I have quit Ciao and will never return - please feel free to remove me from your CoT if I am in ther...
I have quit Ciao and will never return - please feel free to remove me from your CoT if I am in there.
Member since:25.12.2000
Reviews:56
Members who trust:53
Firstly, this opinion is in the wrong section, but there isn't an Escapades section, so I opted for Club 18-30 as they are very similar...
I’m still young and although I’ve never been a hardcore clubber, I enjoy going out for a drink and sometimes to a nightclub, like a lot of people.
I also enjoy my summer holidays and always try to get away somewhere in the Mediterranean with friends. Holidays are also expensive for what they are, so I try to keep the cost down as much as possible by booking last minute. Twice in the last two years, the cheapest holidays have been with Escapades, who are a subsidiary of Airtours and who compete with companies like Club 18-30 and 2wentys, providing active and fun holidays for younger people.
These types of holidays would never be my first choice (no pun intended) as I hate being dictated to and like to take holidays at my own pace. However as I said, I do like pubs and clubs, so didn’t really mind going on an Escapades holiday. I had heard
bad things about Club 18-30, pushing people into things and just plain embarrassing them. However rumour had it that Escapades were the best of the bunch.
The first thing I noticed is that the kind of people who go on these holidays are not my type of people. I’m not a "lad" by any means, but then again I’m not boring. I just think that there is more to going out than just getting paralytic and collapsing in a bush. A lot of the people on this holiday were of that sort of culture.
The reps are no different. Some of the things they came out with in the welcome meetings would give your grandma a heart attack!! They brand everyone as the same and expect you to join in with their "fun". Don’t get me wrong, they are nice people and certainly know the resorts well and how to have a good time. Its just that their idea of a good time is not everyone else’s. Before I go on, another point about the reps is that they think that everyone is an insomniac. We arrived at the hotel at 7:30am, after flight delays through the night. We were all very tired and had only just got to sleep when the reps were virtually knocking the door down telling us "to get our lazy arses out of bed and get downstairs to the welcome meeting" - not a good start, I was far from amused.
The first thing they will try to get you to do, besides joining them at the front for party games that make you look quite stupid, is to sign up for their trips. Forget the typical reps welcome meeting, where they mention them and expect you to find them afterwards if you are interested. No, they will constantly badger you to go on them. They sell them very well, but then again they would because they are on commission! They vary from cruises with copious amounts of alcohol, to bar crawls, trips to clubs and waterparks. They will be priced at around £20 per trip or a special offer of £110 for the whole week’s trips. Don’t be fooled by these - I did them all the first time I went and was very disappointed. You are tied into them and they drag you around the streets shouting at you like kids. The trips never seem to live up to their descriptions either! On my second holiday, I briefed my mate that they would try to get us to go, and to be firm and say no. However these reps, then try to make you look boring and stupid for not going.
In the end we signed up for one trip, to shut them up. Even that wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. To be fair, it started off alright, as they hired out a club until midnight for party games and a hypnotist. We were then supposed to go to one of the superclubs for a popcorn party. However, they omitted to tell us that on the way, we would be stopping for a couple of hours at a small, horrible little club - a lot of people including us, just walked out and went to the superclub on our own steam.
Regarding the accommodation. I think that it is really pot luck, because on my first holiday with them, the hotel was appalling and I’m quite sure was a health hazard, whereas the second one was clean and tidy - even if it was next to the biggest nightclub on the island!
When all is said and done, I didn’t have a bad time. I would just prefer to go on a normal holiday and control my own fun! If the type of holiday I described appeals to you, then you will have a great time. However if you don’t like being told what to do and embarrassed constantly, then avoid it like the plague!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Good review(-: ........................................................Darko
zoe_page 10.03.2006 18:20
Not in the right place - if you get it moved, let me know.
PlaceboFan 21.08.2004 02:01
I know what you mean about this kinda culture ;) I'm the same, but I think I could still survive the two weeks even if I wasn't gettin drunk like everyone else on the hol PlaceboFan x
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Splendia, a unique selection of luxury and design hotels with character in the most beautiful locations: Marrakesh, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Dubai.... Book directly online or contact our customer service available any day of the week.
Record Rent a Car is present in the main spanish airports and has a very wide fleet. We offer: exceptional discounts, free additional drivers,
unlimited mileage... subscribe to our Club Record and take advantage of special offers.
Dec 27th, 2000
very helpful by (95%):
off topic by (5%):
