Center Parcs De Eemhof

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Having spent many happy holidays at Center Parcs in Holland and England, my family were shocked at the state of neglect evident at this particular venue. The so called "deluxe apartments", although pictured on the www.centerparcs.com website as being welcoming light and airy, in reality were quite the reverse. They were dirty, damp, smelly and dimly lit having only 40watt lamps throughout. Most sunlight was obscured by vastly overgrown bushes and shrubbery. The rooms we hired, 3 in all, were all very dark and of a similar standard.
The promised extra's such as bath mats and teas towel’s either did not arrive or were removed and not replaced, depending on the day. The sink was blocked and was never cleared, as requests for maintenance were occasionally ignored, and complaining itself was time consuming due to long queue's at the information desk which was insufficiently manned. We gave up complaining after a few days.
The carpets in our rooms looked as though they have never been cleaned; the shower curtains were filthy and the air ventilators looked disgusting. Due to overgrowth outside the windows, quantities of hungry mozzie's entered by night and so all windows had to stay closed, making it far too hot and uncomfortable to sleep. There were no net curtains or any other facility in place to reduce the influx or mozzie's. The balcony they promised us was filthy and completely in the dark.
Away from our rooms, the parc was severely neglected. Most plant pots were just earth or weeds. Broken urns and fountains not connected were not uncommon. There was green moss on many surfaces, many outdoor lamps not working, some of which had been attacked by vandals. A few noisy drunken young guests would scream until the early hours, it must have been frightening for guests nearby. The resultant broken glass from vandalism was sometimes slow to be picked up, and a small hut showing site information had been smashed to the ground and did not get replaced at all.
Wasps were a major problem in outdoor eating areas. Although wasp catching devices were hanging up, some were not maintained so the wasps ignored them. This simple to rectify problem must have been hitting the takings of the camp. We stopped using camp facilities for outdoor eating completely. Food, however, was generally very good, but with occasional problems. We were not always convinced that it was 100% fresh.
There were very few English people visiting the camp this year, and this was apparently hitting their restaurant business as we are, apparently, good spenders. One restaurant was now only open two nights a week.
Litter and dirt was to be found in many places around the shops (but not in them), and remained there for days. Cigarette ends by the thousand can be seen on the floor around the park. Many bicycles rented to guests were poorly maintained although new bikes were in evidence. However we were told that the new cycles were being saved for the customers who booked them prior to their arrival at the parc. Many sports extras were very expensive, yet the putting green for example, which cost 36 euros for 4 people, didn't even have flags in the ground to denote where the holes were. It was simply a stretch of grass in a field that had been mowed and flattened.
Most people avoided the paddleboats, also which were also very expensive to use, especially considering we were not allowed out of a small stretch of water, which was in any case totally covered in pond weed. The water itself was not visible. The ducks looked as if they were swimming through pea soup! The tiny lake was completely bright green – a natural problem for sure, but one that could have been managed better – by moving the weed occasionally revealing some of the water.
We liked the mini-golf. We went back to play it again the following day, but it was now closed due to vandalism. Drunks had got at it the night before.
The staff were mostly excellent apart from one girl at the information desk, who just laughed at our complaints and seemed a little detached from reality. Messages about problems were not properly conveyed back to the people who carry out repairs. All staff remained tight lipped about negative issues, however we were told (very quietly), that the camp was understaffed and that budget cuts and priority of funding had hit them. The staff were clearly under great pressure through others being off sick. We actually felt quite sorry for the young people working the camp.
Upon leaving we were approached by a Dutch guest and his wife who were so incensed by a feeling of being let down by Center Parcs that they just had to tell someone. They confirmed many of our observations. They seemed relieved to have someone to share their story with. It was summed up perfectly when the Dutch man said, "the difference between what we were promised and what we actually got is very great". This is our feelings exactly. They too had tried to complain, not always with success.
I don't know what's happened to Center Parcs. I am prepared to consider that we just landed in a parc which happens to be the extreme opposite of the last venue we stayed at near Eindhoven, two years ago, which seemed fine at the time. One thing I can say for sure is that this camp at De Eemhoff near Amsterdam - seems to be the neglected child in a family - I just don’t know at this time whether there are others like it. We are not ever going to return to this camp ever – and it could be that we now give this company a well needed rest.