About This Resort…
The Pairi Daiza resort is a collection of beautiful accommodations located in the heart of Pairi Daiza zoo in Belgium. The offering ranges from cosy lodges to comfortable hotel rooms, each one designed to allow you to experience an unforgettable night up close with animals.
When I say close, I mean it. There are lodges in the deer enclosure allowing the deer to roam freely amongst guests, rooms set partially underwater to view the walruses and places to sleep that put nothing more than a window between you and a Siberian tiger.
First Impressions
A genuinely warm welcome.
Overnight guests check in at Guest services, where you’ll receive a welcome pack and a wrist band. That gains you entry to the park and is the key to your accommodation.
This is also where you check in overnight luggage; this will be tagged and delivered to your accommodation which can be accessed from 15.00. Upon departure, luggage will be collected from your lodgings and held at reception until departure.
Check in was seamless. Staff switched flawlessly from French to English to tell us everything we needed to know . It genuinely felt like our stay mattered to them. 10/10.
The Native Village, Pairi Daiza Resort
Guests can choose from eight themed rooms or lodges, with each one providing a unique view of the park and the animals that call it home.
The creatures of the mountains and the forests being my thing, I picked a lodge in the Native Village. The wooden homes are First Nations inspired, built in traditional style using huge red cedar trunks.
The location puts you right into an enclosure of fallow deer overlooking the bears. Perfection.
The theme may be rustic but no roughing it here. The lodges are designed with comfort in mind. Each comfortably sleeps up to six adults and two children across two bedrooms with a sofa bed in the spacious lounge.
Large windows flood the cabin with light and allow you to watch the wildlife from almost every room.
Meals are included in your package but the lodges do feature a well equipped kitchenette with microwave, mini bar and a coffee machine. Drinks and snacks can also be ordered and delivered via room service.
The bathroom was an absolute delight featuring a sauna, bubble bath and separate rainfall shower. Piles of fluffy towels, complimentary toiletries and an amenities kit were thoughtfully provided. Bliss.
Pairi Daiza also leaves each party a welcome gift in the lodge, in our case some maple syrup cookies and Pairi Daiza branded stationery. A lovely touch.
Pairi Daiza Wellness Experience
You could create your own spa in those lovely lodge bathrooms, but for a unique wellness experience head to the resort spa. There’s a steam room, Finnish style sauna, massage seat area and ice shower.
When you’ve wellness-ed enough, retire to the lounge and outdoor terrace to relax.
This experience is included in your stay, robes and towels are provided. Take swimsuits and footwear.
Visiting a spa with tigers next door was a first for me, loved it.
All About the Food
Lots of walking, wellness and wildlife spotting meant we worked up a bit of an appetite. Luckily, you don’t go hungry here. The immersion stay includes meals on a half board basis.
We chose our evening meal buffet style in the Russian themed Izba restaurant. Before food, lets talk interiors; carved wood, rustic chandelier, folksy painted details.
There were plenty of hot and cold options and (most importantly, in my opinion) a huge dessert selection complete with a chocolate fountain.
Day two dawned with wet and gloomy weather so we were happy to take breakfast in restaurant Octopus in the cosy Paddling Bear Hotel. The breakfast buffet was outstanding with a smashing hot and cold selection, all the coffees and a glass of fizz on offer if you fancied.
The Best Thing About This Stay?
Overnight guests have 24 hour access to ‘The Last Frontier’ and ‘The Land of the Cold’, meaning you really do get to see a lot of the animals when the park quietens down after the day trippers have left.
Overnight guests can access the whole of the zoo one hour earlier than day visitors.
Our Stay in 3 Words
Exciting, unforgettable, joyful.
Want to Know More?
Visit the Pairi Daiza resort website. Caution: May lead to booking.
I’ll also be adding a packing list and full breakdown of what’s included in a resort stay to my account over on Pinterest. Fellow Pinterest users, come and join me.
Helen x
Sounds amazing Helen, I’ve not heard of this place. Sometimes places like this are all gimmick and nothing else. Looks like you had a very luxurious room and food sounded delicious too
Thanks Alison, the room was beautiful although we didn’t have much time in it. It was a really fun break.
I can imagine the deer are just so cute
I love the sound of this, especially if we could have a view of the tigers!
I’d go back for a stay in the tiger house, or maybe for a window to the polar bears. Such a fun place.
I feel a bit conflicted about this. Do the less threatening wild animals become a bit too used to humans and become tame? I’m not sure about the paddling bears either. I can see I’m being awfully po-faced. Just ignore me and I’ll go away!
Aw Margaret, I loved the paddling bears! The bigger/wilder animals don’t seem affected they are all either rescued by the Pairi Daiza Foundation or captive bred so they’ll never need to know how to be wild.
Wow, what a fantastic place to stay especially as you see so much wildlife. I also love the open fireplaces, rustic atmosphere and how at the same time everything exudes comfort. Some of the lodges give the impression that you were immersed in the heart of the First Nations of Western Canada. I would probably book the Penguin House, but Walrus House sounds amazing too – so many choices! Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Intriguing place!
I can tell you had loads of fun, Helen. There would be some difficult choices to be made.
Looks like a great experience 😃.
It looks like a lovely place to stay surrounded by nature and deers. I like that they kept the interiors wooden so it also is quite natural too. I would love to stay!
What a gorgeous experience Helen.
Oh wow, what a unique experience. The cabins look lovely.
What a great review – and it makes me want to visit – soon. I am curious enough to head over to their site – and if we book, I will let you know. It’s these types of ‘off-the-beaten-path” locales that we love to visit. We’ll be in the area late Spring – so this seriously may make the list. Thanks for the intro to another item that just made my bucket list!
Oh do let me know if you book! You won’t be disappointed. I think Pairi Daiza has just released dates for next year.
This area of Belgium is great for exploring, I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time. Thank you so much for taking time to read and comment, appreciate it.
ooooooo a nature & animal themed resort – such fun! The accommodation looks so cosy.
It was a lovely lodge, enjoyed calling it home for a night!