£25 WINNING LETTER
FAB HOLIDAY AT FOREST HILLS
As always, we are delighted to hear from members who found that Seasons resort staff went the extra mile to make their holiday truly memorable. That was certainly the case on several occasions when Alison and Christopher Henderson, from Wem in Shropshire, visited Forest Hills recently:
'My husband and I have recently returned from a week at Forest Hills. Despite being quite difficult to find in the dark (we arrived on a late flight), our reception could not have been more welcome. We were very hungry when we arrived as the airline had run out of sandwiches on the flight over! That was no problem to Elaine, the resort manager, who promptly rustled up piping hot cheese and tomato baguettes for us.
We had a large and very comfortable apartment with fantastic views of the Mediterranean, Gibraltar and the Atlas Mountains (on a clear day). Unfortunately, on day four of our holiday, I was pick-pocketed on the Marina in Estepona. Again, the staff were sympathetic and proved invaluable in arranging for me to report the theft and obtain a police report.
What really struck us about this resort (and we have visited all of them bar the new one in Cornwall), was the friendliness and helpfulness of everyone. Ian, our resident entertainer, and Shuggie, Guest Relations, had everyone mingling, chatting and making friends. We met some very nice people and were sorry to say goodbye to them. We really wished we had booked a second week.
I was told, when we booked in February, that the resort wasn't as 'smart' as the others and was being refurbished. All we can say is, smart or not, Forest Hills had a totally different atmosphere. The guests were treated like long-lost friends by all the staff. We can't wait to go back. Next time it will definitely be for a two week break!'
Special mention should go to: Elaine, Shuggie, Ian, Carlos, Glenys, Tina and Damon.'
Have YOU got a story about your Seasons holiday or short break that you would like to share? Simply email it to insight@seasonsholidays.com and you could win Σ25 if your entry is chosen as the winning letter in a future edition of Seasons eNews Update! And remember that attaching a photograph will give you a much better chance of catching the Editor's eye!
'HAWK WATCH' AT FOREST HILLS
We were very interested to hear from Elaine Bland, resort manager of Forest Hills, near Estepona, on the Costa del Sol. It's not very often we get a 'nature watch' story in the eNews, but it's certainly very welcome:
'Last year, we had a hawk nesting on the balcony of one of the apartments, but sadly none of the chicks survived. This year, at the end of April, we noticed that the mother had returned to nest in the same place and we had four new eggs, but only three hatched and have been living happily on our window sill. We have been monitoring their progress from fluffy little chicks to beautiful birds of prey.
There has been a lot of interest from our guests over the previous weeks. This week the chicks have begun to leave the nest and take practice flights most days.
We managed to open the window and get a sneaky picture of them for all the Seasons eNews readers to enjoy and the plant pot you can just see is where the mother nested both years.'
FROM PENRITH TO PAELLA
There were enough tears to fill Lake Windermere as Whitbarrow Village waved bon voyage to Wayne and Nichola Robley, the popular restaurant franchisees , as the family flew off to take over the running of the restaurant and bar at Club Tahiti in Lanzarote.
The Robley family, who had run Whitbarrow's franchise for a year, have risen to the challenge of quite literally frying in the sunshine and who wouldn't want to swap Cumbria for the Canaries? Nichola is really excited about seeing all the guests that she formed a bond with when they came to the English Lakes when they take their seasons holiday in Club Tahiti and assures them of the great 'northern welcome' that she and Wayne find so natural to offer, from now onwards. It's just that she hopes to be a little more suntanned when you see her next.
"The whole family are now living and working in paradise,äó? she tells us. "Even the family dog has taken the flight, so we have all our home comforts and are looking forward to seeing all the members who have become our friends during our time since we began at Whitbarrowäó?, she added.
Wayne is learning all the Spanish names for his cocktails, although missing his British beer. He is encouraging Seasons members to develop a discerning taste for sangria - by the pint. Do look out for the family when you visit Lanzarote and take Nichola some PG Tips teabags as she is already missing her regular 'English cuppa'!
Commenting on the departure of the Robley family, Resort Manager Alasdair Sunter said: "Naturally we wish the whole family every success. It's a big change not having their cheery faces at Whitbarrow. However, our new franchisees are settling in and rising to the new challenge - and have already taken over where the Robleys left off.äó?
WHITBARROW GUEST RELATIONS 'GO GREEN'
A new has dawned at Whitbarrow: the Guest Relations team has gone all green! Not in the way that all the major political parties are latching on to, with recycling and reducing their carbon footprint - but with the colour of the new suite they have just moved into.
As you can see from the photograph, the interior designer has chosen the aptly named colour of 'duck egg' (green to you and I) to co-ordinate with the chocolate brown carpet, and this is the basis of the new scheme created for the entire reception, leisure and hospitality building, which is due to open fully in December 2007.
The main contractors worked hard to develop the Guest Relations Suite early in time for the summer, so that the resort's main busy period would be on show for all visiting members and guests. Created out of the previous reception and office space, the new area is a breath of fresh air for the resort.
Commenting on the elegant new look, Guest Relations Manager, Rob Horwood said: "It's a great day for us at Whitbarrow, as the suite is the very first indication of things to come. Every member of my team is greatly encouraged and motivated by the whole exercise and it's working like magic in conveying this new enthusiasm to all the guests that they come into contact with. We cannot wait until the full finished product is unveiled.äó?
When finished, the newly refurbished building will boast an extended pool area with a 'changing village', a bright and spacious reception hall and a new, 200 seater food and beverage space, complete with entertainments stage, dance floor and sound system.
The new exterior decking terrace will also have great views towards the Pennines and beyond, which will take in many of the delights of the Lake District National Park. Indeed, Membership Services have already seen a demand for accommodation from December onwards, which indicates that Whitbarrow Village seems to be 'the place to be' for 2008.
Explaining the overall concept, Resort Manager Alasdair Sunter said: "The green landscape and environment will be matched throughout the new look building, which is to be called EDEN. Each facet of EDEN will embrace its name, such as 'Fitness @ Eden, Food @ Eden, Entertainment @ Eden and the likes. This is named after the local river, but also evokes some of the charms that were found in the original Garden of Eden. It is hoped that members will experience a whole host of new delights associated with quality and enjoyment in Seasons new Eden.
Watch out for more information about EDEN and the new 'green' Whitbarrow in this newsletter as the project develops.
BEAUTIFUL BRUNSTON CASTLE
Although it took them a little while to put pen to paper (well, fingers to keyboard actually!) Mark and Yvonne Mullen of Wells, Somerset were obviously so impressed with their stay in Ayrshire that they wrote and told Head of Reservations Anne-Marie James all about it:
'I know it's a few months since our holiday in Scotland but I've been meaning to send a few lines thanking you for arranging our stay in the accommodation of our choice. It was excellent! We had a fantastic week, with superb countryside and hills and so much to see. Scotland is truly a beautiful place to stay and even more so with the very friendly staff in the Brunston Castle reception.
By the end of the week we felt relaxed and very reluctant to come home. Nevertheless we had plenty of happy memories to remind ourselves. One in particular stands out. We took the opportunity to join Ronald in his walk up the local hill and back through the village. He was a wealth of facts and stories - some of which I'm not sure if they weren't a bit of a yarn but who cares? He's a unique asset to your team at Brunston and brought the place alive! We enjoyed every moment of the walk, including our two young kids and that's saying something. Once again thank you and the staff at Brunston for a fantastic week! In particular please send our sincere thanks to Ronald.'
Our picture shows Yvonne, Amy, Timothy and Yvonne's mother Brenda near Stranraer, just south of Brunston Castle.
TWO IMPORTANT RESERVATION REMINDERS
1. TAKE YOUR BOOKING CONFIRMATION
Firstly, in order to speed up check in and avoid unnecessary problems when booking into Seasons own or affiliated resorts, we need to remind members that they must present their Booking Confirmation when checking in, since failure to produce this vital document can result in refusal of occupancy.
2. ADVISE OF SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AT TIME OF BOOKING
Secondly, members are reminded that they need to inform Reservations of any special requirements, such as disabled access, at the time of booking, in order to ensure that they are booked into suitable accommodation. We have had several occasions when members do not inform us at the time of booking but expect to be moved to more suitable accommodation when they check in. This can cause serious problems at the resort, especially when the resort is heavily booked up and/or there are lots of people checking in.
GREAT HOLIDAY AT ALPINUS
It certainly sounds as if Pat Kane and family, of Bradford, had a terrific holiday in the Algarve recently. Remember we love to hear from any of our members about your holidays at Seasons resorts and affiliates, so do please write to insight@seasonsholidays.com and tell us all about it:
'What a great holiday we had at the Alpinus resort! Ricky Francis was really fantastic. What a laugh we had with him pretending to be Tina Turner - it was great! The bar staff are very friendly and we don't know where Becky on the entertainments team gets her energy from! The rooms at the resort are very clean, with maids around every day, who are also very friendly.
While we were there, we went to Vilamoura, which was a great place to look around, with its beautiful harbour and shops. We also had a fabulous night out in Albufeira, and the taxi fare from Alpinus only cost six of us twenty euros.'
Our picture shows Pat with Ricky Francis - her favourite entertainer!
SELLER BEWARE!
For the benefit of all our members, we unfortunately have to give yet another warning of a possible scam, as reported to us by a Seasons member who managed to pull out of the 'deal' before it was too late.
As you are all aware, your Membership is of great value, particularly when used to enjoy terrific holidays every year. However, do please be wary of companies contacting you claiming that they have someone who wishes to purchase your Membership but require you to send a fee in advance. This behaviour is totally fraudulent and you should report all such calls and approaches to Membership Services on 01994 426000.
If contacted, please try to obtain as much information about who is calling you, such as name of individual name of company, company address and contact telephone number and website if applicable. We will then pass this on to the OTE enforcement committee who, where appropriate, will report the matter to relevant regulatory authorities.
One such company based in Spain who has recently called some owners is Desirable Weeks. You should avoid doing business with this company and similar organisations at all costs.
SEASONS IMPORTANT EMAIL ADDRESSES
To make bookings at any of Seasons owned or affiliated resorts, or to book value for money Seasons midweek or weekend breaks, and for any general enquiries about your membership, simply email reservations@seasonsholidays.com.
For unrivalled service and advice on getting to and from your holiday destination, including low cost carriers, charters, scheduled flights, car hire, ferries, please email travelclub@seasonsholidays.com or call 01253 299044. All tickets are fully protected through our association with Vacation Travel Seasons Travel Club.
The Travel Club online enquiry/booking service is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. For more details click here.
Generous offers are always available for friends and relations of members to come and experience Seasons for themselves - plus incentives for members! For the current special offers email referrals@seasonsholidays.com.
If any members wish to contact Seasons Owners Consultative Committee email mail@socc.org.uk.
