Anyone been to Duinrell alone with their kids?

[Maybee]

I'm going last week in August with 10yr old 4 yr old and nearly 3 yr old. Am V excited. I went on a siblu holiday with them last year and although it was fun and I met some lovely mums during the day, at night i felt a bit awkward at the kids entertainment.

Duinrell in Holland? We had a family holiday there last year. We could go in the next door theme park anytime which was great. The beach nearby is lovely. We went to amsterdam a couple of times, using the park and rides. Wassenaar, the nearby town has a Lidl ( or something similar) which is cheaper for food.

Went a few years ago with dc and they loved it, we booked independently and stayed in the dungelows.
The theme park is lovely with something for everyone and its lovely just to be able to nip in for a couple of hours.
There pancake house just outside is really good and the town is few minutes walk

we went in May (DH, 1 yr old Dd and 4 yr old DS) and loved it! Best holiday ever! We went in the on site theme park, which had rides for all ages and in the tikibad swimming complex. We stayed in a Miffy caravan, which DS loved. We also did Amsterdam using park and ride and Delft was lovely. There's a model village nearby too, all sorts for kids to do on site and further afield. I'm sure you'll have a lovely time! Try the panckes, they're delicious!

Fab I'm really looking forward to it now. Won't be hiring a car but fly into Schipol so public transport sounds ok according to tripadvisor. We're staying in the dungalows as well :) Is there anything I should bring apart from passport photos? Its good to know that there are rides in theme park for wee ones as well. Did people feel that they blended in well as single parents? That was my only reservation about our hols last year, I felt a bit conspicuous in the evenings but then again that was maybe in my head as i was getting used to single parenthood.
What would a reasonable amount of spending money be for one week? I hope to go to either Rotterdam or Amsterdam for a daytrip and then Delft or Madurodam. Apart from that the local town, beach and site should be well enough. My dc have v healthy appetites. We're not big spenders but I hate counting my pennies all the time.

I found everything really expensive, but then I live in Spain and I think the cost of living is lower than the UK. The amusement park was great as it's a 2 min walk from most of the campsite and there were lovely climbing frames and slides etc too. We picked up a leaflet in the eurocamp reception which had offer vouchers for the onsite restaurant and coffee shops, so 2 coffees for 2.50? etc although we tried to pretty much self cater. Loved the stroopwaffles and pancakes. Wassenaar you could just walk into, really pretty little town. You can hire bikes and go kart things in the campsite, altho we didn't.
If you go to the tikibad you'll need armbands for any children under 1.20m and you have to show your amusement park pass on entry.
We didn't do any kids entertainment, the park and just the difference of it all was enough really.
I'm sure you'll have a lovely time, I'd go back like a shot but we can't really afford it, it was a one off blow out to go to my friend's wedding in Haarlem.

Have a fab time ! im going camping tomorrow first time avec le kids :)

Thanks lag i like the sound of those stroopwaffles!
Enjoy your camping trip Patience, the weather is supposed to get better. :)

We are off to centerparcs in Holland in August. Stroop is on my list to stock up on.
They also love iced tea over there, you can even get it in McDonald's. There is also a yogurt drink the dcs love, but can't think of the name.

Maybe it sounds great.

Was it a specific single parent holiday that you booked ?

I'm going to save for a holiday next year. We've never really been but wondered if there was a company offering good single parent rates.

Duinrell is fab. I don't think you will stand out at all. I go with dh on holidays but we don't always both go to the evening entertainment together, sometimes one will take the kids to the mini disco and the other will cook or look after smaller children or whatever, and I'm sure we aren't the only ones that did that!

Because the theme park is right on site, we often saw parent on their own around at the theme park - if they weren't on holiday alone, they had probably left one at the van or doing laundry or something!

Tikibad doesn't have masses for smaller children tbh - there are lots of fast slides, etc, but there is a beach sort of bit for the little ones.

Eating out in Holland is horrendously expensive. If you can get to a supermarket though, prices are more reasonable. Their Indonesian food is brilliant and we stock up on ready made nasi goreng, etc!

I don't think you have to spend a lot in Amsterdam neither, plenty to walk around and see without spending a fortune.

Oh and check what day the market is on, there is one just five minutes walk from Duinrell, and that will be great for fresh produce cheap.

Centerparcs in Holland looks fab too. I booked a week there at Easter - a really good deal but then due to chickenpox had to cancel but i got my money back in time for this holiday :) I looked at singleparent hols but they seem quite expensive although there seems to be lots of breaks within the uk on the site single with kids. I am in N Ireland though and there doesn't seem to be as much going on for single parent families here. Although I have found a camping forum and went on a family camp where there were a mixture of families and that was fun. Anyway I just booked 1 adult and 3 kids and got a good deal.

As for food in Duinrell I was wondering about bbq food cos I think the duingalows include a bbq. I'm a complete novice to the bbq. Is it just a case of throwing sausages on and turning them over?
I like the sound of the market!

I used to work on Duinrell and it was fab. I'd really like to go back with DD some time :)

Irrc the bbqs are gas at duinrell which are nice and easy. Just keep it at a low heat, and turn frequently. I cook things like sausages indirectly. I heat the whole bbq, then turn off the burner under where on the grill I want to cook them and keep the lid mostly shut. It stop the fat flaring up and charring them.

Thanks Chops will be scouting for some more easy bbq meal ideas closer to the time. Only 2 weeks & 2 days to go Yeeha!