Mark Warner first holiday. Should we still go?

[Love2dance]

DH, DS (will be 5 1/2 m) and I were about to book with MW on a late deal for the first time to go to Ocean Club Portugal when poor little Maddy McCann went missing. Ocean club sounded just up our street (we don't usually do all inclusive and before DS born tended to go on independent self catering hols) as it has apartments for independence but also the creche/babysitting facility so we could eat out in the eves and relax on our own some (but not all) of the time.
I now feel a bit uncomfortable about going, particularly as I can empathise with the McCanns' suffering.

Anyone know of anywhere shortish haul with apartment or small villa with a babysitting option? Any advice gratefully received.

I suspect allgonebellyups post MAY have been slighly sarcastic?

I thought you gave up privileges like that when you had children

some people like to think children wil not affect or alter their lives one jot (!)

tbh, I wouldn't go now. I'd go either for a MW where you can take yr sleeping LO into restaurant with you (don't see how evening creche wd work for younger children) or to MOusses where it's self-contained and you can clearly see yr place from where you';ll be eating/book a babysitter/eat at home.

this is such a personal decision though, not really one you can make by getting opinions?

but surely holidays are family time, if you dont want to go with your children dont take them.

It seems to me that Mark Warner has pulled off the marketing trick of the century in convincing people that a family friendly hoiday is one where families can't eat together.

Caitlin Moran had a fantastic pice in the Times on Monday all about planning the perfect holiday down to the last detail - then not going. The gist of it is that all the hassle and expense with tiny children isn't really worth it, and you can sit in the sun in your own garden, sipping your Tesco finest Pina Colada, watching the kids have the best time of their lives in a paddling pool and feel smug at the foolish herd sweltering while their plane is delayed and getting gippy tummy form the dago grub.
It resonated with me becuase we mostly avoided holidays when the DC were babies, and those we went on were a bit stressful. There's a chapter in on of the baby bibles called 'Why Babies Hate Holidays' - might be better to wait till they are bigger?

I wouldn't go to this resort purely because tou ahve no idea where the media persence will be when you go HOWEVER any other MAW resort will not only be probably the safest palce in the world now, but will be actively trying to promote its high standards.

ive just read the mark warner website and it says for dinner the restaurant is open "for those aged 12 and upwards"

here

i always fancied a MW holiday til i found that out

Yes I wouldn't go to a MW resort now because there will probably be armed guards every ten yards

But any Mark Warner resort will be full of people talking endlessly about how they nearly cancelled etc...

I wouldn't go over the next few weeks as there will be so much media interest there and the whole atmosphere would make me feel very uneasy about relaxing and enjoying my holiday.

TBH I don't want to go on any holiday where children are not the main part of my holiday anyway. For us we have adult only time at home (we are possibly lucky here I know) so holidays are family time for us.

We tend to go for hired cottages, etc. where we can chose to eat out all together or to eat in later once DD is in bed. Or we take grandparents so we can have the odd evening out - we rarely take up the going out bit though TBH!

if you want a child free holiday leave them with gran for 2 nights and go on a city break. thats what i would do anyway (if i ahd the time, cash, etc)

[Thursday, May 10, 2007
By Charlotte Walsh
source www.ttglive.com]

Mark Warner, plans to make childcare information more prominent on its website and publish a standalone supplement on such facilities, after a surge in queries from agents.

Following the disappearance of the three-year-old from the Ocean Club resort in Praia Da Luz, Portugal, Mark Warner had received three cancellations and transferred 20 families to other resorts who were due to stay imminently.

Head of marketing Nigel Ragg said the company was not expecting ?many more? cancellations, and sought to reassure agents.

The McCann family booked their holiday direct with Mark Warner, but Ragg said: ?We want to make sure agents feel happy sending people.

We believe our childcare is superb, and we want to assure agents we are doing everything we can to help the McCann family, and that business is going on.?

The operator will make sure information on the website about its childcare is made more prominent, explaining how its kids? clubs, drop-in clubs, baby sitting and creches work ? including hours of operation, age ranges and prices.

It also plans to publish a separate brochure on the facilities to go with its main summer brochure, similar to one being produced for the ski brochure.

The Ocean Club resort, which accommodates up to 600 people, is one of four resorts in which Mark Warner has an allocation of 150 beds at any time. It also operates six exclusive resorts.

Ragg stressed that security had never been flagged up as an issue at the resort, which Mark Warner has featured for two years.

kookaburra - I'll have to look out for that. I don't find holidays with children relaxing at all.

If I could do it over again and knew then what I know now, I'd probably take one last city break with a 5 and a half month old baby. They're so portable at that age.

Sorry kookaburra, I am going to defend Luz here.
Aside from what is happening at the moment it is a very nice place, the beach is great and there are not main roads on all sides of that part of the ocean club, there is a main road down one side but normally at this time of year Luz is fairly quite compared to a lot of resorts.

I don't know about Mark warner holidays, never been on one but there are plenty of other places in Luz, the ocean club itself has properties alot closer to the beach. There are also a lot of other nice places in the West Algarve

That aside you have to consider the media attention and that is a personal decision.

exactly np, I just wouldnt relax knowing that I had left my children in the room whether we had book the listening service or not. Would rather have a family holiday or go away with out the dc (not that we get the chance to)

I read in The Times that Mark Warner have been fab over the treatment of the family of Madeleine and have handled it well, I think the MD and head staff are there, extra nannies for the twins, counsellers etc

Which is quite admirable as how do you plan for this type of incident?

i read that on the MW website olive

they are providing counsellors and everything

OliveOil - that is my feeling too, assistance in any unforseen event, would be different for anyone booking a DIY holiday!

I would not use a listening service at all. I don't see how that is much better than this family was doing TBH.

I honestly don't find holidays with a child stressful. Maybe because we only have one child? We also make sure our holidays include an awful lot of child-based actiuvities, as well as stuff we want to do. The only stressful one we had was the first year when DD was 12 weeks old and we stayed in the UK. It rained every day - I vowed there and then to always go abroad!

I don't really get this holidays are stressful business either. If they are, stay home. They're not compulsory.

I have three children and have never found a holiday without childcare stressful. At least dh is around to help!

Absolutely Wotsaname

it also mentioned Thomas Cook (think there was a coach crash in Africa?), fab again, lots of help