I spent so many childhood holidays at Efteling, World of Wonders, that I could probably still walk the Fairy-tale Forest blindfolded. My parents would pack the car before the sun came up, and we’d drive through the Channel Tunnel and on into the Netherlands. Even though the anticipation was always uncontainable, we’d end up needing to be woken as the iconic house of the five senses entrance loomed towards us.
For me, Efteling wasn’t loud or overstimulating like so many theme parks in Europe. It was layered, odd, hand-built. A park where imagination and technology worked together to create something that you really can only describe as magic. That charm stuck with me long after the rides stopped feeling fast, or the animatronics started looking dated. I’ve returned three times as an adult, always dragging friends or family along, half-apologising before they even saw it – there’s nothing like it, trust me.
This time, I came back with a slightly different purpose: to experience the newly opened Grand Hotel, and see whether the park that shaped so many of my earliest memories could now offer something else – still magical, but with grown-up comfort and considered luxury.
The Journey
The Grand Hotel sits right at the park’s entrance, which already sets it apart from Efteling’s existing hotel further down the road. Arrival is easy: pick-up from either direction by golf buggies that ferry you to the glorious hotel. The jaw-droppingly beautiful building, designed perfectly to fit between the outside world and the entrance to the Fairy-tale world. Entering into reception, the experience completely shifts. Warm lights, bold 60s-like colours of red and green hint at the appreciation for where Efteling started is offset by the magical enchantment, a towering column of floating keys stretching upward toward a mezzanine that resembles a private library. Staff offer children small gift boxes, handed over with just the right balance of ritual and ease – no overacting, no fuss, just magic.
We took the lift to one of the 140 rooms and suites spread across seven floors – each floor offering a different view into the park, each window deliberately oversized to frame your proximity to the park – heightening that anticipation before the gates even open. The spooky view of a theme park out of hours mixed with the knowledge of what tomorrow holds. Even before the park opens, you’re already part of it.
In the morning, breakfast at Brasserie 7 served as the perfect gear shift. There’s a generous buffet, but also an à la carte menu with freshly cooked options, strong barista coffee from Café Biscuit, and – somewhat unexpectedly – roaming mime performers. They’re for the children. Mostly. But watching them out of the corner of your eye while sipping a mimosa and planning your ride strategy is a reminder that this is still Efteling, just with better cutlery.
The Park
Guests of the Grand Hotel get half an hour of early access. It makes a difference. You walk through the doors and into the park with a small amount of ceremony and a large amount of smugness – plotting your route to your favourite ride, knowing that the crowds are far behind.
We started with Droomvlucht – still the most quintessential Efteling experience – a calm and family friendly ride that really sets the tone for the park, unchanged since 1993. Skepticism quickly transforms into wonder as fairies and trolls pop out of nowhere in a magical diorama quietly overlooked by a seamless ride. Then on to my favourite – Villa Volta, the cursed spinning haunted room. Not just for the experience itself, but because I still can’t explain how it works.
The new Danse Macabre was the surprise. Part haunted house, part carousel. As with all of the rides at Efteling, the story that fits the ride builds up the excitement long before you’ve sat in your place. Efteling doesn’t do fear for the sake of it – it builds tension properly. Joris en de Draak and the Flying Dutchman rollercoasters still do just as good a job as ever to perfectly balance thrill with storytelling. And the Fairytale Forest? Always worth walking through, if only to see how well it’s held up after all these years.
After hitting all of the rides at least once, the walk caught up with us. We returned to the hotel and escaped down into the spa. The theme continues here, with an array of small pools leading to a central main pool underneath a mysterious marble ornament at the centre – quiet and odd until it spins, releasing jets of water without warning, creating a small water feature that you’re a part of. There’s a whirlpool, a steam room, and a sauna, all included. It’s a welcome contrast to the pace of the park, and a reminder that you’re not just here for nostalgia.
The Evening
We started the evening at Mystique, the hotel’s lounge bar and restaurant overlooking Aquanura – the park’s grand water show. It’s the best view you’ll get of it, especially with a cocktail in hand. The Midnight Negroni and a sharp Gin, Basil, Smash hit the right notes as colourful jets of water mark the reluctant end to the day. Snacks were substantial and well considered: warm macadamia nuts with Ras el Hanout, Brabant ham with pickled onions, chicken tacos with avocado.
Later, we moved to Brasserie 7 for dinner. Every dish here comes with one of seven “magical ingredients” – a gentle nod to the park’s playful side, and a considerable amount of fun for child and adult alike. French onion soup came with a pipet for administering “Princess Tears”. Guinea fowl with bulgur and orange gravy with a pinch of “Dragon’s Breath.” The bavette with frites was comfort food, dressed up for a better table.
In the End
There’s a temptation, when returning to somewhere you loved as a child, to protect the memory rather than test it. But Efteling holds up. More than that – it adapts, quietly, without losing its original tone.
The Grand Hotel doesn’t try to be the park in hotel form. It respects it, references it, and then delivers something more refined. It lets you remember the magic, while sleeping on a proper mattress and waking up to good coffee and early access.
This isn’t nostalgia wrapped in luxury for the sake of it. It’s a thoughtful extension of what Efteling has always done well – storytelling, detail, and atmosphere – now offered with a deeper level of comfort. For someone who first walked these paths holding their father’s hand, it felt like a return that finally matched the memory.
