Review: Duinrell, Making Truly Magical Memories

The Starkey family contacted us for advice about travelling to Duinrell with children who have attachment disorder, autism and ADHD. Their holiday was a real success and they left us this review:

“As a single mother of two children with special needs it can be challenging to find somewhere to go on holiday that provides entertainment, comfort and the chance for me to relax too. Thanks to the help of Jane and Laura from Little Clogs, booking a holiday to Duinrell provided just that.

We travelled to Holland on the overnight ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland. This gave us the chance to break up the journey and have a night’s sleep to keep the routine that my children need.

It was then a short drive to Duinrell where check-in was straight forward and quick. We easily found our Duingalow which I had specifically selected so that we could be close to the main plaza building. As my daughter is a teenager now, I like to be able to give her some independence and being in this location meant it was safe for her to go to the on-site shop alone.

Rick the Kikker is the main mascot and theme of Duinrell. He does regular meet and greets around the park and travels about on his own limousine (an adapted golf cart). My son loved spotting his vehicle; he is frightened of mascots themselves, but as you can find out where Rick will be, using the website app, it was easy to prepare him for when he might see him, eliminating his anxiety.

There was plenty to do at Duinrell including extra activities in the evenings for people staying on-site. It was a small enough holiday park, which meant it was not overwhelming for my children. We were always within a 5 minute walk of our accommodation for when we needed some downtime and for my kids to regulate.

The biggest hit for us were the indoor and outdoor pools. The water always provides fantastic sensory input for my children, but as it was my son’s first experience of a wave pool, he was overjoyed. The pool is always busy, but as you can book a time slot for the pool a day in advance, I was always careful to get one of the earliest slots when it was quieter. Booking a day in advance also meant that I could share what the plan was for the following day with my children so that they were prepared – neither responds well to surprises!

After a couple of days on-site we decided to walk into the local village of Wassenaar. It is just a 5 minute walk from Duinrell and we only had to cross one busy road to get there. The main shopping area is pedestrianised which again meant that I could be more relaxed, just as you should be on a holiday!

Time flew and before we knew it, it was soon time to head home. We will certainly be returning and now we are so comfortable at Duinrell I would like to explore more of the local area. Little Clogs also told me that the local beaches are beautiful. We will definitely be renting go karts or bikes on our next holiday to Duinrell so as we can venture further afield.

Thanks Jane and Laura for helping make truly magical memories for my family in summer ‘22!”

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