Experience it all under one roof

Jul 5 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

Simon Hobson takes his family on an unlikely skiing holiday in Holland

THE idea of being able to pack everything we needed into the car and still be able to have a holiday in mainland Europe seemed like the perfect option.

We were going to be away for nine nights. Two on the ferry and seven nights at the De Kempervennen Center Parcs, in the south of the Netherlands.

We had chosen De Kempervennen because it offered an indoor snow centre. We had never been skiing before and this looked like a great opportunity to try out the sport without going the whole hog and booking an Alpine holiday.

We arrived at the ferry terminal in good time for the sailing at 5.30pm and settled into our four- berth cabin. It was compact but more than adequate with an en suite toilet and shower.

The children were very excited about the whole experience and enjoyed watching the scenery go past as we sailed down the Tyne.

The entrance to de Kempervennen was amazing. There were a mass of rhododendrons on either side of the road, check-in was quick and painless, and we were directed to our cabin that was about a 10-minute slow drive around the beautifully wooded lake.

Cars are only allowed on the site on change-over days. So, unless your cabin is close to the centre of the site, it is advisable to take or hire a bike. Cycling in a car-free environment is a pleasant experience – and it saves time.

Each of the Center Parcs is slightly different – sometimes offering their own specialities such as sailing or diving – but they all have an Aqua Mundo. This is a sub-tropical swimming pool, full of spectacular water slides, a wave pool, wild water rapids and safe children’s pools. It is heated to a temperature that whether one is sitting or swimming it feels like a lovely summer day without having to depend on the weather.

We were late arriving on the first day, so only had time for a quick excursion to pick up the bikes and collect some essentials from the mini-supermarket on site. I assume that the prices on site were not drastically different to those off-site, as most of the visitors were Dutch.

I had pre-booked our first ski lesson for the first full day of the holiday so I along with my two daughters, eight and four, set off for the Montana Snow centre. Pre-booking is advisable.

My wife had opted to watch from the café, having decided that she might break a leg and actually was quite happy having a latte.

We hired skis, boots, gloves and ski suits, although you will need your own warm clothing and were led out in three different age groups into the freezing cold centre. The teaching was excellent.

The instructors spoke English to a very high standard – the same seems to be true of almost all the Dutch – and they were very competent and approachable.

My younger daughter only really enjoyed one part of the lesson, even though they had her up and skiing very quickly.

The Montana Snow Centre may not be beautiful but it does provide excellent conditions for learning. I cannot wait to go skiing somewhere with a view next time.

The Aqua Mundo, too, is a place where adults and children alike can enjoy themselves.

There is a good-sized wave pool with a beach area for the younger swimmers. It also has a dedicated area for non-swimmers with its own waterfall and slide. On this site, there are a couple of waterslides – not too scary – as well as the rapids. Both my daughter and I picked up several bruises over the week here. The pool had excellent changing rooms with showers that were always at the right temperature.

Each Center Parcs also has a market place where there are several restaurants and cafes, as well as a souvenir shop (no, they don’t stock clogs) and on this site a bowling alley.

The facilities on site are fantastic with something to do no matter what the weather, with activities including water skiing and wake boarding, tennis, farm animals, otters to watch, a climbing wall, badminton and crazy golf.

There was a children’s club on site but we didn’t feel that we needed the time away from the kids because they were so well catered for.

Every Center Parcs is different but one does know what to expect. The chalet was beautifully clean and well equipped – although there wasn’t an oven, just a microwave and hob.

However, this did make room for a dishwasher which was brilliant to have.

The end of the week arrived too quickly but we were very relaxed and our batteries fully recharged.

It is hard to be stressed when everything is within a 10-minute cycle ride and the children are welcomed and so well catered for.

FURTHER details on Kempervennen can be found at www.centerparcs.com/EN/DK/villages/kempervennen. Early bookers can save up to 35% on the cost of their holiday, and there are last-minute deals available, priced from 239 euros, for weekends in July.

SIMON HOBSON travelled by DFDS ferries.

One-way trips to Holland, Denmark and Norway are priced from £36pp, more information at www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/dsw/en