One of the biggest selling points for going on holiday to Belgium from the UK is the short journey – it’s only a short way further than going to France.

I’m reliably informed that it takes as little as 45 minutes to get to Sunparks de Haan after getting off the ferry at the port.

Unfortunately, I cannot comment on that aspect as on our trip we managed to get spectacularly lost.

But I was delightfully told by the rest of those on our trip that the journey was, for them, an absolute breeze.

Luckily, once we did arrive, it was such a relaxing site and atmosphere, that we instantly forgot the previous four hours.

The park has a no-car policy and once you have found your home for the week, you find a space – and then enjoy not using it again until you leave.

It also means the site is safe for children as there are almost no vehicles on the roads, unless you count the quadracycles which were being ridden around the resort by families.

It meant my eight-year-old and her older brother could head to the shop on their own, crossing two “main” roads without me worrying.

Breakfast was a highlight. Sat in the open plan dining area, it was a buffet you could fill up on, so you could have corn flakes and a cooked breakfast, but you could also treat yourself to Belgian waffles.

There were lots of activities, ranging from bowling, to mini golf and the main event – Aquafun, a very large pool with three water slides, an extremely vigorous wave machine, baby section and various swimming areas.

The time you could spend in this was open-ended, so you could have a dip in the morning, afternoon and evening.

You can also have a sauna, and should you choose to be more European, at certain times you can go costume-less.

There’s also table tennis, squash and tennis, as well as beach volleyball by the lake.

The site has restaurants and a well-stocked shop which caters for barbecues, as each home on site has an outdoor barbecue area.

There are also garden furniture, including sun loungers which, I’m pleased to report, had plenty of use while we were there.

There are holiday homes sleeping up to six people and select holiday homes sleeping larger groups.

Each home is nicely furnished and comes with a sauna, although ours didn’t work, and the bathroom was disappointing. There was also no curtain in one of the bedrooms, which was maddening.

Nearby is Belgium’s answer to Disneyland, Plopsaland – yes really – which I admit to being dubious about beforehand.

It was a smaller version of Disneyland Paris but proved a really good day out, with some great rides for all ages and plenty of places to dine.

The site was a short drive from the beach, and near a nice little village, but we were too happy and relaxed on-site to venture further afield. In fact, we were all a bit gutted when we had to return to England. (In case you were wondering, our drive back to the port was less than an hour!)

* Sunparks De Haan, which can be found off the E40 from Dunkirk, not far from Ostend. For more details visit www.sunparks.com/gb-en/holiday-park-belgium-ardennen

Sail by DFDS Seaways ferry between Dover and Dunkirk. DFDS Seaways sails up to 24 times a day between Dover and Dunkirk, providing passengers a luxury onboard experience and flexible, convenient and fuss-free travel options.

To take advantage of the current offers, visit www.dfds.co.uk or call 0871 5747235.
Plopsaland De Panne is a short drive off the main motorway, the E40, and opens at 10am.
For details visit www.plopsa.be/plopsaland-de-panne/en
For more details on all the areas, go to the Visit Flanders website at www.visitflanders.co.uk