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Has anyone used Mark Warner holidays?

44 replies

maybelate · 23/02/2019 13:31

Looking at booking our summer holiday for July-ish. We'll have a 5 month old and a 19 month old with us so childcare options are v important!

Just wondering if anyone has used Mark Warner and what their experience was?

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OP posts:
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StealthPolarBear · 23/02/2019 13:32

What childcare options do they offer

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Bowchicawowow · 23/02/2019 13:34

Awful company. We spent a lot of money with them as a massive treat and they treated us terribly. I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole.

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maybelate · 23/02/2019 13:40

@Bowchicawowow oh no!  doesn't sound great...

@StealthPolarBear half days morning or afternoon sessions or full days if we choose. As we have under 2s there is additional charge as the nanny to child ratio is much higher.

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AdoreTheBeach · 23/02/2019 13:48

We did one many years ago in Greece. You do pay top money for not top accommodation and food. Both were ok but not top notch. However, the fu fs clearly do go into the childcare and activities for the adults. We were very pleased with the child care as were our children. We had a very hard time persuading our then 4 year old daughter not to be there all the time. They offer day time and evening child care in a camp type atmosphere. She loved it! I also learned how to do new sports - all included (every morning I had a wind surfing lesson and also sailing lessons).

We later went to club lykia world in turkey. Here you get far more for your money as regards your room and food. It is international though so you just need to feel comfortable with the kids being cared for by an international mix of carers. We were and as our youngest was slightly older, could partake in more of the kids activities. Both absolutely loved it and this is the only place we went twice for holiday.

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maybelate · 23/02/2019 13:54

Brilliant, thanks @AdoreTheBeach. I agree that most of the costs will be going on childcare but DH and I would really like to enjoy ourselves and relax so are willing to pay the price. We looked in to taking a holiday nanny with us and all stay in a small villa but MW is working out to be much cheaper!

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PCohle · 23/02/2019 14:01

Are you sure your DC will be happy to be left?

We paid a lot of money for a similar "all childcare included" holiday when my kids were young and one of my DS's hated it so much I couldn't bear to keep sending him. It was an expensive mistake because the food and accommodation were average.

I think a lot of kids find the new environment plus new carers, plus new languages and new other kids all a bit much.

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NothingOnTellyAgain · 23/02/2019 14:06

Go to a kinderhotel :)

We've only been to austria ones but trying a croatia one this year

been last 7 years 1 year we tried something else it was rubbish by comparison

website

www.kinderhotels.com/

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NothingOnTellyAgain · 23/02/2019 14:07

if you fancy austria in the mountains for summer pm me I can tell you which ones we been and which were best

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NorthernLurker · 23/02/2019 15:40

Why put yourself through the stress of new childcare and your little ones adjusting. If you need adult time then can't you leave them at home? If you don't need that then spend your money on a child friendly villa and enjoy yourselves together.

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BlueSkiesLies · 23/02/2019 15:44

Why put yourself through the stress of new childcare and your little ones adjusting. If you need adult time then can't you leave them at home? If you don't need that then spend your money on a child friendly villa and enjoy yourselves together

Heaven forbid that the parents might want the mornings off to do sport and relax, but see their children at other parts of the day.

Maybe they don’t have anyone to leave them with anyway.

If all children hated MW they would soo go out of business.

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NothingOnTellyAgain · 23/02/2019 17:02

lol there is a middle ground between spending all your time together as a family on hols and not going together in the first place.

I am also a bit confused about who most ordinary families are supposed to leave their kids with while the parents go away together?

I mean mine left me from age 15 but I wouldn't recommend that TBH and definitely not younger!

Maybe NL is trying to imply that families who like kids clubs and would most definitely consider using them a bit while on hols are essentially the same as when you read about mum and dad jetting off and someone has found the 2yo at home on its own shut in the kitchen with a litter tray and a packet of biscuits. Because my guess is that the vast vast majority of families don't have anyone they can leave their kids with while they go off!

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StealthPolarBear · 23/02/2019 17:08

Bad taste. Given what goes through my mind at the words.

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AnotherEmma · 23/02/2019 17:13

"It is international though so you just need to feel comfortable with the kids being cared for by an international mix of carers."

What's the issue, do you mean that the carers are not all fluent in English? I can't see what other objection anyone would have!

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EggysMom · 23/02/2019 17:18

Hang on ... there are holidays which offer 'childcare' and not just 'clubs'? And reading the small print on their website, they can accommodate special needs including 1-to-1 by prior arrangement? How have I never heard of this company??????? goes off to count the pennies

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StealthPolarBear · 23/02/2019 17:22

Yes I think that's what confused me. I d assumed childcare was an evening thing.daytime stuff is clubs surely.

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hopeishere · 23/02/2019 17:59

Not for very young children and babies. Then it's childcare.

I've not done one as we have a child with SN and I'd be loath to leave them unless it was 1-2-1.

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givemesomewineplease · 23/02/2019 18:18

We’ve had amazing MW holidays. Our most recent last year in Turkey. Fantastic for parents to get some downtime and do water sports etc. My older kids absolutely loved their clubs and activities (7&8), my youngest though is clingy and she got upset at being left (3yrs). At the ages of your kids they’d probably be absolutely fine - but you know your kids best, I could always leave my ds with others but not my dds until older - they’ll be well looked after and go on outings like paddling in the pool, sailing, etc. with other little kids and should have a fun time. I think under 4yrs they only do morning or afternoon childcare unless you pay extra for them to do both (you bring them out for lunch). You can then drop them back to the creche in the evening to go to sleep - I got mine to sleep in the buggy and then rolled it into the creche for them to watch but you can just have them go to sleep on mats/beds if they’ll do that and carry them back asleep later. All the nannies are lovely and very keen to make friends with the kids. Unless you have v clingy babies/kids (like me!) you should be fine. I love these holidays as I love water sports and a little time to myself - another company we’ve gone with loads from when the kids were little is Neilson, which offers similar things to MW. Their childcare was really exceptional when we went - even with my clingy kids!

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Ollyscarecrow · 23/02/2019 18:28

We have. Last summer went went to their resort in Sardinia, and certainly wouldn’t recommend it. The family accommodation was not suitable for families (narrow stone stair case with no stair gate), and the food was dire/almost inedible.Our DC are older than yours, and the clubs were ok, but I wouldn’t rave about them. The kids didn’t LOVE it and often didn’t want to go, so we didn’t make them, but it did mean we didn’t get to do stuff together, which was kind of the point. We did Neilson when our kids were 14 months and almost 2 and the children absolutely hated the childcare. There were several parents there determined to have a good holiday and they literally dumped their screaming kids in childcare every day and took up position by the pool with a book.On top of that the main goal of the childcare seemed to be to get DC to sleep as much as possible........so guess what, they wouldn’t sleep at night. It was so awful we tried to come home early. Honestly, with kids your age I’d save your money. There are hotels in the UK that offer childcare so you can have some couple time.

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arseabouttit · 23/02/2019 18:33

We went to the one in Rhodes last year and the one in Cos a couple of years before that. Rhodes was really good, but we have slightly older children. Clean hotel, good facilities and the childcare was pretty good. The staff are not exactly Norland nannies but seem good enough with robust safeguarding / general safety procedures in place. I would only go there if you want to make use of watersports / sports yourselves though. Having said that the childcare sessions do give you a break and they also do evening movies / nap time so you can eat in peace should you wish. I think it's pretty good tbh - staff were helpful, local staff delightful and whilst you get a bit institutionalised what with all the buffet dinners etc and hilarious evening entertainment - it's a good holiday.

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skunkatanka · 23/02/2019 19:10

They are very young children to be thinking about leaving in childcare OP. Are you sure you want to do that? It's a very alien concept to me to be honest. Family holidays are just that to me. Why not just leave your children with grandparents and go on your own if you intend leaving them when there?

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AnotherEmma · 23/02/2019 19:14

"Why not just leave your children with grandparents and go on your own if you intend leaving them when there?"

Sigh. This has already been discussed on the thread, but here you go.

  1. Because not everyone has parents who can look after their children for a week while they go on holiday.
  2. Because childcare on holiday is not 24/7! It allows parents to spend some time with their children and spend some child-free time having a break.


It's not bloody rocket science, is it?!
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skunkatanka · 23/02/2019 19:17

I have two children. The oldest is 12. I've never felt the need to go on holiday and dump them with absolute strangers to be honest. We go on holidays as a family. I find it astounding that anyone could be contemplating leaving very young children with people they don't know at all. It's a very different proposition to leaving them in nursery or similar.

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skunkatanka · 23/02/2019 19:19

By the way, I'm not advocating leaving them with grandparents while you swan off on your own either.

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PCohle · 23/02/2019 19:24

Christ this thread got judgmental quickly. It's chat not AIBU.

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NellWilsonsWhiteHair · 23/02/2019 19:25

We have been to a really lovely kinderhotel in Austria, twice. My DC1 was older than yours though (and super clingy Grin), so I can't really speak much about the childcare. Age four in the summer, he flatly refused it (no prob to me as it was only a possible bonus rather than something I was banking on); age five in the winter, he skied and did a bit of kids' club because he could take himself in and out when he'd had enough.

It was such an easy holiday, both times - they just had absolutely everything you could need when away with children, and so it was really easy for me. Easy child-friendly rooms, bathrooms, pools, dining areas, mountain buggies, playground, everything.

It's only lack of ££ that's stopped me going again/trying another kinderhotel with baby DC2 in tow so far.

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