:

• Delft - easy to walk around and quite attractive. Also you can take horse drawn trip round for no great expense.
• Leiden - a university town with a great natural history museum

Some websites:
www.duinrell.com - site's own website
www.ns.nl - train website
www.connexxion.nl - bus website (it's in Dutch but I think easy enough to manage)

I spent a long weekend there in April with a group of friends and loved it. I live in NL so just drove up - you can do it without a car but it's easier with a car - especially if you want to pop to the beach. Having said that, you can rent bicycles for the week within the park itself and it's only a couple of miles to the beach on the bikes.

The water park and rides (roller coasters etc.) are all included in the price - although the water park is restricted to certain hours depending on the package you book.

There's a supermarket on site but is a bit pricey - again, if you had a car you could get out and find one locally.

I was really impressed tbh and will definitely be back next year, baby & dogs in tow!

We have been here. The kids absolutely loved it!

I have to say when you first arrive it is a bit full on and you wonder what you have let yourself in for - it is a huge site with tents, mobile homes and 'dungalows' - like static homes. I would really recommend a dungalow. They are a bit separate from the tent action and a bit more upmarket! You can book them direct with Duinrell and then book Harwich/ Hook Holland ferry sep. It's about a 45/50 minute drive from Hook Holland. You can cycle it as well - clear paths marked. Probably take you a couple of hours (As the cycle paths don't always follow the road route).

We have only ever done it with a car but some friends came by bike from the UK and managed fine. Lovely beaches nearby, also Amsterdam and Leiden is fab too with a fantastic Natural History Museum. Delft too, all near.

Late now, so will sign off but if you want to know anything else (how old are your kids?) will try and answer questions.

As skihorse says, funfair and water park included in your package - funfair is umlimited but the waterpark is certain hours only - think it was for about 4 hours a day when we were there, but honestly that is plenty.

We spent half term there (thanks to MN reviews) with our DC (3 & 6) but travelled by ferry/car & booked last minute accommodation with Keycamp. First time that we tried a holiday park type based break and the children loved it. O.K - my expectations weren't high (I like my luxuries and this is definitely budget) but it was fun. The location is fantastic - we hired bikes and cycled to the beach and back via sand dunes and forest. There are miles and miles of cycle paths leading out of the resort to the nearby coastline. (Much better than UK centreparcs!) The main draw of the site has got to be its waterpark (3.5 euro extra). The range of its slides/pools is impressive. The other attraction (for the children at least) is the theme park which is free which makes it fantastic value for money. We stayed 4 nights in a Keycamp 'Vista Prestige' mobile home for a barganous £215! (We paid for the ferry separately cos we were planning to go to one of the Dutch CP's but changed our minds) It's the first time that we have stayed in a mobile home and I have to say that I was impressed since we have stayed in more basic s/c that has cost significantly more (this includes Bosinver cottages & Longleat/Whinfell CP chalets)

We went by train a couple of years ago and had a great time - stayed in a static caravan. Took the Eurostar to Brussels and then another train to Den Haag. We got a taxi from Den Haag but there are buses - we got a bus into Den Haag another day and went by train to Amsterdam. We didn't feel we needed a car. Our boys were 9 and 6 then and have been asking to go back in October.

BTW, we did peep into the duingalows on site (cos we're nosey) and I would say that the top end mobile homes were better equipped in that they are newer so had more modern kitchen/bathrooms/decor. I can only speak from our experience and we were there only last week. I wouldn't term the duingalows more 'upmarket' since in my opinion, they were definitely more shabby than the accommodation that we were in but yes, they will obviously be more comfortable than a tent! The waterpark known as 'Tikibad' is 3.5 euro for 2hrs between 10am - 2pm.

Thanks so much for all your replies. They're really helpful'
I've just this minute skimmed through them before i shoot out the door to school.
Will
have a leisurely look later on.
Thanks again.

I'm really tempted to go here next Easter, but we're kicking a few ideas around at the moment, on whether to have a week here in april or a beach type holiday in may.
All the information has been great, and i'll defintly check out the duingalows if we decide to go.
Also, great knowing we could get to amsterdam by train. Not sure what to do about taking the car or not. Would be nice not to for a change,
Cheers!

Oh, just a thought would everything be opened up at easter, or is it too early in the season?
I know the weather may not be great, but that's a chance we always take when we go away at easter.

We took our own campervan - so in a field over the back, which was great as it was quite - but dc went to the park area every day after breakfast and wnet on the log flume and roller coaster etc - my dd was 9ish and the other boy in the next caravan was 9ish - made friends and spent a lot of time together.

The swimming was two hours each day and times - we took out toweling dressing gowns to walk back to the camp in to save time getting dressed - if you go over time you get charged.

Take passport size photos for wimming - we had all three of us on one sitting and then used the photos of all of us on each card for swimming - they don't mind and it saves having three or four sets of photos done at a booth.

There is a great supermarket in the towna dn it is within walking distances and much cheaper than the supermarket on site.

The little town is really nice to shop and walk down.

You can cycle on paths for miles and miles - beeaches and other towns with a great deal of ease.

We went in the summer and the weather wasn't great - it didn't really matter though as we were in caravan and the dc were very entertained.

5 days for me was enough and then we moved on - we didn't move the campervan whilst we where there - so no differnet from you going without a car.

We went May half term this year for the second time and it is fantastic! I drove and we went Harwich/Hook of Holland - the new Stena ferries are fantastic - very posh and the cabins were great (can pay with tesco vouchers)! We stayed in a Selectcamp mobile as it was cheap and it was fine - basic but as the weather was so good we only really used it for sleeping in! It is doable without a car - Our car stayed parked for our whole stay! it is literally 5 mins walk into town which is lovely and there's so much to do. In peak season you can get buses from the site to places like Amsterdam. The people next to us had flown into Schipol and said the journey was fine - no problems! Would def recommend it!

I'm not sure when Easter is next year but I was there on 9th April this year and everything was open.

easter next year is very very late and the school holidays around here start back the wednesday after easter monday - which is the 25 April making 24th April easter Sunday

We went when ds was about 18m and thought it was v good - stayed in a duingalow which is set back further from the tents and the central hub which can be a bit noisy in the evenings if you and the dcs want to be asleep before 11pm. It was very well equipped, even down to the travel cot for ds. But we definitely needed the car for all our stuff!

We travelled by seacat from Harwich to the Hook of Holland and promptly got lost! (was pre sat nav) On the return journey we arrived early at the port and we had the choice of the return on the ferry which we took. It left earlier and arrived back 30 mins later than the seacat, but it was a smoother, less crowded journey, free meal and free cabin with shower and we had a really good sleep before the drive home.

Opposite the campsite is a lovely pedestrianised town with plenty of shops and the beach is a reasonable cycle ride away. The fun park is a glorified park, no Alton towers.

The waterpark is a lot of fun for all even though dh slipped over and gashed his head open. H&S a bit different there, dh was given a map and drove himself to hospital - remember E111 - and was attended by 4 very attractive female doctors in a virtually empty hospital.

Amsterdam very do-able by train (otherwise you park and ride anyway)

Great information from everyone thanks. I'm especially pleased to hear that we could do it withouth taking the car. Went to Brusells last autumn on Eurostar and loved it, so may do that, and leave the car behind.
Also good to know that everthing would be open. We would be going mid April.
Just need to decide now between this and Holiday village. We have narrowed it down at last!
Thanks for all your help. The advice has been invalueable.