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Center Parcs Top tip: CenterParcs.fr is nearly always cheaper than CenterParcs.eu for exactly the same holiday (it's often €100 cheaper for a week in summer). Your browser will translate CenterParcs.fr to English if you don't speak French! Read more.
Which Center Parcs is best in Belgium?
If you're looking for a cheap alternative to Center Parcs in the UK, take a look at Center Parcs in Belgium (or Germany, Netherlands or France). Center Parcs Europe operates as a separate company to Center Parcs UK but they share a lot in common.
There are four Center Parcs in Belgium to choose from and they are relatively easy to drive to from the UK.
But which is the best Center Parcs in Belgium? We've done a comparison of customer reviews, onsite facilities and activities including waterparks, distance and travel time from the UK and value for money at different times of year.
If you just want the summary rather than our great big mountain of waffly research, start by looking at Center Parcs Vossemeren or Center Parcs Erperheide.
There are four Center Parcs in Belgium to choose from and they are relatively easy to drive to from the UK.
But which is the best Center Parcs in Belgium? We've done a comparison of customer reviews, onsite facilities and activities including waterparks, distance and travel time from the UK and value for money at different times of year.
If you just want the summary rather than our great big mountain of waffly research, start by looking at Center Parcs Vossemeren or Center Parcs Erperheide.
For the full rundown of how we reached that conclusion, read on...
Which Center Parcs in Belgium is nearest to the UK?
Most British people with a car get to Belgium by either catching a ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge (12 hours) or by using the Eurotunnel at Folkestone in Kent (35 minutes)
If you use the Eurotunnel, you've then got to drive from Calais. From closest to furthest:
So, if you're travelling from the South East of England you could potentially get from the edge of the M25 to Center Parcs Park de Haan in about three hours. In fact, Center Parcs Park de Haan is nearer to Calais than all of the other Center Parcs across Europe, including those in France.
If you use the Eurotunnel, you've then got to drive from Calais. From closest to furthest:
- Center Parcs Park de Haan - 1 hour 15 minutes from Calais
- Center Parcs Vossemeren - 3 hours 30 minutes
- Center Parcs Erperheide - 3 hours 30 minutes
- Center Parcs Les Ardennes - 4 hours
So, if you're travelling from the South East of England you could potentially get from the edge of the M25 to Center Parcs Park de Haan in about three hours. In fact, Center Parcs Park de Haan is nearer to Calais than all of the other Center Parcs across Europe, including those in France.
Which Center Parcs in Belgium gets the best reviews?
When we checked, there were two Center Parcs in Belgium which were fighting for the top spot from customer reviews.
Center Parcs Vossemeren and Center Parcs Erperheide were both scoring 4/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.2/5 on Google reviews. Center Parcs Vossemeren was marginally ahead on Booking.com reviews but there wasn't much in it.
That means that those two parks get similar reviews to the five Center Parcs in the UK, which were all scoring 4/5 on Trip Advisor when we checked and 4.5 or 4.6/5 on Google reviews.
Center Parcs Les Ardennes was scoring 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor or 3.6/5 on Google.
Center Parcs Park de Haan is a curious one, as it is actually a Sunparks which rebranded to a Center Parcs for holidays from May 2020 (both names are owned by the same company in Europe). When we checked in February 2020, there weren't any reviews of Park de Haan under the new Center Parcs name but reviews under the Sunparks name were averaging 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor or 3.6/5 on Google reviews.
So, we don't yet know what reviews of Park de Haan will be, now that it is a Center Parcs. However, it's worth noting that a lot of the accommodation has been 'renewed' as part of the rebranding so the rating might be higher than the Sunparks score.
With a bit of digging, it's also possible to find review scores for the waterparks ('Aqua Mundo') at the four Belgian Center Parcs. For many people, the waterparks are the highlight of a Center Parks holiday so it's worth considering.
The 'Aqua Mundo' (waterparks) at Center Parcs Vossemeren and Center Parcs Erperheide were scoring 4.4/5 and 4.3/5 on Google reviews when we checked. 'Aqua Mundo' at Center Parcs Les Ardennes was scoring 2.7/5. The waterpark at Center Parcs Park de Haan was operating under a different name but was scoring 3.9/5.
Center Parcs Vossemeren and Center Parcs Erperheide were both scoring 4/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.2/5 on Google reviews. Center Parcs Vossemeren was marginally ahead on Booking.com reviews but there wasn't much in it.
That means that those two parks get similar reviews to the five Center Parcs in the UK, which were all scoring 4/5 on Trip Advisor when we checked and 4.5 or 4.6/5 on Google reviews.
Center Parcs Les Ardennes was scoring 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor or 3.6/5 on Google.
Center Parcs Park de Haan is a curious one, as it is actually a Sunparks which rebranded to a Center Parcs for holidays from May 2020 (both names are owned by the same company in Europe). When we checked in February 2020, there weren't any reviews of Park de Haan under the new Center Parcs name but reviews under the Sunparks name were averaging 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor or 3.6/5 on Google reviews.
So, we don't yet know what reviews of Park de Haan will be, now that it is a Center Parcs. However, it's worth noting that a lot of the accommodation has been 'renewed' as part of the rebranding so the rating might be higher than the Sunparks score.
With a bit of digging, it's also possible to find review scores for the waterparks ('Aqua Mundo') at the four Belgian Center Parcs. For many people, the waterparks are the highlight of a Center Parks holiday so it's worth considering.
The 'Aqua Mundo' (waterparks) at Center Parcs Vossemeren and Center Parcs Erperheide were scoring 4.4/5 and 4.3/5 on Google reviews when we checked. 'Aqua Mundo' at Center Parcs Les Ardennes was scoring 2.7/5. The waterpark at Center Parcs Park de Haan was operating under a different name but was scoring 3.9/5.
Which CenterParcs in Belgium is cheapest?
We did a price comparison of the four Center Parcs in Belgium by looking at three popular dates for a week's holiday. The European Center Parcs tend to offer more discounts and special offers than the UK Center Parcs, so you might find a better deal with a bit of perserverance. However, this should give a rough idea of which is the cheapest.
We looked for a holiday for a family of two adults and two children for a week. We just looked for the cheapest accommodation available and didn't include any activities or travel costs.
All bookings for Center Parcs in Europe are given in Euros, so we've given the price in pound sterling at today's exchange rate.
We searched for:
Price for a week's holiday over Easter 2020 for a family of four from cheapest to most expensive:
Prices for a week in August 2020 for a family of four from cheapest to most expensive:
Prices for a week at October 2020 half term for a family of four from cheapest to most expensive:
Searches carried out in February 2020. Prices are from CenterParcs.fr which is nearly always cheaper than the English language version of Center Parcs Europe (CenterParcs.eu) for the same holiday.
From our mini price comparison, it looks as though there isn't one Belgian Center Parcs which is consistently the most expensive or the cheapest. Vossemeren, which scored well with reviewers was cheapest at Easter but most expensive in October. Erperheide, which also scored well with reviewers was cheapest in August and somewhere in the middle at Easter and October.
We looked for a holiday for a family of two adults and two children for a week. We just looked for the cheapest accommodation available and didn't include any activities or travel costs.
All bookings for Center Parcs in Europe are given in Euros, so we've given the price in pound sterling at today's exchange rate.
We searched for:
- a week over Easter 2020
- a week in early August 2020
- a week in half term October 2020
Price for a week's holiday over Easter 2020 for a family of four from cheapest to most expensive:
- Centre Parcs Vossemeren - £985
- Centre Parcs Les Ardennes - £1002
- Centre Parcs Erperheide - £1121
Prices for a week in August 2020 for a family of four from cheapest to most expensive:
- Center Parks Erperheide - £1033
- Center Parks Vossemeren - £1163
- Center Parks Les Ardennes - £1265
- Center Parks Park de Haan - £1455
Prices for a week at October 2020 half term for a family of four from cheapest to most expensive:
- CenterParcs Park de Haan - £510
- CenterParcs Les Ardennes - £573
- CenterParcs Erperheide - £650
- CenterParcs Vossemeren - £714
Searches carried out in February 2020. Prices are from CenterParcs.fr which is nearly always cheaper than the English language version of Center Parcs Europe (CenterParcs.eu) for the same holiday.
From our mini price comparison, it looks as though there isn't one Belgian Center Parcs which is consistently the most expensive or the cheapest. Vossemeren, which scored well with reviewers was cheapest at Easter but most expensive in October. Erperheide, which also scored well with reviewers was cheapest in August and somewhere in the middle at Easter and October.
Which Center Parcs in the Belgium has the most facilities?
One the main attractions of a Center Parcs holiday is the range of onsite activities and facilities. Most people spend the whole time onsite rather than exploring the area.
However, according to the Center Parcs website there is quite a range in the number of activities on offer at the four Center Parcs in Belgium.
We've ranked them from the park with the most activities to the park with the least number of activities:
So, there are more than twice as many activities at Center Parcs Vossemeren and Center Parcs Erperheide than at the other two Center Parcs in Belgium. Of course, that doesn't tell you anything about the quality of the activities but it's useful start.
Curiously, Center Parcs Erperheide is also unique in that it offers the accommodation option of a 'pony cottage' where you get 'your own pony during your stay' and a cottage next to the riding school. I suspect my daughter might be reluctant to say goodbye to the pony after a week...
As mentioned earlier, the waterparks at Center Parcs Vossemeren and Center Parcs Erperheide were scoring 4.4/5 and 4.3/5 from customers on Google reviews when we checked. The waterpark at Les Ardennes was scoring 2.7/5 whilst Park de Haan's waterpark was scoring 3.9/5 although those figures were prior to the park being renamed as Center Parcs Park de Haan.
However, according to the Center Parcs website there is quite a range in the number of activities on offer at the four Center Parcs in Belgium.
We've ranked them from the park with the most activities to the park with the least number of activities:
- Center Parcs Vossemeren - 118 activities
- Center Parcs Erperheide - 104 activities
- Center Parcs Les Ardennes - 51 activities
- Center Parcs Park de Haan - 43 activities
So, there are more than twice as many activities at Center Parcs Vossemeren and Center Parcs Erperheide than at the other two Center Parcs in Belgium. Of course, that doesn't tell you anything about the quality of the activities but it's useful start.
Curiously, Center Parcs Erperheide is also unique in that it offers the accommodation option of a 'pony cottage' where you get 'your own pony during your stay' and a cottage next to the riding school. I suspect my daughter might be reluctant to say goodbye to the pony after a week...
As mentioned earlier, the waterparks at Center Parcs Vossemeren and Center Parcs Erperheide were scoring 4.4/5 and 4.3/5 from customers on Google reviews when we checked. The waterpark at Les Ardennes was scoring 2.7/5 whilst Park de Haan's waterpark was scoring 3.9/5 although those figures were prior to the park being renamed as Center Parcs Park de Haan.
Other notable differences between the four Center Parcs in Belgium
- Center Parcs Vossemeren and Center Parcs Erperheide both opened in the 1980s. I believe that they both opened under the Center Parcs brand name. Center Parcs Les Ardennes and Center Parcs Park de Haan are both former Sunparks which were built in the late 80s/early 90s and rebranded as Center Parcs more recently.
- As mentioned earlier, Center Parcs Erperheide offers something unique at the Belgian Center Parcs which is a 'pony cottage' where you get your own pony for the week and live next to the riding school.
- Center Parcs Park de Haan is near to the beach which is unusual for a Center Parcs location.
How can I save money on Center Parcs Belgium holidays?
For some reason, booking Center Parcs Europe holidays through the French language version of the Center Parcs website is nearly always cheaper than booking via the English language website.
We looked at nearly 300 prices and found that CenterParcs.fr was the cheapest option in about 7/10 cases, whilst CenterParcs.eu and CenterParcs.nl were occasionally cheapest.
The difference can be quite considerable. For a week's holiday CenterParcs.fr was usually about £50 - £100 cheaper but on one occasion it was about £160 cheaper.
Whichever site you choose, you will pay in Euros and you can get your browser to translate from French.
We looked at nearly 300 prices and found that CenterParcs.fr was the cheapest option in about 7/10 cases, whilst CenterParcs.eu and CenterParcs.nl were occasionally cheapest.
The difference can be quite considerable. For a week's holiday CenterParcs.fr was usually about £50 - £100 cheaper but on one occasion it was about £160 cheaper.
Whichever site you choose, you will pay in Euros and you can get your browser to translate from French.
Conclusion – which is the best Center Parcs in Belgium?
I would start by looking at Center Parcs Vossemeren or Center Parcs Erperheide. Get a quote from both and see which is the best value for the time you want to visit.
They both get better reviews than Center Parcs Les Ardennes and Center Parcs Park de Haan and offer a much higher number of activities. Center Parcs Vossemeren or Center Parcs Erperheide also both get very good ratings for their 'Aqua Mundo' (waterparks). They're a similar distance from Calais, so I wouldn't say travel time from the UK will be a deciding factor.
Our price comparison didn't offer any clear winner or loser, with lots of variation over which is the cheapest Center Parcs in Belgium.
Center Parcs Park de Haan is certainly worth a look if you a) want to be near a beach and b) want somewhere nearby (perhaps for a weekend). It is two or three hours closer to Calais by car than the other Center Parcs in Belgium.
They both get better reviews than Center Parcs Les Ardennes and Center Parcs Park de Haan and offer a much higher number of activities. Center Parcs Vossemeren or Center Parcs Erperheide also both get very good ratings for their 'Aqua Mundo' (waterparks). They're a similar distance from Calais, so I wouldn't say travel time from the UK will be a deciding factor.
Our price comparison didn't offer any clear winner or loser, with lots of variation over which is the cheapest Center Parcs in Belgium.
Center Parcs Park de Haan is certainly worth a look if you a) want to be near a beach and b) want somewhere nearby (perhaps for a weekend). It is two or three hours closer to Calais by car than the other Center Parcs in Belgium.
