Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Flip

Original poster

First Choice Holiday Villages

19 replies

roseyposeysmum · 31/05/2013 23:11

I have been looking through there brochure and these look amazing. My daughter will be 6 when we go next year and i can't decide which one would be the best for us as they all look really good.

Just wondered if anybody had been to them and which are the best ones.

We have been looking at the one in Turkey or Rhodes ?

thanks for your help in advance

OP posts:

ilovepowerhoop · 01/06/2013 09:07

have been to the one in Turkey but I ended up ill when I got back and the pools were shut quite a lot due to people pooing in them (gross!). I have a friend that went there and was fine though. We are going back to the one in Tunisia this year after enjoying it a couple of years ago. We also like the one in Egypt. Friends are returning to the one in Tenerife this year after going there last year. Have not been to the Rhodes one.

ParanoidAnnie · 01/06/2013 09:10

My sister has just returned from the holiday village in Egypt. She and her DP were very sick the day after arriving and she blames the food. She was glad to get home and has lodged a complaint. All but one of their party was ill.

ilovepowerhoop · 01/06/2013 09:15

you could check out some reviews on Tripadvisor too

jamtoast12 · 01/06/2013 16:43

I've been to the side one in turkey... It's amazing and my kids say it was their favourite holiday!

jamtoast12 · 01/06/2013 16:44

Was spotlessly clean.. No issues at all and food good.

Fairyloo · 01/06/2013 17:21

What sort of price range?

rufusnine · 01/06/2013 17:38

We went to the Flamingo Beach in Lanzarote and had a reasonably good time - very family orientated and right on a lovely beach. Food ok not the best we've had, but lots of choice. The apartments had kitchens with microwave and a dining area so you could bring the food back to your apartment in take away boxes if necessary. The ice cream was all carte d'or!

EnglishGirlApproximately · 01/06/2013 17:41

The one in Kolymbia in Rhodes us fab but I really love the Costa del Sol one.

NarkyNamechanger · 01/06/2013 17:44

We've been to the Lanzarote one and the costa del sol one, had fab time at both so we're off to the Tenerife one this year. :)

ilovepowerhoop · 01/06/2013 18:19

the one in Egypt was on Watchdog last year as people were getting bad d&v while there. We were actually fine when we went.

3MonthMaid · 01/06/2013 19:05

I have been to the lanzarote one and the Cyprus one. Both were great but Cyprus was the best.

Thoroughly recommend. My DD is 6 too and she loved it.

GotAnyGrapes · 01/06/2013 22:53

Been to Cyprus, Majorca and Tenerife. All were excellent. My fav was Majorca but the one we went to (twice) is no longer the HV as FC have opened a new HV in Majorca this year.
I have heard mixed reviews on lanzarote. Right on the beach but poor food and squashed around the pool with nowhere near enough sun beds for sch hols. Heard even worse reviews about Egypt. Everyone I know who has gone there has ended up ill. One mum from sch actually asked to be moved as she said it was filthy.
Cyprus was very pretty but in two halves. Both nice but one newer, the other bigger. Depends what you want.
Tenerife newer and more to do but not much atmosphere but then I find that about Tenerife in general. We may look at Minorca next year as nice short flight and reasonable reviews.

Kids have to be 6 to do most of the fun activities so you'll be ok there. Mine loved the high ropes and raft building oh and the ball that runs across the water with them in it.

Evening entertainment can be tacky but the kids loved it. Kids daytime clubs suit us well because you book for particular activities rather than childcare so just one or two hours at a time and they go for a specific activity. You're given a list at the welcome meeting.
Hth

mrsspongebob · 02/06/2013 08:13

Have done Tenerife. Was good. Looking at Ibiza which is a new one for next July. It has free kids places at the moment but no reviews as it isn't open for 2013 yet.

radicalsubstitution · 03/06/2013 14:50

mrsspongebob the Ibiza HV is currently called 'Sirenis Seaview Country Club' and is not a brand new hotel. There are loads of reviews for it on TA.

We went to HV Rhodes in 2011 and loved it. The rooms a beautiful and the pools are fantastic.

BIG WORD OF WARNING ON RHODES - although the waterslides look fantastic in the brochure, the larger ones can only be used by children over 10. If you have younger children who are strong swimmers (and like slides) they will be disappointed.

TBH, I think HV Rhodes is seriously overpriced for what it is. It is a lovely hotel, but I think you could get better for the money. I would prefer to go to Atlantica Agean Blue which is part of the same hotel chain, but is part of the Thomson family resorts and is nearer to the beach.

Like all holiday villages, you get the company you pay for. If you go during the very cheap weeks at the start and end of the season, you are much more likely to meet more 'antisocial' guests who can ruin a holiday. Likewise, if you want to have a pleasant experience at mealtimes, it is best to avoid peak times. All inclusive buffets can be hideous at the wrong time.

GotAnyGrapes · 03/06/2013 18:49

Radicalsubstitution, we would have loved to have tried Rhodes but despite it being new none of the rooms can cater for families with 3+ kids like us. So lots of the HVs are out for us for ths very reason. It drives me nuts the lack of choice if you dare to have a 3rd child and First Choice are the worst or it. Makes me feel better to know you thought it a but overpriced!

radicalsubstitution · 03/06/2013 20:26

GotAnyGrapes, I always thought the room configurations at HV Rhodes were a bit weird TBH. The most expensive rooms - the ones with the private pools (as if we could ever afford them) - only sleep 3. That pretty much rules most families out. The swim-up rooms look fantastic, but the family ones don't all have sliding partitions. Some of the swim-up rooms are in shade all day, and many are not in the main pools - just little paddling pool type things.

The four main things that put me of HV Rhodes are a) the price, b) the fact that it's in a not-great location in a not-great resort, c) the fact that the rooms are either close to the noise of the amphitheatre or close to the noise of neighbouring hotels (so you have a choice between listening to Lionel Ritchie or Chocolatte all night) and d) the fact that children under 10 can only use one of the flume slides (and not a very exciting one). These are not huge things in themselves, but when you've paid close to 6K for 10 nights in August, it suddenly seems extremely poor value for money.

We are off to HV Turkey this year for half that amount of money. I'm sure it won't be quite as 'naice' as Rhodes, but I can do a lot with the 3K difference. If I had 6K to spend on a holiday, I would probably look at the Hilton in Dalaiman or Sensatori Crete.

I understand what you mean about not being many places with rooms for 5. Have you looked at HV Algarve?

mrsspongebob · 04/06/2013 17:33

That is very interesting about Rhodes as I had been looking at it after discounting Ibiza. Turkey is next on the review list.

Rosvita · 05/06/2013 22:21

grapes we've been to HV Viva in Majorca twice too (realised this year it's no longer a HV though-wonder what the new one will be like?!) and thought it offered great value for money and great rooms etc. Do you know why it's not a HV any more?

Hersetta · 13/06/2013 12:53

We been 4 times to HV's. We've been twice at Christmas to Egypt and think it was the best one we visited -wouldn't go in the summer though - its far too hot.

Last year we went to turkey - everyone had a great time but we wouldn't go back. you had to get up to get a sunbed by 6am it was ridiculous!! Also as an adult, the beer was rubbish and the alcohol watered down.

We have just come back from the branch new HV in Kos. i was very, very good and we would definitely go back and it's much cheaper than the like of Rhodes or Cyprus and has the advantage of having it's own section of the beach with lots of loungers etc. the beach is way underused as people stayed at the pool so that the beach was empty!

Flip