Living in the UK and having family in the Netherlands we decided to have a week’s holiday which would be convenient and interesting for both parties. We decided to visit the Eifel region in Germany. After some research on where to stay we decided on a Sunparks bungalow. We booked from Friday to Friday. The bungalow park is about a 4 ½ hour drive from Calais and we did not want to drive from London to Dover take the ferry and then drive to the park all in one day. We therefore decided to get a ferry on Thursday evening and then stay in Calais overnight. Another option would have been to stay in the Premier inn in Dover, if you can get a £29 room deal by booking in advance.
We chose the Formula One hotel in Calais as we just wanted something cheap and cheerful and it was very reasonably priced at €39. The rooms were more than adequate for a short 1 night stay and there was also secure parking and wifi. The next day we set of for the bungalow park and after a few stops along the way we got there at about 4pm. The bungalow itself was bigger than expected and was set in a superb location. The park itself had some good facilities especially I would imagine if you have young children. The swimming pool was a little disappointing if you are used to Center Parcs standard, but still it was nice to have a dip. There are also numerous walks and bike rides that you can do directly from the park. The countryside there was very beautiful and peaceful. On one morning walk we managed to see deer in about 8 separate instances.
There is also plenty to do a short car drive away from the park. In Daum about 15 minutes away there are 3 volcanic lakes which are worth seeing. A little further afield at about 30 minutes is Cochem which is a beautiful old German town situated in a valley on the river Mosel, with a picturesque castle on the hill overlooking it. I heartily recommend going to Cochem and climbing up to the castle.
The other day trip we did was to Trier, this is Germanys oldest city and has many nice old buildings to look at. It is about an hour away from Sun Parks. It has many Roman buildings as well as the oldest cathedral north of the Alps. It is somewhere where you could easily spend a day. If you want to do some fine dining I would also recommend Bagatelle which is located on the river.
All in all I would really recommend going to the Eifel region, there is a lot to see and it is very reasonably priced compared to a Center Parcs in the UK.
