De Biesbosch

General:
Downright poor in terms of cleaning and maintenance. This does NOT apply to all cottages, however.
But it certainly applies to the one I rented, and—as I understood from my next-door neighbor—several other cottages are just as dirty. In particular, the older cottages and those “for sale” that the park itself rents out on behalf of … the owner.

It’s been almost three weeks now, and I’m still waiting for a response.
Half of my vacation was ruined because people kept coming by for maintenance or repairs.

The “park manager” had sent an email on the third day stating that if there were any questions or complaints, you could reply to that email.
Anyway....I’m still waiting.

I’ll update my review here later if I ever hear back, but for now I’m giving the rooms and service 1 star.

Location:
The location is great, so 5 stars—no complaints there.
Beautiful surroundings. Lovely views of the Hollands Diep and Dordtse Kil, with a stunning sunset you can watch from the shore.

Swimming pool:
Both the indoor and outdoor pools were nice and clean. A robotic vacuum is turned on after closing time to clean the bottom.
For an outdoor pool, this was very clean.
Restrooms are available near both the indoor and outdoor pools.
Changing rooms as well.

Sun loungers:
Perhaps there could be more sun loungers available, because when the pool opened for the day, many people claimed the loungers by placing shoes and towels on them—even though they were sometimes nowhere to be seen for several hours (yet they would get angry if you used “their” sun lounger).

Sunbathing area:
A nice patch of artificial grass next to the outdoor pool serves as a sunbathing area, equipped with a few umbrellas.

Children:
Please note: NO ENTERTAINMENT! No evening music, bingo, or similar activities either.
There are a few small play areas in the park.
Right next to the pool is a covered climbing/climbing frame area, but it was closed during our stay (summer).
Next to the outdoor pool, there’s a larger play area.
Between the outdoor and indoor pools, there’s a ping-pong table (concrete), a small soccer field, and some kind of exercise machine or hanging basket—I can’t recall the name—but it’s like what NBA players use, plus a running track a few meters long.

Boat and bike rentals:
You can rent boats at the park.
At the front desk, you can rent bicycles, including e-bikes and choppers.
I heard from another mom that she had rented a cargo bike, but I didn’t see one myself at the rental place.

Snack bar/restaurant:
There is a snack bar, but you’re directed to order INSIDE the restaurant.
Some meals can be taken back to the cottage, as can pizzas.

Ice cream:
Individual ice cream cones are available there or at the front desk.

Goodies:
For the kids, there are a few items for sale at the front desk featuring the park’s “mascot.”
These include plastic plates and cups, magnets, bubble wands, etc.
There are also some “Greetings from…” postcards at the reception desk, available in both German and English.
Stamps are available at the reception desk.
The mailbox is located at the start of the driveway leading to the barrier/entrance.

Surroundings:
There’s a gas station very close by on the A16, but from the park you can reach it in 2–3 minutes via a gate located on the main road.
There’s a Starbucks inside, and our oldest has “visited” it quite regularly.

Supermarket:
By car, you can reach a Lidl, AH, or Dirk van der Broek in 10 minutes.
Dordrecht city center and the parking garage are about 12–15 minutes away, depending on the traffic lights along the way.
We definitely recommend taking a stroll through the historic city center.

Public transportation:
It’s worth noting that the only way to get to this park by public transportation is to take a taxi.
A taxi from Dordrecht Station costs 27.50.
Or you can walk for over an hour from the village of Moerdijk and then continue walking parallel to the A16 across the Moerdijk Bridge. At the end of the bridge, you can step right over the guardrail and take a staircase down.

You’ll then be at the bottom of the Moerdijk Bridge and right there (on the right) in the park.
(And then it’s about a 10-minute walk to the reception desk)
For that 27.50, I’d take a taxi instead of walking

(I’ll spare you the gross photos) Read more Show less

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The gate didn’t respond to our car. At 8:00 p.m., responsibility for this shifts from the front desk to an outside company. After 8:00 p.m., you can’t enter the premises, and that’s in accordance with their rules. That may be fair enough, but as paying guests, we were allowed to enter the grounds until 11:00 PM. Okay, you can make a big deal out … of anything, but that lady from the outside company was so unfriendly that, all in all, it left a negative impression. It’s not our fault that you have to work on Sunday evenings. Other than that, the park itself is really nice, and the location and the people at the front desk are great too. ***** Read more Show less

Not the best place to stay (was there with a family, 2 kids included) even it is budget, it is more like a short overnight stay while on a long road trip..but not meant for more than 2/3 days..poor infrastructures and quite some stuff are damaged or in bad condition (not everything is well maintained), no activities at all (while staying in … August, why, how come?!) very small indoor swimming pool, a ghost park where there is almost no people (looks like the park is getting at the end of his life..) , next to highway (too much traffic so lot of background sound) reception closes super early (at 17h, like the indoor playground and indoor swimming pool very sadly). House was ok but not confy & shame the houses are too close to each other, most of the houses are on sold (guess the park is dying!) Only 4 positive points to mention : Staff is however friendly, sport field is nice for kids ( nice football and basketball field), and large outdoor swimming pool (next to an outdoor baby pool) with long chairs in an open air place, the restaurant (an absolute savor in this park!) which serves really tasty food not too expensive and staff is also very friendly (really recommend it despite its limited open hours).
In general, I won’t come there again for sure. Read more Show less

You couldn't really grab a quick bite at the restaurant at lunchtime; you had to get ice cream at the front desk; there were a lot of regular park guests.

Quietly situated along the water. A peaceful and well-kept park. Definitely worth a visit.