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.
We went to Majorca in September 2008 with my husband James and 6 year old daughter Poppy. We decided to book a last minute holiday and got a fantastic deal through Late Deals to Alcudia. We went for a week and got great flight times which was another reason why we decided to book it. It was late afternoon when we got to our hotel and our daughter just wanted to go straight to the pool. So while i got the pleasure of unpacking James took Poppy to the pool for a while. Then we headed out for a wander around the resort. Alcudia is so beautiful, the old town dates back to the Romans and is surrounded by a medieval wall lined with narrow streets and stunning old buildings.
One Of The beautiful Narrow Streets
We didn’t know what to expect with our late deal holiday as we’d never been to Majorca before and didn’t know anybody who’d been to Alcudia. Alcudia Bay is so stunning and the beach goes on for miles with a stunning mountain backdrop. The sea is so warm and was perfect for Poppy as it so shallow. We did feel safe letting her run down to the sea to fill up her bucket for the fort she’d built around her princess sandcastle. There are plenty of cafes and beach side tavernas around the beach that did really good snacks during the day. We only did 2 trips while we where in Alcudia 1 to the water park and the other to Formentor beach. We all loved the boat trip to Formentor, we set off from the main port area and sailed around the north coast of Majorca to a secluded bay. The views from the boat where amazing and the boat was very modern, not some old rickety thing my husband was expecting. Our lunch was included in the price of the trip. We landed a beautiful secluded beach which was perfect and enabled Poppy to collect some more shells. On our return to Alcudia the captain stopped the boat so we could all have a swim in the sea. Poppy being the adventurous 6 year old loved this and thought is was amazing she even jumped from the boat from the sea. We had such a good time and met some lovely people. There plenty of restaurants throughout the resort and plenty of family entertainment. We would recommend Alcudia to anybody wanting a good family holiday, we had such a good time and would go back.
As the plane touched down on a hot sunny morning at Bourgas airport, our holiday to Sunny Beach in Bulgaria had finally begun. We had chosen Bulgaria as although they joined the EU in January 2007, they do not yet use the Euro, so we were hoping for quite a cheap standard of living while we were there and opted for a self catering apartment. On the subject of money, cash machines are plentiful but it is advisable to check with your card provider before you go that your card can be used abroad as they don’t accept all major cards as some other countries do. Travellers cheques are accepted in most major hotels and larger restaurants, but to avoid an additional exchange rate always take cheques in US dollars, pounds sterling or euros. You do not need a visa to travel to Bulgaria and you must have a minimum of 3 months left on your passport upon return.
Right…formalities over, let’s get down to business. We stayed at the Apartments Blue Marine, they were just newly built (end of 2005 I think) and looked lovely, we were just as pleased when we saw our room, although not overly spacious, it was enough for us and exceptionally clean (expected really due to newness of apartments) the apartments are spread over 6 floors and there are 4 lifts so no major queueing problems!! There was plenty of room around the pool and usually enough sunbeds (as long as you don’t stay in bed until lunch time!) The pool was lovely and there is also a children’s section. We ate at the cafe and restaurant on site during our stay and found the food great and prices very reasonable although there were cheaper options throughout the resort. The beach is fantastic and has a Blue Flag award for its cleanliness and seems to go on for miles (about 5 of then actually) the sea is calm and ideal for swimming and there are water sport opportunities scattered all along the beach. The tree line promenade is bursting with shops, bars and restaurants as are the streets immediately behind them. A mini train runs through the resort although the area is very flat and walking is easy and enjoyable, although we did encounter a few children begging which was a little sad but please refrain from giving them anything as once word spreads you will be followed for miles, fortunately that didn’t happen to us as our First Choice reps very kindly warned us about this, they must have known my wife has a weakness where these things are concerned!!
Water Sports at Sunny Beach
We are not really excursion people as we like to relax by the pool and on the beach but we did go on the Bulgarian night. Our coach took us to the village of Bata where we enjoyed traditional salad for starters made with peppers and white cheeses, with a complimentary glass of rakia, the locally produced brandy, followed by cabbages stuffed with meat (tastier than it sounds) which was quite spicy. the entertainment was very colourful and ended with a traditional fire dance, the wine was free flowing and a great night was had by all.
Listening to people who had been to Bulgaria before, a few of them were moaning that the prices overall were more expensive then the year before, however compared to our last holiday in Spain we found it significantly cheaper we were paying 15 Levs for a meal which is about £7, and 2 Levs for a beer, about a pound. Locals are predicting though that as the euro devalues even further and places like Bulgaria become more and more popular that it may not stay so reasonable. My advice would be to go now, before everyone else does!!
My husband and I took our last holidays to Tunisia and stayed at the Royal Kenz Hotel in Port El Kantaoui. We flew from Newcastle with First Choice and the flight took 3 and a half hours, and was excellent even though we took off in what seemed like a hurricane!! Landing in Tunisia was such a great feeling as the temperature was about 26c and was such a welcome relief from freezing cold Newcastle. We were hassled a bit by people wanting to help with our luggage but a polite and firm NO did the trick, they expect a large tip and will try to just take your case from your hand.
We are both in our 70’s so had chosen this hotel as we had heard it is exclusive to adults and we weren’t disappointed. We stayed half board and found the food superb, we chose a superior room and it was very clean and had a hairdryer, air-conditioning, mini fridge, bathrobes and tea and coffee making facilities, great for us oldies who often wake early and could enjoy a cuppa on the balcony before breakfast. Our room was cleaned daily and towels and linen twice a week. The pool area was lovely and clean and we never had to fight for sun beds. We didn’t do any excursions - we are a bit long in the tooth for desert safaris but spoke to people who did and if you can face a night under the stars then it definitely sounded worth it. We spent a couple of days wandering round Port El Kantaoui and found it fascinating, the local traders love to barter and although some people don’t like this, it is a way of life in Tunisia so if you don’t like it…don’t go!
The marina is beautiful and we spent many hours watching the boats come and go, dreaming about who owned them and where they were going. We enjoyed the evening entertainment even though we had read some reports saying it was boring, then perhaps we are boring as we enjoy a good game of bingo and found the line dancing very amusing! The live music was perhaps a bit repetative, but still so enjoyable. The staff were very pleasant and friendly and overall we had a fabulous time and would recommend this hotel to anyone who likes a quiet, relaxing break.
We have recently returned from Agadir having had a great time. I wasnt quite sure what to expect of the place in advance, but remained open minded and i’m glad I did. We stayed at the Iberostar Founty Beach hotel which is beachfront and had an amazing lagoon-style pool - we couldn’t really fault the hotel, it was gorgeous - my only partial gripe was that the character of the hotel was a bit too sterile compared to other hotels such as the RIU Tikida Beach hotel down the road, but overall we were really happy.
Our hotel pool area...
We spent days soaking up the sun on the glorious stretch of sandy beach that seemed to go on forever - there was loads of space too as it was really wide & it was also very clean with a nice shallow slope into the warm sea… We really wanted to do as many excursions as possible whilst we were there to make the most of the trip & there was plenty of activities on offer. We took off on an adventurous camel ride (so uncomfortable!!!), another day we visited the epicentre of where the 1960 earthquake struck and we also spent an evening enjoying berber hospitality and entertainment, which was full of loads of singing and dancing.
Agadir from the Kasbah.
Nights out could be as lively or quiet as you wanted them to be… we chose the lively option and headed to the nightclub ‘le central’ a few times, where we were later told that some of the ‘ladies of the night’ have been known to pop by! But the best night out was the outside foam party, held on the beach at a beach bar. A very wild night was had - it was great fun! No matter where you go the people are so much more friendly the likes on Spain - they are very smily and genuine - I would recommend a holiday to Agadir to anyone. Oh and try the Moroccan Lamb tagine - beautiful!!!
I went on my holidays to Mexico in October 2007 with my husband and we stayed at the Riu Caribe hotel in Cancun. It was my first holiday long haul with First Choice, and as I boarded the aircraft I began to feel nervous of such a long flight. But the aircraft was fantastic; it had loads of legroom considering we were in standard class.
When we arrived I was surprised to get such a warm welcome from the local people outside the Airport dancing. The hotel was a stunning five star beach front property, the best I have ever stayed in. The first few days were spent in the hotel around the pool, but when we did venture out we went to the local pub just outside the hotel. Cancun itself was a mixture of traditional Mexico and upbeat America, loads of expensive jewellery shops and boutiques and back street markets. The local people were so friendly just wanting to talk to you.
One of the main excursions we did was the lobster cruise, as it was our wedding anniversary it was perfect for a bit of romance. We boarded a galleon ship for a three course meal as the sunset. The rest of the week was spent in Cancun’s night clubs on an evening, especially Coco Bongos - the best club I have ever been in. Every night there is a show of different comic book heroes doing acrobats in the air.
A Cancun Temple
The resort did cater mainly to Americans - everywhere you went was full of steak houses and the pub chain Senor Frogs where you could purchase memorabilia of the famous name. It was good value for money throughout the resort and you can take the Mexican Pesos or the American Dollar which I opted for thanks to such a good exchange rate.
Overall, Mexico is one of the best destinations that I have ever visited with a mixture of charm and sophistication. I would recommend Mexico to anyone. Give it a try.
I went to Africa in January 2007 with my Dad, we stayed in Diani beach in a 2 star accomodation called the Diani Sea Lodge. Little did i know at the time, but the next two weeks would be the most memorable of my life. The hotel at first, seemed great, even though it catered mainly for Germans. There was a handful of English people there who made our holiday even better. During these two weeks we went on a two night safari at the Massai Mara and saw everything from Elephants protecting their young, to Lions trying to make some “young” of thier own. They were going at it like… Lions
Diani Beach
We also did a balloon safari over the Masai Mara and finished that off with a Champagne breakfast with a small group of other travelers. The African people were amazing, they were so kind, and caring and a pleasure to talk to. I left almost 90% of the contents of my suitcase with some of the local girls and they were made up. For something that cost me 4 pound in Primark they were over the moon and their faces lit up as if it was Christmas.
We hired a crosser and went from hotel to hotel trying out the different restaurants. We also paid next to nothing for a boat tour from a local fisherman who was lovely! He dived into the ocean and came back up with 5 or 6 different types of starfish all unusual colours and textures! I have some of the pictures on my bedroom wall and whenever I see them it makes me want to go back with my mam. It is a truly beautiful country with so much to see and not enough time. I would reccomend package holidays to Africa to anyone and I intend to go back sometime in the near future!
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Our room was cleaned daily and towels and linen twice a week. The pool area was lovely and clean and we never had to fight for sun beds. We didn’t do any excursions - we are a bit long in the tooth for desert safaris but spoke to people who did and if you can face a night under the stars then it definitely sounded worth it. We spent a couple of days wandering round Port El Kantaoui and found it fascinating, the local traders love to barter and although some people don’t like this, it is a way of life in Tunisia so if you don’t like it…don’t go!
