We holidayed in Greece with Mark Warner a couple of times before POD came along. The ethos was the same in both resorts and we had the best time playing tennis in the sunshine, eating like kings and drinking a few too many mojitos. Everyone says your priorities change when you become a parent and that’s very true. But ever since POD arrived on Christmas Day 2010, we’ve been itching to holiday with Mark Warner as a family.
We booked the Levante Beach Resort in Greece last year and spent the first week of May there. It’s the most recent addition to the Mark Warner family having opened its doors just three years ago. The custom-designed resort is five-star and located on Afandou which is Rhodes’ longest beach.
Getting there
Mark Warner is partnered with British Airways for flights from London Heathrow and Jet2 from Manchester. We flew on a chartered flight with British Airways so all the families on board were heading for the same destination. The flight is just over 4 hours from the UK and there’s a short 25 minute transfer from Rhodes International airport to Levante Beach Resort.
The Resort
Just as they had at the airport, Mark Warner staff made it very easy for us on arrival at the Levante Beach Resort. Our bags were unloaded for us and we were welcomed in the marbled reception area with canapes and cold drinks.
We were checked in promptly and provided with two room keys. The sight that greeted once we’d left the reception area was nothing short of stunning. And that was before we saw the Ancient Hellenic ruins located at the other end of the family pool. Somehow we knew we were going to have the most amazing week.
The Levante Beach Resort has state-of-the-art tennis and watersport facilities. We anticipated we’d play tennis and had dusted down our rackets (literally!) in preparation.
Sailing is available on resort along with other sports such as windsurfing, water-skiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. Mark Warner has great instructors so we hoped to try some of the watersports on offer. We’d heard a lot about how good the childcare is too and whilst it certainly seemed like an option, we kept an open mind.
As you can imagine, the first thing we did when we arrived was change, it was far too warm for the clothes we’d arrived in! There are four outdoor pools at Levante Beach Resort, the main family pool (featured above) which has large paddling pool nearby, an adult only pool and the beach bar pool (below). There’s also an indoor pool located near the spa which is available to all guests.
There was a welcome meeting on the day we arrived. It was an informal yet informative session which left us with a good understanding as to what was on offer at Levante Beach Resort. All the key people were introduced too so you knew exactly who to speak to about what.
The accommodation
Each of the rooms at Levante Beach Resort has a private balcony or terrace. They’re decorated in a contemporary style with en-suite bathrooms and separate walk-in showers with the superior rooms sea facing. Having had the do they don’t they have towels discussion before we left, we were pleased to discover there were beach towels, bathrobes and slippers along with toiletries, satellite TV, a fridge, tea-making facilities and the all important safe deposit box.
From our room we had views of the mountains, one of the pools and the beautiful gardens. Inside we found the beds unbelievably comfortable and you can guarantee a wonderful night’s sleep (if you’re not woken by a small person!). The walk-in shower was bliss whenever you used it. As is always the the case, we managed to sprinkle the room with sand from time to time so it was a welcome relief it was cleaned every day. As well as the bathroom and living area being spotless, the bed was made, the floors swept and any loose clothing folded.
There are a wide range of rooms available at Levante Beach Resort, each of which can accommodate an additional bed or bed and cot. Deluxe Twin Rooms are located on the ground floor of the main hotel and the Accessible Twins Rooms have a furnished balcony. Also situated on the ground floor of the main hotel are Deluxe and Superior Twins. All sleep up to 4 guests.
Deluxe and Superior Double Rooms cater for up to 4 guests with the Deluxe and Superior interconnecting rooms perfect for up to 8 guests. These Double and Twin rooms consist of two bedrooms with a connecting door, one king size bed and 2 single beds. There are some interconnecting rooms with two twin rooms and accommodate four single beds. Deluxe and Superior Suites sleep up to 5 and include an open plan living room with 2 sofas/sofa beds. There are similar rooms with 2 en suites. The pool suites are positioned near the beach front and offer a private swimming pool.
The childcare
We weren’t sure if we were going to utilise the childcare facilities at Levante Beach Resort. But we wanted to decide when we arrived so we booked POD into Mini Club before we left the UK. It was just for a few hours each morning for which there was no charge.
In addition to Mini Club which suits 3-5 year olds, there is Baby Club is for 4-11 months, Toddler Club for 1-2 years, Junior Club for 6-9 years, Kidz Club for 10-13 years and Indy Club for 14-17 year olds. There is an itinerary with fun activities tailored to suit each age group.
We attended a welcome meeting at the childcare centre the day we arrived and were impressed by the nannies and the facilities – there is so much to do! As you’d hope, there was a high ratio of nannies to children and a great balance of indoor and outdoor activities which convinced us to give it a go the following morning.
POD loved being in the Sharks team and when we picked her up, she’d already learnt the words to the Mini Club song. We always used to enjoy hearing them sing “we are the Mini Club, the mighty, mighty Mini Club” when they were out of the childcare centre. POD has since taught it to everyone at pre-school!
On her first morning she made a mini-superhero, spent some in the pool (fully creamed and wearing a Konfidence jacket and hat) and did some den building. Mini Club were also taken down to the courts where POD experienced holding a tennis racket for the first time. Little did we know our left-handed wonder would not only hit a volley but step into the shot too.
Attending Mini Club in the mornings was a no brainer from then on. It was wonderful for POD because she got to do things she wouldn’t normally do – like sailing. She even got a RYA certificate showing she’d tried it. For us it meant we could brush up on our tennis skills and have a little time to ourselves. POD attending Mini Club also meant she made some friends her own age. I’m not sure how she would have faired if she’d been in our company all day every day!
Lou and the staff in the childcare centre are just brilliant and like everyone else we met, incredibly helpful. It felt like they knew POD almost from the off which totally put us at ease. She was very well looked after and the little touches, like a prize giving at the end of the week, were great. POD won the Social Butterfly Award.
Evening activities are also available for children booked into the kids clubs during the day. There’s an Evening Listening Service from 7:30pm to 11pm for children aged 4 months to 5 years. There’s a colourful bean bag area for children who want to watch a DVD with a comfy beds for sleeping afterwards. There are also evening activities laid on for ages 6-9, 10-13 and 14-17 year olds too.
Initially we didn’t fancy the evening service but we tried it once after POD spotted a film she wanted to see. She went to the childcare centre all ready for bed and got to watch a DVD with her friends. We picked her up straight after dinner. We used this service a few times during the course of the week after that mainly because POD wanted to watch the film showing! The only time we felt the need to put her in was when the tipsy tennis was on – she was thrilled naturally!
The restaurants
Dining is offered on a half-board basis to include breakfast and dinner in the main hotel restaurant (Amalthia). Lunch for those on half board can be taken at extra cost at Annora or the poolside snack bar. In July and August, dinner is also served (at no extra charge) in the poolside Greek Taverna which serves local dishes including hot and cold mezes, grilled meats and fish.
If you upgrade to full board (supplement applies), lunch is also included in the Amalthia restaurant in peak season and in the Annora Pan Asian Restaurant or the pool snack bar in low season. We were full board and spent most days eating lunch at the pool snack bar, the Annora restaurant was fabulous though and we really should have eaten there more often.
The selection of local produce available in the Amalthia Restaurant is quite frankly astounding. If you love food, the extensive buffets are nothing short of heavenly. All preferences and palettes are catered for plus you can choose from both hot and cold dishes.
For breakfast, there is a huge range of options from waffles, pancakes and fresh fruit to a selection of bread, cheese, meat and jam. Cereals and a cooked breakfast are also on offer along with, if you fancy it, cake!
The staff in the Amalthia Restaurant are wonderful. Led by ‘Captain’ Mika, you find that almost as soon as you’ve sat down you’ve been offered fresh juice and coffee. They are friendly, polite and it comes across that they love working at Levante.
If you thought breakfast was impressive, the bar raises considerably for dinner. The selection of food is simply exquisite. The starters are stunning and mouth-wateringly tasty. The choice is so great too that you find yourself picking several. If you come to Mark Warner looking to eat healthily, you can do so very easily – if you have willpower of steel. Sadly we don’t so we just enjoyed a ridiculous amount of very, very good food. It wasn’t just the starters that enticed you either.
The choice available is just staggering with both hot and cold options available. Again suiting all tastes. From delicious looking salads
to a wide selection of meats,
fish
and vegetables. In addition to the vast array of food already on offer, prepared daily from scratch, there’s also a chef available with another selection of delights.
The desserts are breathtakingly beautiful and impossible to resist. With a choice of around twenty to chose from, it’s difficult to select one. More often than not you do find yourself popping several on a plate and hoping no-one notices. It seems this is certainly the norm though, too many wonderful treats to choose from. Of course you can just have fruit if you’re the restrained kind. We went a bit bonkers on the first couple of nights but did try not to have pudding every night – it was hard!
Dinner is served in the Amalthia restaurant from 7.30pm. A high tea is provided for children each evening from 5.15pm to 6.15pm which includes healthy child-friendly meal options and fruit. This worked out quite well for us as it meant we could all eat together or, if POD was watching a film, we could drop her off at Mini Club before we ate.
The watersports
There’s lots of fun to be had on the beach. With sun loungers and brollies aplenty, you have the option to relax, take a dip or give some of the many watersports on offer a try.
Levante Beach is great for sailing and provides ideal conditions for beginners in the morning and intermediates in the afternoons. There is a team of c.20 qualified watersport instructors available. You can choose from free group lessons and clinics to a RYA course or private tuition.
An hour’s refresher course and 5 x 1½ hour improver sailing courses are available for free.
There are also a range of RYA sailing courses and tuition to choose from for adults and children aged 6+.
Free group sailing clinics are offered for all standards with equipment suitable for children right up to the professionals. My husband attended a group sailing tuition clinic with 4 others and got to set sail himself following the watersports briefing. Over the course of 3 hours, he learnt the basic skills and here he is in a Laser Pico. Both of us would relish the opportunity to do more sailing, we simply ran out of time in the week we were at Levante.
Also included in the price of the holiday are free group windsurfing lessons and clinics. There is a 3 hour introduction to windsurfing available in addition to an hour’s refresher, or for improvers, 5 x 1½ hour sessions.
There are also a range of RYA windsurfing courses and tuition available for varying abilities. Adult courses are for those looking to progress and gain a windsurfing qualification. We didn’t get to try windsurfing so it’s on our list to do next time.
For windsurfers aged between 8 and 13, the RYA youth windsurfing scheme is available. This provides windsurfers with the basics right through to board set up, rigging and techniques for tackling stronger winds.
Private tuition is also offer for adults and children of all levels with a maximum of 2 participants.
There is a PADI scuba dive school on site which offers a range of courses for beginners through to advanced divers. Another one for our to do list!
There’s a free supervised trial dive in the pool for new starters.
Stand-up paddleboarding and kayaks are free to use at the waterfront. Kayaking was something we didn’t get round to doing and really wanted to, we would have loved to explore more of the coastline.
Waterskiing and wakeboarding is run on a ‘pay as you go’ basis with instruction from the in-house ski team.
I loved watching guests and Mark Warner staff waterski but somehow I suspect I lack the necessary balance. It looks amazing though.
Tennis
There is a floodlit tennis centre with six Astroturf courts at Levante Beach Resort. Coaching is always a great way to improve your game and we’ve found previous Mark Warner coaches to be excellent. On our last holiday with Mark Warner, we joined the academy course, had group coaching and played social tennis. We also used to play each other in the midday sun before enjoying a rather large lunch. I think we deserved it after all that activity!
As we hadn’t played for so long and we didn’t know whether POD would enjoy Mini Club, we just signed up for the group coaching course at Levante. This is one hour’s coaching every day for four days. The academy course we’ve done previously offers 4 x 1½ hour lessons, 1 x 45 minute private lesson, 1 x Faults and Fix it report and 1 x Specialty Shot Clinic.
Levante also runs Intensive Tennis Weeks which consist of workshops, coaching and coach-led sessions in addition to a private lesson and match play. Junior tennis is also available – LTA courses for 6 to 13 year olds and a Mini Tennis Drop In for ages 3 to 5. Private lessons are available for adults and children too.
The day after we arrived we went along to the ‘festival of tennis’ where we got to chat to the qualified coaches about our game. We took our own rackets but you can borrow rackets and balls.
Unsurprisingly we weren’t very good at all initially but gradually it all started to click into place again. We were with the same group all week so it was great to see everyone improve together. The tennis coaches were brilliant and we had a lot of fun. My husband even came away with a certificate for being the biggest server. In addition to the group coaching course he also played social tennis daily and attended a really good serving clinic. Suffice to say I still need a bit more practice although it’s amazing to be playing again. I’m definitely getting my tennis mojo back!
After POD had impressed us all with her racket skills in Mini Club, we took her to a few of the Mini Drop Ins. These start at 8.30am so she was able to do it after breakfast before Mini Club kicked off at 9am. Although we already knew the tennis coaches were good, teaching a four-year-old how to play is another matter. Sam ‘Frosty’ thankfully has lots of experience with children POD’s age. And an awful lot of patience!
He found brilliant ways to teach her like balancing balls on her feet to stop her spinning round or on her head to stop her moving around. As it turns out POD seems to be a bit of a natural at tennis and had some brilliant moments. If you ask her what she loved most about her Mark Warner holiday, she’ll say the tennis. That and ice-cream.
We had a really great time playing tennis again. As well as attending for social tennis, we also headed down for tipsy tennis too. It is exactly as it sounds, evening tennis after a few drinks. There are a few rules though, service boxes only and playing with childrens rackets and balls. Hilarious! The exhibition match between the coaches was great too. Having got to know ‘Frosty’, POD did shout “come on Frosty, do something” a couple of times. He did as he and Head of Tennis Sam won the match.
Activities
Mountain biking, road cycling and aerobics classes are available at Levante Beach Resort. The latter includes aqua sessions, sunrise and sunset stretches, circuit training and body pump. There’s also a morning run every other day which alternates with a sunrise stroll along the beach. Not to mention waterpolo, volleyball and football.
If this doesn’t take your fancy, you can escape to the spa and book a massage or a facial. There is also a sauna, jacuzzi and steam room. I managed to treat myself to a long overdue massage.
Places to visit
There are several excursions you can go on while you’re staying at the Levante Beach Resort. There are various boat trips available plus you can visit Lindos, Rhodes Old Town or Simi.
The verdict
Our holiday to Levante Beach Resort in Rhodes was everything we hoped it would be. And more thanks to the Resort Manager Sue and the rest of the brilliant Mark Warner team. It was perfect, we just wish we’d been able to stay a bit longer so we could do everything we wanted to. But then again we have the perfect excuse to return now don’t we?
