Efteling Wonder Hotel — Hotel in Loon op Zand

There are a number of overnight stay options at Efteling. This was our second visit; the first time, we stayed in Loonsche Land.||Staying overnight is a nice way to see more of the park; I recommend one night, or two if you want to be sure to get access to all the evening shows (Caro doesn't run every night, and there's a light show and a show in this hotel that you could do the same night) or maximize your theme park activities.||Efteling Wonder Hotel has a lot going for it, including a charming theme deployed throughout (including a cute evening show where kids use their dreams to power its flight), friendly employees, and a guest-specific park entrance (you can go in a half hour before the masses).||Our room was pretty small, room for just a large bed and the kid to sleep on the made-up couch. ||I strongly recommend taking a close look at a park map before selecting overnight accommodations. Some are closer to or farther from the main park entrance. The Wonder Hotel is actually on the opposite end of the park from the main entrance. I did not love this for a couple of reasons:||* If you take the bus as we did, it drops you off by the main park entrance, a 15+ min walk from the Wonder hotel. You can set up a van to pick you up, if you do so at least 3 days in advance. Leaving, unless you plan ahead, you can have your stuff sent to the main entrance and pick it up on your way out. But as we just wanted to leave upon checkout, we couldn't get the van, and had to schlep our stuff through the park.||* Hotel guests have access to the pool, but it's at the Bosrijk hotel near the main entrance. It looked like a really cool bathhouse, but it would be pretty convenient to carry/wear your swimsuit all the way to the other end of the park just to swim (and I'm not sure how you'd even get there in the evening once the main park is closed).||* Once it's evening and the main park closes, pretty much your only option to eat is the Wonder Hotel restaurant. It is a lovely restaurant, don't get me wrong. It is a European style 3-course meal. So it is not cheap and takes 2 or more hours to eat. Nothing wrong with that, in general, but it could feel like a lot if you've just spent all day in a theme park with little kids. Tip: You ARE allowed to share the 3-4-5-course items, ie, two people can share a multi-course order. I will say, the food is charming and on-theme. Just felt a little trapped into buying an expensive meal both nights we were there.||So for those reasons, I would probably pick a location closer to the main entrance if I were to return...

I do not know where to begin with this hotel. Everything about our stay was absolutely magical. We came for 4 nights from the UK for our first visit to celebrate my Husband's birthday and although I had an inkling it might be a good time from my research, I was blown away by just how good the whole experience was.||The hotel theme is an absolute delight as people who love constellations and stars and the idea of exploring. To have the ground floor as the operating base with every single detail taken into account, and then the rooms themed to look like you are floating above the ground in this transportation ... I have no real words to express how gorgeous this hotel is.||The rooms were incredibly clean. My Husband has a dust allergy but he had no issues during this trip. Housekeeping came every single day to change the towels and make the bed so we always came in to a freshly done up room. The premium room also has a little board game included to play on an evening that incorporates different aspects within the room to entertain the whole family - I imagine this would be brilliant for kids as it gets you up and searching around the room for hidden easter eggs or doing a little skip and a jump!||The food is top notch quality and a delightful all you can eat buffet is included on each morning (bar arrival) of your stay. There is a large selection of fresh food and the atmosphere is beautiful and relaxed, with a gorgeous animated painting on the wall of the hotel floating above the Efteling park that I was enamoured with. The only thing I will say is that the Saga restaurant evening meal is potentially not for the pickier of eaters, but room service very easily resolves this issue!||My only other comment is to bare in mind the distance of the hotel from the entrance if you arrive via public transport. It is right at the back of the park so it can be a bit of a trek with luggage if you aren't prepared for it! But as for early park entry each morning, it's a breezy 2 minute walk to the gate. Additionally if you are looking to use the Badhuys pool which is included with the stay, you would be best placed having a car during your visit as this is otherwise a 30 minute walk from the Efteling hotel.||Overall the hotel staff were lovely, could not do enough for us and we had no issue with any language barrier whilst there as the Dutch are admirably fluent in English (thank you!) I was so sad to leave the hotel and cannot wait for a return visit in the future. Would...

Our stay at the Efteling Wonderland Hotel had some notable aspects, both positive and negative.

Upon arrival, we were disappointed by the lack of essential information. We weren't informed about the check-out time, breakfast hours, or the crucial nighttime park access closing time for hotel guests. This last point caused significant inconvenience. On one occasion, we were told by hotel staff that the access closed at 11:00 PM, only to be later informed at the park entrance that it was 10:30 PM. This inconsistency in timing makes it difficult to plan your evening and return to the hotel efficiently after a day at the park.

Another issue we encountered was with our room. We arrived at the hotel to check in around 12:00 PM, but our room wasn't ready until the standard 3:00 PM check-in time. When we finally got into our room later that night, after a full day at the park, we found the air conditioning blasting at full fan speed and set to a frigid 18 degrees Celsius. The room was ice cold, which was far from ideal when all we wanted was a warm shower and to get comfortable. To add to this, upon entering the room, we also found a dust cloth and a cleaning staff report, which gave the impression that the room hadn't been thoroughly checked or prepared before our arrival. We went down to reception to complain about the temperature, and while they adjusted the thermostat from their central system to 22 degrees Celsius, they stated that the entire hotel was kept at the same temperature. Regardless, having a room set to 18 degrees for an extended period, especially from noon until late evening, meant it remained uncomfortably cold and unwelcoming. For a 4-star hotel, we really expected a more comfortable and welcoming room environment, and certainly one that felt completely ready for guests.

On a positive note, the breakfast provided was good.

Overall, while the hotel offers proximity to the park, the issues with communication regarding essential timings, the uncomfortable temperature of our room upon arrival, and the oversight in room preparation significantly impacted our experience, particularly for a hotel of its supposed...