MARK WARNER HOLIDAYS FOR FAMILIES

When you're looking to go abroad as a family it's so important that everyone is catered for, from the kids, right the way through from babies to teenagers and then the adults too. You all want to come back feeling like you've enjoyed yourself and actually had a break which is something that isn't entirely easy when you have smalls in your family. Under 5's aren't exactly easy normally, so chucking them into unfamiliar surroundings is always a big risk but if you're like us and enjoy your holidays in the sunshine - then it's one worth taking. My boys need to be busy, they're on the go 24/7 and I worried if they'd be a little restless on our latest trip to the Phoakia Beach Resort in Turkey, thankfully I couldn't have been more wrong as Mark Warner seem to have family holidays down to a tee.



I remember having a conversation with a good friend when we first discovered we'd be holidaying with Mark Warner, she naively assumed they were sporting holidays and told me it didn't seem very child friendly. I wasn't sure, we'd never holidayed with them before and I really didn't want the boys to be an after thought in a resort geared for adults. That scenario couldn't be any further away from the truth, don't get me wrong there is SO much in terms of sports, but children are so well catered for, far more than I've found on any other package holiday and so it felt right to let you know all of the ways in which Mark Warner holidays are truly perfect for families

Kids Club and Childcare
It goes without saying that the kids clubs are the ultimate allure for a lot of families who visit Mark Warner resorts. So many that we met had visited their other resorts and at the welcome meeting really put our mind at ease with how fantastic they are. That's the first thing that's a must - attend your childcare welcome meeting. Ellie, the childcare manager at the Phokaia resort was amazing, she explained everything thoroughly and we knew where she was if we needed her. We had a sneak around the facilities and I was very impressed, all the Nannies were English / Scottish girls and after just a couple of days it was so apparent how much they love their jobs and the children. Make sure you have a bottle of sun cream, shoulder covering top and hat each day in your little ones bag, and check the boards outside of the childcare centres to see if they'll need swimwear the next day. The boys did so much every day, from painting, games and tennis to swimming, sailing and beach play. I've worked in two ofsted outstanding nurseries and I can safely say the boys were in outstanding care without a shadow of a doubt. We've never used kids club facilities on holiday as I initially didn't like the concept but I am converted, 100%, I'm not sure if perhaps MW have just set the standard really high but I was blown away. Passwords are given when you check in and even if the staff know you, you must give it before your little ones are let away with you, I couldn't fault the concept at all.

Food and Mealtimes
Mealtimes were a bit of a worry for me, Patrick is barely two and he is wild. Whilst he loves his grub he is a toddler and I knew it wouldn't be wholesome family lunches together for us - life doesn't run that smooth unfortunately. After the first night my fears were confirmed and by the time I'd got the boys food, then John got his, then I got mine, we'd all finished at different times and I was left racing to eat whilst John battled restless boys. Then I remembered about the 'high tea', it's a separate dining time MW offer for children, from 5-6 you can pop along and grab your little ones dinner whilst the waiters will happily serve all the parents drinks. It's absolutely genius, all the food is perfect for kids with a huge variety of fruit and vegetables too though I can't lie, the boys adored the super chocolatey pudding which Giles from You The Daddy had gladly informed me would be a hit. Mark Warner have all their own sets of cutlery, plates, bowls and cups for little ones that are stacked out so you definitely don't need to worry about bringing your own. Highchairs are plentiful and the staff in the restaurants are so attentive, nothing is too much trouble.

Around the resort
Of course the little ones aren't in kids club 24/7, and for us holidays are about family time as much as anything else so we needed things to do with the boys during their down time. The resort in Phokaia is perfect and from reading other reviews from previous ambassadors it's so easy to see that this is the standard across MW holidays. The pools are great and we found that more often than not we had the whole childrens' pool to ourselves, I love that it wasn't in a different part of the resort to the large pool as if you've got a large family with kids of different ages, you can easily set up camp by the pools and please everyone. The childrens' pool had a large umbrella in it so you don't have to worry too much about the sun over their heads. Dotted around the resort we found little pockets with play equipment on the lawn, and it's often where we'd play after the boys high tea before we dropped them at the evening listening service, they really enjoyed it and it was nice to discover new parts of the complex. In addition to all that, when there isn't a childcare session ongoing you are completely free to use their facilities, including the pool which is perfect if you're wanting to tire the little ones out before bed.

Listening service 
Another aspect of MW holidays that I'd heard about but wasn't too sure we'd use. In fact we didn't the first night as honestly? I didn't feel comfortable leaving my children in the evening to go and eat lunch, I'd never done it before and it all felt a little alien. Well, queue one fantastic day getting to know the childcare ladies followed by a pretty harrowing family dinner - we were geared up to drop them off the following night after high tea. The concept is you get them dressed for bed and take them to the rooms they are in during the day, it's always the same girls so they're really familiar and comfortable and you simply sign them in and let everyone know where you're going to be and off you go. In Noahs room (he is 4) they watch a film until it finishes and then will be popped down to sleep, though we always collected them before that point. In Patricks' toddler room, they would watch 30-60 minutes of a film and again be put on their designated camp bed and every night without fail P would be fast gone when we collected him at 8:30pm. It was perfect, after the first night he visited Noah was desperate to go back and even complained that we picked him up before the film finished. If you're unsure about the listening service I really recommend giving it a go as it's something I hands down wouldn't have tried before visiting Phokaia, yet now I'd use it again and again. The childcare services also offer babysitting if you're going off resort but as we didn't venture too far we didn't need to use this.

It's safe to say any initial concerns about Mark Warner not being child friendly were so off the mark, we couldn't have been more catered for. It carried the perfect balance in where we felt as a couple that we were given a fantastic holiday and the boys had the exact same experience. We have to say a huge thank you to the lovely ladies who looked after the boys, their key workers were truly fantastic and I couldn't have asked for better girls to hand the most precious people in our world over too.

*We were selected as Mark Warner Ambassadors this year however all views, as always, are entirely our own.