I think it's a tough one and sometimes a compromise. I do like a good hotel and as you say, it becomes your home for 2 weeks so it has to offer the facilities you are after. Having said that, I don't like to be tied to the hotel so the resort / country has to offer something as well. For example, I like to spend a few days diving so the marine life has be be good or there be something of interest such as a wreck to see. I don't think I'd travel somewhere just for the hotel, no matter how good it was. There would have to be other reasons for going and I would say I would compromise on the hotel for what the resort / area offered. When both parts come together though, it makes for a great holiday

Darren

Careful Can't, think you may offend a few British parents with your thoughts. I certainly don't let my kids run riot whilst I'm on holiday or get steaming drunk! The aparthotel we are going to this year is mainly British so I hope it won't be full of the type of families you've described...or I'll be very disappointed! We're not that bad are we, surely

Lets not let this topic turn into a discussion on behaviour of children of what-ever nationality.

Thanks

MarkJ HT Mod

nic

Nick just my experience and not intend to offend.

dazbo we do try and compromise and try and find a resort which suits everybody but I do find it hard to find a good hotel out of the many advertised in the brochures. You say you like to dive but there are plenty of 4* and 5* in sharm, red sea, but we wouldn't go there because we like to be able to walk into the sea via the beach whereas you have to go in from a jetty straight into deep water. So its not just the hotel, but resort choice does come down to if there is a decent hotel and there are activities suits us.

Generally we decide on the country first and then look at the hotels and reviews. Number one is finding a hotel that will suit the children, the pools have to be good as they love the water and now that they are older the criteria start to change. This year we have gone for Turkey as the hotels have more to offer in the way of waterslides etc at 9 and 12, I just felt they needed that bit more.
I don't know how we would manage without the internet for reviews etc though, as I discard so many 'possibles' from the brochures for different reasons.

Pam

keep we do pick the country first but then trying to a decent hotel and a resort can be almost impossible. I think I worded the start of the topic in the wrong way. We are booked for turkey next year to the hemera and one of the criteria's was a sand beach which slopes gently into the sea a good A/I and a resort centre. The hemera fitted nicely, but now the oyxd open air disco/night club has opened 150 meters from the hotel it has all changed and I am either looking to change dates when the disco is closed or find another hotel. Lara beach is out of the qestion because its only hotels there. But I still say most of the hotels offered by british tour ops to the med is still today are below par but now the german companies have taken over out tour ops more good hotels are becoming available, its still not easy.

I remember when arriving at your destination airport the coach to take you to your hotel was about 20 years old with no air c on and the german coaches were new with air c on and everybody would think why aren't out coach like that as they sweltered in the heat.

Now I have a family a good hotel is definately high on my list of prioities. I think I have become fussier as I have got older. I've been to so many places in Europe the resort has almost become secondary to the hotel. I'm going to Club Lykia World in Olu Deniz this year because it's supposed to have outstanding facilites and exceptional food, but I have to admit if Club Lykia World was in Crete, the Algarve, Italy etc I would probably still be going there.

Even though the Red Sea is a great place to dive, it offers us little in the way of other things so regardless of the numerous quality hotels, it's not a place we frequently visit. Specifically regarding diving there, that region is a victim of it's own succes and it's often impossable to have a relaxing dive with the cameras without loads of other diving groups surrounding you. Not the sort of diving I prefer. I agree with keepupwith, we often choose a part of the world we want to visit based on weather at that time of year, the country and resort and take it from there. It's nice to travel to different places and learn something new, bit of history and local culture while on holiday. Of course the hotel is a big consideration, but that's where the compromise comes in. I suppose it's different for everyone. We are all different, like different things and when families are added to the equasion, hotels are on a different level of priority. That's where the HT community is invaluable to find out more about a particular destination or resort and hotel from people who have seen things first hand. Brochures give you an impresion, but it's not always accurate!

Darren

I'm going a bit off topic here cant, but as you have mentioned Sharm, I dont know if you know but north of Namma Bay is a whole area called Nabq bay where you can actually walk into the sea straight from the beach as the corals do not come into the waters edge. They seem to have bulit a lot of nice hotels up that end. (its not my prefered end as I like Ras um Sid as I like going into deep water).
I do agree with Dazbo though the area is a victim of it's own success, there are more people under the water than in the hotels.

Yes I always do a bit of research once I have decided where exactly I am going. Holiday Truth Trip Advisor give reviews of various. If the reviews are consistantly good then I reckon it is OK. If there is the odd bad review then this too can be taken with a pinch of salt.
If the reviews are consistantly bad or poor then I will look at the option of another hotel. I travel frequently and so spend a good deal of time looking at suitable accommodation for myself.

Sue

For me it depends on the country...I started holidaying in the Far East and that kind of put me off hotels in the Med which unless you pay top dollar are not up to the standard that I kind of got used to in Thailand and Malaysia. If holidaying closer to home we go for the villa option, as its a good way of getting the quality without paying through the nose.