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We were delighted to be invited to stay at the new Beekse Bergen Safari Hotel as part of a trip organised by VisitBrabant.
The Netherlands is a country full of surprises. As a destination often more known for its city breaks it may come as a surprise that in the space of a few days you can stay on a child friendly resort in luxurious accommodation with direct views of giraffes, zebras and rhinos, explore vast inland sand dunes and immerse yourself in the world of fairytales at Efteling theme park. The Brabant region is famous for its gastronomy, hospitality and beautiful nature and we certainly experienced this during our trip.
Beekse Bergen holds a special place in our hearts. This is a resort which has evolved beyond recognition over recent years and now has three different accommodation areas: the Lake Resort, the Safari Resort and the brand new Safari Hotel. You can enjoy uninterrupted views of Lake Victoria on the Lake Resort or enjoy your breakfast under the watchful eye of the curious giraffes on the Safari Resort or at the Safari Hotel. There is something quite unique and special about watching these magnificent animals go about their daily business from the comfort of your room or restaurant terrace.
All three resorts have access to modern child friendly pools, play areas and a selection of places to eat. And when staying in all accommodations you have unlimited entry to the Safari Park and Speelland play paradise on the lake beach. The Safari Park is vast and the animals and surroundings are very well attended to by the park rangers. Speelland is great for young children with its small-scale attractions, shallow waters with clearly marked areas for young swimmers, and large play area on the beach.
We stayed in interconnecting 2 person Savannah Rooms at the Safari Hotel. There are also rooms for 4, 5 and interconnecting rooms sleeping up to 10, as well as a suite for 7 persons with a sauna. A few of the rooms are specially adapted for disabled guests and have parking next to the hotel rooms. Otherwise the Safari Hotel and the Safari Resort are car-free resorts (guests can drive up to unload and reload their car but it must then be left in a central parking area).
Our rooms were on the 1st floor (we had rooms 1057 and 1058). This meant we enjoyed a panoramic view over the savannah and there were some animals out the whole time during the day during our stay. Even at night-time when it was dark there were 3D images of animals lit up here and there on the rocks! And of course, with the occasional roaring of the lions in the background there was no mistaking that we really were sleeping close to the animals!
When we arrived and opened the sliding doors to our terraces the rhinos were out tussling and playing. The zebras then made an appearance, followed by the giraffes and the ostriches! This is a completely unique experience and very cleverly done. The savannah is raised, with little moats, ditches and a fence separating the animals from the hotel building so even though you get the most incredible views, the animals are kept at a safe distance!
The rooms are luxurious and all have a view onto the animals. There is real sense of peace and quiet both inside the rooms and when out on the terrace. You really feel like you are away from it all and in another world! The terraces are offset which provides good privacy for each room, even if you have interconnecting rooms. Our rooms got the evening sun whereas the ones opposite, closest to the lions on the Safari Resort, get the morning sun.
Inside the room we absolutely loved the natural, African themed décor and all the little touches. The bathroom has a bath as well as a separate shower. There is a full width window between the bathroom and the bedroom with a blind that you can choose to keep closed. Or, if you open it, you can see the animals while you’re having a shower!
The bed was extremely comfortable and we really liked the digital control panel on the wall. On this screen you can access everything you need, from adjusting the lighting or room temperature, to calling the reception desk or asking for your room to be cleaned (or not).
The little fridge was handy for keeping our bottles of water cool and the USB chargers meant we could just travel with charging cables rather than adaptors and plugs.
We entered our rooms with a pin code which is provided by email a few days before arrival so you don’t need to carry around a key or a card.
Hogan House is the central building of the Safari Hotel and it has a very impressive lobby area as well as large sliding glass doors at the far end which lead directly out on to the bar/restaurant terrace overlooking the savannah. The décor and furniture are high-end and there are comfortable seats to relax on whilst enjoying the views and a drink from the bar. There are two small play areas on the terrace too, for the youngest children, and we saw plenty of high chairs. In the evening the lobby is beautifully lit up and has a real wow factor.
The two restaurants at the Safari Hotel; the Amma buffet restaurant and the Nommo fine dining restaurant are light and spacious. When staying at the hotel, a buffet breakfast is included. We felt overall that there was a good selection of food, catering for different tastes. We spoke to the manager and asked about how they cater for guests with allergies and they told us that the chefs would be accommodating and would be on hand to assist and advise in the restaurants. We also noticed that there was gluten-free bread available.
Safari Hotel guests have full access to all the facilities at the Safari Resort including Restaurant Moto with its terrace overlooking the animals, Panoma lounge and bowling, and the recently extended indoor pool area, Maji Springs. Safari Hotel guests can also access the facilities on the Lake Resort.
The Safari Resort is where you can get the Ostrich Express, the free shuttle bus, over to the Lake Resort and Speelland, and also where the safaris start from. We jumped on the shuttle bus to go over to the Lake Resort but got the free Chimpanship boat from there over to Speelland. The Chimpanship is a fab way to travel and it’s a relaxing journey across the lake with views across to the Kids’ Jungalows.
We were really impressed by the new central building, Ganvie Village, which was rebuilt and brand new in summer 2022. Ganvie Village is where all the main facilities on the Lake Resort are, including the indoor pool, indoor play, supermarket, bar, restaurant and snack bar as well as the bike hire. We love that there is now a child friendly play beach right next to the restaurant terrace. This sandy beach is fully enclosed and has play equipment including a climbing tower and swing!
Beekse Bergen is a very large resort but the Ostrich Express shuttle bus takes you easily to and from each part. The departure times for both this and the Chimpanship are available in the Beekse Bergen app. We decided to walk back from Ganvie Village to the Safari Resort and this took a little over 25 minutes.
Included in the attraction pass are the walking, car and boat safaris. You can pay extra for the evening boat safari which we did on a previous visit, and for the private game drive. Our group were taken on the game drive which was an exhilarating experience. Lasting 30 minutes in a 10 person open sided Land Cruiser you really get up close to the giraffes, zebras, antelopes and wildebeest and the ranger gives a running commentary with interesting facts about the animals. This can either be booked individually for €15 per person (minimum age for this is 3) or you can rent it out privately for €150.
There is so much to do and enjoy and experience at Beekse Bergen but if time permits we would highly recommend a day trip or two to explore some of the local area.
As part of this trip we visited Efteling theme park in Kaatsheuvel which is just 20 minutes by car from Beekse Bergen and the Netherlands’ oldest theme park. The enchanting fairytale forest, as well as the large array of family and thrilling rides, means Efteling is suitable for all ages. It’s a beautifully presented and authentic park and a fantastic day out.
Close to Efteling are the vast Loonse en Drunense sand dunes, a desert in Holland! These are the largest inland sand dunes in Western Europe, and perfect for a picnic, or you can visit one of the restaurants or brasseries located next to the dunes.
We also highly recommend a visit to Heusden, an ancient, fortified town with windmills, a boating marina and an old square, the Vismarkt, with restaurant terraces. The Brabant region is well known for its gastronomy and we have visited two of the restaurants on this square which we enjoyed immensely; ‘t Wapen van Heusden and De Pannekoekenbakker.
Just 15 minutes from Beekse Bergen is Tilburg, a vibrant and bustling student city which has undergone major redevelopment over recent years. Bubbling with energy and attractions for all ages you can visit the interactive children’s museum: Natuurmuseum Brabant, the Textile museum or enter another world in the Doloris Meta Maze climb-through art experience. The “Spoorzone”, the area around the train station, is home to the Gourmet market which has 16 food concepts under one roof! Older children and teens will love the skate park and younger ones will enjoy getting creative in the technology and science workshops of the Discovery Station. We loved the LocHal library building too, a former rail depot, which seemed to be a hot spot for students and workers alike.
And the picturesque town of Hilvarenbeek, just 10 minutes by car from Beekse Bergen (or you can get the bus or cycle) is well worth a visit. As well as having the larger supermarkets here, Hilvarenbeek also has a large grassy area by the church called “Vrijthof” with a selection of restaurants and cafes with terraces. A great place to enjoy a local dish while the kids play on the lawn.
Beekse Bergen is easily accessible by either car, train or plane and there are lots of different ways of getting there. From the overnight ferry which comes into the Hoek of Holland or Europoort at Rotterdam, the drive to Beekse Bergen is a little over an hour. Driving from Calais, it’s around 3 hours. You can also get the Eurostar to Rotterdam and then it’s under 40 minutes on the train to Tilburg.
The closest airport is Eindhoven airport and Ryanair flies there from Manchester, London Stansted, Dublin and Edinburgh. It’s then a 25 minute taxi ride to Beekse Bergen or an easy journey by bus and train.
From Amsterdam airport it’s around a 1h15 drive or also doable on public transport. The website https://9292.nl/en has all the information for planning journeys by public transport.
We could go on and on about this resort, its uniqueness, the high quality and its suitability for families. It’s no surprise that this is one of the most popular resorts we feature!
Thanks so much to Beekse Bergen and to VISITBrabant for facilitating this trip. We’re sure we’ll be back soon!
For more information about Beekse Bergen or to book a stay please contact us or see the link below:
BEEKSE BERGEN Contact Us
Images of the Loonse en Drunense dunes and LocHal Tilburg : VisitBrabant
