Package Holidays Blog

I went with my boyfriend Michael to Corralejo, Fuerteventura in March this year. We picked the busiest resort on the island as we wanted plenty to do in the evening after a hard days sun bathing. The resort is beautiful and was once a former fishing village and the remains of this can be seen today. The beach is fabulous and the sand dunes are a protected nature reserve.

The Beautiful Beach

The harbour area is amazing and has some fantastic views. The main street has loads of shops, cafes, bars and restaurants there’s was plenty to do in the evening. The plaza is a good place to head to as is got a group of restaurants under one roof and the choice of food immense. McCarthy Irish bar and O’Grady’s where great and the staff where very friendly. The nightlife is fab and we had the best holiday there’s so much to see and do. We went to the Baku Euro Theme and Water Park which is a fantastic day out the water slides and wave machines are great. There’s loads of water sports along the beaches and windsurfing was extremely popular so we both decided to give it a try, well Michael was a dab hand at it while i just could not get the hang of it so i just stuck to sun bathing. There are two markets a week in the resort most do sell the usual tourist tat but there was a really nice jewellery stall where i managed to haggle for a beautiful bracelet. We stayed at the Oasis Papagayo on a self catering basis and to be honest it more than met our needs. I would definitely recommend Corralejo to anyone looking for a fun filled holiday with plenty of evening entertainment.

Mel and David from Notts

I’ve just returned from a fantastic holiday to Ibiza with my husband and two girls aged one and six. We stayed in the resort of Santa Eulalia on the Orquedia Aparthotel.

View from Our Room

We had a one bed apartment with a fantastic sea view. The room itself was very clean although it would of been perfect if it was a little bigger. The room was cleaned every day as where the towels and the beds where made six out of the seven days we where there so we couldn’t fault them. All of the staff are extremely friendly and helpful as was the Thomson rep. The hotel reception have a map of the resort and all the bus time tables which we found extremely useful. The hotel was quiet as it was the beginning of the season but that didn’t bother us. The pool area had plenty of sun loungers and parasols available but we didn’t use them as the hotel is right on the beach. There are two pools with one of them being a children’s pool but there where cold when we where there so didn’t go in them. There are two beaches in the resort, the one outside the hotel has a few sun loungers on it and at the far end has a water sports centre. But the other beach is only a two minute walk from the hotel and is stunning with soft golden sand and clear waters, my girls had hours of fun building sandcastles and burying their dad.

At The Beach

As it was the start of the season the beach was fairly uncrowded which was perfect for us but i can see it getting quiet packed when the season picks up. Only two minutes from the hotel near the river is a lovely park which is very shaded and was perfect as it was hotter than we expected it to be most days it was 22 - 28.

Enjoying her food

There’s plenty of restaurants in the resort although the ones around the marina weren’t open due to it being the start of the season but the Chinese restaurant and La Rambla on the promenade where our favourites. Just around the corner from the hotel is the eroski supermarket with it fabulous and really cheap, it doesn’t open till 9.30 but the locals queue outside the buy the fresh warm baguettes. The bus station is five minutes from the hotel and there buses are cheap and regular and we explored the island this way visiting, Es Cana, Ibiza Town and San Antonia. We had a really great relaxing holiday which is what we wanted, i would definitely recommend Santa Eulalia to anybody looking for a relaxing resort with wonderful beaches and restaurants.

The Happy Relaxing Family from Cleveland.

My husband & i went on holiday to Marrakech last June and found it to be a wonderful and welcoming place to visit. The main square is fantastic and the Medina is such a thrill to walk around. Anything you could possible want is sold here and everybody haggles. I got a stunning leather handbag and my husband got a leather wallet from one of the stalls at a fraction of the cost the stall holder originally wanted. Marrakech has lots of narrow alleyways which are lined with old buildings which are very eye catching. At night the large square is where everybody heads to, there’s plenty of 0pen air restaurants and bars that have a captivating atmosphere. Street performers give the square a real buzz to it and we enjoyed our evenings here. Overall we have a very enjoyable holiday and would recommend Marrakech to anyone wanting a holiday with real charm and atmosphere.

Mrs A Blot, Cambridge

I went on holiday to Malta last July for a week with my mum as my dad had gone on a golfing holiday. We stayed at the Bayview Hotel in Sliema. Our room was really nice and opened up to a south facing balcony which over looked the bay which was stunning. It was really nice on an evening to enjoy a glass of wine and watch the world go by.

The room was very clean and the maid came in daily, not that it needed it as mum tidied around and made the beds before the maid came in. The facilities in the room where excellent with plenty of pans and utensils, although we only used the kettle and the bottle opener.  The air conditioning was a godsend and wasn’t too noisy. The staff where very efficient and friendly and couldn’t do enough for you. The swimming pool was really nice and there was plenty of sun loungers for mum to catch up on her reading. The restaurant in the hotel was really nice and offered a varied menu and the service was very good. The hotel is in a brilliant location only a short stroll to all the restaurants, bars and shops and the marina is right on the door step.

The marina is stunning and from the promenade that runs along it offers fantastic views across to Valletta. There’s some lovely little bars, cafes and restaurants along the promenade and it was lovely to sit outside and enjoy the views while enjoying a meal. If you’re having a meal at night in one of the restaurants the views of Valletta is even more beautiful than during the day. There no beach in Sliema but an array of lido’s that you can relax on or swim into the sea from. Outside the hotel is a bus stop which takes you to Valletta in about 20 minutes.

The View Across To Valletta

Valletta is such a wonderful place to visit with elegant buildings and a stunning harbour. The Carmelite Church is breathtaking as is St Pauls shipwreck Church that has the most ornate marble interior Ive ever seen. Overall we both had a wonderful holiday and would go back.
Holly and mum

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.