Holiday dilema - what would you choose?

[IlanaK]

We are planning a beach resort holiday in September. It will be a luxury one as a sort of one off treat. I have spent a lot of time researching it and thought I had found the perfect hotel thanks to someone on here recommending it (Papillon Zeguema in Turkey).

The problem is, the flights are terrible. We have looked at all possibilities and the best I can come up with (without paying the earth) is a flight with Thomas Cook that leaves London late night (11ish) and arrives there at 3 in the morning with an hour transfer. I have two young kids and this fills me with horror!

I have now found another hotel in Greece that looks fab which is the same standard (Oceania Club in northern greece) and the flights are direct with BA and work out cheaper than the crappy Thomas Cook ones and are at good times of day.

But, there are some disadvantagest to the Greek hotel. We would all have to share a room (called a suite, but is just a bigger room with pull out couch) where as at the Turkish hotel there is a duplex room with beds upstairs and downstairs (no dividing door though) and two bathrooms. A much better arrangement.

Also, the beach in Greece is pebble where as it is sand in Turkey. The other issue is that the area of Greece is totally non-touristy with not much to do outside the resort.

So, (if you have managed to read through all this so far!), which hotel should I go for? The flight issue is a big deal to me. And the hotels both look fab. But is the room and beach issue more important than the flights?

Any thoughts?

I'd go with the crappy flights - and your first pick of hotels

A sandy beach is a must with young children, for enjoyable beach times - pebbles can be very very problematic...endlessly in sandals, won't walk on the pebbles without, can't dig.

I wouldn't worry about overnight flights with children - we have done it with DS - it only lasts a while and may not be as bad as you think. They will sleep on the plane, and maybe on the transfer, and you can have a long siesta on your first day. The thing to check is that you will be able to check into your room as soon as you arrive...not be hanging abut on the streets until noon - and that if you leave late at night you won't have had to check out at 10am that morning.

I'd continue to look tbh.

I'd put sleeping arrangements and beach over flights provided that you have a bed available when you get to the hotel. The chances are (though I don't know the ages of your children) that your children will pretty much sleep through the flight and when they finally get to bed. If however it is a matter of land at 3am, get to the hotel at 4 am, but can't get into a room until midday, then I'd find somewhere else.

I would go with the night flights and the good hotel TBH. At least the flight isn't long haul and with luck the kids will sleep. The room arrangements in turkey sound loads better!

Yes, if it's a one-off treat it needs to be right.

Have another look - ask around again, there must be loads of alternatives.

Where are you flying from?

If you want to start with finding a flight at a reasonable time this is quite a useful site cos it shows who flies where, and then links to their websites, which might help to narrow things down a bit. I used it to rule out a whole load of places.

flight maps

Its a useful site but not comprehensive or completely uptodate, I was asking because I'm an agent and have very good knowledge of flight routes and technology that is only available to us. There are daytime flights to Antalya.

Hmmmm.....well, we are flying from London - any airport really.

Both hotels are excellent - 5 star and really top notch all inclusive. I have read extensive reviews on both and would be happy to stay at either.

The beach issue doesn't bother me really as we went to Rhodes last year and the beach was pebbly - we still enjoyed it.

The room is more of an issue. We really like the idea of the duplex rooms as I don't really want to share with the kids.

The area is an issue too a little. I would like one or two trips out during the stay and I am not sure there is much around the Greek one.

The flights - well, I know you all say just go with the overnight, but both my husband and I dread the thought of it and would way rather go any other way! BA does fly at better times there, but it is so so expensive. But for some reason, to Thessalonika in Greece it is really cheap on BA.

Try sunexpress from stansted better flight times. If you need any help cat me.

Wow! Thanks so much for that! I have never heard of them, but they certainly have better flying times. The return time is not great, but doable I think. OUtbound time is excellent and Stanstead is much nearer for us to get to (In fact, I think there is an Easybus that goes there from right outside our flat - must look into it).

Their prices seem good too. Difficult website to work out, but it looks like they give child discounts too.

Thanks again!

We are going to Doryssa Bay in Samos Worth a look maybe?

Thanks Noddyholder - I was really quite decided that the Pappillon in Turkey was the perfect hotel for us. It was only when the flight times were so bad that I started to look elsewhere.

Now that we have a better flight option, I really am set on the Papillon Zeugma. The room arrangement is great, its a top notch standard hoetl. sandy beach, and great reviews from everywhere I have looked including from someone here on Mumsnet!

If anyone is interested, the link to the hotel is here: papillon

TBH night flights are no worse than day flights as the children are more likely to sleep.

The worst timed flight I ever caught with a child was 7am...we had to leave the house at 3:30am, not good!

I like the look of it but dp has said no to turkey and won't budge!

To be honest, it really does depend on the child. We have flown night flights before as we travel to the US. My older son is exactly like me. NEither of us can sleep on flights. I mean not sleep at all! When he was 4, he stayed awake for the entire night on a flight back from the US. I would much rather wake them early and get to the aiport for an early flight than travel at night.

we've done both and prefer the getting up early to arriving somewhere late with young children.

Hi Ilanka

Are you sure your information about suites in Oceaniaclub is correct.I have stayed at Oceania twice and going back for 3rd time. The suites are 2 rooms. One bedroom with a kingsize bed and then the other room has 2 beds , big camp beds full single size.We saw one last year as we meet a couple staying in one with two children.Also at the hotel the deluxe junior suites vary in style.The 1st year we stayed the style was excellant it had 2 rooms. Our ds bed was proper single bed.On the hotel website is shows plans of room styles.You are right the beach has some pepples. The sand is sandy but slighly gritty.The pepples are just as you enter the sea about 10 foot.Then it is lovely and sandy.The water is very clear.
At the hotel there are lots of day trips to go on.Visiting Sani with beautiful sandy beaches takes 30 mins.Hope this is helpful.

Thanks MArbeth. It was the Junior suites that I was talking about. The suites sound lovely, but too expensive for us. The Junior suites do not have second bedrooms according to their website. For two children (as in our case) there is a partition with one single bed on the other side, but at least one of our children would have to sleep on the pull out couch right next to our bed and there would be nowhere for us to sit in the evening when they are asleep. The hotel does look very nice though.

Hi Ilanak

You are right about the junior suites being one room. Have a look at cost difference of a deluxe junior suite as they are excellant rooms. The hotel in turkey also sounds good.

the broncemar beach in furteventura is an excellent choice for a family holiday. just back from there and apartments are superb. entertainment at nigh t was great for kids considering it is winter. have been to many places but recomend this and the beach is beautiful