Vakantiepark Giethoorn Cabin – Perfect family accommodation in Giethoorn

Vakantiepark Giethoorn

We have returned from a wonderful week in the Netherlands and one of our highlights was our small road trip to Giethoorn. Giethoorn has become a viral social media sensation after numerous sites shared videos depicting the tiny village as the “Dutch Venice”. The village has significantly grown in popularity but unlike the tourists who visit the village for a few hours to take some photos we decided to spend a night and make it into a real adventure. We chose the Vakantiepark Giethoorn as it was an ideal for families with ample space to cook, unwind, reconnect and have a relaxing sleep.

What and where is Giethoorn

IMG_2072
IMG_1889
IMG_1890
IMG_2008

In northern Netherlands, located at the centre of Overijssel’s canal system is the beautiful and picturesque village of Giethoorn. The village is small and many of the houses can only be reached by boat, as you wander around the village it literally feels like it is something taken from children’s fairy tales.  Our visit was at the start of the tourist season so it was tranquil around the village, everything was pretty, even the rubbish collection is done by boat.  Despite it growing in popularity every year, the village is still remote and in the morning as we took a ride in our boat, it felt like we had stepped back in time and there was hardly anyone in the village.

The Vakantiepark Giethoorn

We arrived at Giethoorn and as the main part of the village is road free we had to park our car offsite. A week before our visit we got detailed information about where to park and how to check in. As our trip was only for a few days we had very minimal luggage with us but for families who are staying for a few days, I would recommend that you check in and bring the boat provided with your cabin around to bring the luggage to your cabin.  Check in was really quick and the staff were really helpful on providing information if we wanted food onsite and what things we could do, from hiring bikes to places to see in the village.

Onsite, they have a restaurant which looked lovely but we didn’t visit as we had our own kitchen in our cabin.  There is an outdoor ship shaped wooden playing frame which my little adventurers loved and a caged football area.  As I walked around the holiday park it was so serene and quiet, it was an ideal place to visit to unwind and have a relaxing few days especially if you have have been busy travelling around the rest of the country, like we had.

Our accommodation

The cabins were beautiful and a lovely sanctuary in which to relax and reconnect as a family.  Located on the edge of the canal, you have your own boat outside your cabin, which made my little adventurers smile the entire time we were there.  The interior of the cabins was immaculate and you can tell a lot of effort has been spent on ensuring the accommodation is of the highest standard, from the beautiful furniture to Maya’s favourite tree trunk wall light.  The cabin felt bright and welcoming even on the dull day we arrived.

IMG_2011
IMG_1827
IMG_2017
IMG_1831

We have stayed in lots of cabins / holiday parks and it was apparent that the Vakantiepark Giethoorn was one of the parks which was at the higher end for quality, luxury and amenities.  The cabin was spacious and could easily fit in a family of 6.  There was 2 bathrooms and plenty of seating space for families to relax. We loved the patio doors which lead to your outdoor decking (we had rain and clouds during our stay but in Summer it would be lovely to sit and unwind).    There is plenty of space in the kitchen / dining area too and a perfect choice for families.  It was really helpful that tge cabin comes with the essentials such as dishwasher tablets / tea towels etc so it meant we could travel lighter then we normally would for a self catering adventure.  The magic of Giethoorn is that the locals are the friendly ducks who stood waiting for us at the door and follow you on your trips out.

What we loved

  • The village is stunning, the photographs will never do them justice but it was like walking around a fairy story. I love pretty villages and my kids totally expected to see a few characters ambling around these beautiful homes.
  • We loved that each cabin had its own boat.  My little adventurers will be super impressed and having the boat waiting for us every time we stepped outdoors made it all feel like a great adventure, and having a boat ride around the village is truly magical.  Between the months of April – October the boats are free for those staying the holiday park and we all thought it was an excellent item to have with a cabin.
  • The ducks were great entertainment and I can imagine younger children totally fall in love with them.  My little adventurers sat with the patio doors open for ages and happily watched the ducks (who showed no sense of fear!)
  • The park was so tranquil and quiet.  There were lots of occupied cabins yet there was a genuine feeling of peace and I think the cabins are a great place to come and relax whilst in Giethoorn (especially from the big crowds in summer) and also from the busy cities like Amsterdam.  The joys of family travel is that it you can take the oppertuity from your daily routines and spend quality time together.

Things to be aware of

  • If you have lots of luggage, it is a bit of a walk from the car park to the cabins so I would leave the luggage in the cars and collect after with the boat
  • They have a convenience store in the village but it as the other end of the village so about 15 – 20 minutes to walk to the cabin.  We hadn’t realised how far it was and in the rain and then having loads of shopping bags, it can be quite an experience.
  • The village is located about 120 km from Amsterdam but it was an easy drive.

Overall, we had a great few days in Giethoorn and Vakantiepark and you can book a cabin on the Holiday Park Specials.  I think it would be a shame to rush and only see the village for a few photographs and staying over over was a really nice break from our super active days in other parts of Netherlands.  The whole area is breathtaking and should definitely be on your travel itinerary for a trip to the Netherlands.

We made a short video of our time in Gierthoorn (Doc even flew his drone!)

 

 

Nisbah

I am a traveller, mother and blogger. We love to go on adventures (big and small, near and far) and strive to show our children how amazing and beautiful the world is! I caught the travel bug many moons ago and despite having three little adventurers, I still suffer from "itchy" feet. We love the great outdoors and one another. Come and join the fun :)

You may also like...

4 Responses

  1. MummyTravels says:

    I absolutely loved your video here – it looks so stunning there, really unusual and I can imagine how peaceful it is too.

  2. Why have I never heard of this place? It looks beautiful, love your photos and your video is brilliant.

  3. This looks amazing Nisbah and I have never heard of anything like this before! Loved your video and the drone shots!

  4. pigeonpairandme says:

    This looks amazing! I really enjoyed seeing your videos and images of the village on social media. I be it was mega-relaxing.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.