Neilsons / Mark Warner

[ShineyHappyPeeple]

I'm getting ahead for next summer (the holiday planning addition that someone on another thread mentioned)

Has anyone been to both a Neilsons and a Mark Warner holiday? Or have any other recommendations?

My kids will be 11 and 14 next summer and we'd like to try a more active holiday. Both seem like good options but not sure if they are worth the money.

We're looking for nice rooms and good food as well as the option of exploring the local area.

All thoughts welcome!

I've done both as a teen (long time ago!) And as an adult, but not a parent of teens.

Rooms are pretty standard IMO - food can get a little bit samey, i prefer the Nielson meal plan.

I like the format

I've done both, although Mark Warner was during the COVID years so perhaps not a totally fair comparison. Neilson markets itself on activities, Mark Warner a bit more on food and wine. IMO the activities are better at Neilson and the food just as good. We've done 10+ Neilsons and only one MW, so.

Name changed for this but long time poster. Neilson all the way. We have done both many times and got totally fed up with Mark Warner cutting things out every year, running smaller and smaller staff ragged and poor levels of kit and cheapening activities. Management on site and back at base just didn’t care, were not visible on resort and culminated in a really awful final holiday where the resort was run down, the food terrible - breakfast was scrambled eggs, tinned tomatoes and sliced bread , I kid you not. When you are paying for a week for nine people in high season you don’t expect to have to go to the supermarket to buy your own ketchup- people used to stop at our table at breakfast to ask where we found the ketchup because there wasn’t any. No beer on tap for most of the holiday, no ice creams in the bar fridges. Basically run into the ground. Mark Warner didn’t care, took the money and ran and I would never go back. In contrast Neilson are well run, managers very present and responsive, kit is abundant. Food can be variable. I like going off site when with Neilson to eat at local restaurants three times a week as it puts money into the local economy and means you get off site. Mark Warner half board means you have to pay them even more money for lunches. I am still fuming about that last Mark Warner holiday and kicking myself for giving them
another try and would never ever go back to them. With Neilson you get lots of activities, excellent kids clubs and great kit.

That is pretty unanimous then!

Thanks all - pretty shocking re MW experience.