Back in June this year I entered a blogger competition with Mark Warner Holidays to win a trip with eleven other bloggers. I never imagined I would be one of the lucky bloggers to win this trip but figured I had nothing to loose. So imagine my surprise when the following month I actually won one of the spaces. Lots of excited tweets, facebook status updates and instagram posts swiftly followed the winners announcements and I was thrilled to discover who my travel companions would be.
Over the weeks that followed lots of emails were exchanged with the trip details. I started chatting with Lisa from Hollybobs as we had realised it would make more sense to spend the night before we traveled at a hotel as we both lived a good distance from the airport. So it made sense to share a room and also meant we would both know at least one person before our flight.
As the the trip drew closer my excitement grow, I had worked in Rhodes as a holiday rep for almost four months some thirteen years ago and have wanted to go back since. I was anxious though about leaving the children and dad of 3 as it would be the longest we had been apart and also because the only other time I had flown was to go to Rhodes all those years ago. I was looking forward to meeting all the other ladies though and sharing the adventure together.
Two days before we left Dad of 3 turned forty! we spent the day as a family along with his mum and eldest brother. Then that evening I started to pack for the trip, weighing and adding more clothes! The next day I set off after lunch for Heathrow airport and Premier Inn where Lisa and I where staying. It was really strange to be making the long drive without any children in the car something that doesn’t happen usually. I spent a couple of hours relaxing at the hotel before Lisa arrived. We had lunch together and got to know each other chatting about the break before heading to our beds. We managed to get a few hours sleep before we made our way to the airport ready for check in. Driving at the airport was a little daunting but with Lisa’s help we managed to find the drop of point for my car parking service I’d booked and made our way to the terminal.
Within five minutes of arriving we spotted some familiar faces and introductions were made. The lovely Emilia from Mark Warner Holidays joined us and was to be our host for the trip. Check in was trouble free although two of the party had been delayed en route and we were a bit worried they would miss our flight. Thankfully shortly after we had gone through to the departure lounge they arrived. We had an indirect flight for the journey out due to the fact Mark Warner didn’t have a scheduled flight that day. It meant a couple of hours stop over in Athens but at least I can say I’ve been to Athens airport now! We managed to enjoy a meal together while we waited for our connecting flight.
We arrived at our destination Levante Beach Resort about ten thirty. The hotel had kindly arranged for some food to be laid on for us so that we could eat before we headed for our rooms. After half an hour or so we started heading off to find our rooms and I headed down with a few others. Despite the darkness we managed to take in a lot of the surroundings along the way, the main one being the enormous main pool.
Levante Beach Resort – Rhodes
Rooms located we bid each other goodnight. Once inside I couldn’t believe I had a whole suite to myself, a whole King size bed all for me! Having looked around I checked the time to see if it would be safe to ring home to let dad of 3 know we had arrived safely. In reflection I wish I had just sent a text because I suddenly felt quite emotional and alone when I could hear the younger two children crying. Putting it down to tiredness from traveling and assuring dad of 3 I would be okay I turned in for the night.
The next morning I woke ready to meet everyone for breakfast and although I was still a little tired was ready to explore and start enjoying the experience. Walking out of my accommodation block I was hit by a wall of heat! Up at the restaurant I tucked into breakfast from the large variety on offer, fruit, cereals, cooked breakfast, even freshly prepared pancakes and waffles. We all chatted excitedly about the plans for the day, to start with we were to have our welcome meeting with the Resort Manager Sue and some of the team which was straight after breakfast who explained where. Then we were booked in to do some water front activities, either Catamaran sailing or wind surfing after having a briefing on the water front. I opted for the Catamaran sailing, myself and three others went on one Catamaran while Monika, from Mum of the Brink, a seasoned sailor took and Emilia went on another. We enjoyed a lovely hour and a half getting to grips with the catamaran under the watchful eye of one of the waterfront boys who was very patient with us. I even managed to sail it myself for a while. It was a great experience and it also gave us some time to chat too. Unfortunately I did end up feeding the fish! not a pleasant experience but quickly recovered until we realised the Go Pro that we had taken out with us was filming! But I am extremely proud of myself for actually getting stuck in and having a go.
View over down the resort from the main building
Meals quickly became the opportunity for us regroup, chat and enjoy the lovely food on offer. I loved the feeling of being part of a big group and am still missing this some four weeks on. I also got into the habit of carrying litre bottles of water with me everywhere so that I could stay hydrated in the heat and something I was thankful for. We were lucky enough to be staying on a full board basis but there is also a half board option available. The was plenty of mouthwatering food available. The main restaurant serves breakfast and dinner in buffet style with hot, cold and grill counters. The array of food was amazing, all foods were clearly labelled with care taken to point out if suitable for those needing a gluten free, vegetarian etc diet. There were different themes on some evenings like Fish night. We enjoyed pre-dinner drinks before we ate most nights with a lovely variety of cocktails available both non-alcoholic and alcoholic and then after dinner we enjoyed the entertainment available. For lunch you had the choice of the burger bar or the resorts Pan Asian restaurant Annora both of which had equally delicious offerings.
As well as having some activities and an excursion arranged for us we also had some free time to ourselves. Being so fair skinned I opted to sit in the shade and read for some of it, taking in my surrounds. I also enjoyed some time on the beach watching some of the others experience the inflatables! I also decided like a few others to take full advantage of having a spa in the resort and treated myself to a half hour reflexology treatment on the third day. The spa isn’t run by Mark Warner but has a great range of treatments available and at reasonable prices too. Located in the main hotel building on the ground floor where there is also a indoor swimming pool, table tennis and a gym on offer to guests.
Levante Beach is a resort aimed at families and couples and one thing that struck me was that although it was not technically high season when we were there, at no time did it feel like the resort was too busy. Breakfast and Dinner were probably the busiest times of day when you actually saw lots of families eating together. Levante offers early dinners for children which then enables them to enjoy the childcare facilities while parents eat together later. A great facility to have and one that a lot take advantage of and also allows children to eat with friends they make while staying.
It did feel a bit strange being at a family resort without my children and husband but it didn’t stop me checking out the childcare facilities. Kara from Chelsea Mumma had brought her gorgeous son Sebby along, he was so lucky to have twelve surrogate aunties fusing around him during our stay. So although I can’t give first hand feedback on the childcare available like Kara can, I did go along to check out the facilities. Which have to be said are outstanding and I was rather jealous of the set up.
There are a whole host of activities available and a new theme is chosen for each week.
Childcare for children aged 2 to 17 years old is available as part of the price of your holiday, these is broken down into ages and some of the younger ages receive half days while older children have full days. For those wanting to increase the care available for their child/ren they can do so buy paying for the extra half days. Children from four months to two can also have childcare and this is also chargeable. Childcare is outlined as below:
Baby club (4 months – 23 months)
6 Mornings: 9am to 12.30pm or 6 Afternoons: 2.30pm to 5.30pm – £180 per week
6 Full days: 9am to 12.30pm & 2.30pm to 5.30pm – £360 per week
Toddler 1yr
6 Mornings: 9am to 12.30pm or 6 Afternoons: 2.30pm to 5.30pm – £180 per week
6 Full days: 9am to 12.30pm & 2.30pm to 5.30pm – £360 per week
Toddler 2yrs
6 Mornings: 9am to 12.30pm or 6 Afternoons: 2.30pm to 5.300pm – FREE
6 Full days: 9am to 12.30pm & 2.30pm to 5.30pm – £180 per week
Minis 3 -5yrs
6 Mornings: 9am to 12.30pm or 6 Afternoons: 2.30pm to 5.300pm – FREE
6 Full days: 9am to 12.30pm & 2.30pm to 5.30pm – £180 per week
Juniors 6 – 9yrs
6 Full days: 9am to 12.30pm & 2.30pm to 5.30pm – FREE
Kidz 10 – 13yrs
6 Full days: 9am to 12.30pm & 2.30pm to 5.30pm – FREE
Indy 14-17yrs
Able to drop in and out of sessions throughout the day – FREE
All nannies are qualified and are English speakers.
On our last full day along with Monika and Kara went on a sea safari in kayaks. We spent an enjoyable couple of hours making our way along the coast line at a leisurely pace. We managed just over a mile and a half in total which was great although we were all shattered later on in the day! but another unforgettable experience.
We also had a afternoon excursion to Lindos but I will tell you about that in another post! and on our final night we visited a lovely local restaurant for dinner and ended up enjoying karaoke in a local bar after.
On our final morning in Levante we were all sad to be leaving and all desperate to enjoy our last moments in resort. Monika and myself went with Sue the resort manager to look at the other accommodation on offer as we wanted to get a good overview of the resort. I plan to write about this again. It also gave me the opportunity to capture some photos of the front of the resort.
We were also joined by Polly from Mark Warner for a day but she sadly had to return home before us. But it was lovely to spend some time with her. Emilia was a star from start to finish. She fitted in with us all so well and joined in all the fun. Somehow Emilia managed to look after us all and ensured we all returned home in one piece which is no mean feat by any means and for that she deserves a medal.
I can honestly say that I came away feeling like I had made new friends, I’ve so many memories of our time together. Thank you ladies, I loved every minute of our adventure.
The Lovely Mark Warner Mums
A view I miss
Fancy reading how some of my fellow travelers felt about Levante? pop over and have a read: Monika, Emily, Lisa, Victoria, Kara and Carissa
Looks a lovely clean, family friendly resort. I’m not sure you’d have got me on the boats though. I’m far better off on shore!
Oh wow what a fantastic competition to win, so lucky! A blogger holiday sounds absolutely amazing, the fact that you got to do it in such a beautiful place is a HUGE bonus!
Wow what a fantastic competition. You lucky thing. The place looked amazing especially your suite. X
I love the look of mark Warner holidays, we’re looking at going next year.