Thanks for that. Went ahead and booked for 2007 tonight. Was there last year and enjoyed it. Never like to go back but at £1400 for a family of 5 AI it was miles cheaper than anything else I could find.

FC have stopped offering the self catering option which was a blow to us we used to book self catering and upgrade when we got there it worked out a lot cheaper, although through various conversations with the owner he is willing to sell direct in may and october if you sort your own flight out, we may do this next time

Hi Dinglebert

If you dont mind me asking, what date was that for and is it for a week or a fortnight? i am looking at possibilities for next summer and this looks like a good proposition.

It is a fact that the Blue bay will be half German this year. First Choice seem to have their facts muddled. I have heard, but cannot confirm, that there will not be a childrens club.
Do not book Corfu Aqua Club until planning permission has been granted...... if it ever is. For those considering this hotel please read carefully the thread
Corfu Aqua Beach club.

There will be a childrens club but only the Bugs Bunny club but not the older club.

The week is 5th October 2007 (or a lifetime away from now), its for one week flying from Liverpool and booked through Eclipse rather than First Choice.

I have never understood why first choice have both eclipse and first choice web pages. Both are identical apart from the price. It seems a con on those who don't know about eclipse.

To be honest half the hotel being German doesn't bother me. the lack of a kids club would though. I would presume that removing the kids clubs would be considered a major change in the holiday offered, given the fuss they make of advertising it and we could therefore change/cancel our holiday. Inconvient I know but still a fall back postition.

Hi dinglebert i have been to this hotel twice its fab, it is my understanding that the hotel has changed to a family hotel as apposed to a family plus hotel this means there will be kids clubs for aged 3-8 but there will no longer be a creche or wavelength club for over 8's hope this helps, if you contact the hotel for a price i believe they will sell direct to you for staying in October and you arrange your flight email address : bluebay@rokashotels.gr hope this helps any questions feel free we love the place

regards

Louise

Hi Dinglebert
I agree with you it seems odd that they both give internet prices. It would make more sense if you booked FC via a travel agent and Eclipse on the net. As you say it seems a bit of a con for those who don't know about Eclipse.

As they have withdrawn wavelength for next year I dont think I can go with it as my kids will be 12 & 14. It's not just the lack of the club as such, it's also that when they don't offer the club for the age group your kids fall into, it can affect the age groups of the families attracted to the hotel, so then there are no kids of the right age for yours to mix with.

As for Blue Bay Escape, you only have to look around the in internet to see that it is being offered to holidaymakers in a number of countries.

This link, for example shows it being offered by a TUI subsidary in Poland
http://www.tuitam.pl/index.php?k=1&hotel_id=1851

I think that the Eclipse situation is a marketing arrangement that allows them to offer a discount on the holidays, but not under the main FC brand.

This means that the prices they offer under the First Choice brand are more uniform, and they are less likely to get customers comparing prices and trying to claim a retrospective discount, because they met somebody who paid a far lower price for the same holiday.

Of course the more people that learn that they can buy the packages cheaper through Eclipse, the less effective this all becomes.

I always book with my local fc shop and quote eclipse price and they have always matched it, regarding wavelength club i wouldnt dismiss the hotel completely my daughter loved wavelength but she prob only went 5 times over the fortnight and there were loads of kids her age who didnt attend the club at all, there are loads of kids of all ages who dont go to any of the clubs, for kids that are older there is a place just out of the hotel gate to hire water sport items such as donuts, there is a bar 2 mins down the road that has films on and sporting events, and the hotel runs a free courtesy bus to two resorts near by kassiopi and acharavi these are busy bustling resorts, it all depends what you want from a holiday every family is different just bear in mind this is an ai hotel and is fairly isolated regards Louise

ps any questions just ask

Hi Louise

Do you think it would be good for a 12 and 14 year old next summer even without wavelength? I am not really bothered about the club as such, but I would just like children of a similar age to be around.

I appreciate AI's are often isolated, the one I went to last year was so it shouldn't be too much of a problem for us. We often hire a car for the middle 7 days to get out and about.

My OH and I went to Corfu 20 years ago and I would love to go back with the kids. I've been to 6 or 7 Greek Islands and still think Corfu was the prettyist.

As I stated earlier we were there in October last year and did enjoy it. If the weather isn't great the kids club is a chance for peace and quiet briefly. Our oldest will be 9 next year but I have phoned and checked and there will be no problem with hime going to the up to 8 club.

Hi doepsmc,

I think they would be fine theres always kids of all ages, and as i said earlier my daughter went to wavelength and there was only 3 kids taking advantage of the club, they might not have much going on at night for them but there is some entertainment, a great fun pub 2mins up the road and you can get free bus into the neighbouring resorts just book it early, to be honest you might get more kids going now its less of a family hotel because its cheaper next year than this and some people with kids that age might have thought before that there would be too many children of a younger age with them providing great creche facilities in the past, does that make sense, any more questions just ask

ttfn Louise

Hi Louise

Thanks for the reply. I've priced it up for 14days next summer and it's coming out at about 3000k for a fortnight, and that's including a 'free' child, so I'm just paying for 2 adults and one child at the adult price. That's in a studio for 4, I would actually rather have a 1 bedroomed apartment to give a bit more privacy, but presumably that will cost even more? It seems quite expensive to me, is that what I should expect to pay?

Hi doepsmc

yeh that prob is right coz you pay adult price once the children are 12 and if its school hols you want the prices go up, the only reason we are not going this year is coz of the price hike in greece and spain in the school hols period and we have to go in school hols this year we found the cheapest place in school hols to be the red sea riviera otherwise we would def be back at the blue bay ive noticed next august 07 its a lot cheaper than this august so hopefully we will be back next year

Hi Louise

That price was for the last 2 weeks of July 2007, and not for this summer ( I am one of the sad people who are already looking at next years brochures LOL )

I've just come back from the Red Sea Riv, I'm sure you will have a great time, but it is very different from Greece.

Doepmc - we went to the blue bay escape a couple of years ago a few weeks after it opened and they did childrens prices up to 16 then makes you realise how much prices have gone up the last couplde of years . when we went i think we paid around £2000 for the 5 of us. but i suppose thats because it was newly opened

lyn

Hi Lyn

I'm looking at all sorts of options for next year, but wont book till after we've been this year, I might even leave it till Jan. We went to Corfu 19 years ago and I would love to go back with the kids. The Blue Bay Escape looks good, but I think if it gets to the the stage where it's 3500k (I really want a one bed apartment and the price above is for a studio only ) or similar you start having a fair amount of choice for that kind of money.

It seems to be getting more difficult to find something that suits us all now the kids are older, I thought it would get easier.

i agree and £3500 is getting into serious money . Our yearly holiday seems to be going up by around £500 each year. this year we paid £3000 for 4 adult prices and 1 free child to Egypt . for next year i cant find anything i want for less than £3500-£4000.. with no free child places offered. its getting stupid now - . . out of interest i did a search on i think it was portlands site for A/i hotels going on 23rd july 2007 with free child places and only 1 hotel came back . I usually book next years about now but i just dont feel the incentives are out there at the moment

lyn

ps. i think with the age your children are at - as long as there are plenty of children of similar ages for them to make friends with they will be happy . no friends and you get bored wingy kids