Center Parcs de Haan — Hotel in De Haan

We booked De Haan as an alternative to Longleat UK, as we had heard that the Belgium Center Parcs were as good as the UK alternatives, but a little less expensive. So, we thought a rood trip to Belgium, followed by a stay at a different Center Parcs might be a fun adventure. To our misfortune we didn't check if this applied to all Belgium Center Parcs, so we only have ourselves to blame. Rule of thumb, check TripAdvisor before booking anything, and Google Google Google, then Google some more! Research suggests that the De Haan Center Parcs is terrible compared to the others.||We arrived on site to find "check-in" was just a couple of staff wandering around the entrance road, who then checked our details and gave us our wristbands (and a pamphlet detailing what is and what isn't acceptable to wear in the pool!). Nothing like the check-in experience in the UK, where you feel welcomed and well received, like old friends revisiting, and where you are furnished with a wealth of information.||Our accommodation was a four bedroom unit, and as soon as we walked in the smell of damp hit you. It was unpleasant, to say the least. And it never left. The rooms were all quite dark, due to small windows and very little in the way of lighting, and this didn't help with the overwhelming feeling that we had made a poor choice. There was a huge crack in the wall of the ground floor bedroom, and the kitchen was also very small considering the property had a maximum occupancy of eight! The ground floor toilet was tiny, and barely gave you room to get your elbows in. And again, with no natural light felt horribly claustrophobic. ||The furnishings weren't particularly comfortable. Our living room furniture was actually garden furniture!||The outdoor furniture was also covered in bird droppings.||The property was very hot, and there was no air conditioning, and not even any fans as a make-do. We couldn't leave windows open as the noise from surrounding properties was so loud that even with the windows shut, it still felt like our neighbours were in the room with us. This must have been a bizarre acoustic issue to do with our neighbours' living room doors being exactly in line with our front door, and the eaves of the roof. Plus, even with the windows shut we were bitten dreadfully by mosquitoes (or possibly bed mites, as even when we heard no mosquitoes innthe evening, we were still bitten by the morning).||When we arrived none of the beds were made, that was down to us to do. And we had limited towels. We could buy more towels at a cost of around €10 per person, but felt aggrieved to do so, as this trip had already costs of nearly £2,800.00! To make matters worse, there was no option to launder anything, so buying new towels was the only option. Basically, they've got you cornered in this matter.||We also asked if it would be possible to use and iron and ironing board, and we were actually laughed at!||The outside space of the accommodation was overgrown and untidy. We moved the outdoor table and chairs to the front of the property, which was a little better, but it then meant sharing family time with our neighbours, as the hedge between us was down.||We enquired about hiring bikes and we're told no. The reason being "we have more than 2,000 visitors on site, and we don't have 2,000 bikes." Factual, yes, but we've never been unable to rent bikes at Longleat.||The site is very small compared to Longleat, and had we rented bikes I think we would've seen the whole place in under an hour! It definitely doesn't have the "wandering around the woods feel" that we're used to, and which keeps you wanting to get out an explore.||The pool was okay, but not as nice as Longleat, and the slides were smaller and less thrilling, so the children were a little disappointed. The rapids were also closed several times whilst we were there.||One positive, there was a lot more seating in the pool area than we've seen at Longleat, so you were okay if you wanted to sit down. ||The kids wanted to use the arcade, and the machine you need to use to buy credits wasn't working, so that was a disappointment. ||We used the bowling alley, which was boiling hot, and had no air conditioning. We should've been able to access our booking with our wristbands, but we're told that this facility doesn't work, so we had to get someone from the bar to log us in and set us up.||The adjoining sports bar was also unbearably hot.||Archery with Neo was good, he was polite and very encouraging and engaging with the kids.||Ultimately, we definitely will not be going back, and would definitely...

Arriving at Center Parcs De Haan was nice, it feels quite old fashioned versus the British variants which feel somewhat industrialised.||We received a warm welcome, got our wrist bands and drove off to find our cottage.||This is kind of where the warmth ends, clearly most of the staff didn’t envisage working at Center Parcs as a child.||Accommodation|Upon finding and entering our cottage, we were a little underwhelmed with how small it was, compared to a British equivalent. That’s probably our fault during the booking process.||The premium cottage whilst having everything you need, is far from premium. The kitchen is tiny, only big enough for 1 person and you can’t open the lower cupboards/dishwasher if someone is sat down at the table. There are a good range of pots for boiling/frying, along with crockery, cutlery and glassware, alongside a toaster, kettle and coffee machine (Dolce Gusto and filter pot), but these goods take away from any storage for your own food, it feels as though the plan here is to limit use of the cottage to get people in the restaurants. The microwave oven works as a microwave, the oven part not so great. The lounge is big enough but pretty basic, the toilet room is tiny, especially if you’re trying to help a child use it. The shower and basin are in another room next to the toilet, which is like an ice rink and there is no bath mat provided, which given it’s supposed to be geared up for young children (toddler toilet seat included) is a little bit surprising. Talking of what’s not included… bath towels (that’s an optional extra - ridiculous!) thankfully we were aware of this and brought our own. The bedrooms are ok, but the beds have to be the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever slept on, even a short backed camping chair is more comfortable.|There is an outdoor cupboard which contains; clothes airer, vacuum, dustpan and brush and parasol.|There are TV’s but we didn’t use them.||Tip: Bring your own pillows and towels.||Restaurants|Given the poor amount of kitchen space, we wanted to eat inside the restaurants, after all you’re on holiday right? However our daughter is allergic to cows milk, so we checked the menus and booked a table at Il Giardino (Italian) to try it out. The menus highlight allergens, however despite the kids penne with tomato sauce stating no dairy, the waiter checked with the chef and that’s incorrect, it contains milk, so all that could be offered was a basic tomato pizza with no cheese, however we could add prosciutto. Thank goodness for antihistamine, as clearly there was cross contamination causing our daughter to start itching and sneezing repeatedly.||One other food note, the vegan nuggets contain milk (not so vegan after all). ||Safe to say allergens aren’t taken seriously here.||Thankfully there is a nice Aldi 5/10 minutes down the road, so we could buy fresh food to cook for us all in the tiny kitchen.||Activities|The beauty of a Center Parcs is the wide range of activities, we enjoyed:|* Aquamundo (Swimming Center), offering a good selection of pools; baby/toddler splash pool, main inside pool including wave machine, waterfalls and slides, along with an outside pool for the rapids.|* Baluba (Soft Play), this is really big, offers lots but is quite dark and grubby.|* Bowling, really cute little alley with 6 lanes (but lane 6 slopes to the left). |* Farm Visit, this was a lovely addition and our kids enjoyed stroking the animals and sitting on the tractors.|* Mini Golf, always a favourite of mine, nice to see the kids join in but the course needs some maintenance.|* Park, offering a good selection of equipment and sand, providing lots of entertainment.|* E-Rickshaw, which was fun and enabled us to easily explore the site on our first day.||One other thing to note is that there is no air conditioning on site, therefore during the 30 degrees (Celsius) weather it’s very uncomfortable both in the cottage and the Market Dome.||Verdict|Would I come back to Center Parcs De Haan, probably not. I’d visit De Haan and stay somewhere else near the beautiful beaches and enjoy the wonderful sites of Belgium, but given dietary requirements and general comfort, sadly it’s fallen...

As a family holiday, I would rate this a solid 11 out of 10 ! However, the service offered here by bar and restaurant staff is abysmal. They are a real bunch of nasty people, at times ganging up, shouting at people and then blatantly and childishly mocking customers in their own language. The entertainments team were brilliant. Neo and his colleagues were absolutely fantastic in keeping my young grandchildren (and us) entertained. I spent £6000-£7000 on this holiday, that's apart from the money my two grown up daughters spent on themselves and their children. So, definitely not a cheap holiday. I asked a member of the waiting crew, if he liked Belgium/Centre Parcs, DeHaan. He said “The country is horrible and the people are even more horrible!” I was shocked. We had upgraded to a Premier Lodge, and so were a bit disappointed to find balls of fluff under all the beds. Other than that, the accommodation was adequate. My room had a cot in it with one leg down a hole in the floor! There were no instructions in English anywhere – Oh, other than a piece of paper telling you to strip the beds on departure and to leave all bedding by the front door. Presumably, so the maid doesn't have to go upstairs to clean! Don't expect a cleaner to pop in to clean the place, because in our week, we didn't see one cleaner, which could explain the filth under the beds and the utter rubbish beneath all cushions in the living room! In the actual entertainments dome, drinks were very pricey (between £35-£45 for a basic round). On one occasion we bought a tray of drinks and whilst taking them into the sports hall, one of the beers toppled and a glass broke. We cleaned it up and I returned to the bar to ask whether they could replace the beer. To me, that was a straight 'yes' or 'no' answer. Instead, a manager asked me to go with her to the sports hall, where she then (after scolding me for putting glass in a bin) proceeded to bare-handedly rummage through 4 bins until she found some glass. At which point she said, “I'll bring you another one!” Frankly, for the sake of a glass of beer, I'd much sooner have paid for another one rather than endure that palaver! Later that evening, we had dinner in Tastys restaurant. You book a 90 minute slot. After an hour, my eldest daughter took her unfinished drink, just outside the restaurant, so she could secure a table for the upcoming quiz. We followed suit, only to be confronted by a fuming woman, who said she had told my eldest daughter at the start of our holiday that you can't take anything from the restaurant. It transpired, she had told my younger daughter this after an earlier misunderstanding. So, we had to return to our table in the restaurant to finish our drinks. Not a problem really – except my eldest daughter pointed out to the manager that she had been confused in her assumption that it was her who had been 'spoken to' and that it was her sister. You would expect an apology at this point, wouldn't you!? Nope, over came a higher manager who started banging her hand on a table, screaming at my daughter and telling us to “just go!” I actually had to step in at one point and tell her, “How dare you shout at my daughter!” Again, they began to whittle in their own language, giggling in front of us and continually using a word “Badmingtoon!” We can only assume we were labelled trouble makers, over the earlier incident with the spilt beer whilst playing 'pickleball' (not Badminton)! Hilariously, even when we were sat at a table, two managers gabbled away, looking over to us. Every time they walked past us or if we went anywhere in their direction, out came the word 'Badmingtoon!' Absolutely pathetic from any adult, let alone from so called managers! So, my conclusion is that the Belgians want your money, but they just don't like the Brits! Clearly, the catering side have some kind of 'power chip' on their shoulders, for their extra euro per hour! UPDATE ON MY ABOVE REVIEW - ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS! Yet more apologies!? but what exactly are you going to do to escalate your 3.8 to...