Destinations · Netherlands

Het Land van Bartje with kids: a week where we never left the park

April 19, 2026 · Yasmine Kas

In short

Where: Landal Het Land van Bartje in Ees, Drenthe, the Netherlands
We were there: 10 to 17 April 2026, seven nights
With: two families, eight people, children aged 1, 4, 5 and 8
Drive: 177 kilometres from Utrecht, about 2 hours
What the house cost: around 227 euros a night for ten people, Belgian Easter holiday 2026
Our house: Kinderboerderij 10LK, around 160 m², five bedrooms, two bathrooms, sauna
Pool: indoor and covered outdoor, both heated. The outdoor one is the playful of the two
Strong point: so much to do that we never left the park
Less so: not car-free, and the plot around the house varies a lot

A week in April at Landal Het Land van Bartje in Ees, with two families and children aged 1, 4, 5 and 8. What the house cost, what there is to do from baby pool to woodland pony ride, and why we never left the park in seven days.

In this story

In April 2026 we spent a week at Landal Het Land van Bartje in Ees, with two families in one house. And the most honest thing we can say about that week is this: we never left the park. Drouwenerzand Attractiepark and Kabouterland in Exloo were on our list and we made it to neither. There was enough to do on the park with children of 1, 4, 5 and 8, and that is simply what we did.

An adult and two children walking with a buggy along a wooded path on the holiday park, between tall trees in early spring — The park sits in the woods. In April the trees are still largely bare.

The house: a ten-person Kinderboerderij, and what it cost

We had a Kinderboerderij 10LK: detached, around 160 m², five bedrooms (one downstairs, four up) and two bathrooms. There were eight of us: four adults and four children aged 1, 4, 5 and 8. There is an infrared sauna, which the other family used a few times.

The house cost around 227 euros a night during the Belgian Easter holiday of 2026. We shared that with a second family, so our half was half of that. Budget with the 227 if you are booking it on your own.

Two things you do not see on the booking site. The house has a children's play and sleeping room, but it is mostly a bedroom: the four-year-old slept in it, and it is not a playroom like the one at Landal Hochwald. The toys were downstairs in the shed, and there were plenty.

And the plot around the house varies a lot. We looked out on a small playground, which works well with children, but we also saw houses with an enormous lawn. If that matters to you, ask about it when you book.

Living room of the holiday house with a long sofa, an armchair, a large wooden table and a tiled floor — The living room of the Kinderboerderij. With two families there is plenty of room.

The pool: outdoors is the playful one, indoors the plain one

There is an indoor pool and a covered outdoor pool, and both are heated. In April that was exactly right, because the weather was lovely but not warm enough to swim outdoors without heating.

The covered outdoor pool is the better of the two, which is not what you expect. That is where the splash park is, along with a tall wide slide, a larger pool for actual swimming, a smaller pool and a baby pool. With children from 1 to 8 in one group you notice: everyone had something there.

The indoor pool is plainer. The tube slide is there, along with a small pool to swim in and a baby and toddler pool, but beyond that there is less to play with. More water, less playground.

The indoor playground we came back to every day

Bartjes Boerderij is an indoor playground with food and drink inside and out, and it became the fixed point. Every day we came back here: us with a drink, all four children playing.

What makes it practical is that from the indoor playground you walk straight out into the outdoor playground. The five-year-old and the eight-year-old crossed over easily and carried on there. That outdoor playground is fairly large and has a pumptrack attached to it.

Bring scooters or bikes. You can rent them on the park too, but with a pumptrack and a big outdoor area your own gear is clearly useful here.

The pony ranch, and what is allowed at what age

The pony ranch has something for almost every age, and the limits are tighter than you would expect. Handy to know in advance, because it decides what your child can and cannot do.

0 to 2: toddler time with the pony, stroking and a short ride
3 to 7: pony riding lesson for the younger ones
3 to 12: pony riding lesson
5 to 12: ride around the park
7 to 12: ride through the woods
All ages: brushing, cuddling and grooming, and a covered wagon ride

Our eldest did the woodland ride, which cost 10.50 euros. That is more than a loop around the grounds: from the park you head straight into the woods, and we walked a good stretch across the heath and through the trees.

What you want to know beforehand is that you walk along yourself. You go in single file and you, as the accompanying adult, hold the pony on a rope. Your job is to keep it from getting too close to the one in front and to steer it the right way. Ours was headstrong at times and pushed me straight into the verge. If it gets away from you, the instructor comes over to help or steps in.

The ponies are matched by size: the biggest children on the biggest ponies and the smallest on the Shetlands. Ours was on one in between.

There is a bar at the pony ranch too; we only had drinks there.

Child in a riding helmet at the wooden fence of the pony ranch, with a covered wagon in the background — At the pony ranch, with the covered wagon behind.

What else we paid for separately

Most things on the park cost nothing, but we paid separately for these:

Mini golf: 6.50 per person, including club, ball and scorecard
Go-kart: 6.50 per kart for an hour
Mini Land Rover: 16 euros for half an hour, for the children of 4 and 5
Woodland ride on a pony: 10.50 for the eight-year-old

And free, but worth mentioning: crafting in Bartjes hooischuur is genuinely for all ages, and that is not an empty promise. The one-year-old joined in and so did the eight-year-old.

Two children on rented go-karts on a wide road between the houses on the holiday park — Renting a go-kart costs 6.50 euros an hour. The roads on the park are wide enough for it.

Eating on the park, and the kippiepan

There are several places: a snack bar, a restaurant, the bar at Bartjes Boerderij, an ice cream parlour and something at the pony ranch. We ate at the snack bar and at Bartjes Boerderij. The opening hours are generous, they are in the app, and they vary by season.

Our own favourite has to be arranged in advance: at the snack bar you can rent a kippiepan, a warming pan of chicken snacks. Ninety pieces for 64.95 euros, plus a 25 euro deposit for the pan you heat it in. You have to order a day ahead.

You can also have all kinds of things delivered to the house: a pancake pot, a pizzarette, breakfast, cheese fondue, a gourmet set or a snack box. We did not do any of those, so we cannot say anything about them.

April in Drenthe: the weather and the crowds

We had genuinely good weather. Mostly dry and sunny, rain once, and between 16 and 20 degrees. That is one April and not a forecast, but it did mean we could do almost everything outdoors.

It was not busy, and not deserted either. Just quiet. We were there during the Belgian Easter holiday while the Netherlands had no holiday at all, and that is probably exactly why. How it is in summer we do not know, because we never travel in summer.

What did not add up: nothing

At every park we write about we ask ourselves the same question: what was promised that turned out to be different? That question almost always turns up something. A park that mentions entertainment which is not there outside the holidays. A beach 800 metres away that turns out to be a 1.4 kilometre walk. Seventeen slides of which one counts for four.

Here we could not find it. The park is exactly what it says it is, and it is one of the most complete Landal parks we have stayed at so far. That was the biggest surprise of the week for us.

Frequently asked questions about Het Land van Bartje

Is Het Land van Bartje good with children?

Yes, and the most convincing thing we can say about it is that in a week we never left the park. We were there with children aged 1, 4, 5 and 8, and there was enough for all four.

What is there to do around Het Land van Bartje?

We had Drouwenerzand Attractiepark and Kabouterland in Exloo on our list, but we made it to neither: we were busy enough on the park itself. That is not advice to skip Drenthe, but it does suggest you can fill a week here with children without any day trips.

Is Landal Het Land van Bartje cheap?

We paid around 227 euros a night for a ten-person house of 160 m² during the Belgian Easter holiday. For comparison: at Landal Mooi Zutendaal we paid 159 euros a night for a six-person house of 110 m², and at Landal Park Eksel 75 euros for a six-person house of 77 m².

Is there a pool, and is it heated?

There is an indoor pool and a covered outdoor pool, both heated. The covered outdoor pool is the playful one: splash park, a tall wide slide, a larger swimming pool, a smaller pool and a baby pool. The indoor pool is plainer, with the tube slide, a small swimming pool and a baby and toddler pool.

From what age can children use the pony ranch?

From 0, but it depends on the activity. Toddler time with a pony is 0 to 2, a riding lesson 3 to 12, a ride around the park 5 to 12 and a woodland ride 7 to 12. Brushing and cuddling is allowed at any age. Do expect to walk along yourself on a ride, holding the pony on a rope.

Is the park car-free?

No. You park by your house.

Is it busy in April?

Not for us. We were there during the Belgian Easter holiday while the Netherlands had no holiday, and it was quiet without being deserted.

Does Het Land van Bartje work for families?

Who this works for

Families with children of very different ages, because everything from a baby pool to a woodland pony ride is here
Anyone who wants a week without having to plan day trips
Two families together, larger families and family reunions, because the houses are big enough for it and per person it works out a good deal more reasonably

Who it probably is not for

Anyone mainly wanting to explore Drenthe, because then you pay for facilities you never get round to
Anyone expecting a real playroom in the house, because here that is mostly an extra bedroom

Going yourself? Ask about the plot around the house when you book, because it varies a lot here. And reserve the kippiepan a day in advance if you want one.

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