Center Parcs de Eemhof

We have just return from a weeks holiday and like others, I was really concerned about all the awful reviews but we had a great time and find it hard to understand all the negativity in other reviews. We stayed in a VIP cottage by the water, the cottage was lovely and clean, comfortable and spacious and had everything we needed as a family. The bathroom had a sauna and spa bath which was lovely. Slight niggle is that both rooms were made with double beds and our teenage son didn't want to share with his sister so we took off the mattress topper, seperated the beds and problem solved. As others have mentioned there are mosquitos but we expected that and came with plug-in and repelant. The windows have screens to keep them out at night, it would be nice if there was a screen on the patio door but not essential. We hired bikes to get around the park which was good, there are cars and golf buggies moving about but it didn't bother us. The activities were good, the children loved archery, family yoga and my daughter loved the farm. Special mention for flow rider and the guy running it - he was great with the kids, so kind and really helped them, this was their best day! The Aqua Mundo was good and the children enjoyed the slides, especially Turbo Twister. During the week it was busy but the queues moved quickly however at the weekend, I agree with other reviewers that the day visitors make it a nightmare. Large groups arriving. On sunday the pool was packed, nowhere to sit and huge queues for all the slides. We left after hald an hour and decided to leave the parc completely for the day and went sightseeing instead. The was the only major negative. The staff were all friendly, special mention for lifeguard Ricky who was so cheerful, friendly and helpful and seemed more attentive than some. The supermarket is expensive but we drove to nearby Almere and stocked up for the week and just used the shop for odd bits but the Apple Tart from the shop was delicious! Generally we were happy, we have been to Center Parcs in the UK and France before and we enjoyed our experience in The Netherlands. If the couple of minor issues are addressed it could be amazing but it wouldn't put us off coming again.

I'm going to start this review by stating that I was dubious about travelling here having read very mixed reviews from others who had recently been to this Center Parcs, but given our open-minded approach and past experience of another European Center Parcs (Bispinge Heide, Germany) these doubts were ill placed and I shouldn't have been worried as we all had an excellent stay and it met and exceeded our expectations. We stayed in apartment 24 which is on the waterfront and shared with other, non-Center Parcs residents and holiday makers; Center Parcs call this accommodation a "Water Front Suite VIP Apartment" This location was wonderful, peaceful yet near enough to the main part of Center Parcs and the all important Aqua Mundo and other activities. One extra bonus about the waterfront location is that you can park very close to your accommodation and not have to leave your car in the large car park like usual, this also means you got quick entry/exit to/from the parc when you needed it. From your living room or the outdoor patio (apartment 24 is on the ground floor) you can watch the boats sail by and you get a wonderful sunset in the evening). When we arrived we found the apartment perfectly clean and tidy with fresh towels, bed linen and kitchen essentials such as dishwasher tablets, cloths towels and a few other items all ready to go. There were some small (carry on size) toiletries in the bathroom too. Both bedrooms were a good size with the usual large wardrobe for clothes and bedside tables; the 'master room' had a safe which was free to use and a dresser with hair dryer. In the kitchen, there was a large fridge (also clean) and a good sized, 5-burner hob and microwave/grill appliance. The cutlery, crockery and pots/pans looked pretty new and of good quality - easy to make meals with. The on-site shop was reasonable with a good selection of food to buy, prices were OK with the expected slightly higher prices to pay for the convenience of being nearby (think about your local village shop). Although we didn't use this facility, you could pre-order fresh breakfast rolls for delivery or go there yourself in the morning. The all-important Aqua Mundo was clean, had plenty of lockers and the usual in/out changing rooms with Juliet type doors. I remember seeing one review saying that the doors didn't lock - they do, you just need to lower a catch which is part of the seat to lock both doors and protect your privacy. Inside, there's a good selection of slides including a duo-racer for the competitive ones and others besides. We found it well staffed and not too crowded at all, given that we were in the back end of the holiday season. A particular mention needs to go out to the staff on the flow rider (an indoor body boarding wave machine) who were excellent in instructing and making sure everyone who had booked got the most out of their experience. I would highly recommend this activity (15EUR for 1 hour). On one occasion we had to

Center Parcs De Eemhof is anything but cozy. We lived in area 2, the couttage was not properly cleaned, there were leftovers from the previous guests in the rooms, and food scraps were left in the corners. In the living room, there was clear mold in several places, including under the radiators and on the outer walls, in the rooms there was also clear mold, among other things, under the beds and bedside tables. The terrace and the area outside were not maintained, weeds up in front of the windows and grass that was 20 cm high. On the terrace we had at least 20 visits from rats. At the reception, they were well aware of the rat problem but nothing further happend. We ended up going home after 4 days. Would advise others not to visit Center Parcs De Eemhof Regards Jan from Denmark