Gran Dorado
Introduction '''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''''' 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 * Center Parcs* Landal Greenparks
References * Dutch Wikipedia
External links *  Website of Landal Greenparks (with many Gran Dorado parks*  Website of Center Parcs (with 5 Gran Dorado parks