Mark Warner has been the topic of conversation a lot recently. But what’s the appeal of their holidays and are they right for you? We take a look at the most frequently asked questions.
Who are Mark Warner Holidays?
Mark Warner Holidays has been around for 40 years now and is one of the most highly regarded travel companies in the UK. Whether your passion is skiing in the French Alps, perfecting your tennis skills in Greece or finding your sea legs in Corsica, they offer something for everyone.
Where are their resorts?
Mark Warner offers ski holidays in sought after destinations across Austria, France and Italy with sun holidays available in Corsica, Greece, Sardinia and Turkey. We’ve not skied with Mark Warner yet so this post will focus on Mark Warner’s sun holidays. We’ve holidayed at four of their resorts now so hopefully we can provide you with a rounded view of what you can expect.
Who are Mark Warner Holidays suitable for?
Mark Warner Holidays are suitable for sport lovers, couples and families. While they are renowned for being family orientated, we took two holidays with them as a couple. Our focus then was very much about their tennis coaching and facilities whereas now it’s all about what they offer us as a family of three. It’s not just about our daughter though, we like to have an amazing holiday too.
What’s included in your Mark Warner Holiday?
Everything Mark Warner does is designed to make it easy for you. All their holidays include direct flights, resort transfers and half board accommodation with the option to upgrade to full board. Their flights are chartered so we enjoyed British Airways flights from Heathrow on a Saturday (we could go on a Wednesday too).
What about the childcare?
We’ve written about the childcare at Mark Warner extensively in the past both on our parent blog and here. Normally we’d not consider putting our daughter in childcare on holiday but she loves being part of Mini Club. The staff looking after the children are qualified British nannies. As well as enjoying arts and crafts, POD got to partake in amazing experiences on resort such as kayaking, windsurfing and sailing. She also played tennis for the first time and embarked on a few lessons as well.
In addition to Mini Club which is designed for 3-5 year olds, there’s Baby Club 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’s an itinerary with fun activities tailored to suit each age group. Many of the childcare options available are free of charge.
We just had POD in Mini Club each morning while we played tennis and that worked well for us. At the resorts we’ve visited, there’s also been a listening service in the evening so you can have dinner as a couple while your child watches a movie. There’s no charge for this and if you’re lucky they might go to sleep in one of the comfy beds! You forget sometimes that actually you need a bit of time to yourselves every now and again.
What watersports are on offer?
Facilities vary depending on the size of resort by typically you can expect sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and paddleboarding. The resorts cater for beginner to intermediate level with qualified RYA instructors available for courses and private tuition. Free group sailing clinics are often available for all standards with equipment suitable for children right up to the professionals. My husband attended a group sailing tuition clinic with 4 others. Over the course of 3 hours, he learnt the basic skills and sailed in a Laser Pico.
You may find free group windsurfing lessons and clinics included in your holiday too along with qualification options if you’re looking to take it to the next level – again resort dependent. At Levante there’s even a PADI scuba diving school on site which offers a range of courses for beginners through to advanced. Waterskiing and wakeboarding is usually run on a ‘pay as you go’ basis.
What other activities are available?
Many of Mark Warner’s sun resorts offer an array of activities from tennis, cycling and fitness classes to volleyball, water polo and evening entertainment. We’re huge tennis fans so we enjoy playing on holiday if we get the opportunity to do so. The number of courts varies from resort to resort – for example nine courts at Lakitira, six at Levante and three at San Lucianu. We’ve embarked on an academy course before although typically we like the group coaching (an hour each day for four days) and social tennis when we can. The latter is usually for one of us with the other looking after POD.
What else is on offer in resort?
Although you don’t have to partake in any of the activities on offer at Mark Warner, you can’t help it! There’s too much fun to be had and lots of interesting new experiences to try. You can just as easily relax by the pool though and many of the resorts have spa facilities available too plus of course restaurants and bars.
What if we want to explore?
It’s your holiday so you can of course pick and choose what you want to do. We find much of what we want to do is available on resort although we do venture out a little too. In Greece making a trip to Rhodes and in Corsica discovering what was available locally. Little did we know we’d find a couple of absolute gems – a village almost untouched by tourism and a waterfall we swam in.
How will I fit everything in?
We often find we don’t get to do everything but we always cram as much as we can into a week. And still have a relaxing break. You can do as little or as much as you want while you’re on holiday with Mark Warner – there’s no pressure to get involved. A welcome meeting takes place at each resort on the day you arrive which is a great time to chat to a few of the team about what interests you. The staff at Mark Warner are always friendly and happy to help, they seem to rather enjoy making sure you have the best time. And do you know what, we always do.
They really look like dream holidays x