Drenthe has holiday parks with 36 units and parks with ?. That difference shapes your week more than the location does, because the province is forest, heathland and megalithic tombs wherever you go. The question is not where to stay, but how busy you want it. Here is how to choose.
The large parks: pool, activities and choice
5 parks in Drenthe have more than 25 houses. RCN de Noordster in Dwingeloo is the largest with 36, followed by Het Land van Bartje with 32, Vakantiepark De Wiltzangh with 31 and Orveltermarke with 29. On parks this size there is always something to do when it rains, and in Drenthe that is not a superfluous luxury.
What you get in return is predictability. An indoor pool, an activity team, a restaurant and a shop on site. Three of those four parks have both an indoor pool and an activity programme. For a family with children aged four to twelve, that is the difference between a good week and four days of board games.
The large parks also have the largest houses. The highest occupancy in Drenthe is 24 people, at Aelderholt in Aalden. Above twelve people 5 parks remain; on most others it stops at eight or ten. Aelderholt has the widest group range, with 12 houses for eight people or more.
The question is not where to stay in Drenthe, but how busy you want it.
The small parks: quiet and space around you
At the other end are parks with five to fifteen houses. Hunerwold State in Wateren and Roodewoud in Rolde have five each, both deep in the forest and both sleeping up to six. PUUR Exloo has nine, Dormio Resort De Hondsrug in Gasselte twelve, Drentse Lagune in Westerbork fifteen.
On a park this size you meet the same four families all week. There is no activity team, no snack bar and often no reception after five. What there is: silence, forest right up to the terrace door, and a night sky you will not find in the Randstad. The Drents-Friese Wold national park is next door at Wateren, and the megalithic tombs of Borger and Exloo are a short cycle from the parks there.
Travelling to Drenthe with a dog
Drenthe suits dogs: forest tracks, open heathland and few crowds. There is choice on both sides, though the small parks tend to be more relaxed about it. Hunerwold State and Roodewoud allow dogs, as do EuroParcs Ruinen and Dormio De Hondsrug. On the large parks it depends on the house type, so check with the provider before you book.
How to choose
Children under twelve, travelling in the summer holidays, rain on the forecast: a large park with an indoor pool. A couple or a family with older children, outside high season, cycling and walking as the main plan: a small park in the forest. A group of more than twelve: that leaves 5 parks in Drenthe, and all of them are large.
The price gap is smaller than you would expect. Large parks charge for the facilities, small parks for the space. What you are really buying is the mood of your week.
Parks that fit
RCN de Noordster
- Park situated inside Nationaal Park Dwingelderveld
- Accommodations range from safari tents to group lodges
- Dwingeloo radio telescope within cycling distance
Het Land van Bartje
- Indoor and outdoor pools plus pony ranch on site.
- Farm-style bungalows and farmhouses for groups up to ten.
- Bartje museum in nearby Assen tells local Drenthe stories.
Vakantiepark De Wiltzangh
- Outdoor swimming pool on the park grounds.
- Lodges and cabins available with hot tub or wellness.
- Ruinen village centre within cycling distance.
Orveltermarke
- Indoor play farm available for children on-site.
- Bungalows up to 24 persons near Drentse heathland.
- Dwingelderveld National Park located close to Witteveen.
Aelderholt
- Indoor swimming pool and indoor children's play paradise available.
- Bungalows available for groups up to sixteen persons.
- Hunebedcentrum in nearby Borger explains Drenthe's prehistoric past.
De Drentse Vennen
- Private garden and terrace at each accommodation.
- Cottages for 4 to 8 guests in a wooded setting.
- Fochteloerveen peat reserve is eight kilometres away.
