Sensatori Sharm - Day 4-7

We've fallen into a nice routine here , peanut and the Golden Child spend the morning in kids club, then we have an early Lunch in the main restaurant. Then an afternoon in the pool followed by quiet snoozie time then dinner and evening entertainment. It's a hard life but I'm willing to put in the work in order to write an honest journal for you all! I'm kind like that. 

 

We have had a wander along the huge floating jetty on the private beach to take a look at the fish, you can snorkel right off the end of here or you can just spy into the sea. Be aware though that sea breeze is deceptive you WILL burn without sun lotion, I would also recommend beach shoes as the sand is ridiculously hot as is the jetty and the sand is quite rough.

The kids are loving kids club and Playhouse live and we are positively awash with certificates and art that they have brought home.

One of thier very favourite activities has been science day and the mentos/pop explosion delivered by Mr Bubbles the crazy scientist 

We have dined in Casabianca Italian Restaurant, Marhaba Middle Eastern Restaurant and Tiran Diner for our evening meals, so we have now tried all of those included in the all inclusive package but I will review them seperately. We are still somewhat dissapointed in the Main Restaurant but haven't had any bother booking into the al a carte's so it's not too much of a problem.

I can't pick many faults with the hotel, they listen to feedback and react to it, they are helpful and friendly and the place is scrupulously clean. If I were to complain about anything it would be that The Ramps around the hotel are very slippery and could do with a more non slip surface and hand rails, I've slid every single time I have taken the kids down to kids club (luckily without falling) but there is nothing to grab onto. Wifi is slow in the public areas and not yet available in rooms, despite Thomson claiming otherwise in Sensatori publicity, and lastly a safety concern, we've had a day of power cuts this week which was no problem at all until all the lights wentout during   Playhouse live, with no emergency lighting it was impossible to see where anyone or anything was and the Theatre Manager part of me  instantly thought of the disaster that could happen had a fire knocked out the power in a full venue it would be almost impossible to safely evacuate everyone especially as mostly the children are on the dance floor in front of the stage whilst parents sit around the venue on different levels.

On the flip side, I can list many things I love, peppermint tea served in a bar looking over the ocean, discovering Mojitos are now included in the drinks package, the little reading light by the bed that means I have just enough light for middle of the night feeds, decent toiletries replenished everyday, our swim up pool, a huge breakfast selection, bottled water provided daily in our room, the staff at kids club, Thomson Guest Relation Team who  stop to chat and appear interested in guests, Egyptian Cotton, mango smoothies delivered to the pool and special offers on hotel laundry service! But most of all our room is just pure  luxury, big and spacious with lots of lighting options, our own little pool outside and waiter service for our drinks, we've had swim up rooms in Crete and there's no waiter service around the pools there  and it  really is a step up in luxury.

Sensatori Sharm - Day 3

Last night the kids went to Playhouse (Kids Club) and we met Caroline , who we have seen in two previous visits to Crete Sensatori, we were greeted with warm hugs and enthusiasm which has meant the kids want to go to every play session on offer (4 per day). 

This morning they have spent two hours making pasta bracelets, painting with strawberry jam and making lovely pictures. The kids are excited to go to more sessions and also working hard to earn thier good behaviour points from us to be able to attend next weeks sleep over.

Spartacus and I have chatted today about our opinions of this resort over the others we have visited and he thinks he likes this hotel better but agrees Tenerife is top trumps for luxury and Crete is the winner for relaxation and friendliness. 

The food in the main buffet restaurant is not quite to the standards of the other resorts we have visited, the food seems to be left out longer so for example the pasta goes hard and dry, the fresh cooked areas are nice though. But tonight we dined in Marhaba (Egyptian cuisine) we ate a selection of dips with fresh bread to start and then a kebab selection for main, the dips and bread were great and the meat on the kebabs was succulent and tasty but the acoompanying salad was a bit limp and feeble and the meal could have done with some dips and a fresher salad. The service however was the best we have encountered so far, friendly efficient and intuitive, with drinks being topped up without asking, bread being replenished and not a single member of staff on thier phone (something we see a lot of in other areas).

We are very much looking forward to eating in the Italian tomorrow and the Tiran Diner on Tuesday. 

Today we also discovered the swap boxes and 'Cassanova' the reputedly world famous camel!  The swap boxes are boxes situated in the guest relation lounge for sun lotions, toiletries and then childrens clothes. The clothes are taken regularly to the local orphanage but the toiletries are there to take should you run out or forget something. I'm really grateful as I forgot Toothpaste but we are all sorted now.

 As for Cassanova he rests by the beach at the edge of the hotel with his owner who seems a friendly chap, although from experience I'm positive that a pause for further chat would have led to an invitation to sit on Cassanova for free,  then be charged to get off! We have encountered this bit of banter before in Sharm, Cairo and Luxor!

Tonight we went to Playhouse Live, this is the childrens evening entertainment, dissapointingly these are now only on 4 times a week instead of the 6 times in other resorts. Brilliantly though this show seems to have been tailored more to the age of the audience so a very pre-school feel to it rather than the more 'tween' feel that Crete had and they ended with a bedtime story which we loved. 

There's a light and water show at the fountains at 9.45pm which is a great end signal to the night for the kids, and with a two hour time difference that means if they are in bed by 10pm here it's still technically 8pm ! Win win 

Sensatori Sharm - Day 2

It's been hot hot hot here today so we've just been finding our feet, I must admit to feeling dissapointed in some things.....

This mornings tour of the resort was rather frustrating, the lady in charge wasn't waiting for everyone before she described different areas so because I was with the pram I kept having to find alternative routes, and then missing all the information. 

A brief look at the splash pool led us to think there's nowhere to sit around the spray ground in order to supervise the children, we are going to wanderback tomorrow to have a reall look  

We had lunch in the Tiran beach  bar which is waiter service but it felt very rushed, almost like an inconvenience for us to be there not the normal 5 star service we would expect.

My biggest frustration has been (wait for the first worlds problem here people!) we have had the do not disturb on the front door so housekeeping wouldn't disturb the kids having some much needed sleep, but instead housekeeping rang our room waking everyone up to see if we wanted cleaning! I know the sentiment is good but to me sleep deprived mother) do not disturb does not mean please don't knock but feel free to call. 

On the positive side we managed to get booked up for dinner for the next two nights using the machine with absolutely no problems so we are visiting The Egyptian and Italian restaurants 

We needn't have worried about the small terrace as it's soooooo hot we've not been able to sit out so have just been in the pool! 

We have had a lovely drink in the cool of the lobby bar, and discovered some nice looking shops, a beauty salon and some areas of the hotel, we've splashed in our pool. Where one of the pool bar waiters popped by regularly to see if we wanted drinks and also bought us snacks too! We have relaxed in our nice cool room and because we are all a bit tired from yesterday's journey tonight we have an early night planned.

Something we've really noticed is the hygiene measures in place. We have been asked to use hand sanitiser upon entering every restaurant, the chefs wear gloves when handling your plates and there are signs everywhere to say please wash your hands. It's great to see they are taking all steps to prevent Poorliness. 

We have used our Buggabandz tonight  for the first time and where I would normally be bitten to bits (and I mean I've been hospitalised previously in Egypt, because of so many bites) I'm so happy to report we have so far had no bites. 

Sensatori Sharm - Day One

Despite a delayed flight, which we had no notification or announcements about until almost departure time, we arrived a little crumpled but all in one piece. The kids behaved brilliantly and 5.5 hours wasn't as torturous as I'd anticipated.

The airport in Sharm is a little intimidating with people telling you to queue without explaining why, baggage handlers asking for money to pass your pram through and people trying to 'help' with your bags  who will then ask for cash. But it was quick and not too crowded 

First impressions 

It was lovely to be greeted with a cold towel and cold drink. There were not many seats in reception though

Check in was quick and friendly

Staff are friendly and informative and very happy to help

Food wasn't great but it was 10.45pm and the restaurant was closing at 11pm so I'm reserving judgement until we have seen a fully functioning sitting. 

The room is clean and spacious, we have a family swim up but disappointingly we have only one sunbed outside which I don't understand at all, are we to take turns? 

The terrace is tiny and we are covered in so I'm concerned we won't be getting much sun. 

The kids sleeping area is very cramped but the main sleeping area is large and easily fits the cot in without feeling crowded.

Tomorow we will see how the restaurant is and have a fresh look at our outdoor situation. 

Travel Journal, Easter in Crete - Part 3

It's Day 5 we are unpacked and settled, our tummy's  are full of good food and we are relaxed. we've noticed some real changes around since last year.  

The outside areas have been refreshed with lovely lime wash paint, and previous areas of concern over slipping have been re tiled with non slip tiles, there are new brightly coloured food trays in the kids buffet area (just like school so the wee ones do well carrying them) and some new dishes on the menus in the al a carte restaurants. Best of all HOTEL WIDE WIFI! This has been something we've puzzled over on previous visits it seems odd to us that  a modern 5 star hotel would not have wifi everywhere, but this is now sorted. I've also been informed by the Public Relations Manager that many of the rooms have been refurbished and even some of the pools in the Private Pool rooms have been made larger, although, still unable to upgrade, we can't comment on that. 

We do however have some frustrations...

I'm a bit of a perfectionist and think that at the beginning of the season all rooms should be perfect, the hotel has been closed for maintenance over the winter and I don't quite understand how we could be in a room that has a missing terrace clothes airer, curtains not hung properly and hanging off the window, and windows with curtains missing. This makes for very early get ups when the sun streams through the very pretty voiles!  There are chips in one of the bathroom mirrors and the patio furniture has no cushions, not good for a bigger girl ( no one needs a lattice patternon their  thighs right?) 

Another gripe and really this is silly, there is a speaker in the bathroom which outputs the sound from the tv in the bedroom, really really loudly. There is no way to switch this off or turn it down without reception sending a technician!!! 

These however are very first world problems are they not? I mean we are relaxing in the sun with people working hard to clean, feed and entertain us but this is not a cheap holiday and there are some things I don't expect to have to ask for and curtains are certainly one of them! 

Overall though our room is clean and luxurious our bed is large comfortable and freshly made every day, we have fluffy robes and decent toiletries I have TWO bathrooms and a jacuzzi bath and an army of staff on call to assist us with almost anything we need.

Travel Journal Easter in Crete -the Food

The food here is plentiful and very lovely, I fear some of my recent weightloss has been ruined by the scrumptious-ness! So a post all on its own here's the food low down

Breakfast is served until 10.30, a vast array of choice, continental salads,cooked meat and fruits, cereals, pastries, crepes, eggs of many varieties, full cooked breakfast, and freshly made juice and smoothies, along with breads and yoghurts. 

We love breakfast here and enjoy spending time relaxing and chatting over a nice cuppa and a leisurely breakfast.

Lunch

Served from 12.30-3.30pm You've two choices on a lunchtime, Tex Mex (open most days) for Burger, enchiladas, chilli, nachos, salads and a small desert selection. The Tex Mex has a limited menu but the food is freshly cooked and served to you so it's a nice place for a more relaxed lunch. Next is the main restaurant with a selection of hot dishes, pizza, grilled meats, traditional Greek gyros, pasta  and a huge salad selection there's also a big desert selection as well as nuts and cheese. 

My ultimate favourite from lunch is the eggplant salad served grilled chicken with Greek salad and pita absolutely gorgeous!

Dinner

Served between 6.30-9.30pm in most restaurants The dinner restaurants  included in the hotel package are :

MainRestaurant 

Serving themed buffet, salads, grilled meat or fish, breads, soups and deserts.

Thai

With a reasonable selection of Thai Starters, a choice of about 10 main courses including beef,pork, chicken, fish and veggie dishes and then a choice of around 5 deserts

Red Saffron

This is based on a traditional Greek taverna so you are given a mixed Meze starter including bread, salad, dips, hot dishes and baked cheese, then a Greek buffet with lots of grilled meat and some traditional moussaka, stifado and vegetable dishes followed by a desert meze. It's very lovely but I would have like to see a bit more salad, and Greek dips available with the main course as the meat really needed something to accompany it. 

Tex Mex

A larger selection available on an evening including hot starters, soups and salads alongside main courses like rack of ribs, steak and swordfish as well as some traditional Mexican dishes, there's a limited selection of deserts as well. This is a waited restaurant not buffet so it's a nice break from the constant back and forth with the kids. Its very tasty and the meat dishes especially are lovely quality and taste yummy, staff are very friendly and happy to accommodate specific requests. 

There are also, Al Dente, Hot Stone Grill and  Sugiyama Japanese  al a carte restaurants available at an extra cost to your package. You do however get a 15€ discount pp against the menu price

All the food we've had has been lovely and the service in most cases absolutely brilliant, some improvements we woul like to see would be 

A snack bar so that you could just grab a sandwich at lunch instead of having a proper sit down meal.

Tea and coffee in pots on the table at breakfast, this happens in Tenerife Sensatori and really adds a luxury edge to breakfast.

The childrens menu is limited to nuggets and burgers etc in most restaurants so it would be nice to be told that you can order a child's meal from the adult menu, as some people who've not been before don't like to ask. Its never been any trouble when we've requested it so it would be useful if this was on the childrens menu or explained at the beginning of a meal.

The reservation system is a faff on, basically you queue at a booking station, which operates from 10am to 10pm there's often no availability and people miss out. I'm not sure what the solution is  but I think Thomson need to look at the system. 

Tea and Coffee after Dinner, it seems such a little thing but as drinks at meal times are included it would be nice to be able to finish a nice meal with a tea or coffee, even if it's from a machine and I need to get it myself, I like that part of Dinner. 

Travel Journal - Easter in Crete Part One

Crete is one of my most favourite places in the world, and I'm sure it's obvious by our previous review that we are big Sensatori fans. So we jumped at the chance of a last minute getaway.

I decided to write a journal while we are here to give an almost 'real time account of things, I sometimes find that when you come home from a holiday, reviews written retrospectively tend to be rose tinted so hopefully this will be a real honest to goodness, warts and all of everything we experience.

Booking

Spartacus got booked up quickly and easily with Thomson online and we managed to choose some seats on the plane and check in all from the comfort of our lap top

The Flight

Sadly this is a bug bear for me, we have to travel around 3 hours to get a Crete flight at this time of year as schedules don't start yet at our local airport. Never the less we were boarded quickly, and ready to leave on time, alas queuing on the runway meant a late take off but we made up time and arrived only slightly late.

Arrival

Herklion was as efficient as always. They are only small but really the most efficient I've ever been through and the only airport I've never experienced a delay in and we've been here 10 times now. 

Now the idea is Sensatori guests get preferential meet and greet but at this time of year with few other hotels open everyone on the plane is for Sensatori so the queue is huge. I genuinely think Thomson would be better served getting everyone on the bus super quick and straight to the hotel instead of tagging cases, explaining things and handing out forms, all of which could be done in reception instead of making passengers queue in the street at night.

Last year (our third visit) we had a marvellous welcome with lots of acknowledgement and a free upgrade, as well as fruit and wine in our room, this year not so much, we has fruit and wine (but I think everyone does) and a postcard from Thomson but nothing else, now don't get me wrong I don't believe we are 'entitled' to anything but I think we were spoiled last yet and so our expectations this year were even greater!

There was as always glasses of bubbly or juice on arrival and check in is quick and there are lots of Thomson staff on hand to help with finding rooms etc

The hotel had kindly left the restaurant open for a cold buffet but with all the delay at the airport staff were eager to get closed by the time we got there, another reason I think to not to keep people at the airport so long.

Image via thomson.co.uk

The Room

Because we booked so late there were sadly no swim up rooms available. And the hotel have not been able to let us purchase an upgrade with them directly as they have no availability, but we managed to book a suite instead, the suite officially sleeps up to four so we had to book  a double room as well but in honesty the five of us are sleeping in the suite with loads of room to spare! The room is decorated in lovely opulent Greek style with big gilt mirrors and shiny marble flooring, we have a large double bedroom with a big sofa, and a small tv, a seperate living area with two sofa beds and a small tv, and a lovely bathroom. We seem to be missing a chest of drawers like we normally have and the wardrobe is smaller than usual but it has everything we need. My only concern is that we are on the top floor and there are no safety gates of child proof locks on the balcony doors so mummy is having a rather sleepless night with worry ! I would much prefer being on the lower floors.

Well that's all for tonight, we shall report again in a few days 

Sensatori Crete

Sensatori is Thomson's luxury brand, offering something for everyone, the brochure claims that... Enjoyment is based around touch, taste smell, sight and sound. And that's why we designed Sensatori - to fuel the senses. This collection of luxury holidays offers you a huge spectrum of experiences in a 5 star setting. Join a yoga class in the morning, play tennis after lunch, spend an evening over an al fresco meal - you can pick n' mix the bits you like best to create your ideal holiday.

We have been to the Crete Sensatori resort 3 times now so I can tell you straight off we are fans, Crete is one of our favourite places its friendly, laid back, steeped in history and has something for everyone.

We arrived mid afternoon to Heraklion airport. The airport is small but I've been through it 8 times and never been to a more efficient place, never once delayed unlike some UK airports,  the bags were out quickly and we headed for the Sensatori on airport check in, you are given room number stickers for each of your bags, an info pack and a registration form to fill in, top tip-take a pen so you can do this on the bus. 

The hotel is situated in a small village called Analipsi, right on the coast with some lovely shops and tavernas and it's about 10 minutes drive to the bustling town of Hersonissos.

The journey from the airport is swift and upon arrival we were greeted with juice or bubbly and snacks served on the terrace, as we had missed lunch. You needn't worry about luggage as the porters bring it straight to your room. Check in was friendly and after getting our key cards, map, towel vouchers and information we set off to our room. 

We booked a family swim up room which is an entrance hall with triple fitted wardrobe, a large bathroom with jacuzzi bath and shower, a double room with a huge bed, sliding partition doors leading to two single sofa beds, then a small terrace (big enough for two luxury sun loungers and a table and chairs) Rooms are comfortable spacious and well decorated with a few watchable satellite channels. Hairdryer, toiletries  and tea/coffee facilities are all provided.Plus the kids loved the swim up facility

 

The thing that really makes this hotel special is its staff, always happy to help, friendly and efficient we have been remembered visit after visit and greeted like old friends. Chryssa at breakfast was so lovely I don't think I ever saw the smile leave her face, all of the managers can be seen around the hotel, helping out, chatting to guests and even clearing tables! Isabella in guest relations is a font of knowledge and always happy to help out with your queries and the bar staff are all enthusiastic and helpful.

There are plenty of places to eat, this is the info from Thomson website

MAIN RESTAURANT – comes complete with buffet stations, show cooking and children’s buffets, and has an adults-only section during dinner

RED SAFFRON – a contemporary Greek taverna that also offers buffet-style meals. When the weather’s nice, food is prepared outdoors on a stone barbecue, and breakfast is adults-only in the summer months

TEX-MEX – serves tacos, fajitas and ribs on the restaurant terrace by the pool

FIVE FLAVOURS THAI – specialises in Oriental dishes like Thai green curry

You can also pay extra to eat in these 3 restaurants…

AROMA STONE GRILL – at this beachfront restaurant, food is served on a sizzling stone slab, with rib-eye steaks and salmon fillets among the temptations

AL DENTE – offers a menu designed by a Michelin-starred chef

THE JAPANESE – this Oriental restaurant excels in Japanese cuisine and sushi
We really enjoyed the Tex Mex and Red Saffron, our only issue is that in order to reserve these you have to queue at 10am to use the computer system which is open for the next two days of reservations, sometimes it can be difficult to get a reservation especially in high season. The main restraunt is lovely though with plenty of choice and lots of fresh salad and the desserts are amazing.


There is something to entertain all day everyday from, football and tennis to yoga, pilates and relaxation classes, Playhouse kids club runs almost every day with crazy science, outdoor activities and lots of things to play with, theres also stay and play for younger kids and their adults to play together. Peanut loved going to the sessions although we never put her in for a sleep over I think she would have enjoyed 'camping out'. Which is actually indoors under a starlit effect ceiling. All the childcare staff are fully qualified and they stick to strict ratios.

 

Enjoying Knights Day

Evening entertainment consists of Playhouse live, a mix of games, dancing, and mini musicals, Bugs especially was one of our favourites. This is followed by  the grown up show, either a musical medley performed by the house cast or a tribute act. We didn't watch very much of the evening entertainment because I will admit to being rather a snob in my choice of theatre, It comes from my previous life working in the theatre industry, Im not a fan of tribute acts and I'm over critical of production value on anything else, The cast work hard though and there are some great voices amongst them.

 Play House Live's Nat and Rob

Another great option is off airport check in. So you pack your bags on departure day keeping what you need to one side, a porter collects them and drops at reception, then at an allocated time you pop along with your passports, tickets and bags to a temporary airport deal at the hotel front, they check you in, give you boarding cards and take your bags. Then when you get to the airport you just sail straight through security to departures and very quickly into the plane! Pure genius in my humble opinion, queuing at an airport for an hour with two toddlers is hard work and anyway to avoid it is fine with me. 

We love this place and if it weren't for the fact that we no longer fit into a swim up room we would happily go back every year.