Anyone been to Mark Warner in Lemnos

[Snow]

How sad that Ro seems to have a less than glowing report for Mark Warner Lemnos club We have been there 3 times and are about to go there for a fourth! The club is wonderful, the view is lovely, especially at sunset, the rooms large and spacious and one isn't cramped on top of other guests as in most hotels. The beach is huge with trees dotted about to hide under when the sun gets too much! The childcare facilities are very good, our children have never complained about going into the kids clubs, in fact if they have been forced out due to illness they have been devastated! Our 6 year old cannot wait to do all the watersports with the junior club this year.Last year in Corisica our 2 year old used to put her rubber ring on and head off to the club before it was even open! The staff have always been willing to help and are professional and friendly. As the parents of three young children it means that my husband and I can get quality time alone together and with the children if we all want to. Also we get to meet other similar minded people and have made some longlasting friendships. If you are looking to do a lot of sightseeing, then this isn't the place for you, Turkey is probably better. For tired parents with young children who need a holiday it's ideal, one can always find something to moan about, but basically if the children are happy then the parents will be too!

We went to this resort a couple of years ago, with children of 1 and 3. We had a brilliant time, the nannies were good and we had every confidence in them. To be honest I think it was a bit restrictive for the 1 year old who hated the heat and spent a lot of time indoors to keep cool. But the elder boy loved the club and activities. The rooms were nice and cool, ours was a kind of split-level suite so we didn't feel we were sharing a room. We had a fridge which was great for keeping drinks cold (you can run up massive bar and ice cream bills without realising it). We think its too hot to go in school holidays (and far too expensive) so have not been recently, but I would certainly go outside July and Aug.

Anyone been to Mark Warner San Lucianu in Corsica?

... or Paleros for that matter!

Ems, we went to Paleros last year, and had such a great time that we're going again next year. The child-care was great, our 3yo went sailing, ice cream trips, swimming in a really neat childs pool - all with the Mini Club that he was in. Meals for kids were really great, they serve tea at around 5pm, with lots of kids favorites to eat. Then the baby listening started at 8pm. The staff walk around the rooms every 15 mins and listen at the door, if your child is making a noise they stay at the door and radio through to the control Nanny - who sends someone to find you. We were called twice, and both times they had obviously heard him as soon as he woke up, as by the time we got to him he hadn't really noticed that we weren't in the room. How old are your kids? I think that if they are over 3, and used to being left that they would really enjoy it. We really liked the adults food too, plenty of choice, drinkable wine, good company. (If you are used to eating in very posh restaurants, then maybe you wouldn't like the food, but.....). It was the first holiday since I've had my son that I actually felt relaxed at the end of it. They also had a 24 hour kitchen that was stocked with Mothercare sterilisers, milk, kettle and bottled water. All the cots and cot linen were Mothercare, all the toys were 'known' brands and looked very clean and looked after. If you have any specific questions - post again. p.s. my friend went at the end of the season and said that all the staff were a bit 'jaded', we went at the end of June and they were super keen, and very attentive.

Thanks Paula1, a very positive report, especially since you are going again! We have two children, aged 6 and 2 and will go first or second week of July.

What was the weather like for you when you went? My only concern is that it may be too hot, both boys are very fair.

Eldest will enjoy the football club they have. I liked what you said about the nannies walking up and down listening, as you never know do you?! So that really reassured me. What sort of room did you have?

Hubby and I went years ago (pre babies)to a MW Turkey that no longer exists, we went second to last week, and I know what your friend means, there is a sense of slowing down and them all keen to go home. You can understand it, but its also not nice as you've saved up and its your one week of MEGA holiday!

Ems, I went to that one in Turkey too (pre children), can't remember the name of it, just that one of the staff told us to remember 'Good virgins lick' to ask for when we got the bus back from Bodrum!!! We went the last week in June, it was hot, but not so hot that it was unbearable. I can't sit in the sun at all, I've got some kind of allergy to it, there are plenty of umberellas by the pool, and some trees (that I was permanently camped under - except to waterski twice a day). The nannies were really good about keeping the kids indoors when it was really hot,and also about reapplying sun cream, making them wear hats etc. also, those UV suits are great, I took two of them, and my son wore them all the time even to swim in, I had taken him loads of other clothes but he never wore any of them. I just washed the UV suits in his bath water and hung them on the line on the balcony and he wore them again the next day. We had a family room that had a small room with a bed and sofa bed, you then walked through that room to get to the double room and terrace/balcony. Did you know that if you book now and pay by 28 feb that you get a free child place? (I really don't work for them!!). The other good thing is that the flight is at 6am, so you're in Paleros for lunch, our son made friends with other children instantly, and I drank a bottle of wine before we'd been there an hour!! We had intended only to put him in the mini club in the mornings, but he cried when we collected him for lunch, and did not want to spend the afternoons with us at all, he just wanted to go back to his club!!

I would advise anyone going on a Mark Warner holiday with young children to check the availability to a local doctor very carefully. We had a terrible week in June last year with all four members of our family having a severe sickness bug which also incapacitated 40 members of the hotel. When our 8 month baby started to throw up bile we asked to see a doctor and they could not get hold of one. They then sent us to a local medical centre on our own where noone spoke English and the doctor refused to treat us.. We then had to take a taxi to the nearest hospital which took one and a half hours with the baby throwing up all the way. We had to wait two hours to be seen. We found the management totally inept and lacking in local knowledge which can be a problem when the staff are shipped in for the season.

Sorry, forgot to add that this was a Mark Warner at Capo Testa in Sardinia.

The Paleros one in Greece had their own Nurse on site who was unbelievably helpful and nice, and also the Manager and his Wife were local people (unlike the other Mark Warners that I had been on in Corsica and Sardinia). There was a baby who was ill in Paleros while I was there and the on-site Nurse took the family to the local paediatrician. Trin, your experience sounds absolutely terrible - did everyone recover OK?

Blimey Thrin! I had friends who were there too, and were very ill and have sworn never to go Mark Warner again.

Nice to hear your story Paula1. By the way silly little question but, was it good sandcastle sand, and easy to walk on sand?

I've just been on their website, and have they have a brilliant 360 degree tour of it all. really helpful for getting a feel of a place.

Did you really mean a 6am flight earlier!?! As in be there at 4am, ohmy!

Paula, the two adults and seven year old recovered after 36 hours of violent sickness. The baby went on to have bad squits which went on for four weeks even on a very restricted diet and we had to visit the doctor here three times due to loss of weight. There are lots of good things about Mark Warner but you do have to be aware that in that hotel there are 100 children there in high season, all playing together in warm temperatures and bugs can and do spread like wildfire. There has to be adequate access to medical help. 5 out of 10 babies in the baby club were ill. When we were in hospital we had management ringing us on the taxi drivers mobile phone as another baby was ill and they wanted our advice on what to do as still no doctors were available. The Mark Warner brochure assured that 'a local doctor will be available on request'but this was not the case. Sorry to be the spectre at the feast but all I am saying is check and then have a good time. We won't be going Mark Warner again.

Yeah Ems, really 6am flight - I thought it was great, because then on the way home you're back home at around 3pm - much better than those awful flights where they leave resort at 10pm and arrive home at midnight!! The beach is not a really great sandy beach, it has little sea shells in it. MW have been importing sand every season, so apparently, it has got better and better. To be honest, we never sat on the beach, we just walked over it to get to the sea for the canoes/water skiing etc.

Just an aside advice. If you do have to do the gritty eye from gatwick or wherever check with a travel agent for parking/hotel sleepover deals.

It's worth considering as parking for a fortnight is 40 quid or more, for an extra 60 we got a night at the Meridian (new, swish and quiet) and part of the Gatwick complex so no hanging around for shuttles. It made a very civilised start to our holiday.

Thanks Malmomum, I was wondering about that. Did you have to book far in advance?

Has anyone used any internet hotel sites for booking?

Can also vouch for a very good holiday with Mark Warner in Paleros. We thought the childcare was excellent and other parents we spoke to while on holiday had no major complaints. A doctor visited the site on certain days and there was a resident nurse for minor problems.
The accommodation is quite basic but perfectly adequate and the food was not amazing although never awful. The flight times are quite off-putting and we stayed the night before at a Gatwick hotel to spare us the ordeal of having to drive in the middle of the night.
The baby listening service worked well in the evenings and the nannies were always amenable to babysitting as they liked the extra cash.
If you are thinking of going, don't leave it too late to book as childcare gets snapped up fairly early.

Following on from the other thread regarding Car Seats, what would happen at Mark Warner if you decided to hire a car, as obviously you wouldnt take toddlers seat out there, do the hire car companies have them available. Did you try it Paula1?

Didn't do it Ems, but they had a room full of car chairs. I didn't look at the quality of them, but they definitely had loads.

We only booked a week or so in advance through Baker Dolphin in Bristol who have always been very helpful. Don't know if they are on the web.

I know this is a Mark Warner chat but I cannot help adding that at Club Med Metaponto in Italy we had a paediatrician available for consultation every day and a nurse's surgery every morning and evening. Unfortunately we did need the peadiatrician for some 24 hr bug that everyone seemed to get and the nurse to diagnose my arm broken while rollerblading. My husband said that he had a good time...

Glad to hear that other Mark Warner Clubs have been better supplied with medical help. I semms that it is such a basic necessity. I wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through what we and other parents suffered last summer in Sardinia. I did notice in this years brochure that for the first time Capo Testa are not taking young children so Mark Warner have probably realised that it does have problems there. WE had no complaints apart from the access to a doctor but that was a rather hard one to forgive.

Just returned from Paleros, thanks especially to Paula1 for all the really helpful advice.

It really was a FANTASTIC holiday, each of us really enjoyed ourselves. The Nannies exceeded all expectations, great clubs, great activities, our 6 yr old loved his club and was one of those children who wanted to be there rather than with us (and this is a shy, quiet child we didnt think would go in the door of a club). He did a different activity each hour; sailing, windsurfing, waterskiing, tennis, football, rounders etc.

Toddler shared a nanny with 2 other children, they had painting, out on bug hunts, jumping waves, sandcastle building, ice cream trip, bikes and trikes, again changing every hour, so you could plan your day and when you were picking up and dropping off. I usually used to peep through various trees, bushes and cracks of door to see if he was happy or sobbing!! They were open 9-1 (then you had lunch together) and open again 3-5pm.

The food was so much better than I thought it would be, and the 5pm kids supper was good quality, no nuggets there! Grilled chicken, pastas, etc. Lots of milky mousse puds, jelly and a huge bowl of fruit salad every night.

Toddler pool was really shallow and perfect, spent hours in there.

Baby listening service worked well, they really do check your door every 15 mins, and come and get you from dinner/bar.

Good flight and transfer (3hrs and then 30 mins coach). Both easily managed.

(Found a good hotel deal at Gatwick for the night before in a family room through abc holiday extras I think its called, on the web.)

So, yep, we thought it was brilliant and would really like to save up and go again next year.

Glad you enjoyed it Ems, we've already advance registered for 2003 (with the as yet unborn baby too!!)

Didn't really want to start a new thread here, but just a little comment on Mark Warner. We were booked to go away with them and the day before departure dd developed an acute ear infection and our GP said that she musn't fly. We cancelled the holiday with MW and tried to reschedule it for the following week but they weren't having any of it. They said we would have to completely re-book. We have insurance, so there is no issue about not getting the money back but given that it was end of season, the resort was not full, the childcare was not full and the plane wasn't we thought that it was a real shame that no one in their office was prepared to just move us along a week. We didn't even want a refund for going on a cheaper week. Given that we have been on so many holidays with MW and they were so unaccommodating, we went with another company and had a great time and it has put us off MW a bit.

Bugsy, we've had a big ding dong with Club Med. They refused to budge when we complained so I won't be going with them again. It amazes me how these companies are happy to alienate repeat customers.

Apparently Club Med's profits have been dropping out the floor this last year but it didn't make any difference.

We turned up at their Florida resort (having booked only 2 wks in advance) to find the drive up rate at the hotel was $99 a night. This worked out at a saving of over £600 on our holiday which we could have taken advantage of if we had known. On arriving home and writing to them they reckoned there was nothing they could do about it!