Center Parcs DeHaan
As a family holiday, I would rate this a solid 11 out of 10!
However, the service offered here by bar and restaurant staff is abysmal. They are a real bunch of nasty people, at times ganging up, shouting at people and then blatantly and childishly mocking customers in their own language. The entertainments team were brilliant. Neo and his colleagues were absolutely fantastic in keeping my young grandchildren (and us) entertained. I spent £6000-£7000 on this holiday, that's apart from the money my two grown up daughters spent on themselves and their children. So, definitely not a cheap holiday. I asked a member of the waiting crew, if he liked Belgium/Centre Parcs, DeHaan. He said “The country is horrible and the people are even more horrible!” I was shocked. However, a few incidents that followed made me realise exactly what he meant. We had upgraded to a Premier Lodge, and so were a bit disappointed to find balls of fluff under all the beds. Other than that, the accommodation was adequate. My room had a cot in it with one leg down a hole in the floor! There were no instructions in English anywhere – Oh, other than a piece of paper telling you to strip the beds on departure and to leave all bedding by the front door. Presumably, so the maid doesn't have to go upstairs to clean!
Don't expect a cleaner to pop in to clean the place, because in our week, we didn't see one cleaner, which could explain the filth under the beds and the utter rubbish beneath all cushions in the living room! In the actual entertainments dome, drinks were very pricey (between £35-£45 for a basic round). On one occasion we bought a tray of drinks and whilst taking them into the sports hall, one of the beers toppled and a glass broke. We cleaned it up and I returned to the bar to ask whether they could replace the beer. To me, that was a straight 'yes' or 'no' answer. Instead, a manager asked me to go with her to the sports hall, where she then (after scolding me for putting glass in a bin) proceeded to bare-handedly rummage through 4 bins until she found some glass. At which point she said, “I'll bring you another one!” Frankly, for the sake of a glass of beer, I'd much sooner have paid for another one rather than endure that palaver! Later that evening, we had dinner in Tastys restaurant. You book a 90 minute slot. After an hour, my eldest daughter took her unfinished drink, just outside the restaurant, so she could secure a table for the upcoming quiz. We followed suit, only to be confronted by a fuming woman, who said she had told my eldest daughter at the start of our holiday that you can't take anything from the restaurant. It transpired, she had told my younger daughter this after an earlier misunderstanding. So, we had to return to our table in the restaurant to finish our drinks. Not a problem really – except my eldest daughter pointed out to the manager that she had been confused in her assumption that it was her who had been 'spoken to' and that it was her sister. You would expect an apology at this point, wouldn't you!? Nope, over came a higher manager who started banging her hand on a table, screaming at my daughter and telling us to “just go!” I actually had to step in at one point and tell her, “How dare you shout at my daughter!” Again, they began to whittle in their own language, giggling in front of us and continually using a word “Badmingtoon!” We can only assume we were labelled trouble makers, over the earlier incident with the spilt beer whilst playing 'pickleball' (not Badminton)! Hilariously, even when we were sat at a table, two managers gabbled away, looking over to us. Every time they walked past us or if we went anywhere in their direction, out came the word 'Badmingtoon!' Absolutely pathetic from any adult, let alone from so called managers!
So, my conclusion is that the Belgians want your money, but they just don't like the Brits! Clearly, the catering side have some kind of 'power chip' on their shoulders, for their extra euro per hour!