Paleros Beach, Greece
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Great resort, lovely staff, lots of activities
Aeolian Village Beach Resort, Lesvos
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Lovely place friendly staff
Aeolian Village Beach Resort, Lesvos
Saturday, July 5, 2025
pretty resort, comfortable accomdation, very good food. Well maintained euipment. helpful staff. although there is a good range of windsurfing sail sizes there is not enough of the same size. So when the wind was good all surfers wanted the same size! Need more of size 6m and up for the good guys
Aeolian Village Beach Resort, Lesvos
Saturday, July 5, 2025
accomdation comfortable, food very good, activites excellent, well maintained equipment.
Paleros Beach, Greece
Friday, July 4, 2025
Fantastic holiday, just can't beat this resort!
The MW product offering for families who like to be active, well looked after and children kept entertained is exceptional. Paleros is a beautiful resort and brilliantly run by Natasha and her team. We come back year after year and it is the most wonderful experience to be made to feel part of the family each time. We've made so many new friends each stay and heavenly to have a toddler so well cared for to enable some relaxation and valuable parent time to spend being as active or lazy as you wish! Can't recommend this holiday enough!
Aeolian Village Beach Resort, Lesvos
Friday, July 4, 2025
Great location with windy weather
Phokaia Beach Resort, Turkey
Friday, July 4, 2025
Great value, lovely setting, social sporty opportunities. Friendly people and relaxed vibe. Food and accommodation good. The resort was relatively quiet at this time so lots of poolside and beach space. MW drinks pricing was very expensive-the only downside as it meant reduced ‘atmosphere’ in bar areas overall.
Kamari Beach Resort, Rhodes
Thursday, July 3, 2025
My personal experience of my time at Kamari was excellent.
My room was clean and comfortable, the lovely woman who cleaned was so friendly. We had a big hug when I left. The towel art was fab!
The food was good, there was variety and it was possible for me to eat as I like too.
The Spa is definitely worth a visit.
I sailed and SUP’d mainly and the beach team were all really friendly and helpful.
Their improver sessions and teaching were brilliant. Some of the boats were a little tired but actually my sailing club at home is no better. It didn’t affect my personal sailing experience which was just amazing.
I also loved that there was an adults only pool. My children are “grown up” now so I loved that I could pick a child free space if I chose to.
I went on a snorkelling trip which I would highly recommend.
As a female solo traveler this was a great choice and I met some lovely people who I will be keeping in touch with.
I’d go to kamari again and recommend it without hesitation
Phokaia Beach Resort, Turkey
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Everything was great the only thing I feel that could improve is the daily meal selection and the temperature of the hot food could be better.
Phokaia Beach Resort, Turkey
Thursday, July 3, 2025
A trip with Mark Warner to Phokaia has been a fixture in our holiday calendar for many years. It is a great location for windsurfing and sailing (our primary interests) and there are excellent exercise classes and biking etc.
The hotel grounds are stunning and food and accommodation are very good. In our second week the quality of the food stepped up a notch from the first week. The Turkish staff who work in the hotel are very friendly.
We do however have concerns over Mark Warner’s lack of investment in the water sports equipment and over recent years the amount of and condition of windsurfing and sailing kit has been declining. On arrival this year there was disappointment again with the limited range of windsurf sails and harnesses, as well the range and condition of the dinghy fleet – particularly the double-handers and catamarans.
We were told that there was some new equipment stuck in customs and one week later a range of new windsurf sails and new harnesses finally arrived after lots of badgering by the guests. The same problem occurred last year. This equipment should have been ordered in good time for the new season but it clearly was not.
Being ‘stuck in customs’ did not however answer the question as to the lack of availability of functioning double-handed dinghies and catamarans. We have seen the fleet diminish each year, leaving the same patched-up boats, which leads to many breakages and boats off the water.
Mark Warner sells itself as a water sports ‘paradise’ but lack of and poor quality of kit will drive loyal customers away to the competition. The new equipment that arrived was a good step in the right direction but more investment is required if Mark Warner expect to retain an otherwise loyal group of customers. We did not have a good range of equipment for our first week so it was lucky that we were staying for 2 weeks. Those who were only out for a week had their whole week’s sailing holiday marred.
Jasmine, as always, was the friendly and ever helpful face of Mark Warner on site and we can only praise her. The beach team were very friendly but did not seem to be very well managed (as usual) and windsurfing kit was often left on the beach in 30+ degrees heat and sunshine, increasing the risk of damage.
One final note is that the costs of drinks at the hotel have become ridiculously expensive – this needs to be brought under control. If the prices were lower then guests might buy more drinks in the hotel rather than bringing them in from outside - the economics are not complicated.
Aeolian Village Beach Resort, Lesvos
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Just back from a wonderful week at this resort. This was our third Mark Warner holiday and each one has surpassed our expectations. Aeolian Village is a gem: perfect location, immaculate accommodation, lovely food and a great range of activities. All the staff were friendly and welcoming and the whole resort had a calm, relaxed atmosphere. The nearby village is well worth a visit with loads of beach bars and restaurants as well as some lovely shops. Highly recommended!
Lemnos, Lemnos
Thursday, July 3, 2025
We had a wonderful holiday and would highly recommend the location and the staff. Thank you all so much for making our stay so perfect. The food was amazing and we ate so well. We will return.
Paleros Beach, Greece
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Great childcare which offers the freedom to do a bit of exercise on the new Padel courts or out on the water. Then the afternoons spent with the children in the pool. It’s ideal
Lemnos, Lemnos
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Loved it. Great island, friendly knowledgeable staff, fantastic food
Lemnos, Lemnos
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Lovely location on a very quiet island. Good food, given that it is self service. Boats good but they need to sort out recording the race results.
The site is steep, particularly the walk up to the rooms.
Aeolian Village Beach Resort, Lesvos
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
lovely hotel, staff, food and facilities.
Paleros Beach, Greece
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Great service from the Mark Warner resort team and the local Greek team. The accommodation and food is very good. We love all of the activities on offer. New padel tennis is a good addition and we like the rowing. Great place to waterski and wakeboard. Wind is variable for sailing. The sailing boats and mountain bikes are getting a bit tired, but that’s the only improvement needed. Also very good local restaurants and beach bars for lunch. We’ve been twice and will return.
Paleros Beach, Greece
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Very nice resort and has adult only pool which is great. Superb for sea swimming also
Phokaia Beach Resort, Turkey
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
We spent two weeks at Phokaia in June. Overall, we had a brilliant time. The MW staff were all 100% focused on ensuring we enjoyed ourselves. Crispin and Yasmin obviously run a very good team. All of the staff seem to be a happy, friendly bunch who work very hard and are keen to interact with the guests. MW have an office at the resort (next door to shop) and Yasmin and her staff were always keen and happy to help with any queries, whatever they were.
My husband is a club sailor in the UK and knows his way around boats. The beach team quickly learn that you are experienced and are happy to let you get on with it. The two weeks we were there, there were quite a lot of experienced sailors, which gave an excellent vibe and some good racing. We concentrated on sailing together as I only sail on these holidays and with the wind being quite strong, we had a great time out on the catamarans and double-handers. We also did paddleboarding which was a good laugh, and took a trip on the Crazy Sofa which was very enjoyable. A bench is needed down by the watersports area where you can sit down and change your shoes etc.
There is the normal issue (found at all resorts, whoever you go with) of the sailing equipment not always being maintained to a good standard. We’ve been going on these holidays for over 25 years and each resort used to have a full-time Bosun who did all of the repairs. That is no longer the case so the beach team do what they can, but not always to the required standard which can lead to frustration on the part of the guests. There is a issue, especially with the double-handers, where the boats and sails are not washed down with fresh water each evening. This leads to jammed up cleats, crispy kites which won’t pull up or come down properly and the bottom of boats with filled with debris (leaves, grit etc).
We made full use of the other activities available. I did loads of fitness classes with Kara who is a lovely young woman and made all of the classes really fun and informative. Fly Yoga was a good laugh and many of us spent the whole time laughing at the positions we got into but couldn’t necessarily get out of! We both used the bikes and rode into Foca a few times. My husband also did a few planned bike trips and really enjoyed them. We took part in the Tipsy Tennis both weeks which was great fun and the MW coach was brilliant at making you feel you could join in even if you were rubbish at tennis (which we were)! We both used the gym, which does have a good range of equipment. It would be helpful to have antiseptic wipes available to clean the equipment. They do have spray behind the desk but you have to ask and you can get paper towels from the toilets at the gym.
I also made good use of the spa. You get offered a 10 minute free massage when you arrive and as I was interested in some massages I took them up on it but didn’t say a word about what I knew my problems were. In 10 minutes the wonderful Siri had identified exactly my problems and I ended up having a total of 5 massages over the course of the two weeks, plus a free Turkish massage and face mask. I was very happy with the price I negotiated and extremely happy with the massages which were much cheaper than I would pay in the UK. Siri is an absolute miracle worker – I have never had massages like it and felt wonderful after every one. If you want to have treatments, go for it and get a good price – basically the more you book, the bigger the discount – so it’s up to you.
The resort is gorgeous, huge and very green. There are loads of places where you can just relax and read a book if that is what you want. There are cabanas spread all around, not just the pool area, but in the grounds and by the sea. The hotel obviously employ a multitude of people to maintain the grounds as you always saw them from early morning to late at night.
There are three bars, the terrace bar at the top by the dining room, the jetty bar down by the sea and then the Tiki Bar down by the watersports area. The jetty bar also serves food on non-inclusive nights and is a gorgeous place to sit and watch the sun go down. You have the long jetty down here which is lovely to stroll along. Most of the entertainment is held in the Tiki Bar. There is a Turkish “animation” team at the resort and they were very enthusiastic and did run some good events. Most of them spoke some English. The guy in charge is also a very good singer and did a mean Frank Sinatra! MW staff hold a welcome meeting, a presentation night and Kara and Jude do a music night which we enjoyed.
The food generally was very good and there was certainly plenty of it. It was a buffet layout with lots of choices at breakfast, lunchtime and in the evening. We could always find something to eat we liked. There were three cooking stations where you could get something cooked fresh. Drinks ordering in the main restaurant could be a bit hit and miss depending on how busy it was, so we ordered our drinks at the terrace bar before going in for our meal. Water is provided free at every meal, along with coffee, tea etc.
The hotel is run by the Turkish owners and the staff were a bit hit and miss, but mostly a hit. There was an issue with the language but Google Translate is very helpful. We did find that sometimes a member of staff on reception would say they understood what you were saying, but they actually didn’t, but for some reason, did not tell you this. There were a couple of misunderstandings like this, but any issues usually got sorted out.
There is no getting away from the fact that bar prices are expensive, certainly on par with London prices. There are three happy hours each day, on at slightly different times in each bar, so we made good use of them. Wine is EXTREMELY expensive and after being bitten once when dining in Foca, we didn’t buy any again. If you really want wine, buy it at the local supermarket (just outside Foca on the way back to the club) and drink it in your room. There is also a small “shop” (really just a shack) about 5 mins walk from the club (out to the main road, turn right and walk down a few hundred yards – it on your right). We purchased beer, water and crisps from the guy who runs it and it was a lot cheaper than buying at the resort. I had an issue with the price of drinks for which they didn’t have a menu item, e.g. orange juice and lemonade. Each time I ordered one, the price would be slightly different depending on how they coded it. Watch out for that if it happens to you. Ordering is easy, you give them your room number and they check the name. Two copies of the receipt is printed out – one you sign and give back, one you keep. It does make it easy to check and query any items on the bill you don’t agree with.
We had a room in the gardens – the 4000 block – which is a very short walk to the tennis courts on one side and the pool on the other. Our balcony overlooked the gardens and was very peaceful. We did pay for an upgrade to get a bigger room and we’re glad we did as the rooms are not the biggest you’ve seen. Great air-con which was a must. Cleaning was done every day and to a good standard, but times varied and sometimes could be later in the afternoon. There is a helpful traffic light system (green for clean the room, red for do not disturb). We had two single beds in our room which we pushed together. All beds had a mattress topper on them but I found them too soft. In the end I removed my mattress topper and did sleep better after that. I would suggest that the mattresses need replacing en-masse.
MW have listened to the complaints made last year about noise going on to early in the morning. There were a couple of events held in the Jetty Bar whilst we were there but on both occasions the music was either turned off, or right down at 11.30pm.
It’s a very easy bike ride into Foca, too far to walk really, especially in the heat. The restaurants around the harbour area are numerous and you can take your pick. Food was generally fine, but keep an eye on what you are spending, as they just give you a total at the end, not a breakdown. On the middle Tuesday when the activities are closed because it is transfer day, we biked into Foca and went to the local market, which is absolutely huge and great to stroll around. We then biked around to the other side where the marina is, and found a lovely café for lunch where the prices were a lot more reasonable than those around the harbour area. A taxi back to the resort is approx. 155 lira so not expensive (200 lira is approx. £4.20).
This was a great holiday and we really enjoyed ourselves. I can certainly recommend Phokaia and Mark Warner.
