Oostappen Vakantiepark Marina Beach

The caravan itself was really clean, especially around the cooking fire and the gap by the shower door. The fridge worked but wasn’t very cold, and the shower was hot and okay. On arrival, we were given a pack of sheets to put on the bed, pillow and duvet. I was glad to cover them because they didn’t look hygienic. The decking had loose boards at the front and on the steps. We reported it, but nothing was done during our week. I’m recovering from an accident and use crutches, so the three steps to the deck and one more to get into the caravan were hard enough. When the wood is wet, it’s extremely slippery, so be prepared. There were no neighbours for half our stay, so it was quiet apart from the giant lawnmower going past every day. I came with my kids, aged 9 and 11, and we stayed in the blue caravan at 184. The pictures didn’t match reality: the beach had washed away, and the playground next to and into the water was dirty and poorly maintained. The kids had hoped for the beach and water slides, but the water was covered in green plants and the beach was gone. There was a sign saying to enter at your own risk. The lake is nice, and you can rent a boat. The kids also really enjoyed the indoor playground and indoor minigolf. The restaurant and bar were nice, though prices could be better. They have everything from snacks to burgers, ribs and pizza. The deck and caravan were a concern, and I don’t think I’d come back unless the place is heavily renovated. We were disappointed, but made the best of it.

The campsite offers plenty of activities for the whole family, though the weather was so bad all weekend that I can’t really comment on them. We went near the end of the season for a weekend. When we arrived, the mobile home was filthy, with stains, cobwebs on every wall and a dirty floor. The staff were just as unpleasant, not welcoming and seeming like they didn’t want to work there. If the weather is good and you get lucky with the cleaning, I’d recommend it, but there are much better campsites.

At least every guest gets a parking space. The house looked like the photos, though you could get any one of 300 identical units. It was clean, but the bed linens were stained and dirty. Reception exchanged them for free, but the replacements were dirty too, so we used our own blankets. The cabin was tiny, with beds around 170 cm long, so good luck if you’re taller. Maybe 20 of the 300 cabins were occupied despite it being a holiday. Check-in was awful. The website said it started at 3 PM. We arrived at 6 AM and asked around noon if an early check-in was possible. Without even looking at the computer, they rudely said no, maybe at 2 PM. There were hundreds of free keys hanging on the wall next to reception. We came back around 2 PM and got the same answer, shouted at us as “NO CHECK-IN BEFORE 3 PM, CAN’T YOU READ?” The reception staff got more and more unfriendly. At about 3:20 PM we tried again, but they said they still had to wait for the list and couldn’t check us in yet. Finally, around 4 PM, we got one of the 200 cabins that were already empty. Hospitality clearly isn’t a priority here. The beach looked like Chernobyl, or a setting from the next Fallout or Walking Dead game, with run-down facilities, peeling paint and 2-meter high grass. We tried to rent a boat, but the shop had no staff and the boats were lying on shore despite the nice weather. Reception told us to go to the harbor to get boats, not there. Swimming seems like something to reconsider because the whole shore is covered in plants that can easily catch your foot. There’s also a shop charging €4 for a 0.3 liter Coke.

I’ve never been on holiday and looked forward to going home, but I really do this time. The park is in a dilapidated state and desperately needs care. There’s no pool on site, despite what the images suggest, and few of the other children’s activities are available. The only saving grace has been getting to know other families and their children, which has helped distract us from the living conditions. The caravans are a disaster. Several sections of decking are broken and feel unsafe. They’re small and have a horrible, strong smell. I’ve worked with homeless people before, and the smell reminds me of a homeless shelter, no offence intended to people in those circumstances. You can smell the lack of cleanliness. Beds aren’t made up; you get a pack of linen to do it yourself. That wasn’t unpleasant because of the work, but because every time I tucked a sheet under a mattress corner in any room, a damp, moldy smell came from underneath. The pillows and blankets are in a horrendous, completely unsanitary state. On our first full day I felt I had to buy new bedding for my family and candles to cover the caravan smell. There are spiderwebs and dust bunnies everywhere. The toilet smells like a heavily used public toilet, and there’s mold in the showers too. I’m absolutely shocked this is allowed. The image I attached is one of the park toilets, and it pretty much sets the mood for the rest of the place.