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Things don’t get more magical than sleeping overnight within Efteling theme park accompanied by our own families, yet this is exactly what recently happened when we spent the most incredible 2 nights and 3 days at the Efteling Grand Hotel.
This is the newest and most luxurious of the Efteling hotels, located inside the theme park itself. As we drove up the separate entrance, past the iconic House of the Five Senses and a whimsical carriage laden with suitcases, our excitement was palpable as we’d heard so many stories about what we may experience.
As we slowly parked up at the entrance, we were immediately met by a member of staff offering to take our luggage, which was delivered to our room before we even got there. As we handed over our keys for the valet parking, we were whisked into a world of princes and princesses and from this point on our every care and thought was taken care of.
Having stayed in the other Efteling Resorts and Hotels previously we know how good they are, yet being able to say we’re ‘staying’ at Efteling rather than ‘we will visit again tomorrow’ gives a completely different feeling. Most notably is how wonderful it is to look out into the park before and after the guests have left, hearing the Efteling music play and looking out onto the water and rides beyond the hotel.
“Look, there’s a piano playing itself” our son squealed as we entered the lobby area. With a grand piano playing Efteling music, giant suitcases stacked up high, a cascade of golden keys dropping from the ceiling and very friendly staff waiting to help us we immediately felt like we were part of a fairytale ourselves. A hotel bellboy (piccolo) appeared next to my daughter and started miming and playfully joking about with her. Throughout the day the piccolos interacted with the guests in a theatrical and slapstick way, playing little games with them which our children thought was hilarious. These characters also popped in at breakfast; more about that later!
Our children usually insist on taking it in turns to press the lift buttons but using our digital key to visit the floors only for guests became the novelty that need some organised turn-taking.
Upon reaching the 5th floor, the kids raced down the long, magenta-coloured corridor to the lobby area where they flopped onto a sofa next to a pair of giant’s boots, full of excitement for what would come next.
We stayed in a 4 person Premium Deluxe Room with a striking large circular window overlooking the fairytale forest and Pardoes’ promenade, the main walkway.
The room itself was large, cool (which was a bonus in the warmer weather!) and featured two enormous, very comfortable king-size beds. The beds and pillows were extremely comfortable, and we even heard guests asking at the front desk where they could buy the pillows!
The other room we had was for a family of 5 with a cool bunkbed and pull-out bed for the third child. It was equally spacious and comfortable with a fabulous, elevated view of the main entrance.
We slept very well, no doubt helped by the 25,000 steps we did each day, and it felt amazing looking out through the beautiful circular window while snuggled up in bed. We were astonished at how well insulated the windows were and the room was wonderfully quiet.
We loved both the green and cream and golden yellow colour schemes (the rooms have different colours depending on where they are in the hotel), the luxury toiletries in the bathroom, the bathrobes and slippers and the powerful rain shower.
As with everywhere at Efteling, we appreciated all the extra little touches such as the magical key-shaped light with a tiny elf inside which came on over the coffee machine area and the box in the toilet containing a spare toilet roll, with the words “papier hier” on it! Papier hier is what you can hear when you walk past the speaking bins around the park.
The children were also delighted to discover their frog teddies and little Grand Hotel suitcases for putting their Efteling souvenirs in! The drawer under the coffee machine contains coffee capsules, tea and chocolate coins which are replenished each day. And there is a mini fridge with sparkling water and space for several drinks. We also appreciated the little plate of macaroons which were a surprise on our arrival.
Included in a stay at the Grand Hotel is a full buffet breakfast in the Brasserie 7 restaurant, and the breakfast is insane! We would honestly say this was the most impressive and delicious breakfast we have ever experienced! We set our alarms so we could get down for breakfast before 8am when it starts to get busy and to allow us enough time to fully enjoy it before taking advantage of the early park access included in our stay.
You can help yourself to the copious amounts of buffet delights and order an item from the specials menu too, such as Eggs Benedict, waffles or French Toast. Our only problem was choosing what to have! Breakfast buffet options included pancakes, cereal, yoghurts, fruit, cheeses and cold meats, eggs (soft boiled or hard boiled), bacon, sausages, pastries, bread rolls, juice, champagne, the list goes on!! Decaf coffee can be requested (it isn’t served in the machines). We also noticed that there were signs everywhere for anyone with allergies to let staff know and to ask about options.
We loved the whole ambiance in the restaurant, from the pink and purple decorative hanging flowers which made us think a little of the Droomvlucht ride, to the grand arched windows and the impromptu entertainment. During breakfast on both days our children were treated to some fun interactions with the hotel piccolos, from a game of noughts and crosses to a playful tickle behind the ear with a feather duster! These characters pop up throughout the day in the hotel and never speak, only mime.
On our first night we enjoyed a gorgeous dinner at Brasserie 7. We had delicious steaks, and our son had a mini burger which he devoured. There is a good selection of fish, meat and salad dishes here as well as a children’s menu with pasta, croquettes, steak and other options. In true Efteling style each dish also has a magic ingredient such as dragon’s breath, fairy dust or princess tears! The fun was in the tasting of the different 7 magic ingredients and as we tasted the waiting staff brought us other magical ingredients to try. Before we knew it, we were guessing flavours and making our own combinations which was a lot of fun!
On our second night we opted for bar snacks in the Restaurant-Bar Mystique having enjoyed some amazing pancakes at Polles Keuken in the park for lunch, and didn’t think we could do a full meal justice. Even the bar snacks had extra little touches such as the lavender butter candle which you let melt and then dip your bread in.
Mystique also offers a high-end dining experience, however as guests of the hotel it is always possible to enjoy the enviable position on the terrace area even if you don’t choose to book to eat in the restaurant.
The Grand Hotel has its own pool which is exclusively for guests staying in the hotel. As the pool was open until 10pm we visited in the evening after our day at the park. We found the pool to be lovely and quiet, and a perfect way to relax after a busy day. It is a nice size with space to both swim and relax in the little jacuzzi area at the back. There are a couple of shallow children’s pools and some little toys to play with. We also noticed that there were children’s flotation devices available for guests to borrow.
The water was warm but not too warm and guests can also use the sauna, steam bath and ice shower. Our children felt very grown up sipping the water infused with lemon, lime or cucumber slices!
The pool is in the basement of the hotel and guests are usually required to take a lift down. We were really impressed with the staff who were so kind when one of our children expressed a fear of lifts and instead, they took us down on the stairs through a staff area to access the pool.
The Efteling Grand Hotel is home to Princesses Anura and Adinda, from the fairytales of the Frog Prince and the Princess and the Pea and every day the princesses appear around the hotel and entertain the guests with a little show.
We love how they get the audience involved, especially the children. Watching the faces of the children light up as the princess walks down the spiral staircase and into the lobby area is priceless. You can enjoy the show a few times a day and can check show times in the Efteling app.
The hotel has a boutique and gift shop which, remarkably, is open 24 hours a day. Needless to say, our children wanted to check if this was really true and popped in at a very late hour, to find a member of staff appear with a big smile to serve us.
Just a note of warning, the body and hair products found in the rooms and spa are lovely and smell divine. Should you wish to purchase any of them to take home they are available the hotel Sens shop. We tried them all many times and temptation got the better of us. Now we get to enjoy the wonderful hand and body serum from home as memory of our time at the hotel.
Staying in the Efteling hotels means you get early access and can enter the park at 9.30am, 30 minutes before the park opens to the public. We made the most of this and walked the special early entry route around the lake to the rides.
On our last day we went through the Fairytale Forest entrance instead which is right next to the hotel. The Fairytale Forest is where Efteling began, over 70 years ago, and is the heart of Efteling where the classical fairytales such as Hansel and Gretel, the Princess and the Pea, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood come to life.
The Sprookjesroute takes you on a winding path through the forest, past the iconic red and white spotted toadstools which play music. We loved stopping to peer into Little Red Riding Hood’s house, smelling the sweet scent wafting from the witch’s cottage in Hansel and Gretel, and tiptoeing past the sleeping Giant, being careful not to wake him. And we made sure we stopped to listen to the Talking Tree who has been delighting children with his stories for years.
We used the Efteling app to plan our days, keeping an eye on queue times for each attraction. Queue times were very manageable during our stay and ranged from zero minutes (we walked straight onto Droomvlucht each morning) to about 30 to 40 minutes for Joris and the Dragon. Most were 15 to 20 minutes. Joris and the Dragon was probably our favourite ride, and our children kept asking to go on again and again. We were very lucky on our first day too as we got on just before the park closed and the staff let everyone stay on and go around a second time!
We enjoyed trying out the new Hoogmoed ride which we affectionally called “Baby Baron”. This is perfect if the Baron feels a bit too extreme still.
Our son, who has previously been wary of rollercoasters decided that he was brave enough this year and couldn’t get enough of the Python! ”that’s one way to wake yourself up!” he said afterwards. He was also presented with a certificate for his first ever Python ride!
The Pirana water rapids are also a firm favourite and a great way to cool down on a summer’s day.
The wonderful advantage of staying overnight is that it allows you to really enjoy not only the rides but the beautiful surroundings that Efteling is set in and all the additional shows and performances, all at your own pace. The convenience of the hotel also means it is easy to pop back for a swim, rest in your room or to have a meal.
We visited during the opening of the summer season. This meant that we could enjoy late opening hours until 10pm each day, themed summer treats and the Summer Festival area with its food stalls, shows and fairground style games. We also enjoyed the Aquanura water show multiple times and the final show of the night was at 10:15pm which was wonderfully atmospheric as the darkness set in over the park.
This was our first time seeing the Magicaluna show which is held in the same theatre as Caro, just opposite the hotel. We were amazed at some of the illusions and the music transported us into the magical experience of Luna who discovered that you’re never too old to enjoy toys and their imaginary world. This is a fast-paced, colourful and fun show which lasts about 20 minutes.
Driving away from the Grand Hotel we reflected on our stay. It was nothing short of perfect and sleeping inside the park itself was a game-changer. Staying at the Grand Hotel you really do feel like royalty; luxury and Efteling magic are woven into every detail of your stay and the level of service was exemplary.
The only problem is, our daughter turned to us as we drove away, “all hotels are going to feel bad now that I’ve been to the Grand Hotel at Efteling”.
Efteling is easily accessible from Amsterdam, Brussels and Eindhoven airports and is doable without a car. Driving from Calais or the Dutch ferry ports is also straightforward.
Efteling has special festive stays available for Christmas and New Year 2026 and bookings for 2027 (apart from Christmas and New Year) are now open.
BOOK YOUR STAY AT EFTELING Contact UsThis was a press trip and we would like to thank Efteling for facilitating our stay.
