Center Parcs De Kempervennen — Hotel in Bergeijk

Check in was easy as we'd already done it online and our checker had already yped our reg in by the time we got to him.|Parked car at noon and got our bearings as we weren't allowed into the lodge until 4pm. We parked up and went and hired 2 bikes for 4 days at 9 euro per day. Why I didn’t take all 4 of ours I’ll never know! (Probably as I’d need to buy another 2 bike racks!)|We ate in the cafe at 1pm as we didn't bother with the pricey ferry stuff and we'd missed the motorway service stations. No wait to be seated. Ordered straight away and got 16 chicken wings, nachos, 3 chips a nest dog and ham n cheese toaster with 4 diet cokes - 79 euro!|At 4pm the gates opened and we were able to go and get the car to unpack. We unpacked and popped along to the action centre for a game of squash (8 euro per 30 mins). However only 1 light was on, no court heaters, and the court is not fully enclosed (see photos).|if you want to borrow any equipment get there early as the staff work on the bar too and if anyone is getting a large order you’ll be waiting ages.|We complained about the lights and the lass on duty had no idea how to get them on or if they were broken. She did say she'd refund a 30 min session for us tho. We turned up the day after and a different lass turned the lights on straight away. It appeared the lass the day before just didn't know where the switch was (which was right next to the till!)|No towels in the lodge on arrival - we found out you had to buy a towel package. The lodge radiators were dirty and rusty. The bathroom was big enough but again no towels and rust patches on the floor. Looked like a whirlpool bath but given the state of the rest of the place I wouldn’t risk it. The wife did later and it was actually lovely. Towel packages have to be bought (we missed that) 16 euro for a hand towel and a bath sheet. Not changed during your stay unless you buy more!|Squash on Tuesday - we were given an extra half hour due to poor lights. (In hindsight it should’ve been fully refunded) lights were fixed. In fact the lads on the bar in the action shack just leaned to the right of the till and pressed a button! Voila - all lights (apart from one set) came on and we could see! Big tick for that. Big minus for the girl on the day before!|Geo caching - we did this and it was 25 for all 4 of us. It’s hard work as you walk all over the park! Unfortunately the items aren’t checked daily as 4 out of the 10 to find weren't actually there. To be fair we complained and they refunded half the fee back to our bands to be used in anything (we used it in the supermarke). Top tip - We also found out that we can use the 10 euros complimentary on each bands (uploaded on arrival) towards bowling and if we use them all together we get the lane for free for an hour (if booked seperately this would be 27.5 each player!!|We ate out at Fuego grill on Tuesday. A disgrace is putting it mildly. Photos show the bill and the mixed grill (which bizarrely can only be ordered as 2 sharing yet comes on 2 plates!) We all ordered mixed grills and they were 28.95 euro - per person! And they consisted of a sauce of your choice, potato rostini, Ribs (you got 3) that were virtually mush, steak was tiny (literally 2 inch square if that, and rare) the chicken steak was overcooked and 3 inches square, Sausages (you got 2) were 3 inches by an inch. You can order fries or wedges and we all had the mixed grills and fries and wedges but only one portion of fries and wedges came out. When we enquired we were told they were unlimited so just ask for more when they were empty. That’s fine if your server keeps enquiring if you are ok but not if they disappear like ours did! We also wanted tap water but were told no we don’t do that but we have still water (at a cost obviously). Eventually we ordered more fries but they didn’t arrive! We Paid 169 euro for 1 course plus 3 diet cokes (4 euro each) a carafe of Pinot Grigio (19 which filled 3 small glasses) and 2 pints of bavaria (5.95 each). Complete rip off BE WARNED - DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!|In hindsight the burgers looked fantastic and were 25 euro each. Maybe we should’ve opted for those instead.|At the back of the activity centre is a wall that lights up where you have to hit the certain areas with a football to turn the lights off. Downside is having to download the app Yalp.|One of our centre parcs bikes developed a puncture at the back wheel so we had to take it back to the bike hut. They just changed it no problem. However after an hour this one went down. Too so we had to take it back again. The young lad said it was ok but I wasn’t convinced so he added a tiny amount of air in both wheels. The daft thing is the other bike we hired was quite new. There were lots of newer bikes when we arrived so I have no idea why we weren’t just given 2 newer ones. We enquired about taking bikes off site and to our delight this was allowed. To the right of the entrance to the bike hut is a board with loads of bikes rides of different distances (3km, 6,9,12, 20, 29, 45, 62) including one through nearby Eindhoven. On each route on the board is a QR code that you can scan and download the route you want which will show you which numbers you need to be aiming for.|We opted for the 29km (20 miles) ride and it was great. The Dutch cycle system works similar to ours in terms of signage but I’d say it’s probably clearer. Each checkpoint has a board with a number on and the route you follow tells you which numbers are coming next. Most of the roads have cycle paths either next to them or built in and all of the drivers that passed us were very respectful.|The scenery was fantastic, the villages we passed through were just beautiful, picturesque and clean. We didn’t see one piece of litter or grafiti or anywhere boarded up or vandalised either. We passed through the little village of bergeijk which is fabulous and is about 7 miles in. Ideal place to stop for a drink, lunch or an ice cream. There was a lovely square which had an oversized chess board set out so we had a game of chess then a local stepped in and schooled my eldest in strategy during a game too. Just ensure you always know which numbers you are heading for next so as not to get caught out and ensure you’re looking for the signs.|We stayed in cottage 816 which was a 2 bed cottage. Right out of the way at the far end of the park! But still only about a 5 minute cycle from everything or a 15 minute walk. Benefits are that it’s not overlooked and it gets the sun from approx 10am in the morning and then all afternoon as it’s west facing! Gets the sun until approx 7pm, we stayed in August) where the trees start to get in the way.|On a morning I could walk to the main outer park road and run to the main gate reception and back which was approx 5km.|Fresh au pains and croissants on a morning from the shop are just delicious but pricey at 1.40-1.60 each.|On the Wednesday we were booked into nonnas pizzeria on site. Fantastic. The pizzas were 16 euro each but were nice and wife had lasagne which she said was amazing. The house white wine bottle was 23 euro and the bill for 3 pizzas, 1 lasagne, 2 pints bavaria, 1 bottle wine and 4 Diet Pepsi was 126 euros. Much much better value than the grill.|The market dome gets very busy on a night as there’s entertainment on but as our kids are 13 and 16 we were eating at 8pm on an evening.|On our penultimate day we booked the disc golf and adventure golf. In all honesty I’d say do the disc golf, which is a hoot, and 5 euro per player. The disc golf route takes you right around the lake and takes a couple of hours. Just be careful as we managed to get one disc in the water at hole 2 and another disc over the perimeter fence at hole 6!! As for the adventure golf I’d say keep your money. it was 34.50 for 4 of us for 18 tiny holes. It did fill an hour (due to waiting of folk) but it really isn’t worth it.|All in all we had a great time and would come back here again but maybe for a week next time. The cottage was showing signs of wear but was well stocked with utensils and crockery etc and was clean. The park is massive and there’s loads of other activities to do that I haven’t mentioned (kids safari cars, beach volleyball, a small 3G footy area, ski centre, family paintball (looked like a rip off as the circuit is tiny and they only seemed to ever play for 5 mins at a time), go ape circuit (another rip off as there were only 5 stations to climb around), kids animal farm, beach area, waterskiing (which is a ski lift type of pulley pulling you around the lake, scuba diving, kayaking, ten pin bowling (about 8 lanes) and loads more.|We only went in the pool on one day at the end of the stay but in hindsight shouldve spent more time in here. The slides are great fun and it's warm whatever the temp outside. There's also a laundrette on site too. |I would strongly recommend this place as an alternative to the English ones. A bit more of a trek but that just added to the holiday. Hope you find...

This was not our first time here at the Kempervennen. Our previous stays were fine, no complaints. This time we decided to rent the VIP Eden which is meant to be the most luxurious of all the cottages. We have rented one previously at a different location and loved it so we thought to do it again.

However upon arrival it was a major disappointment. Our cottage was extremely outdated, there were stains on the walls, ceilings, floors. The radiators had a thick layer of grime, as did the doors and even the door hinges. Considering we are travelling with a crawling child it was a worry for me to see how dirty everything was. It seemed like the house had not had a proper clean in a very long time. Our cottage has a built in espresso machine with a milk froth feature and that was coated in crusty old milk. Gross. The level of filth in this house was clearly that it has not been properly cleaned in a very long time. This is worrying considering its a family park where there are lots of young babies.

I called down to reception to complain that the house was basically filthy. So a couple of hours later two ladies came and did and extra two hours of cleaning. Unfortunately that was just not enough. The radiators were extremely dirty, the tube for the bath was black with mold, lights in the bathroom were not working properly so it was extremely dark when night fell, the fireplace was not working and our bbq rack was dirty . Basically everything. So once again I called the next morning and asked for the manager to come and inspect the house with me. I showed him the dirty wonky beds, the grime, the tatty cleaning materials. I walked him through everything. More than I can even list here. He was apologetic and unfortunately for us there was no other cottage to move to. So we had little choice than to stay.

I will give the team here credit that they did do their best to try to fix the situation, and that for me was well appreciated. Two extra teams came to clean the house and the tech team came to replace two light bulbs (but not all of them) they replaced the bath tube as well. We never got the bbq rack as requested, but since it's been raining all week it wasn't a big deal. The cleaning equipment also was tatty so it's been a bit of a chore trying to keep the house tidy. To be fair there is only so much they could do. It's not like they could repaint and plaster walls while we are staying here (and it's not like we would want that smell and hassle around us). The house still needs a major clean up (please look under beds, corners, hinges, tops of doors, walls).

We were also compensated for our trouble so it's not like they did nothing to try to remedy the situation. They even checked other parks in the country but everywhere was booked up so we couldn't move. I'll be honest and say this really did put a dampen on the holiday and I've found it hard to sit back and relax.

The rest of the park is really lovely, the forests are well maintained. Its a shame that other guests seem to leave trash in the forests. Its a shame that other guests treat the houses poorly and that will reflect on how they look later on. I do think the cleaning teams here do need to do a better job at properly cleaning each house before the next guests arrive. It seems they do a surface clean only which is just not enough.

This park does have plenty to do and there is something for everyone. They've got a lovely little petting zoo, a playground by the lake and plenty of entertainment for all ages. Food wise you can't really complain because again there is something for everyone. We went to the Evergreen as it was the easiest for us and its buffet food so you can pick and choose what you like.

One note, bring mosquito spray. Each time we've come it's been the same, mosquitos here are rampant. My son has something like seven bites on one cheek the one time I forgot to check his room before bed time. So be sure to bring some kind of repellant as it will be a must have.

Would we come back? Yes. But only after they do the big refurbishment....

An amazing venue just 1 hour and 30 minutes away from Amsterdam. Great location, great size (Ie not too big and not too small) this is a fantastic center parcs which has everything to offer. For all activities we booked online ahead before we visited. For bikes, this is 100% needed as they disappear quickly. There were no bikes available to rent for other people on our visit. The other activities you can book on arrival. |The park itself boats multiple lakes - 1 used for water sports (Water skiing and wakeboarding) the other for scuba diving, padel boarding and kayaking. The Mundo Dome is a very classic center parcs setup. Not as big as some of the others but has a great super market that meets you needs, and at low prices, a bowling alley, several restaurants and of course the water park. Slightly smaller than other center parcs, and could do with a few more outdoor rides (rapids is very small compared to other resorts) however it is good enough to kill an hour and very enjoyable. Restaurants are an Italian, American style cafe, a meat restaurant and a fast food one. All food tastes great, we particularly liked that you could get veggie/vegan options at the fast food restaurant. The only disappointing thing is there are little options for takeaway. Only the Italian with pizza and the fast food restaurant allow you to takeaway food. So there are little options for dining outside of the dome (Unless you cook and eat at your villa) We recommend taking food away from the dome (Pizza or fast food) and eating it at ‘The action factory’ as this has a large outdoor area and also you can order drinks to the table there. |The water sports was our favourite area. There is a lively cafe there that sells food and drinks (including alcohol) We used the watersports area several times for water skiing and once for the outdoor waterpark. The skiing is fantastic, the lake is huge and boasts modern cables, you also get 90 minutes on the booking. The outdoor waterpark is great, however we found it was too busy for our session. They could do with capping the number of people who book onto it. (Our advice, ask how many people have booked onto it). Go-ape ropes course is also highly recommended. This was a great experience. |Villas themselves are standard center parcs setup. Clean, but very old and do need modernising and updating. The beds are not very comfortable. They (unfortunately) charge you extra for towels etc, so we had to bring our own towels, bath mats, dish cloths etc with us. The villa provides nothing if you go for this option!|Bike rental (Highly recommend) is great, you can walk the park without it, but it makes it much faster and enjoyable to rent one. The park itself is very flat, there are no uphills, so it is a very easy ride around the park. It is not too large either.|Beach area with the lake is also a very nice spot to relax it.|Overall a fantastic and very enjoyable visit. The cost is fantastic (one of the best priced center parcs) and half the cost of the UK parks. We would definitely visit again. All staff on site extremely friendly, helpful and speak very...