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.

Gran Dorado Resorts
IndustryTourism
PredecessorVendorado
Founded
  • 1980: Vendorado
  • 1989: Gran Dorado
Defunct2002
SuccessorCenter Parcs
Headquarters
Number of locations
40
Area served
Belgium, Germany, Netherlands

History

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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

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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.

Overview of all holiday villages of Gran Dorado
Country Name City Region Opening Added to portfolio Owner after merger Name after merger Present owner Present name
  Gran Dorado Domaine de Chodes* Malmedy Luik ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Domaine de Chodes Novasol Vakantieparken Domaine de Chodes
  Gran Dorado Domaine Long Pré* Stavelot Ardennes ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Domaine Long Pré
  Gran Dorado Village les Gottales* Trois-Ponts Ardennes ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Village les Gottales
  Gran Dorado Heilbachsee Gunderath Rhineland-Palatinate 1982 1984 Center Parcs Center Parcs Park Heilbachsee Sunparks Sunparks Eifel
  Gran Dorado Hochsauerland Medebach North Rhine-Westphalia 1994 1994 Center Parcs Center Parcs Park Hochsauerland
  Gran Dorado Parc Sandur Emmen Drenthe 1999 1999 Landal Landal park Sandur Center parcs Center parc Sandur
  Gran Dorado Het Hart van Drenthe* Zwiggelte Drenthe ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Het Hart van Drenthe Hogenboom Vakantieparken Hogenboom Het Hart van Drenthe
  Gran Dorado Het Land van Bartje* Ees Drenthe ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Het Land van Bartje
  Gran Dorado Hunerwold State Wateren Drenthe ? 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal Hunerwold State
  Gran Dorado Ameland State* Nes Friesland ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Ameland State
  Gran Dorado Vitamaris* Schiermonnikoog Friesland ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Vitamaris
  Gran Dorado De Berkenhorst* Kootwijk Gelderland 1975 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal De Berkenhorst
  Gran Dorado De Groene Heuvels* Ewijk Gelderland ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal De Groene Heuvels Hogenboom Vakantieparken Hogenboom De Groene Heuvels
  Gran Dorado De Veluwse Hoevegaerde Putten Gelderland ? 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal De Veluwse Hoevegaerde
  Gran Dorado Klein Ruwinkel* Scherpenzeel Gelderland ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Klein Ruwinkel
  Gran Dorado Landgoed ’t Loo Oldebroek Gelderland 1997 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal Landgoed ‘t Loo
  Gran Dorado Natuurdorp Suyderoogh* Lauwersoog Groningen ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Natuurdorp Suyderoogh
  Gran Dorado Aerwinkel* Posterholt Limburg ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Landgoed Aerwinkel
  Gran Dorado De Lommerbergen Reuver Limburg 1968 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal De Lommerbergen
  Gran Dorado De Schatberg Sevenum Limburg ? 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal Domein de Schatberg
  Gran Dorado Het Roekenbosch* Blitterswijck Limburg ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Het Roekenbosch
  Gran Dorado Loohorst America Limburg 1981 1981 CenterParcs Center Parcs Park Loohorst Sunparks Sunparks Limburgse Peel
  Gran Dorado Reevallis* Vijlen Limburg ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Reevallis
  Gran Dorado ‘t Vosseven* Stramproy Limburg ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal ‘t Vosseven eigen beheer Bospark ‘t Vosseven
  Gran Dorado Weeterbergen Weert Limburg 1985 1985 RP Holidays Roompot Weeterbergen
  Gran Dorado De Vers* Overloon North Brabant ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal De Vers
  Gran Dorado Duc de Brabant* Diessen North Brabant ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Duc de Brabant
  Gran Dorado Het Vennenbos* Hapert North Brabant 1970 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Het Vennenbos
  Gran Dorado Beach Park Texel* De Koog North Holland ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Beach Park Texel
  Gran Dorado Golf & Beach Resort Ooghduyne Den Helder North Holland ? 1999 Landal Greenparks Landal Ooghduyne
  Gran Dorado Bosch en Zee* De Koog North Holland ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Bosch en Zee Hogenboom Vakantieparken Hogenboom Bosch & Zee
  Gran Dorado Zandvoort Zandvoort North Holland 1989 1989 Center Parcs Center Parcs Park Zandvoort Sunparks Sunparks Zandvoort aan Zee
  Gran Dorado Beulaeke Haven* Wanneperveen Overijssel ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Beulaeke Haven / Waterpark Beulaeke Haven
  Gran Dorado De Elsgraven* Enter Overijssel ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Landgoed de Elsgraven
  Gran Dorado De Vlegge* Sibculo Overijssel ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal De Vlegge
  Gran Dorado De Witte Bergen IJhorst Overijssel ? 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal De Witte Bergen
  Gran Dorado Resort Haamstede* Burgh-Haamstede Zeeland ? \ 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Resort Haamstede
  Gran Dorado Villapark Livingstone* Burgh-Haamstede Zeeland ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Villapark Livingstone
  Gran Dorado De Koornmolen* Zevenhuizen South Holland ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal de Koornmolen
  Gran Dorado Port Zélande Ouddorp South Holland 1990 1990 Center Parcs Center Parcs Port Zélande

See also

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References

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