IF WE TOOK A JET2HOLIDAY…
What’s a Jet2holiday really like? We asked Caroline and Neil O’Toole from Leeds, who took their two-year-old twins Isobel and Joseph to Menorca with Jet2holidays.com. Here, Caroline shares her holiday diary and photos
Friday
This will be our first Jet2holidays.com experience. Excited, we arrive at Leeds Bradford Airport in plenty of time. The check-in area is busy, but the Jet2.com staff are lovely and keep their cool. The twins get bored during check-in, but I predicted this and brought snacks to distract them. On-board, the cabin crew are patient with everyone’s children, some of whom are quite naughty. My two just sit and laugh at everyone else’s mischief.
We land on time at Mahon airport and our private taxi is waiting. It takes about 25 minutes to get to our hotel, The Valentin in Son Bou, arriving at 11.30pm. A porter takes us to our apartment. When the twins fall asleep, I go to the bar and return with beers for Neil and me. Why not leave unpacking til tomorrow?
Saturday
The apartment kitchen has all the mod cons, but we head to the hotel dining room for an amazing breakfast buffet: fruit and pastries, cold meats and cheeses or fried breakfasts. High chairs are provided for the little ones.
Afterwards we take the short bus ride into Son Bou to visit the shops and the longest beach in Menorca. A quiet stretch of golden sand, this beach is so inviting that even with two-year-old twins this really does feel relaxing. We’re told to watch out for jellyfish, but have no fear, the gorgeous red-suited lifeguards are on duty. I feel as though I’m in an episode of Baywatch.
Dinner at the hotel later means smart-casual, so it’s strictly long trousers for Neil. He only packed one pair, his suitcase is full of Bermuda shorts!
The food is irresistible local cuisine, including paella and grilled fish and vegetables. There’s children’s entertainment from 8.30pm to 9pm with Tino, a dancing penguin character. All the kids adore him, so much so that the staff have to dissuade excited children from storming the stage!
Sunday
Neil’s birthday! After breakfast we return to Son Bou and visit one of the fantastic beach bar-cafés. Waiters in this part of the world are so friendly and are already recognising us. After lunch the weather is glorious and we’re back on the beach. We go for a stroll and come across a pond where the children feed bread to the ducks. We walk further and accidentally hit the nudist beach! There’s a first time for everything, but we don’t join in. We spend rest of day on the beach, where Joe and Issy play with the other children. They love it here. Issy has learned some Spanish from watching Dora The Explorer and says “Hola Dora!” to every woman she sees. We dine at the hotel again and then go for a family walk along the seafront.
Monday
We take the bus to Mahon. It’s an attractive, historic town, with a beautiful harbour. There are some lovely authentic shops and restaurants, nothing like the chain shops back home. We stop for a glass of wine and look out at the luxury yachts on the water. The kids are excited at seeing the boats, but are well behaved all day. The day wears them out and they’re ready for their tea when we get back to the hotel.
Thankfully there are plenty of things that the twins like for them to choose from on the kids’ menu.
Tuesday
We leave the twins to play at the hotel’s excellent crèche from 10am to 1pm. Issy finds a doll she likes but mid-morning the staff bring her back to me as she’s started to cry. They find me lolling under a palm tree, making the most of the pool area. Joe’s perfectly happy, so we pick him up an hour later, then we all set off for a another day at the beach.
Wednesday
It’s fabulous weather so we spend the entire day at the beach. Neil and Issy paddle while Joe and I build sandcastles. We hire sunbeds and a sun brolly for €17 and the children nap in the shade in the afternoon. While playing with Issy, suddenly Neil is stung on the foot by a fish or jellyfish. Help! The Baywatch-style lifeguards appear instantly with a first aid kit and soon Neil’s fine. Panic over.
Thursday
We spend the morning at the children’s play area and club. In the afternoon we walk (rather than bus it) to the beach. It’s only 15 minutes and the views en route are fantastic.
Friday
We’ll be checking out today, so we take this last chance to stroll around the town. We arrive at the airport in good time for our 11pm flight home and the children proceed to sleep through it. We land at Leeds Bradford feeling exhausted, but it’s been a wonderful family holiday.
Caroline, Neil and their twins flew to Mahon, Menorca, from Leeds Bradford Airport with Jet2holidays.com and stayed at the Valentin Son Bou Hotel and Apartments. The family of four paid £670 for seven nights’ half-board.
HOW TO BOOK
INTERNET Jet2holidays.com Find the most competitive prices online with our easy, user-friendly internet booking system
CALL CENTRE 0871 386 0000 Need help choosing your holiday? Just call for friendly advice and phone booking
PRICES Family holidays are available from £336 for two adults and two children.* View the calendar online to find the best deals starting on different dates
CAR HIRE Available from £5 per day. Make the most of your destination. To make things easier, you can choose different pickup and drop-off points
INSURANCE A choice of single or annual trip policies are available
AIRPORT PARKING Can be pre-booked
DESTINATION GUIDES Giving you the low-down on the hotspots
JET2HOLIDAYS.COM
DESTINATIONS
• Costa Brava
• Costa Dorada
• Costa de Almería
• Costa Cálida
• Costa del Sol
• Costa Blanca
• Ibiza
• Mallorca
• Menorca
• Tenerife
• Algarve
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