It has taken me ages to get my holiday post sorted as I was waiting for some of hubby’s pics! I can’t believe we have been home over a week from Rhodes, Greece! We stayed in a lovely hotel called Hotel Atlantica Princess in Ialyssos. We went for 11 nights and took my Mum and step Dad.
We were all inclusive and the weather was STUNNING. Apart from 1 day, we had zero cloud and it easily hit 35 degrees on many days.
I try not to ramble too much on holiday posts, as I know it can bore you to DEATH. So I will try and keep it more piccy heavy.
You may or may not have read the gremlin got chicken pox as soon as we arrived. This initially was a nightmare of stress but it was actually a massive blessing. She was fine, no real symptoms, she healed super fast in the sunshine and hubby and I took no time off work! As you can see from the pics she got quite spotty and then they got better. She was a bit snotty and gunky eyed and everyone but me seemed to get her cold at some point during the holiday but apart from that!
The gremlin was ok on the flight; she fidgetted and talked the whole way there, begged for chocolate fingers and fell asleep in the last 30 minutes of the 4 hours!! But it could have been a whole lot worse I’m sure.
We arrived at the hotel pretty late, as Greece are 2 hours ahead. We had a few snacks and crashed out.
Have to be honest; we weren’t too sure about the hotel at first. We are used to huge complexes, big lobbies, lots of bars and (snob alert), a less tired look. However, I will say now our minds were completely swayed by the end and we loved it.
As with most of our holidays we got into a routine fairly early on. The gremlin couldn’t swim for a few days, due to her spots. She wasn’t too fazed and we played on the sunbeds with her.
We also went to the beach for the first day and stayed away from anyone!
Most days the gremlin was up about 8.30-9am (she wasn’t sleeping until 10-11pm!!). We often woke before her which was brilliant. I started going to gym for 30 minutes early on and after copious nagging from the rents, switched to an early morning swim.
We all had breakfast together, these of which were fabulous. Tonnes of fruit, English breakfast usuals, pancakes, greek yoghurt, bread and pastries. The gremlin soon got into the swing of having 2 pancakes with Nutella and a boiled egg, after a bowl of cereal!! My breakfasts were always 3 course. I could never say no to bread, butter and jam after my fruit and eggs, bacon and beans!
We then tended to go and chill by the pool for most of the day, especially when the gremlin could go and get in the water. She took a bit of convincing to get in but LOVED it after a while. She got more confident on the slides and even started doing doggy paddle all by herself. There was a kids pool and main pool and we went in both. We all tended to take turns though Daddy and Grandad seemed to take a long time to come down to join us in the mornings!!!
We then tended to have a later lunch (to avoid the mad rushes) and chill on the sunbeds for the rest of the day. The food was really good. Tonnes of salad, meats, fish, stews, pasta, rice, chips and breads. Loads of fruit, ice-cream and cakes for dessert.
I got plenty of time to chill and read and watch Eastenders on my iPad! Hubby managed a few walks and Greek coffees alone and my step Dad got to the gym. With 4 people there was always someone to have fun with the gremlin. She did have an afternoon zzz as well but always seemed to wake for milk and cake (or we saved her some).
The gremlin definitely ate a lot of sugar. She would have ice-cream for dessert twice a day and always have a bit of mid-pm milk and cake. This was hard for me (dietitian) but she actually did pretty well with the rest of her meals. Often a struggle to get her to eat before pudding but she ate eggs, fish, chicken, bread, chips, sweetcorn, peas and green beans and enjoyed her bread and butter. She often had a mid-morning cheese and ham sandwich too. So, despite the heat and junk food, she didn’t do too badly! She surprised us by enjoying calamari and developed a taste for nuts!
The evenings were mainly spent at the kids disco but we went into Rhodes and went for a few walks. The gremlin LOVED to dance. She also wanted everyone else to dance with her which was fun. I could definitely have done with a cheeky vino then. My Mum and step-Dad usually got some time together after we went to bed around 10ish.
The other benefit of going away with family is date nights and days! Hubby and I went to Lindos on a day trip. This was a beautiful area of Rhodes with an Acropolis (bit of a climb!) It was an early start which was good as by the time we left, it was heaving and the hottest I had been in a long time. We explored and managed to find a hidden cafe where I got some real Greek yoghurt! We had a tour guide, so got to find out quite a bit too but I kept dozing on the bus (pregnant girl woes).
We also got a date evening and went for a lush meal, a walk and I had a cheeky virgin Mojito. It’s so hard on holiday, even with help, as you do feel like a tag team with your partner when looking after munchkins. It was good to get some time together, chat, eat and browse some local shops.
Rhodes itself was a lovely town; we loved the Old Town; cobbled streets, tonnes of shops, a castle and plenty of places to eat and drink. We went in about 3 times; once on hubby and my date day. It was soooo hot, so very quiet!!
It was a brilliant holiday! The hotel staff were so friendly and the gremlin loved the bar staff. I would definitely go back to Rhodes; lovely people and awesome weather.
I am so glad we changed our mind and went away and had a baby moon. It was lovely to just get my bump out in the heat and have a break, even though I missed my usual holiday wardrobe!
We always get on as a family and have no issues and the extra hands and company is lovely. I hope next year we may get away again with another little madam too! I can’t wait!
