A Family Holiday at Duinrell, Holland

If you follow me on social media, you might have spotted some of our adventures when we were away last month, a family holiday at Duinrell, Holland. As we had such a great time at Duinrell, I thought I’d share a little more about what we got up to and where we stayed, as if you are looking for a great family holiday, I would definitely recommend it. My friends have heard me banging on about it, so now you can!

We all loved it, it was great for all four of us. None of us wanted to leave and we could have easily spent another week there as there was just so much to occupy the kids, and if they’re happy, we are happy!

Getting There

We flew from Birmingham to Amsterdam, which is around a one hour flight. We then booked return taxi transfers to Duinrell.  It can be done on public transport, as we did then visit Amsterdam via a bus and train journey, but we thought this a better plan with luggage. Many people were driving and there are assigned parking bays to all duingalows. We didn’t feel the need to have a car as other than our trip to Amsterdam, which was easy to do, we were happy at Duinrell and exploring the town of Wassenaar just a few minutes walk away. There is also cycle hire on site, so this could be an option for getting out and about – everyone cycles in Holland so the bike pathways are safe and everywhere. Within Duinrell, lots of people hire bikes and go karts to get around, for a little added fun!

About Duinrell

Duinrell is a holiday park which includes a theme park and a huge swimming pool complex, the Tikibad. We booked directly with Duinrell, as it seemed better value than other options and we were then able to stay in one of their duingalows.

Within the theme park there are several children’s play areas, including two huge ones next to each other, with plenty of benches dotted around for parents to relax whilst kids play. There are a few things you’d pay extra for there, such as games arcades and mini golf – though this is only 1 euro each, so reasonably priced. Other than a few extras here and there, it’s all free to Duinrell guests to come and go as they please. We were in there every day, the kids never tiring of it. There are plenty of rides to choose from, and Boo was tall enough to go on all of them, whilst Little Man at 120cm was just tall enough to go on all but two of them.

The Tikibad is a big swimming pool complex with twelve slides, several pool areas including a toddler pool and a pool with a wave machine. If booking with Duinrell, there is daily free entry for two hours to the Tikibad included with the holiday, which we found to be enough time to spend there. We’d go there first thing, then back for showers and lunch, then head into the theme park for the rest of the day. Perfect.

There are also lots of restaurants and snack stops around, as well as plenty on offer in the pretty town of Wassenaar just across from the entrance to Duinrell. We enjoyed the takeaway pizza and family fries (that is a huge portion!) and Boo loved the pancake house just outside the entrance to Duinrell. The duingalows are set up for you to self cater, so it’s easy to pop back there for mealtimes before heading back to the rides or pool.

A Few Practicalities and Tips

– Much of the park is shaded as there are plenty of trees and greenery, working well for both wet days and hot and sunny days.

– Everyone speaks English, and they speak it very well. My Dutch isn’t up to much (or anything at all!) so this made life easy.

– Don’t miss the House of Shadows. It’s near the play areas and little shops and arcade in Duinrell and can easily be missed, but our two loved it in there.

– Shop at the Jumbo in Wassenaar. It’s good value and has a good range of food and products on offer.

– Visit Luciano’s for ice cream – don’t miss this! We went pretty much every day, strolling through the pretty streets of Wassenaar and then indulging and trying lots of delicious flavours.

– On checkout day, leave luggage with the security team at reception and you’re then free to spend your last few hours in the theme park or pool. This really made us feel we made the most of our last day.

Our days were that perfect mix of laziness filled with fun. Slow mornings, no need to rush anywhere or have to make big plans for the day as we knew we had all the entertainment we needed on hand. We hired a go kart one day, which Boo loved and Little Man enjoyed sitting on his seat on the back, without having to do any of the hard pedalling work! Boo would recommend the Minions banana ice cream and Little Man the strawberry ice cream at Luciano’s, and they tell me that the Aqua Swing was their favourite ride. Closely followed by the Frog coaster and Dragonfly. Oh, and those big bumpy slides. Oh, and the playgrounds. Oh, and meeting Rick the Frog, the park mascot. Oh, and Wonderland. Yes, the list goes on once you ask them, as they adored it and had a brilliant week. And yes, we are already talking about going back…

Have you been there? Or are you tempted?

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