Escape from everyday life for a few days and spend some relaxing time with the family: where better to do this than at a Center Parcs? After visiting Center Parcs Allgäu and Center Parcs Eifel in the past few months, we now made our way to Center Parcs Hochsauerland. We stayed here for five days.
Table of contents
Interesting facts about Center Parcs
It all began in 1953, when Dutch entrepreneur Piet Derksen opened a sports store called Sporthuis Centrum in Rotterdam. After expanding to 17 Dutch branches, he bought a piece of woodland in 1968 to turn it into a campsite. This was very well received, so the tents were quickly replaced by bungalows and an adventure pool was added in 1971. In 1978, Derksen sold his sports stores to focus on the vacation parks. The company was renamed Center Parcs in 1986. The Center Parcs Europe N.V. portfolio now comprises a total of 27 parks in Central Europe: 6 in Germany, 9 in the Netherlands, 5 in Belgium and 7 in France. In 2026, another park will open in Germany – on the Baltic Sea coast in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on the Pütnitz peninsula. A total of 600 cozy vacation homes and apartments will be built here on an area of 120 hectares.
Center Parcs Europe N.V. is part of the French tourism and real estate group Pierre et Vacances with a total of 207,000 beds and a turnover of 1.4 billion euros. Since 2001, Center Parcs UK and Ireland has been operating independently with 6 parks. The vacation parks with their bungalows and vacation homes are usually located in the middle of the forest or by the water in the midst of beautiful natural landscapes – sometimes ancient forests, sometimes extensive beaches or fantastic winter sports areas. An exciting fact is that 90% of Center Parcs’ vacation parks consist of forest and water!
When you stay at a Center Parcs, you enjoy many inclusive services such as free WiFi, entry to the Aqua Mundo swimming paradise, a parking space and final cleaning of your vacation home. In addition, the more luxurious the accommodation, the more convenience, comfort and additional services included.
Center Parcs locations in Europe
Center Parcs Holiday Park Hochsauerland
In the middle of the “Land of 1,000 Mountains”, between Winterberg and Willingen, the Center Parcs Hochsauerland is located on the outskirts of the Hanseatic town of Medebach in North Rhine-Westphalia (location in Google Maps). It is surrounded by extensive forests and meadows and therefore offers mountain bikers, hikers, Nordic walkers and, in winter, skiers the best conditions for a break in the countryside.
The vacation park was opened in 1994, making it the second oldest Center Parcs vacation park in Germany. It was taken over by the Gran Dorado brand in 2001 and has been operated under the name Center Parcs Hochsauerland ever since. The extensive vacation resort covers an area of 42 hectares and offers 548 fully equipped vacation homes, which can accommodate between 2 and 20 people depending on their size. The vacation park also has its own hotel with 120 comfortable hotel rooms. The 19,000 m² covered “Market Dome” complex is located at the heart of the complex and is connected to the Parkhotel via a glass bridge. From 2018 to 2020, the Sauerland vacation park was extensively modernized and renovated with an investment volume of 36.5 million euros. This included the renovation of many vacation homes as well as central facilities such as the children’s farm, the Action Factory and the Deep Nature Spa.
Center Parcs Hochsauerland & Spielberg AVENTURA
Check-In, Reception & Parking
Accommodation can be occupied from 4 pm on the day of arrival, for Center Parcs Friends from 1 pm. You can of course check in earlier. We downloaded the Center Parcs app in advance and were able to enter all the important data for the journey in advance, such as the car registration number and the names of all the guests traveling with us. A QR code is generated from this, which can be conveniently shown at check-in. Each guest then receives a digital wristband with which they can conveniently open their vacation home, pay digitally anywhere and also gain easy access to Aqua Mundo.
Tip: You can use all the park’s leisure facilities (Aqua Mundo, Kids Club etc.) on the day of arrival from the moment the park opens!
Like Center Parcs Allgäu, Center Parcs Hochsauerland is completely car-free. This means that you can only drive into the park for your arrival and departure and then park your car in the large parking lot at the entrance. We think that’s great, especially because there are so many children in the park.
A map of the vacation park
On the following map you can see the size of Center Parcs Hochsauerland and the location of the various vacation homes. This map can also be downloaded here as a .pdf version.
Overview map of the Center Parcs Park Hochsauerland
Vacation homes
The vacation homes are surrounded by greenery and offer space for couples, families or larger groups of up to 20 people in the Comfort, Premium and VIP feel-good categories. The categories offer different amenities (made beds, towel package, kitchen package, etc.), depending on what is important to you. Every vacation home has everything you need: Comfortable furniture, a fully equipped kitchen, a beautiful bathroom, a spacious private terrace with a view of nature as well as amenities such as Wi-Fi and entertainment electronics.
The VIP vacation homes have a luxurious wellness bathroom with a whirlpool bath, rain shower and sauna. They also score points with a mixture of a retro look and modern elements made of wood and stone in beige and green tones.
If you book a children’s vacation home, you can also look forward to your own climbing frame in the private garden. Unfortunately, these vacation homes were already fully booked at the time.
Our 8 person premium vacation home
Our completely renovated 98 m² 8-person vacation home in the Premium category was located in Zone 6 of Center Parcs Hochsauerland, i.e. not far from the Market Dome. The semi-detached house has two floors, a spacious living room with sitting area and wood-burning fireplace, 2 bathrooms with shower or bathtub, a private terrace with garden furniture and a renovated, fully equipped kitchen with stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, coffee machine, NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto, toaster, dishes, cutlery, pots, pans and a high chair for children. The kitchen equipment was great, so we were able to cook for ourselves on some evenings.
In the Premium category, you can look forward to made beds on arrival, a hairdryer, a kitchen pack (tea towel, kitchen towel) and there is also a second TV in one of the bedrooms.
Cycle Center & E-Car
The Cycle Center offers various types of bicycles, mountain bikes, kick bikes, handcarts, e-scooters and other electronic means of transportation for hire. During our stay, we had the opportunity to rent a large 8-seater e-car to take us everywhere. This was not only great fun for us adults, but also for our children. As the vacation park is generally car-free (except for arrival and departure) and it often rained during our stay, this was a great thing.
The region around the vacation park offers a well-developed network of cycle paths. You can find some great inspiration on the Medebach website.
Market Dome
The Market Dome is located in the middle of Center Parcs Hochsauerland in an absolutely tropical atmosphere. In the covered and heated complex you will find all the important facilities of the vacation park, such as the guest information desk, various restaurants, the Aqua Mundo swimming paradise, the Kids Club, a supermarket, two stores, a bowling alley and the Action Factory.
Store & Smile
Store & Smile is the name of the two stores located in the Market Dome. One store focuses on toys, souvenirs & gifts and decorative items. And in the other store you can buy clothing as well as bags, hats and bathing shoes. Both stores are usually open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., so you can stop by all day.
Action Factory & Gametown
Inside the Market Dome you will find a wide range of indoor amusements: In the weather-independent Action Factory, you can let off steam on climbing walls and trampolines, play mini golf, drive around in mini speedsters and bumper cars or go bowling with the family. There is also a virtual reality activity. You have to pay extra for the activities in the Action Factory.
Gametown is a true gaming paradise. For a fee, you can purchase credits that you can use at the machines. Depending on how high the winnings are, a certain number of tickets come out of the respective slot machine, which can be exchanged for gifts at the end.
Kids Club
In the Kids Club, all children get their money’s worth, as there is an extensive range of games and handicrafts on offer. For example, you can build an insect hotel (together with your parents and for an extra charge), make your own cuddly toy, paint T-shirts and much more. A play corner with children’s kitchens, toys and cuddly toys rounds off the offer. In front of the Kids Club there is a play area with soft building blocks and various wooden ball play stations.
At Center Parcs Hochsauerland there is unfortunately no indoor play world BALUBA like in other parks. We thought that was a real shame, because we (and our daughters) had been really looking forward to it. But that’s what the huge AVENTURA outdoor playground is for 🙂
Supermarket
As all the vacation homes have well-equipped kitchens, you can easily cook for yourself every day. We had already brought a certain amount of food with us from home and we simply bought everything we needed from the park’s own supermarket in the Market Dome. The prices are understandably a little higher than in normal supermarkets, but you can get everything quickly and easily.
Tip: As the village of Medebach is directly adjacent to the Center Parcs, you can also do your shopping quickly and at a slightly lower price at Aldi, Rewe, Netto or Edeka, which are all just a 3-5 minute drive from the vacation park.
Restaurants & Food
There are five restaurants at Center Parcs Hochsauerland where you can eat and drink if you don’t want to cook in your vacation home.
We tried the Harding’s Family Grill for dinner: Pizza, lasagna, schnitzel & fries – everything tasted great! We had reserved a table in advance via the Center Parcs app. This was a good thing, because in the evening at prime time (6 to 7 p.m.) there are queues in front of the restaurant, so it can be difficult to get a table there. The adjacent Italian restaurant Il Giardino offers typical Italian dishes: Antipasti, pizza, pasta and delicious desserts. The Market Dome is also home to the Factory Café, which is suitable for both small and large appetites. Here you can enjoy burgers, salads and various hot dishes. The Market Restaurant is a buffet restaurant and can only be used against payment of a flat rate. We found the price very high, so we didn’t eat here.
The Aqua Café in the Aqua Mundo bathing paradise offers a wide selection of snacks, delicious hamburgers, crispy salads and much more. You can also enjoy an ice cream or cake in the warm, tropical atmosphere.
Aqua Mundo
The tropical Aqua Mundo pool area at Center Parcs Hochsauerland offers all guests free attractions and recreational opportunities regardless of the weather: These include a wave pool, an extra-warm children’s pool, the Water Playhouse water playground with water fountains and slides as well as oversized water pistols, whirlpools and a heated outdoor pool with a “wild wave”. We thought the “Sauerland Splash” water slide was really cool. Here you can whizz alone or in pairs with a giant tire through a tunnel slide with daylight lighting effects.
For park guests, unlimited entry to Aqua Mundo is also included before check-in and after check-out. Day guests can currently book tickets on the Center Parcs website for EUR 24 (adults) and EUR 17 (children).
The resort also has the Deep Nature® Spa with a large sauna area. You have to buy separate tickets for this modern wellness area, which are available from EUR 12.
Children’s Zoo
The children’s farm at Center Parcs is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is always a highlight for us. Goats, sheep, rabbits and donkeys can be stroked and brushed here.
The grounds are very spacious, beautifully designed and we really liked them. Not only our older daughter, but also our younger daughter was blown away by the animals and wanted to stroke and brush them again and again.
Playgrounds
There are various playgrounds throughout the park. Sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller – but you never have to walk far to reach the next climbing frame, slide or swing 🙂 A true paradise for children!
Kids Safari
We hired a safari off-road vehicle from the Cycle Center for EUR 15 and sped around the muddy safari course. For 25 minutes you can have a lot of fun here and discover one or two animals along the way.
A total of five safari cars are offered at the Cycle Center and they were indeed always fully booked. Totally crazy. The best way to reserve a pitch is via the Center Parcs app. That worked very well for us. Which we also found really great: It was raining cats and dogs at the time we had reserved and the staff at the Cycle Center were so accommodating that they simply rebooked us for a different time free of charge. And then we had perfect weather.
Other facilities at the vacation park
Center Parcs has come up with lots of ideas as part of the ‘Spring Celebrations’. We loved the spring cinema for children (with films such as “The Ice Queen” and “Toy Story”) and the children’s scavenger hunt, which even included a small gift at the end. And when the weather was nice, the kids’ disco even took place outside in the evening sun. Totally beautiful!
The Sauerland regional market takes place twice a week from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. next to the Market Dome. There are a few stalls here where local traders offer their products. The selection ranges from delicacies such as regional honey and sausages to handmade items. There is also the ‘Mountain Golf’ mini golf course and the bungee trampoline. When the weather is nice, there’s always something going on here.
AVENTURA – A huge playground in Medebach
One of the main reasons why we chose Center Parcs Hochsauerland was the AVENTURA SpielBerg, which is located right next to the Center Parcs site. At 160 meters, this is the longest continuous play structure in Europe! And admission is completely free. WOW!
Center Parcs Hochsauerland & Spielberg AVENTURA
Hours of climbing, playing and competitive fun are guaranteed on the Spielberg. You can actually easily spend a whole day here, as the“Hasenstall – Die Hütte am Bromberg” also provides food and drink.
The range of activities on offer is really huge: there is a toddler play area, areas with climbing towers and water elements, all-weather slides, a double zip wire slide, a parallel Ninja Warrior course in three segments, a trim trail and much more. At the very top of the Bromberg, a viewing tower awaits visitors with a magnificent view of the Hanseatic town of Medebach and large parts of the Hochsauerland.
Center Parcs Hochsauerland – Is it worth it?
We really enjoyed our five-day stay at Center Parcs Hochsauerland. We immediately felt at home in our premium vacation home and wanted for nothing here. The activities on offer at the vacation park are a big plus, especially if you are traveling as a family. We never got bored during the days – it felt like we were constantly out and about: swimming pool, farm, kids’ safari, kids’ disco, mini golf, Gametown etc.
And we really only left the park to go to the large AVENTURA playground… 😉