Review: Eurocamp - Duinrell, Holland

Value for money 4/5

Adequate/suitable facilities: 4/5

Overall family friendliness: 5/5

What’s Duinirell Camp like?

Duinrell is a large campsite in Holland about an hour from Schipol Airport that sits right next to (and has direct access to) a theme park and water park.

There’s a mix of cabins and camping pitches (there are shared shower blocks if you're in a tent). Cabins vary a lot in size and in terms of how many people they accommodate.

Eurocamp is one of the companies that offer cabins on the site, from 2 bed + 1 bath, to 2 bed + 2 baths to 3 bed + 1 bath. If you’re booking for a party larger than 9 you’ll need to phone them - you can’t book online for more than 8 guests.

How much is it?

Our cabin was around £1,200 for 6 nights in August, but Eurocamp do some great half price and discount deals - especially later in the year.

There are around 169 sites where Eurocamp operates so if you shop around you'll hopefully find something in your budget. Though you could also look at going with another family and sharing a cabin which would reduce the cost too.

What are the Eurocamp cabins like?

The cabins are basic but comfortable - they have heaters in case it gets cold, and while we had no air-con there was a fan if it got too hot (which it didn’t).

We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom cabin. There was a room with a double bed and the children’s room had bunk beds and a third bed.

There was a small lounge - no TV, radio or anything for entertainment (and we’ll talk about WiFi later).

You could also turn the sofa in the small lounge into a bed, so potentially you could have 6 people staying in the cabin (3 adults and 3 kids) but realistically this would probably be a bit of a squash.

The bathrooms were basic but functional - we had nice hot running water. The kitchen also worked well - we had a microwave, hob and oven and lots of utensils.

Do the cabins contain everything you need, or are there any extra charges?

Although we did have duvets, the towels and duvet covers have to be purchased at an extra cost and will be there when you arrive. You can also book a welcome pack which includes basics like tea, coffee, and jam.

How does the living space compare to a hotel room?

While small, the lounge was comfortable and we really liked the fact there were separate sleeping and lounge spaces.

Usually if we stay in an hotel we’re in one room - the cabin with it’s separated spaces was way preferable, and even though the doors weren't thick, once our daughter was asleep she wouldn’t be woken up by us watching a movie on the laptop.

Did your cabin have any outside space?

Our cabin had a great decking area with a table and chairs, plus 2 sun loungers, and a barbecue. We did sit out on sunnier mornings but didn’t get a chance to use the bbq alas! We did see others using theirs with no issue.

Was there a kids club?

Yes, there’s a kids clubs which runs activities, usually from 3.30pm to 5pm in the week (for 4 to 11 year olds) - such as safari club, fairytale club and craft club. Our daughter went to safari club and loved it!

What other facilities are at the camp?

As mentioned, the campsite is based on a theme park which has 40 rides - from cute little train rides for toddlers to pretty hair-raising rollercoasters.

All the rides are free if you’re staying on the site. In addition there’s a HUGE water park with numerous slides, shoots, jacuzzis and other fun water play aspects - entry is discounted if you’re staying on the site to €5 per person (adult or child) for 2 hours.

Though one of our favourite places was the mini golf course. It was never too packed but great fun for all 3 of us - with 18 holes, some of which were pretty tricky.

The camp has an area called the Plaza which has a large superstore for food, drink another bits and bobs. There are several restaurants and a bar which has lots of events on in the evenings like karaoke, bingo and even musical shows like Aladdin.

There’s also miniature bowling (like regular tenpin blowing but the bowls are smaller!) and an arcade with games including air hockey. In short, there really is no end of entertainment at this camp!

What's the food like?

There were a few restaurants on the camp - some that had a buffet service, others offering basics like pizza, burgers and chips. There’s also good pancake house with a huge carousel in the middle that the kids can ride on while you eat!

The onsite shop has lots of food on offer so you can save some cash by cooking a few meals. We made spaghetti bolognese and a couple of stir fries on several evenings in.

For breakfast we made sure we had bread and cheese in as well as cereals and coffee, tea and juice. We quite like the fact we got to have breakfast in our cabin when we wanted in our pjs rather than like in an hotel where you have to go down at a set time (and be dressed.)

What to watch out for

You child might get disappointed if they’re not tall enough for some of the rides or water slides, so you might have to do a bit of stern talking as if you’re not tall enough - you really can’t go on!

In addition, our child was old enough/tall enough to go on some of the bigger rides but didn’t want to go on her own which meant me and Daddy had to do some pretty stomach-churning rides.

So beware - if you’re not a fan of rollercoasters but your child is, you might just have to brave a few!

Also note that WifI isn’t free which we were surprised about. You can use the same data plan you have at home for your mobile, but if you have laptops - which we both took for watching movies on - you’ll need to pay.

It was around €23 euros for 4 days for 2 devices. We did think it was a bit annoying that it wasn’t complementary but - once we had it, the signal was good and everything landed fast so for us it was money well spent.

What’s Eurocamp - Duinrell near to?

The town Duinrell is based in is called Wassenar, which has lots of high end boutique shops and some really decent restaurants and ice-cream parlours. It’s a short walk from the site and is well worth a visit while you’re there.

How to get to the campsite

We flew from London Stansted to Schipol Airport. From there, it’s around 40 minutes on the train (direct) to Leiden and then a 20-minute cab ride to the park itself.

Alternatively you can look at getting a cab from Schipol to the park - prices vary wildly depending on who you use but the cheapest quotes we’ve seen have been for around €70: you’ll need to shop around.

MFM verdict: As our first Eurocamp experience, we have to say - we loved it, and most importantly, so did our daughter.

While the cabins weren't luxurious they were comfortable and nice and quiet at night, and there was so much to do we'd have to go back a few times to do it all.

Waking up every day knowing we could just walk to the theme parks to go on rides, the water park, mini golf etc was brilliant - and a massive bonus was that we didn't have to spend a thing on these entertainments.

Most years when we've gone away we've hired a car but at this camp there was no need to as we stayed onsite most days (except for a shopping day in Wassenar) which was a good saving.

And when my husband required an urgent doctor's appointment on the Sunday there was no problem - a lovely Eurocamp staff member called Sharon sorted us out and he had an appointment 10 minutes' walk away with a medical professional in under an hour.

What we did see was quite a lot of children in the 11 to 13 age bracket hanging around together. If you have older kids we reckon this type of holiday would be great to give them a bit of freedom but also be in a safe environment. Though there was plenty for much younger kids to enjoy too.

Overall it was a great holiday and we're already looking at other Eurocamp options next year - especially any based on a water park / theme park. So it's a big thumbs up from us! ?

About me

I'm a journalist, my husband is a photographer and we have one 6-year-old daughter. We're finding it's a bit of 'trial and error' to book a holiday that suits us all - I like sun, my husband doesn't, and my daughter would probably spend all day every day in a pool if she could!

We visited the camp in mid-August. The weather was warm though grey rather than sunny. It was actually perfect for wandering round a theme park, but a bit chilly to sit out on our veranda in the evenings and we did put the heating on a couple of times.

Pics: All Tara Breathnach apart from cabin pic courtesy Eurocamp

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