Villages Nature, the project produced from a joint-venture by Euro Disney Groups and Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs, is indeed about to be born; an official announcement has been made that work will start imminently.
The first instalment of Phase 1, which should be open to the public in 2016, includes the delivery of 916 cottages and apartments classed as tourism residences and a range of recreational facilities, among them the Aqualagon, a large water park complex.
At 500 m2, it’s one of Europe’s largest indoor water parks – including a 2,500 m2 outdoor lagoon that is heated all year round to above 30° using geothermal energy, taking inspiration from the famous Blue Lagoon islands. Presently, 190 million euros for funding the project has been secured. The accommodations – cottages and apartments that will be divided into three classes of comfort - are only just starting to take shape and will be based on the Pierre & Vacances model. Even though the proximity to the Disney Parks (6km) and the ownership structure implies that there will be synergy between Villages Nature and Disney, this project should not be seen as neither a third park nor an addition to the existing hotel supply but as a tourist destination in its own right, accommodating both international clients and the population of the Ile de France – Paris being only 32km away – to quickly reach 500,000 clients a year and an annual occupation of 85%. Even so, the rates should be higher than at least 15% to those at Center Parcs. In addition, thanks to the ‘fairy godmother’ of geothermal energy and also a bold architectural approach intently focused on the vegetable and animal world, not forgetting the omnipresence of water, Villages Nature will play background to a very “living” environment.