Anyone been with sunparks (Holland/Belgium)

Zziggi

https://www.sunparks.be

Just wondered if anyone had used this company before? I'm thinking of booking a last minute offer but would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks in advance

SHEILA54

Hi

We have stayed with Sunparks De Haan.

The accomodation is somewhat basic, especially the bedrooms, and we had a children's de luxe villa.

The entertainment complex was not bad, especially the pool.

Center Parcs is definitely better but also more expensive. We had a good time and the kids enjoyed the tram ride to De Haan, where you can hire bikes and tour the town.

If you want any further information then let me know.

Zziggi

SHEILA54 wrote: »

Hi

We have stayed with Sunparks De Haan.

The accomodation is somewhat basic, especially the bedrooms, and we had a children's de luxe villa.

The entertainment complex was not bad, especially the pool.

Center Parcs is definitely better but also more expensive. We had a good time and the kids enjoyed the tram ride to De Haan, where you can hire bikes and tour the town.

If you want any further information then let me know.

Thanks! Any more info would be useful (we were also looking at De Haan)

I guess you get what you pay for (or can afford!) I've been to Pontins so I know what basic is. My only concern is that it is clean (or could be with a wipe round when i got there). Is the swimming pool/facilities clean-ish?

When you were there, where were the other holidaymakers from? We're happy to be the only Brits there and we speak dutch/french/german so language isn't a barrier.

Any info you think would be helpful would be gratefully received.

Zziggi

BernadetteN

We've been to Sunparks De Haan. Sunparks was recently taken over by Center Parcs and all their resorts are currently undergoing refurbishment so the accommodation is very variable from the Sunpark basics to the brand new lakeside villas put in by Center Parcs. We stayed in the cheapest accommodation and it was fine for us. You mainly get your own private garden and barbecue. The swimming pool when we went needed a bit of a paint but may have been updated.

I would highly recommend Sunparks but there is also another place in Belgium which is cheap to visit with similar facilites to a Sunpark or Cetner parc resort. It's owned by Landal Grenparks and is called Village de l'eau d'heaure and is near Namur.
http://www.landal.fr/be-fr/domaines/belgique/wallonie/village-leau-dheure

Zziggi

BernadetteN wrote: »

We've been to Sunparks De Haan. Sunparks was recently taken over by Center Parcs and all their resorts are currently undergoing refurbishment so the accommodation is very variable from the Sunpark basics to the brand new lakeside villas put in by Center Parcs. We stayed in the cheapest accommodation and it was fine for us. You mainly get your own private garden and barbecue. The swimming pool when we went needed a bit of a paint but may have been updated.

I would highly recommend Sunparks but there is also another place in Belgium which is cheap to visit with similar facilites to a Sunpark or Cetner parc resort. It's owned by Landal Grenparks and is called Village de l'eau d'heaure and is near Namur.
http://www.landal.fr/be-fr/domaines/belgique/wallonie/village-leau-dheure

Thank you so much BernadetteN!! Actually, i notice you are in Brussels. Can i ask you a question about het atomium please? I understand there is a park right nextdoor to het atomium called europe in minature or something similar (i believe it is like Madurodam in Den Haag/Netherlands). Have you ever been there? Can you tell me anything about it please?Thanks

BernadetteN

Zziggi wrote: »

Thank you so much BernadetteN!! Actually, i notice you are in Brussels. Can i ask you a question about het atomium please? I understand there is a park right nextdoor to het atomium called europe in minature or something similar (i believe it is like Madurodam in Den Haag/Netherlands). Have you ever been there? Can you tell me anything about it please?Thanks

erm no I haven't been to it yet but we are going some time between Thursday and Saturday but the in-laws have been there several times and hubby went as a child. I'm expecting the kids to go crazy with the camera once we get there as they love recognising famous landmarks.

The Atomium, Mini Europe, Oceade (water park frequented by many Arab make teenagers so can be scary to visit if your kids are not used to loud groups of male testorenone going mad) and Kineoplis (huge multiplex cinema)are all right next door to each other. There are quite a few restaurants there too but with 4 kids we have to stick to the Quick place (like Macdonalds but better). There's also a playground next to Quick which is free. So you can easily spend a whole day just in that area if you have kids. It's also the 50th anniversary this year of the Atomium so there's plenty of exhibitions going on. You can also zip wire it down the Atomium at the moment for €25 a go. The cheap way to the top is to book a place in the restaurant so you pay for the food but not the entrance but no photos are allowed in the restaurant.


PS

We finally went to Mini Europe today. The kids really loved the models. There is one or more for each of the 27 EU countries. France gets loads extra, as does Germany, Netherlands and Belgium. The exhibition at the end was as fun for adults and kids alike as the models and it contains loads of intereactive things, including a game where you stand in front of a huge screen and an image of you films you jumping on the EU boarders to remove them - the kids thought this was hilarious. We spent around 3 hours total in there.

OK_Sauce

Hi I've also been to the Sunparks at De Haan. If I'm honest I wouldn't go back again. The accommodation was fine, but if you've been to any European Center Parcs (as I have done in Holland, Germany and France), then Sun Parks is very much on a smaller scale. Whereas you would use a bike to get around the Center Parks complex at the Sun Parks it's easy to walk everywhere.

The equivelent to the Center Parcs 'Market Square' is also quite small, with very few eateries. The pool complex was OK though. The basic accommodation at Sunparks however I would suggest was superior to the basic accommodation in the Centre Parcs I have stayed in.

It probably didn't help that the lake was drained when we went to accommodate the building of the new lakeside properties.

Zziggi

we've booked! We've got what we thought was a pretty decent deal for De Haan. I've been to pontins so i know what basic is. You get what you pay for. We take the view, if it is terrible we'll leave and put it down to experience. We took this approach with pontins and we found it to be basic but OK and have been back several times when it has been free or £60. So we'll take the same view with Sunparks. We may find we love it!

Just another question, on site is there a laundry facility (like at pontins) incase i need to do a wash load? otherwise it's scrubbing in the sink!

Would it be a good idea for the kids to take their bikes? Any other essential equipment/useful stuff to bring?

Can anyone tell me where and what the local shops/supermarkets are like (off site) please?

We were thinking of spending a lot of time on the beach mainly - is the beach any good?

Also if anyone has suggestions of places to visit nearby, i'd love to hear suggestions. We were thinking Bruges, brussels and maybe pop over the boarder into Netherlands and over the French boarder just because the kids want to go to France. Germany i think will be too far (although DS has requested this). Kids are almost 5 and 6. DH has limited mobility but is taking his scotter for mobility (to keep up with kids on bikes).

Thanks in advance

P.S. BernadetteN - really appreciate the useful info and the useful info on the brussels thread too!

Sheel

Zziggi wrote: »

Would it be a good idea for the kids to take their bikes?

We were thinking of spending a lot of time on the beach mainly - is the beach any good?

Also if anyone has suggestions of places to visit nearby, i'd love to hear suggestions. We were thinking Bruges

We've been to De Haan , although it was back in 1994. We hired bikes for my OH and I and our 2 daughters onsite. Too long ago to remember how much it cost , but wouldn't have thought it was too much.

We cycled to Ostend though wasn't that impressed with it. Went in our car to Bruges which was lovely and to Ghent which again I wasn't impressed with , but it may have been that it was because it was piddling it down that day! How about Antwerp?

The beach was nice as I remember.We were lucky with the weather though on the day we went to the beach which helped. Looks a bit cloudy on the pic below , but it was very hot and we all got burnt.



We really enjoyed our holiday there. The villa , though basic , was nice and clean and our girls enjoyed the pool and the other facilities.

Have a great time

SHEILA54

Hi

This will give you some ideas

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Belgium/Provincie_West_Vlaanderen/De_Haan-356912/Things_To_Do-De_Haan-BR-1.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g188670-d562430-Reviews-Sunparks_De_Haan_resort-West_Flanders.html

http://www.flemishcoast.co.uk/dekust/index2.aspx?LangType=1033

Bikes can be hired on site and in the town. Possible to hire 4 person bikes in the town but the bikes on Sunparks site were the old fashioned type, not your BMX or mountain bikes but this may have changed as it is 2 years since we went.

There is a supermarket in De Haan, baker etc. If you turn left when you drive out of the park and drive towards the town you cannot miss the tram that runs along the coast line to your right. Park where the tram stops and take the left road, not crossing the tram line. There is a supermarket on the left hand side of the road but it is not immediately obvious. Cheaper than the shop on site and with more variety. There is also a wet fish shop.

If you turn right across the tram line, that is where all of the bike hire places and beach are. They also have a tourist information site at the tram stop.



If you need a chemist, as we did due to my grandson getting tonsillitis, then the chemist is straight ahead as you drive into De Haan, on the left hand side of the road, or behind the tram station as you face it.



There is a launderette on site.

Bruges is lovely and definitely worth a visit.

Zziggi

Thank you so much for the comments - especially the directions to the supermarket/chemist/fish shop. Knowing my DD and her eye/ear/throat infections, no doubt we'll need a chemist while we're there!