Category Archives: Accommodation

There’s Been Lots Going on in Efteling!

28 Wednesday Nov 2018

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I’ve just been a little slow to update.  So, in case you’ve missed any Efteling news, here’s what’s been going on!

First off, Winter Efteling has already begun, which means that the Ice Palace is now open for another season.  It looks as beautiful as ever, and here’s a video from Eftelwesley if you need a little reminder of how wonderful it is!

There are a few new additions to Winter Efteling in terms of snacks this year.

Efteling.com

The first being glittery cotton candy (I’m not sure about this one!), hot waffles which are available with hot apple compote, cinnamon sugar, whipped cream and ice cream (yum!) and luxury syrup waffles which you can customise yourself with chocolate and toppings.

Efteling.com

 

It doesn’t stop at the food either; also available is coffee and hot chocolate with a choice of toppings: syrup waffle pieces, a gingerbread man, or marshmallows.  All of these sit on a blanket of whipped cream!

Oh, and on the subject of food and drink, this year’s Efteling mug features Rider Thomas from Raveleijn.

Another addition to Winter Efteling this year is a ferris wheel which can be found opposite Bob in the Steenbokplein.  Last year in this location there was a rodeo moose, so this seems like a much better choice for Efteling!  It looks lovely, and it’s 6 gondolas provide a ride capacity of 24 people per ride.  It will leave on January 31st, so if you want a ride, you have a deadline!

 

Moving away from the park, and the Efteling hotel is receiving a new themed room.  It takes the place of the Northern Lights room on the 8th floor.  The room will be themed around Raveleijn, and the children’s part of the room will be accessible via a secret passageway.

Efteling.com

I’m still holding out for a Droomvlucht themed room!  Although this one looks rather interesting.

Back to the park, and work has started on the next fairy tale in the forest, The Six Swans!  Unfortunately last night some employees reported a gas leak, and it turns out that during construction, a gas pipe has been disrupted.  Oops!  On the plus side, by next Autumn we will have a brand new fairy tale to enjoy 🙂

That covers most of what has been happening over the last month.  If anyone wants to send any photos to me please send them to our Facebook page: Efteling Fans UK, there’s lots more going on over there!

 

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Efteling News!

07 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Accommodation, All Updates and News, Symbolica, Updates from 2017

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There has been a lot going on in the world of Efteling lately…

On May 31st, Efteling celebrated its 65th birthday; and with that came the opening of a new exhibition in the Efteling Museum: 65 years of Efteling.  Included in the exhibition is a very cool interactive map of the park, as can be seen in the videos below:

As part of the park’s 65th birthday celebrations, new accommodation, Loonsche Land opened on May 31st and will soon be joined by the park’s newest attraction, Symbolica, which opens in July.

Take a look below to see how Symbolica is coming along.  You get a great view of the roof garden from Pagode, as you can see all of those 800 solar panels!  Eftelwesley’s video also shows us the area around the attraction, including the queue.

 

Here’s a brief look at Loonsche Land from my friend Eftelwesley…There are loads more of his videos of the new resort at his site here

First impressions of the new vacation park are that it looks a lot like Bosrijk, but it just isn’t!  It does look beautiful though, and I’m sure that many of us Efteling nerds will be planning ‘research trips’ in the near future.

In other news, Pandadroom is finally getting a new film, hurray!  So far we know that the new film will be based around Klaas Vaak (The Sandman, or as Google translate likes to call him, the Sand Cauliflower), but little information is known at this time.  Let us just hope that the restaurant Octopus remains mostly unchanged, as it is such a relaxing place to chill out.

There is also a rumour that Efteling, in conjunction with Europa Park, are looking into creating a flight simulator ride similar to that of Soarin’ in Disneyland and Walt Disney World.  We look forward to that, if it ever comes into being!

And last but not least, gefeliciteerd to Eftelwesley on his 10,000 subscribers!  Thank you for sharing your Efteling videos with us!

Loonsche Land Antlers Arrive

09 Thursday Feb 2017

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It’s been a while since the last post here, but there is some very important news from Efteling that needs to be shared!

Efteling’s new accommodation, Het Loonsche Land, which opens in a few months, has taken a delivery of antlers.  The new holiday park is set to open on Efteling’s 65th birthday on May 31st 2017, and is costing €30 million to build.  You could buy a lot of antlers with that!

Antlers-Photo by vijfzintuigen.nl

Antlers-Photo by vijfzintuigen.nl

Efteling Packages through DFDS Seaways

26 Tuesday Jul 2016

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“We have set ourselves the target to grow into an international destination instead of a one-day attraction” – Fons Jurgens, Director of Efteling.

Well, Efteling are definitely reaching out to an international audience lately, as recently we saw the launch of the Chinese Efteling website, and now Efteling are trying to capture residents of the UK by offering Efteling packages on DFDS ferries (a long time coming I think!).  At the moment, the route only seems to be available from Newcastle to Amsterdam, and it is mandatory to take a vehicle with you, but other that this seems like a very positive step for the park!

DFDS

Here’s what it says on the DFDS site:

If you’re looking for a family getaway this year then look no further than the magical Efteling theme park in Holland. Discover an enchanting world full of wonders, perfect for young and old alike, where fairy tales come to life!

Book a ferry crossing from Newcastle to Holland and package together with tickets and accommodation at Efteling theme park, staying at Bosrijk Village’s self-catering lakeside cabins, located just outside the park.

  • 2 nights onboard our Newcastle-Amsterdam ferry in an en suite cabin
  • 3 or 4-nights’ self catering accommodation
  • Entrance tickets to Efteling theme park
  • Includes transport for you and your car

Click here to go to the DFDS page.

Attracting visitors from a wider range of countries is all part of Efteling’s plan which will hopefully see the park meet their target of 5 million visitors by 2020.

This is not only good news for Efteling, but good news for the UK in terms of holiday destination choices!  Based solely on ticket prices online (1 day ticket) Efteling comes out pretty well:

Alton Towers: £36.12

Disneyland Paris: £36-£52 (depending on date)

Efteling: €34.50 (approx £30)

Europa Park: €44.50 (approx £38, price drops in Winter)

You have to stay at Bosrijk with this package (no option for Efteling Hotel at this time), and as mentioned above, you must take your own vehicle.  One thing that seems to be quite obviously missing from this package which would complete things, is an Efteling bus.  While progressing through the booking, there is no option to add a coach transfer.  Normally, you have to call DFDS to arrange coach transfers to Amsterdam, but in this case where the package is specifically a holiday to Efteling, one might think that there was a bus to Efteling included, particularly for people who don’t want to navigate the Dutch rail and bus networks possibly with young children.  This is where Disney have the upper hand, with their airport shuttles.  Of course, this explains why they insist that you take your own car!

These buses operate in the Netherlands, providing day trips to Efteling.  A bus like this would be perfect to shuttle guests straight to the park from the ferry terminal:

I think we can all agree that that is one nice bus!

So, a positive step forward for Efteling, or do you think this means that the park will become too popular?  Either way, I may feel a research trip coming on!

While We Were Gone…

19 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by in Accommodation, All Updates and News, Sprookjesbos, Updates from 2015

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We’ve been quiet for almost a month now, did you miss us?!

Of course, there have been a few pieces of news trickling out of Efteling in this time, including more recently, an overhaul of the Indian Water Lilies.  It was in need of a dust, as you can imagine, and there was also a new ‘witch‘ added.  There is a new narration which is actually an old narration from several years ago, which fans are very happy to hear!  You may also notice a clearer sound, and a difference in the soundtrack at the very end. Oh, and those geese, have definitely been through the wash!

In other news, somebody burned the fries at a cart behind the Efteling Theater.  When we say ‘burned’, they caught fire, along with the whole cart by the look of things.  Oops!

Pinokkio continues to progress, however there is no exact date for it’s opening yet.

Finally, we now know when Efteling’s new nature park will welcome it’s first guests.  In early 2017, construction should finish on the site which is located next to Efteling and Efteling Golf Park, which will cost a mere €30m to build.  This is one phase in Efteling’s plan to become a more international destination by 2020, when they hope to welcome 5 million visitors per year.

Remember to catch up with us on Facebook, where we post more news and photos!

 

At Night in Efteling…

03 Thursday Sep 2015

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During the night, the fairy tales continue!  There are a few night-vision videos of Efteling residents running around in the accommodation grounds whilst all the guests are fast asleep.  Not a shock, of course, to see the Sandman awake and busy at night, but apparently the rest of Efteling’s inhabitants don’t need much sleep either.  Here’s a couple below; you can find more on Efteling’s YouTube channel.

Efteling have Updated their Accommodation Pages

17 Friday Jul 2015

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For a long time, the main part of Efteling’s website has looked a lot different from many of the other pages.  Some of the site was updated, the rest was not, for example; the booking accommodation pages were still the same as they had been for years.  Until now!  Those pages have finally caught up with the rest of the site, and they look wonderful.  Aside from looking good, the pages function better, and there is a better explanation of amenities and what is included in the price of your room.  There are also better explanations of what can be expected of each themed room (very important if you’re planning on spending the extra cash to stay in one of these rooms).

Here’s a little look at the new pages:

New site 3 New site 1 New site 2

 

Things are looking good!  Oh, on the plus side, this is the English Efteling site.  I know, I know, they’re spoiling us!  And another thing that us Efteling geeks might like to get excited about…wait for it…They have made a nice map showing how to get to Efteling from the U.K!  Exciting times!

Map

Efteling are Planning a New Holiday Village

08 Wednesday Jul 2015

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Speculation on the wonderful world wide web is pointing to Efteling opening a second (nature) park south of the existing park, called The Loonsche Land.  It actually sounds a lot like Bosrijk, as it will be built with a ‘natural look’ in mind, and includes holiday villas and houses on stilts, alongside an actual hotel with 70 rooms.

There will also be a reception building and restaurant.  Other than news of accommodation and a restaurant, there isn’t too much information on this venture at the moment, but hopefully there will be a little more to it than just those things.  Efteling doesn’t usually disappoint, and there’s sure to be some more solid new son!

 

 

Bosrijk 2.0!

25 Thursday Jun 2015

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The new accommodation in Bosrijk is now open for guests!  These buildings hold 12-24 guests, so are perfect for large families or groups.

You can find more information on Efteling’s site here, including plans of the accommodation and contact numbers.

Here’s a little look around the new area, with thanks to Eftelwesley.

The (Golden Tulip) Efteling Hotel

09 Monday Mar 2015

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Does anyone remember when the Efteling Hotel was a part of the Golden Tulip Hotels group?  It was many years ago now, but while sorting through some old papers we found this leaflet advertising Efteling merchandise (click images for a closer look).

Golden Tulip Golden Tulip 2Check out the Swarovski jewellery!  The celebration cakes also look really nice, and who can pass up Laaf beer?!  We also found some old maps which state that Efteling is the ‘funniest’ day out in the Netherlands.  What a strange word to use to describe Efteling!