FAMILY HOLIDAYS EFTELING DESTINATIONS Look who’stalking


Efteling adds a little magic to the average short break, finds Katie McGonagle


@katie_mcgonagle T


here’s a mouse in my room. No, really, I can see its perky little nose peeking out from just behind the headboard of the bed, and light grey ears standing alert on top of its tiny head. I’ve been searching all over


the room for this little critter, but I had no idea he would look so lifelike, or so cute. Of course he’s not real; this toy mouse tucked away behind the bed is just one of many charming little touches – alongside crayons and colouring-in books, and child-sized board games laid out ready to play – that add an element of surprise to a stay in the Efteling hotel. The room takes its cue from


on-site theme park Efteling, located about an hour from Amsterdam and 45 minutes from Rotterdam, which has been drawing families from across the Continent since 1952.


The park has, until recently,


remained under the radar of most British guests, preferring to flock to the bright lights of Orlando or the familiar characters of Disneyland Paris for their theme park fix. Efteling isn’t nearly as big or as polished, but what it lacks in scale it more than makes up for in old-fashioned charm, drawing inspiration from the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm for an altogether different theme park experience.


w RIDING HIGH That doesn’t mean Efteling is lacking in the thrill department. Since last year’s opening of Baron 1898 – a dive coaster that plunges down a 37.5-metre ‘mineshaft’ at speeds of up to 55mph – it has more than enough to satisfy adrenaline-seekers. Wooden rollercoaster Joris en de Draak is a marked


20 October 2016 travelweekly.co.uk 59


FAST FACT Efteling will open a


new indoor attraction, Symbolica: Palace of Fantasy, as part of its 65-year anniversary in 2017


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