My Mark Warner holidays.

This is my entry for the Mark Warner blogger competition #MarkWarnerDad which you can read about here.

The greek philospher Epicurus suggested that the ingredients for happiness included good conversation with friends, good food and drink.  Mark Warner provide these in their holidays in abundance.

Italy

I was first persuaded to go on a Mark Warner Summer holiday with a friend when we were both single.  We went to Punta Licosa in Italy in 2000 (which is now closed).

Mark Warner have the concept of a "social table" for dinner where people sign up to sit at the table and get to know each other.  On this holiday we had a good crowd of people.  A lawyer, London chef, a banker and a toothpaste saleswoman amongst others.  Some of us hired a car and visited Pompeii where we hired someone who looked like Ali G's dad as a guide.  He’s the one in orange, with the  Ali G glasses, white beret, tons of bling and an orange outfit...

Activities

For me Mark Warner summer holidays are sailing holidays.  They have a wide range of sailing boats including Laser Pico, Laser, RS Quba, Catamarrans and Bajas.  They have windsurfing, tennis and mountain biking and probably other activities too which I’ve forgotten about, mostly inclusive.  They do onsite RYA courses so you can get your qualifications at a price they claim is cheaper than the UK.

On the last holiday I saw adverts elsewhere to hire a catamaran at €44 per hour.  At that rate my time in the catamaran was worth more than I paid for the whole holiday!  I wonder why I don’t sail at home, then I remember, if you fall in the Med it is warm, at home it isn’t.

In the Corsican leg of the Americas cup, the Ceefax Dart 16 passes the Easyjet RS Quba

Turkey

In 2001 I had no hesitation in going on another Mark Warner holiday with my friend.  This time it was Palm Beach in Turkey.  Once again we met up and became friendly with a great group of people.  In addition to the sailing I filled my time with tennis lessons.  They were early in the morning, it was still 40 degrees but it was the middle of July.  Palm beach had just the best bar next door.  It was an outside bar built in a small clearing.  The drinks were stored in the trees.  It was shaped "in the round" with a fire in the middle for the brave to jump over.  The usual relaxing music was playing and when I left in the early hours of the morning it was still open.

Soon after, I got married, started a family and moved house.  However, I did manage to have a few holidays with another sailing company.

Tripadvisor reviews

Last year we decided to go on another sailing holiday.  The girls were old enough to be left for a week and grandma was willing to babysit.  We scoured the internet but couldn’t find anything to rival Mark Warner.  I was quite happy to go on another Mark Warner as you know what you’re going to get.  We booked a week at Corsica.  Nowadays we have tripadvisor to check on potential holiday locations.   Several people did criticise the quality of accommodation but we weren’t planning on spending much time in the room so if that was the worst of the problems we’d be fine, and we were.  Other reviews complained that the mountain biking was too easy.  Again we took a negative review as a positive and it encouraged us to try the mountain biking, it was easy, which was good for us.  This got us out into the countryside and to see a bit more of Corsica.

Flight

We had the last week in September that the resort was open.  Full board was added at no extra cost.  All the flights to a Mark Warner resort I’ve done have been early in the morning, meaning that you arrive at the resort with plenty of day still left.  In this case we arrived in time for lunch!  Be aware that they charter the flights so it is likely that everyone on the plane is going to the same place.  So instead of ignoring each other because you think you’ll never see each other again, this is a time to start meeting people.

Staff

Even though I had a gap of 12 years between Mark Warner holidays, all the staff seemed to be the same; young, enthusiastic and very helpful.  There’s the sun bleached blonde beach staff that appear to be on a gap year before University, the ones that came on a gap year and stayed for a few years, the slightly scatty blonde, and the Antipodean.  I imagine working for Mark Warner must be great fun so there is probably a lot of competition for jobs and they can afford to hire the best.  I’m always impressed by how ready the staff are to help you get in an out of the boats.  However, the hardest workers must be the kitchen staff, preparing and serving hundreds of meals every day.  A couple of the shore staff decided to enter a kid’s Bug into the final day’s regatta race, only to get capsized by the rescue boat.

Bonifacio

We did the day trip to Bonifacio.  It reminded me of Brixham, Devon, with its U shaped harbour; there the similarity ended.  It was hot and sunny, full of expensive boats, and had many places to eat (Bonifacio that is).  I’m always wary of sales people so when a man got on the bus telling us we could go on the boat trip at a reduced group rate I was wary.  I needn’t have been, it was true, everyone does the boat trips to the caves.  The tourist boats were lined up, full of tourists, even in September.  I wish we’d done the train trip to the old town too but we ran out of time.

One of the yachts (La Pellegrina) needed two speedboats to guide it out of the harbour, and could be hired for €220,000 per week.

Childcare

Mark Warner have won awards for their childcare and do get good reviews.  Unfortunately we haven’t been able to take the children with us yet.   As we live by the sea it would be great to get them to learn to windsurf or sail so they can carry on when they get back home.

Conclusion

If you want an activity holiday, then Mark Warner fits the bill.  If you want to just lie on a sunlounger and relax, then Mark Warner fits the bill.  I would have no hesitation on going on another Mark Warner holiday given the chance.  I don't usually return to the same place for a holiday but this is the first time I've been on a holiday and felt like there was more to do than I could fit into a week so I would definitely return.