Center Parcs De Kempervennen

Went to DeKempervennen at Easter break and stayed in a 2 bed roomed VIP cottage.
The park & facilities were very good, and all reasonably priced. The standard of instruction in the Montana snowcentre was very good, and all the public areas were clean and well cared for.
It was sometimes difficult to get served in the bars in the evening, but I guess this was due to it being a relatively busy period.
Our only gripe was with the standard of our accommodation. The curtains and furnishings in our cottage were tired and the carpet was so dirty that we had to keep shoes on to stop our socks from getting filthy.
There was also black mould on the wall in the corner of the living area, and also in the shower cubicle.
We mentioned all this at reception, but nothing was done, and although we've written to Centerparc head office we have as yet heard nothing.
Other people were very happy with their cottages, so I think we were just unlucky.

We have just returned from a midweek break at Centre Parcs De Kempervennen Holland.
Having visited several of the UK Parcs we were plenty surprised. We stayed in a de-luxe villa - dishwasher and a few other mod cons included - such as second TV in the bedroom!
The overall standard was excellent, extremely clean, with two young children (3 and 5) the pool came in very handy... the children's pool area was great, they played for hours and there were plenty of chairs and tables available.
We had heard that smoking was an issue in and around the parc, but there were plenty of non-smoking areas in the restaurants and other areas and it really was not a problem at all.
The evening entertainment was also very good and the quality of the food the same as the UK and reasonable value for money.
I would not hesitate to recommend it as a suitable alternative to Centre Parcs in the UK.
The kids club catered for our children at 5 euros per child for 1.5hours of baking and they loved it.

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We went for a week at Christmas with a 14 year old and a 10 year old - staying in a 4 person economy cottage.
Friends were staying in a 4 bed VIP lodge on the other side of the complex. We have been to all the Centre Parcs in the UK so this was a new venture prompted by the on site snow dome at De Kempervennen.
We found the Cottage to be clean, and well equipped. With no oven which we knew about but we did have a microwave.
There were plenty of saucepans of large sizes to make use of cook-in-sauces on the hob and plenty of cutlery and crockery - useful when our friends came over for dinner!
The onsite supermarket was a bit more expensive than the off site supermarket but still reasonable compared to English supermarkets. Albert Heijn in nearby Valkenswaard was great for all your grocery needs if you wanted to shop off site.
We also discovered a market there on Thursday and a good old C&A which still exists on the continent.
We hired bikes for all the family which we really enjoyed and came in very useful. We also cycled off site to a local pancake house.
The snow dome was great and both children had lessons there. I also went for a skiing session. Pre-booking advisable. You can hire ski outfits for a nominal charge.
Criticisms - we found the indoor plaza area very smoky with every other table full of smokers - neither of us smoke and have got used to no-smoking places in the UK.
Also it was winter so lots of people were sitting indoors and lighting up in that area - might be better in the summer - or you may be a smoker and think it’s great.

Also there were lots of cars left on site after unloading - this meant that the paths were narrower for cycling on and I was worried about my younger one scratching the cars with his bike.
More worryingly, quite a few people seemed to use their cars to move around the site and drove quite quickly - meaning it was not the car free zone we were used to in the UK and not safe for younger ones to cycle around and have a bit of freedom - again this may be better in the summer.

Final criticism - lots of dogs which I love but unfortunately irresponsible owners who do not clear up after their dogs.
Plus points: Snow Dome; Cheaper than UK Parcs even including ferry fare and bike hire; exploring local town; cycling to local pancake house.

This is a great place for active kids. We were slightly hampered by the weather as it rained a lot but even so there was a lot to do. The snow centre is excellent although pre-booking is necessary.
There was a good, well equipped sports hall with tennis, badminton. Table tennis etc and it was great to hire bikes and cycle around. The pool was fantastic and the water and air temperature just right. The little ones enjoyed the kids club too and the staff everywhere were polite and friendly.
Our criticisms were that the cottages were basic and a bit grubby - the curtains had moth holes and the carpets felt greasy, and the food in the restaurants was dull family fare - the type of frozen dishes prepared by unskilled staff with no culinary interest or abilities, and the drinks very expensive. Apart from that everyone had a great time.

This opened up a whole new world for our family as we could not afford to do the UK parks in the school holidays. De Kempervennen was half the price to book and we spent a lot less money during the week too.
A little tip here - if you have Tesco vouchers, use them to get 4 times the value against a ferry or Euro tunnel trip.
De Kempervennen has a much smaller feel to it than the Elvedon Park (which we have been to a few times). For example, there are only about 5 badminton courts in the sports hall. This didn't detract from the experience though. The feel of the place is very friendly and welcoming and there is always stuff to do. The market dome is beautiful with birds and fish and the free children’s farm, swimming pool and play areas ensure that you don't have to spend a fortune to stay occupied.
Our daughter (just turned 7) loved the kids klub. She was looked after for 1.5 hours and came away with a t-shirt that she had coloured in. The cost? 4.95 Euros!
Eating out was reasonably priced and there was free entertainment in the evening. This is again unlike Elvedon where you have to pay for tickets to see the shows.
The only downside for us was that we had had a very manic few weeks leading up to our holiday and we hadn't got round to booking any activities in advance. Most of the stuff had already been booked up when we arrived. DO be sure to book stuff like High Adventure in advance!
The only question for us now is do we stick with De Kempervennen or try some of the other European sites. Decisions, decisions!

Highly recommend De Kempervennon in Holland for a cheaper alternative to British Centre Parc sites. We paid £600 for Easter week for a 3 bedroomed VIP child friendly villa - only this price if booked through CPs own website - not tour op brochures.
Villa was clean, quality fittings, loads of household equipment provided including kiddies chairs, cot, crockery.
Park is flat so really easy for younger children to cycle round them selves. Ours especially enjoyed the hands on farm and baby goats and rabbits. Swimming pools were immaculate and imaginative. We let our eldest (4) go to a few playgroup sessions, which were superbly resourced and staff were all English speaking, friendly and energetic. These activities were less than 5 Euros per session. Food was also reasonably priced with lots of choice. All staff speak English very well. GO GO GO!!!