If you are looking for a great value holiday in Europe for families than Duinrell in Holland is for you. It is one of the perfect places for families with kids of all ages and it is so good that we have visited twice. So I am going to share with you all our tips and hints so you can have a fabulous holiday.
Duinrell is a theme park and water park in Wassenaar (near The Hauge), Holland with an attached holiday park with mobile homes, bungalows and also areas for camping. We stayed with Alfresco who have amazing mobile homes in a fabulous location on the park.
Staying at Duinrell with Al Fresco
Duinrell Theme Park and Water Park
Duinrell is a Dutch Theme Park with over 40 rides and attractions. There really is something for kids of all ages from ball pits and indoor climbing for the little ones to the thrill rides for the older kids.
Duinrell works really well at accommodating kids of all ages and even better you get unlimited and free access to the park with Al Fresco making it a fabulous place for tweens as you can give them some freedom to visit on their own.
Another massive highlight for us as a family is the Tikibad or pool complex. It is the best water park that my boys have ever experienced and it is open until 10 pm at night. With over 21 sides it is a thrill-seekers delight.
It also has a super area designed just for children under 1.2 meters which caters perfectly for younger children with sides for them so they don’t feel like they are missing out on the fun.
When you stay with Al Fresco you get discounted entry into the Tikki Bad.
Getting to Duinrell with Al Fresco
As we knew we wanted to take the car, we made the decision to travel via overnight ferry with P&O from Hull. P&O have three routes from the UK to Holland, but we chose to travel into Belgium so we could have a day in Brugge. Driving in Europe is remarkably simple and easy to do and Holland is a really compact country and we enjoyed having the freedom our car brings.
As someone that suffers terribly from Sea sickness I am going to admit that on our previous trip we used the Eurotunnel and if I had my way we would have again, however, the boys wanted to experience an overnight ferry, so as any mum would, I popped a seasickness pill and a sleeping pill and dealt with it!
We all really enjoyed the buffet and then I slunk back off to the cabin and left the boys and the husbeast to enjoy all that the Ferry had to offer. They made the most of the duty-free and entertainment before joining me.
You can also travel to Holland via DFDS and Stennaline or fly to Amsterdam or Eindhoven Airport. Personally I would fly to Amsterdam then you can connect to Amsterdam Central Station from the airport and catch the train direct to the Hague and the 44 bus straight to Duinrell. Plus you really don’t need a car at Duinrell as you can hire bikes and make the most of the fabulous cycle lanes in Wassenaar and Hollands public transport.
Our Al Fresco Accommodation at Duinrell
One thing I will always say about traveling and staying with Al Fresco is you get fantastic locations on-site and the accommodation is second to none. I would go a far as saying that Al Fresco mobile homes are some of the best we have ever stayed in and we have stayed in a few.
We stayed in an Al Fresco Vivaldi Riviera which is a spacious 3 bedroom mobile home, perfect for a family as it comes with a fully equipt kitchen including full-sized oven and fridge freezer. Perfect for when you like to self-cater and it was pristine.
We used the kitchen a lot and it was fabulous. Helped by the fact that Wassenar town has great shops and produce.
It has three bedrooms (2 twin rooms). You can add a laundry pack to your booking which we did (you get bed linen and towels too), but my boys also took their quilts for traveling as you can see.
Plus a really great sized double bedroom.
The shower was powerful and we never had any issues with it not being hot enough thanks to the combi boiler in the mobile home. Not only was the shower great, but the shower room was also actually really spacious and separate from the toilet.
The outside has a covered area and comes with a gas BBQ and clothes airer which is key if you have children that love the pool as much as ours do.
Parking is more than sufficient and ours was within 30 seconds of the mobile home.
We went in October and sat outside for our morning coffee, but in the summer you also had sunbeds in addition to the wicker dining table and chairs. A recycling point was less than 1 minute away and we loved the fact that Duinrell really encourages recycling and make it easy and simple.
Checking in Tips
Checking in was really simple and Al Fresco uses the Eurocamp reception, which is easy to find at the security at the main gates will point you in the right direction. You can check in from 10.30 on the day of your arrival but accommodation if not available until around 3pm.
Make sure you have a passport sized photograph for each of your party and then your check-in will go smoothly. You will be issued with park passes, a ticket to display in the front of your car (the barriers work with number plate recognition), a key to the mobile home and a map of the park.
The check-in also has loads of information booklets about the surrounding area, and free board games to borrow.
Site Facilities
Duinrell has loads of facilities onsite including a supermarket, takeaway, restaurant, bar, amusement area, and bowling alley all based at the central Plaza.
The onsite supermarket is vast and well-stocked although it is more expensive than the supermarkets and shops in nearby Wassenaar.
It has deliveries of fresh bread and breakfast pastries each morning and my boys would pop and get them on a daily basis.
Plus it has a recycling machine for pop bottles then will give you 15cents back for each bottle.
Le Place is a national chain of restaurants and there is one on-site. The food is delicious, however, it can be expensive especially with the pound/Euro exchange rate.
Downstairs in the plaza you will find the bar area and bowling alley. On the night we visited it was busy with an entertainer. There is also a games room, table tennis, sports pitches, and fitness trail. There’s a laundrette if needed too.
Cycling is BIG in holland and you can hire bikes trikes and go-karts on-site. If you are going in the summer then a bike would be great as you can cycle to Wassannar and to the beach using well-signposted cycle lanes.
2019 Hire Prices were:
- Small child’s bike 6.75 euro per day / 33.75 euro per week
- Large child’s bike 7.73 euro per day/ 38.75 euro per week
- Adult bike 10 euro per day / 50 euro per week
- Go-Kart 13.75 euro per day / 68.75 euro per week