The Ardennes  is a region in the South of Belgium of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges formed by the geological features of the mountain range with the same name. The mountain researches about 700 m in altitude at its maximum. Even if not as impressive as the nearby Alps, this is still a lovely area (and the only mountain range that Belgium has). It is a favorite destination for Belgians and nearby French residents in Summer, to escape the busy city and do some hiking or kayaking in one of the many rivers.

In late January 2020 we decided to head down from Brussels and check out one of the 4 Belgian Center Parks resorts for a long weekend. We expected cold and maybe rain with most of time to be spent in Aqua Mundo. We got 10 cm of snow, a snowman visit and, as expected, lots of Aqua Mundo. It was a lovely escape from rainy Brussels that might be worth repeating in Summer.

 

The Center Parks Attactions

Let’s start with the main reason you are considering a Center Parks: keep the kids entertained with a full day of activities so that they go to bed early and you can watch some Netflix without someone pulling your hair and eating your shirt! But maybe that is just me…

We have not been to Center Parks before so we were keen to do as much as possible. We were especially looking for outdoor activities and tried mini golf, visited the onsite farm and spent some time at the playground. There was the possibility of pony rides and mini safaris too but the ground was covered in snow so we skipped it. Overall, I found the outdoor activities for the 3-7 age group limited compared to holiday parks like Hof Van Saksen in the Netherlands. To be honest, it was full-blown winter, so not many families were there for the outdoor scene.

The indoor activities were entertaining if you do speak some French or Flemish. They are animated by Orry, the resident character/explorer. We did minidisko, a gameshow and stories with Orry and his friends. Our son enjoyed them all, especially after winning a puzzle at the gameshow. Watching the fishes in the indoor pool was also lots of fun. I heard from friends they extended recently the indoor offering by adding a soft play area for small kids (Baluba). For older kids there was bowling, table tennis and video games.

The biggest attraction for us was Aqua Mundo. It was the first aquatic park for our 3 yo and he was so excited by all the slides, pools and fountains. We started with the toddler pool where the water is low and warm. We then moved to the larger pool with waves and slides. We only tried the small slides but they were lots of fun. He could spend hours jumping in the waves and swiming around. If you like spening time in water and going on slides, Aqua Mundo will be a dream come true. There was also a hot tub for adults and aqua gym or baby swimming offered a couple of times per week. If there was one thing that really set appart the Center Park from the Landal parks we visited in the Netherlands was the pool area. I would go back to another Center Parks to compare the Aqua Mundo offering and enjoy the many pools. Of course, during COVID times pool offerings may be limited so better to check by calling ahead.

Catering

There were a few catering possibilties but we have only tired the Grand Cafe for lunch. The food was tasty and similar prices to a brasserie in the city. Quick Italian and Belgian dishes are on the menu and you can order ahead, even in COVID times. We cooked in the cottage for most of the time as our son insited on a diet of pasta and patatoes.

We have ordered breakfast at the cottage a couple of times but was not really impressed by it. Many small potions of jam, Nutella, butter and some sliced ham and cheese. The main advantage was the bread rolls were included. So if you run out of bread in the evening and are not keen to jump in the car and drive to the closest bakery, you may order bread rolls in the supermarket. The supermarket on site stocks only essentials. This brings me to my next point: what to bring to make your stay comfortable.

What to bring to a Center Park holiday – Essentials packing list

Center Parks are made up of many cottages, accommodating from 2 to 8 people. Depending on the level of comfort (more on that below), bed linen and towels are provided or, if not included my be added as extra during the booking process. Even if you do choose to rent out the linen and towels, there are still a number of essentials you might want to bring along for the situations where your kids decide to ask for a snack at 5 AM.

Here is our packing list:

• Coffee filters
• Matches (some have fireplaces)
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Tissues
• Dish washing liquid and drying towel
• All surface cleaning wipes (Dettol in Belgium)

• Coffee
• Tea
• Oil
• Vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sugar
• Milk
• Butter
• Bread rolls /Croisssants to heat up in the oven
• Bottled water

• Slippers
• Bathing suits
• Goggles and inflatables for the pool.
• Bath towels
• Pool towels

• Earplugs
• Phone and electronic chargers
• Extra blanket if travelling in cold season

Accomodation

There are three levels of comfort to choose from when booking accomodation: comfort, premium and VIP. We usually go for the middle range as I geniunly hate ot make up the beds on arrival. But there are other advantages as well, as you go for a better standard, like a better equipped kitchen, more living space and some bread rools for breakfast. If you are travelling with a pet, there is a small surcharge and only some types of cottages would accomodate pets.

Compared to the offering of other Center Parks resorts in Belgium, les Ardennes seems to be the oldest one in terms of accomodation facilities. It is also lower rated with only 3 stars instead of 4 at Erperheide and DE Haan and 5 in de Vossemeren. The houses are clean but basic, at least this is how it felt to us after having also tried a Landal holiday park, with similar cottges in the middle range bracket. The furniture looked a bit worn out, the kitchen has seen better days. The heating was not really sufficient for December temperatures (did I mention we had snow, it was below 0 at night) so we did feel a bit chilly at times and used a second blanket. It was ok overall for a 4 night stay but this park would probably due with a renovation to freshen up some of the cottages. We have not been to the other Center Parks in Belgium and will come back to update once we do. I heard many good thigs of de Vossemeren with younger kids.

Location

The biggest draw of the park aside for the Aqua Mundo was its location in the Ardennes. It provides a good base to access many small cities and quaint villages, sample local products and enjoy the nature. One very pictoresque village we recommend to visit is La Roche-en-Ardenne, about 30 minutes by car from the holiday park. Another attraction nearby is the ski resort Baraque de Fraiture with its 2 km of slopes and 3 lifts. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 565 and 650 m. It might not look like much if you are used to the Alps but if trying skiiing for the first time, it is enough for a few hours of fun in the snow. There is much to explore in the area that we will dedicate a separate post to it. By now, we went to the Ardennes in pretty much all seasons and ther is plenty to do no matter when you deicde to visit.

Will we go back to the Center Parks Les Ardennes? Probably not. We might try another Center Parks though, once Aqua Mundo is fully accessible and in Summer, to compare the experience.

Thanks for reading and happy travels, whenever they happen!

CGK