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Original poster

Mark Warner Egypt

56 replies

chrissiejames · 28/10/2005 11:19

Has anyone been to the Mark Warner in Egypt? We are looking for some winter sun (Jan) with 1 and 2 year olds. Sri Lanka seems a bit far (11 hour flight) and I am put off by jabs and malaria.
Thanks!

OP posts:
bluesky · 02/11/2005 18:12

well they do RYA courses, so put her on another one of those, to be honest they are not out for long. If she wants to do 'proper' sailing then she is best going out separately at another time.

katymac · 02/11/2005 18:45

That would be fab - I'll ring them to discuss booking her on one.

Thanks for all your help Bluesky - DH & I really apprecaite it

katymac · 04/11/2005 13:25

Spoke to MW and apparently the pool will be heated....there is a grass court and they could take DH to place tennis at another hotel

And if we cancel we get a full refund.....so a mixed response

bluesky · 04/11/2005 16:08

whoooooh katymac, well done. I'm hoping there has been alot of pressure. Am due to speak to the Gen Mgr of the hotel (not Mark Warner) regarding my letter, so will let you know what he says.

The question is if you arrive and it isn't heated, will they recompense (is that the right word?!) you? It's all very well them saying it will be heated. But it was supposed to be heated .....

And are they heating the BIG main pool, or the little health spa one, double check that. When I spoke to the Mark Warner Ops Manager out there, they felt there was no way they could get the big one open, but would put pressure on to get the small one open.

katymac · 04/11/2005 16:17

I told MW about your review and directed them to the site.......

It's just so frustrating - we paid for one thing and are getting something else. At least if we decide to change this weekend we won't loose anything - DH & I don't know what to do tennis and a pool were a very big part of our holiday ...sigh...

bluesky · 04/11/2005 17:01

If you decide to go you will have a great time, and at least you know the pool is cold before you go, instead of being bitterly disappointed as we and many others were.

I would only go again if the pool was heated, as everything else was spot on for us as a family:

  1. food
  2. kids club, well organised, fab nannies
  3. temperature
  4. lovely staff, egyptian and mark warner
  5. great watersports facilies and equipnment
  6. amazing bedrooms
  7. the most amazing hotel foyer you will ever see!
  8. easy peasy short transfer from airport
  9. quiet place, no aeroplane or road noise 10)great long beach with warm shallow waters
  10. AND A DISCO FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL USE KATYMAC!!

If the pool is heated we would consider going back next October half term.

katymac · 04/11/2005 19:49

You should get a reduction off your next holiday - what a sales technique

katymac · 05/11/2005 20:23

Sorry Bluesky - how was the sea....was it very cold?

bluesky · 05/11/2005 22:06

No, it wasn't cold. (heaven compared to the pool!) When I capsized I barely noticed the temperature of the water!!

It is only cold when first going in, because you are so hot, but it was lovely snorkelling etc.

katymac · 05/11/2005 22:31

Thanks - Should you be the official MW Abu Soma representative and receive a discount off your next holiday

DH is coming round about the tennis apparently they have table tennis

bluesky · 06/11/2005 09:05

table tennis - not quite the same though, poor hubby! (I didn't see the table tennis?!)

Are you definitely going?

katymac · 06/11/2005 09:28

We have got to decide today

It's sounds really petty to be so upset by a tennis court and a cold pool.

But this was to be the holiday of a life time and it's so galling to not get what we paid for.

We have had a really hard year and have a nightmare 7 week coming up and it's just something else to worry about.

What if we get there and the pool is still cold, what if another activity is removed.

I think some of it is cold feet 'cos we have never spent so much (except for car/house)

SO confused

Kaz33 · 06/11/2005 10:34

Last minute bookings to Egypt are on there website at the moment. If you fancy going this month you can make quite substantial savings

Would go but broke

katymac · 06/11/2005 13:01

Thanks Kaz our dates are very fixed - so I think I'll go with MW after all

bluesky · 07/11/2005 12:30

katymac, have spoken to General Manager of the Intercontinental Hotel this morning. They are waiting for a part for the large pool, he said they take a long time to reach Egypt, customs etc .... But he thought the smaller pool was heated, I said no, and it hasn't been in Mark Warners time there (8 months), I suggested he went to dip his toe in.

If I was a Hotel Manager, I'd be dipping my toes in daily, eating the food on offer daily, talking to people daily. (He wasn't there during half-term, I said that was a shame, as he would have seen a busy hotel).

I also said that it's not a great idea having kids in the health/spa pool as it's a place where adults go to relax/peace/quiet, not screaming children!

Anyway dinner's on him when I go back!

katymac · 07/11/2005 13:29

Spoke to trading standards as MW were advertising tennis at Abu Soma in the Sunday Times Travel suppliment. They are going to take it further as it is misrepresentation

bluesky · 07/11/2005 15:14

Well done Katymac, you're on a roll!!

I think it's important as you quite rightly said in your recent posting, this is an EXPENSIVE holiday, and we were the same as you, it was a big purchase after house/car!!

You don't just go with high expectations, you simply expect to get what they said you would get, when they marketed it and when you paid for it.

motheroftwoboys · 07/11/2005 16:23

Hi Katymac - just wondered if you had decided or not. If it helps, we stayed in Lanzerote during December 4 or 5 years ago and we found the pool VERY cold but the kids were never out of it. Also, in Paleros, the sea temperature seemed b.. freeezing when you first went in but bliss after being brave and doing the full immersion bit. And that was topless ..... do agree though, it is one hell of a lot of money. As I said before, once your children are teenagers you end of paying for 4 adults!! We did have a GREAT time in the summer though. We are really looking forward to it but slightly concerned about whether my bikinis will fit by then as seem to be eating loads of "comforting" food at the moment and getting bigger by the day! Ended up eating, eating, and eating in the summer. Question for Bluesky if you are around - is the fruit juice fresh at breakfast? (it was c...p at Paleros) and do they have croissants etc (for pickiest of picky eating younger son who seems to live on carbohydrate. Bet the rooms will be better too. Can never understand how the MW prices do not normally equate with 5 star luxury - can't have everything I suppose, or maybe you can in Egypt!!

katymac · 07/11/2005 16:29

Like the advertising at the top??

Is it subliminal?

motheroftwoboys · 07/11/2005 16:36

Ha! YOu know I never noticed. Maybe we could win a holiday lol! How many are you minding today? Are you heading for Egypt after all? I saw the hotel on another site www.key2holidays.co.uk/newsletter/egypt_newsletterI.htm

have to say it looks great!

bluesky · 07/11/2005 17:10

The ad has always been there, made me laugh on this thread!!

Saw the details on the thread you posted motherof2boys, nice photos, but all the details of two heated pools and 3 tennis courts.....

katymac · 07/11/2005 17:12

Never noticed it before - how sad is that?

bluesky · 07/11/2005 17:14

Just seen the breakfast question:

there are about 5 different juices, I don't drink juice, but there was orange, mango, etc etc. My boys who aren't usually juice drinkers loved them.

Oooooh the croissants, piles of them, piles of pain au chocolat, danish pastries, almond croissants, apricot pastries, egyptian pastries,loads and loads ......

(their pitta breads were GORGEOUS!)

Breakfast was amazing (all the meals were great).

moondog · 07/11/2005 17:17

I've long toyed with the idea of an MW holiday but this thread has put me off!

For what it's worth ladies,I've just returned from a week in a big all inclusive place in Side Turkey (we live in Turkey) where we had a fantastic time.
I'm a real snob about this sort of a holiday but we thought the kids would enjoy it and it seemed hassle free.

It was brilliant!
Approximately £90 a day for four of us-pools,beach,funfair,bowling,kids entertainment,thalassotherapy place,unlimited good food and drink and all sorts of little extras.

I've stayed in that wave shaped place in Dubai (can't remmeber the name) and it definitely compared-for about 25% of the price.

bluesky · 07/11/2005 17:22

Moondog, Mark Warner holidays are great, pricey but great.

This Egypt thing is a new venture for Mark Warner, taking over a wing of an already established hotel and running alongside it. Therefore they can't be in control of whether or not the heating of the pool is on etc.

All teething problems I suppose, but it is 8 months in now, and when it is your holiday that suffers, it is a pain in the backside. But I have been really positive about all of the other aspects of Abu Soma so PLEASE DONT BE PUT OFF!

Glad you found somewhere good, am quite interested in Dubai one day too.