Hof van Saksen, tucked away in the Drenthe countryside in the Netherlands, was one of the standout stops on our Netherlands and Denmark adventure this summer, and honestly, it might just be one of the poshest holiday parks we've ever stayed at.
First impressions
This park is genuinely beautiful. It's extremely well kept, manicured, and spotlessly clean throughout. It has that "elevated" feel you don't always get from a holiday park. The park is also largely car-free, which makes it feel even safer and calmer for little ones running about, though we were lucky enough to have space to park right outside our house. And with the amount of rabbits we saw hopping about, that's probably another good reason for being car free!
Our accommodation
We stayed in one of the more basic houses on the park, and it definitely looked like one of the older properties, but inside it was comfortable, clean and well looked after. Beds were made up for us and towels were included which is always a win when you're travelling with kids, and a change from Lalandia in Denmark the week before. The sofa was a good size for the number of us staying there too, which isn't always a given with these kinds of places, and very comfy too.
The kitchen was really well equipped. It was pretty much prepared for every eventuality. My only tiny gripe was that with so much kit, there was only one small empty drawer left to store any food that didn't need the fridge! Lucky I had my box system and could keep our dry food stashed away.
The soft play
This deserves its own section because it was honestly AMAZING. It's huge, split into a toddler area and a bigger kids' area. The toddler zone was superbly designed and perfect for my more cautious three-year-old, while her twin was off climbing absolutely everywhere in the big kids' section, as expected!
What really stood out though was the grown-up seating area - easily the "boujiest" soft play seating I've ever come across. Clean, stylish, genuinely nice to sit in. I didn't feel like I was perched in something built for toddlers. And the café inside sells Starbucks, so no instant coffee here!
We didn't get round to trying the bowling alley or arcade, but both looked excellent if that's more your family's thing.
They also have a Clip and Climb by the soft play - looks like the same company in our local trampoline park. The walls looked great though there was never anyone on it when we visited the soft play. I didn't investigate opening times as it was a payable extra, and with so many complimentary things to do while there, we just didn't have time to add another activity on!
The swimming pool
We swam twice during our stay, and while it was good, it was also very, very busy both times. My middle daughter isn't currently a fan of slides, so we stuck to the wild river, which was a little tame for older kids but perfect for her - so that worked out well for us. There was also a lovely baby and toddler pool, which our three-year-olds absolutely loved.
Free activities included in your stay
This is where Hof van Saksen really earns its reputation. All girls did the trampoline session, included in the cost of the stay. The only slightly annoying bit was that under-6s and over-6s jump at separate times, meaning we had to split the girls up - though each session is only 15 minutes, so it wasn't a long wait between turns.
We also did the climbing wall on the beach for free. The instructors were brilliant, explaining everything clearly in both Dutch and English, and the kids got a go on each side of the wall.
But the real highlight for us was the archaeological dig. This is something we've never done with the kids anywhere else. Staff "plant" bones, fossils and artefacts in a big sand area beforehand for the kids to dig up. Each child gets a little dig passport to record their finds, then fills out a card for anything they discover, which gets sent off to the "museum". In reality this is a glass display cabinet near the soft play! The turnaround is impressively quick too - we did our dig in the morning and our girls' finds, complete with their name cards, were already up in the cabinet by the afternoon. They were absolutely thrilled to see them there.
A note on price
We managed to get this stay for notably less than the usual rate because we went right at the end of the British summer holidays, after Dutch schools had already gone back. It's normally almost double what we paid. Even at full price though, I'd say it's worth it for the standard of the park and everything included for free.
Would we go back?
Absolutely, and we'd recommend it to families with children of pretty much any age - I think both teenagers and toddlers would get so much out of a trip here. There's also on-site childcare if you ever fancy booking the kids in for a few hours. Honestly, what more could you ask for!
