# 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.
Overview of all holiday villages of Gran Dorado :
| 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 | | |