Package Holidays Blog

Id never really fancied going to Bulgaria so when my husband Peter had said he’d booked us a week in Golden Sands i was a little bit apprehensive to say the least. But when we arrived for our holiday last August i was presently surprised and i didn’t know why i was worried. The resort is set in a beautiful location and has some amazing surroundings of lush greenery. It was really hot which was fantastic for my tan. The beach is really beautiful and clean, its easy to see why it was awarded EU Blue Flag status.

The Beautiful Beach

Throughout the beach are plenty of sun loungers which are not that expensive. There’s plenty of tavernas and beach side cafes to grab a snack and a cold drink during the day. The sea is so clear and warm and along the beach are plenty of water sports available. Me and Peter had always wanted to scuba diving and when we found out that Golden Sands had its own PADI school we both thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to try it out. The instructor was fantastic and we both felt really safe. The dive was amazing and the coral reef and amount of tropical fish was incredible. I really cant believe that we’d never dived before and this certainly wont be our last time.

Aladzha Monastery

Towards the end of our week we went to the Aladzha Monastery which is above the resorts carved into the limestone rocks. It over 2 floors and consists of 2 churches, monks cell and a chapel and also has several other rooms. The monastery dates back to the 12th century and it extraordinary and is worth visiting if you’re in the resort. At night the resort really does come alive we had such a great time and there are some lovely restaurants and bars throughout the resort so we basically just eat at a different place every night that took our fancy.

Lianne B, Inverness

We visited Yugoslavia many years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, so finally decided to try again, obviously this time we went to Croatia. We stayed at the Valamar Club near Dubrovnik and had a thoroughly wonderful time. Our room was quite small and basic but very clean and after all we didn’t really spend much time in there. We had requested a sea view and were certainly not disappointed, it was wonderful waking up on a morning to such a beautiful sight.

The pool is fantastic and there is a seperate childrens pool there are plenty of sunbeds around the pool area aswell and even though it got quite busy around the pool, we always got a sunbed. There is also a childrens play area and the animation team did a great job in entertaining adults and kids alike. The evening entertainment was great although some people complained it was a little loud(!?) we found it great fun. We heard people complaining about the all inclusive being a rip off as you were only allowed free drinks at meal times, however, when we booked the holiday it was actually advertised as “all inclusive light” and if you read the description properly it does tell you this so you cannot really complain about this when you get there. We booked on the Holiday Hypermarket website and this was stated in the all inclusive section, so we were fully aware of this before we went.

Free drinks with meals is enough for us as we don’t like to sit and drink all day anyway. All in all we thouroughly enjoyed our holiday to Croatia and would recommend the Valamar Club to anyone looking for a relaxing holiday with plenty of activities going on if you need them.

Val and Derek Watson, Herts.

Me and my husband Jack took our little girl Izzy (aged 3) to the Vistamar Studios in Menorca last September and had a really good time. The location of the accommodation was superb overlooking the beach and the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. Our room was very clean and well equipped and the maid service was excellent. All the staff where very friendly, the complex was always clean and the pool was cleaned every day which was great to see as Izzy loved the pool so much that we had to bribe her with ice cream to get her out.

There is a restaurant in the Vistamar which is really nice and the servings where very generous. The resort itself is small but does have some lovely bars and restaurants and 2 supermarkets. The restaurants all cater for children and made a big fuss of Izzy. Paella at the Costa Sur restaurant is one of the best we have ever tasted and the staff here are very welcoming. Next to the restaurant is a little playground and was perfect for keeping our little one amused. Es Bruc is a lovely place to go for lunch and the food is not that expensive. There are a few bars in the resort but overall the evening entertainment is low key but that was perfect for us. We didn’t do any excursions as we just wanted a relaxing family holiday.

I would recommend Santo Tomas for those with small children or for those wanting a quiet relaxing holiday.

Babs and family from Manchester.

I stayed at the Athos Palace, Halkidiki in June last year with my mum. We just wanted a hotel where we could chill out and relax in great surroundings so my dad packed us off for a weeks all inclusive. We could not of asked for more as we both had such a lovely time. We where very happy with the efficiency of the staff who where very helpful and friendly. Our room was beautiful and we had a lovely mountain view, there was a small fridge which was a god send for keeping our drinks cool.

The maid service was excellent and our room was cleaned daily as where our towels. The food was plentiful and served buffet style and we never had any problems getting seated. The drinks choice was fantastic which was great. The was a wide variety of food to suit every taste. On an evening there was some entertainment on the beach which was varied each night followed by a mini disco so me and mum had a little boogie most nights. The hotel has its own private beach which is lovely and clean and we found there was enough sun loungers available, even though some where reserved with towels. There was a variety of water sports available but me and mum just stuck to the pedalos.

I cant really comment on the areas outside the hotel as the hotel offered us everything we needed for a relaxing week away. My mum has booked to go back this July with my dad.

Roxy from Gateshead.