Gran Dorado


Gran Dorado was a holiday villages company based in the Netherlands. Until the merger in 2002, it was the biggest holiday villages company of Europe. Today's owner is the French company Pierre et Vacances, and is merged with the Center Parcs company.

History

Gran Dorado Resorts was originally found by the owner of the Dutch chain store company Vendex, famous for the Vroom & Dreesmann company. Therefore, the first name of the company was Vendorado. Vendorado Leisure N.V. was founded in 1980, in 1989, the name was changed to Gran Dorado Lesure N.V.
At the beginning of 1996, the company had 6 big holiday villages. In the same year, Gran Dorado took over another Dutch holiday villages company, called Creatief Vakantieparken. The company immediately grew to a company with 40 holiday villages and around 7500 bungalows, and was by then the biggest holiday villages company of Europe. The two companies were operating 2 years under the name Gran Dorado/Creatief, in 1998 the company acquired the new name ''Gran Dorado N.V.''

Merger with Center Parcs

At the beginning of 2002, Pierre & Vacances became the overall owner of the Gran Dorado company. Shortly after, P&V took over the Center Parcs-chain from Scottisch & Newcastle. By that time, the two largest holiday villages companies were in the same hands. Halfway through the year, Center Parcs and Gran Dorado merged. The Netherlands Competition Authority did not allow a merger with all 40 holiday villages, so the following was decided:
  • 5 of the original Gran Dorado-villages will transfer to Center Parcs
  • 1 original Gran Dorado-village will transfer to RP Holidays
  • the remaining 34 villages, of which a large part belonged to Creatief Vakantieparken, will transfer to Landal Greenparks.
Note: when nothing is written in either the column "Today's owner" or "Today's name", then the name of owner and park is still the same as in the columns "Name after merger" and "Owner after merger". A * indicates that the holiday village was first owned by Creatief Vakantieparken.
CountryNameCityRegionOpeningAdded to portfolioOwner after mergerName after mergerPresent ownerPresent name
Gran Dorado Domaine de Chodes*MalmedyLuik?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Domaine de ChodesNovasol VakantieparkenDomaine de Chodes
Gran Dorado Domaine Long Pré*StavelotArdennes?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Domaine Long Pré
Gran Dorado Village les Gottales*Trois-PontsArdennes?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Village les Gottales
Gran Dorado HeilbachseeGunderathRhineland-Palatinate19821984Center ParcsCenter Parcs Park HeilbachseeSunparksSunparks Eifel
Gran Dorado HochsauerlandMedebachNorth Rhine-Westphalia19941994Center ParcsCenter Parcs Park Hochsauerland
Gran Dorado Parc SandurEmmenDrenthe19991999LandalLandal park SandurCenter parcsCenter parc Sandur
Gran Dorado Het Hart van Drenthe*ZwiggelteDrenthe?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Het Hart van DrentheHogenboom VakantieparkenHogenboom Het Hart van Drenthe
Gran Dorado Het Land van Bartje*EesDrenthe?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Het Land van Bartje
Gran Dorado Hunerwold StateWaterenDrenthe?1997Landal GreenparksLandal Hunerwold State
Gran Dorado Ameland State*NesFriesland?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Ameland State
Gran Dorado Vitamaris*SchiermonnikoogFriesland?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Vitamaris
Gran Dorado De Berkenhorst*KootwijkGelderland19751996Landal GreenparksLandal De Berkenhorst
Gran Dorado De Groene Heuvels*EwijkGelderland?1996Landal GreenparksLandal De Groene HeuvelsHogenboom VakantieparkenHogenboom De Groene Heuvels
Gran Dorado De Veluwse HoevegaerdePuttenGelderland?1997Landal GreenparksLandal De Veluwse Hoevegaerde
Gran Dorado Klein Ruwinkel*ScherpenzeelGelderland?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Klein Ruwinkel
Gran Dorado Landgoed ’t LooOldebroekGelderland19971997Landal GreenparksLandal Landgoed ‘t Loo
Gran Dorado Natuurdorp Suyderoogh*LauwersoogGroningen?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Natuurdorp Suyderoogh
Gran Dorado Aerwinkel*PosterholtLimburg?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Landgoed Aerwinkel
Gran Dorado De LommerbergenReuverLimburg19681997Landal GreenparksLandal De Lommerbergen
Gran Dorado De SchatbergSevenumLimburg?1997Landal GreenparksLandal Domein de Schatberg
Gran Dorado Het Roekenbosch*BlitterswijckLimburg?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Het Roekenbosch
Gran Dorado LoohorstAmericaLimburg19811981CenterParcsCenter Parcs Park LoohorstSunparksSunparks Limburgse Peel
Gran Dorado Reevallis*VijlenLimburg?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Reevallis
Gran Dorado ‘t Vosseven*StramproyLimburg?1996Landal GreenparksLandal ‘t Vosseveneigen beheerBospark ‘t Vosseven
Gran Dorado WeeterbergenWeertLimburg19851985RP HolidaysRoompot Weeterbergen
Gran Dorado De Vers*OverloonNorth Brabant?1996Landal GreenparksLandal De Vers
Gran Dorado Duc de Brabant*DiessenNorth Brabant?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Duc de Brabant
Gran Dorado Het Vennenbos*HapertNorth Brabant19701996Landal GreenparksLandal Het Vennenbos
Gran Dorado Beach Park Texel*De KoogNorth Holland?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Beach Park Texel
Gran Dorado Golf & Beach Resort OoghduyneDen HelderNorth Holland?1999Landal GreenparksLandal Ooghduyne
Gran Dorado Bosch en Zee*De KoogNorth Holland?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Bosch en ZeeHogenboom VakantieparkenHogenboom Bosch & Zee
Gran Dorado ZandvoortZandvoortNorth Holland19891989Center ParcsCenter Parcs Park ZandvoortSunparksSunparks Zandvoort aan Zee
Gran Dorado Beulaeke Haven*WanneperveenOverijssel?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Beulaeke Haven/Waterpark Beulaeke Haven
Gran Dorado De Elsgraven*EnterOverijssel?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Landgoed de Elsgraven
Gran Dorado De Vlegge*SibculoOverijssel?1996Landal GreenparksLandal De Vlegge
Gran Dorado De Witte BergenIJhorstOverijssel?1997Landal GreenparksLandal De Witte Bergen
Gran Dorado Resort Haamstede*Burgh-HaamstedeZeeland? \1996Landal GreenparksLandal Resort Haamstede
Gran Dorado Villapark Livingstone*Burgh-HaamstedeZeeland?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Villapark Livingstone
Gran Dorado De Koornmolen*ZevenhuizenSouth Holland?1996Landal GreenparksLandal de Koornmolen
Gran Dorado Port ZélandeOuddorpSouth Holland19901990Center ParcsCenter Parcs Port Zélande