We are also going on the 31st and have a night flight back.Shame about the late check out mollysdad.Looks like we will be hanging about the hotel till the small hours.Oh well,these were the only flights they had.Where are you flying from,we are going from gatwick.Did read a really bad review on another site that said it was full of chavs but most reviews have been favourable....see everyone there...nicole

Cyberspacekadette - what mozzie preps are you taking? I've just got spray, bug plug and garlic tablets

I've been taking garlic capsules and VitB1 tablets, and will continue taking them through the holiday. I've bought a Jungle Formula liquid plug-in and I've also got my old 'tablet' plug-ins too. I've got the Boots 50% DEET spray and also the Avon SSS Soft & Fresh Dry Oil Spray. We've also got those wristband thingies I think that's everything, but I'm also checking this thread for more tips...
3 weeks tomorrow and we'll be on our way!

Hi Nocole, mollysdad mollys the dogs name by the way we are also flying from gatwick at 7am so may well see you there cant miss the boys 9 and 11 with blonde hair looking lost. Know what you mean about bad reviews but as i said earlier its what you make of it. Cant please everyone no matter what.

hi mollysdad..we also have 2 boys 10 & 7.Bit worried about how hot the sun will be because they are also very fair..i have red hair....but got the factor 50 so should be ok...nicole

hi nicole, pressed the wrong button god only knows where my reply went story of my life. I was stationed in turkey some time ago with the military and i do recall it was very hot still if you slap on the factor 50 everything should be ok.

Hi All

Does anyone know what and how much gym equipment is avalible, at Sun City ?

Myself and 4 other Adults and 7 kids,are travelling next sat from gatwick (29 Aug 1330hrs), and a couple of the adults are in training for a marathon ( not me-thank god !! ). But they would like to use the gym, if the equipment is ok.

I say they should relax its a holiday..

regards

well where do i start, there was 14 of us and no of us will ever return to turkey. weve just got bk from sun city. i wont say too much because i dont want to spoil your holiday. the surroundings and pool area are nice but you have to get up at half 7 easy to get sunbeds otherwise u have no chance. if not u have to go to the private beach which isnt private and you have to pay for your drinks. The food was absolutly horrible. we were scared in the last week to eat in the hotel because everyone was bad. The mosqutos at the moment are out in force and as i sit here im in agony with them. We were eaten alive. especially if you are down in the bottom floor. We had a smell in out room which was disgusting. We were in room 107 so be warned!!! When u went to the bar make sure ur not thirsty because the bar staff ignore u and carry on chatting. The swimming pool is ok but quite deep for children and very warm. The indoor pool is freezing so go for a dip in there and u soon cool down. Thats all im going to say for now. It might seem like im moanin but when u pay so much for a holiday you expect a good one and we had the opposite.

Sorry forgot to say book your trips with bloody gorgeous. he is such a laugh and its an experience just to meet him. We went to the water park for £7.50 but be warned theres only 5 slides but we had a brilliant day

*Edit please do not post in phone text Briar

Sorry you had a lousy holiday - as you say it costs a lot and you wait all year for just two, very short weeks so you want it to be as good as possible.

We are off to Sun city on Monday. We are not bothered about the sun lounger problem as we've been to other places in the past where it is exactly the same and though, on principle, you don't want to join in - if the hotel doesn't enforce the rules - then you have to. It's just as well that my better half is up with the lark - holidays or not.

What mozzie prep did you take?
We live not far from the River Dee marshes so if we go there of an evening or visit friends who live right by them then we use citronella and it works very well - if you took this and it didn't work then I will pack other stuff too.

We've requested a garden view with a balcony so shouldn't be too near the ground, but thanks for the advice re. lower rooms.

When you say

scared in the last week to eat in the hotel because everyone was bad.

do you mean with salmonella or something? If so, would it be worth me ringing First Choice to see if they are aware of a problem?

Thanks

no not salmonella just sickness and dihorea or however u spell it.

regarding the grounds. the complex wasnt very big and it seemed like they were tyryin to fit 400 people into a 200 people complex. yeah we did have to get up and put the towels on in the end cus there wasnt any.

we didnt take any mosquito repellent but we brought loads while we were out there. u can get a mosquito net out of reception for free if you ask. the maids leave al the doors open and they let all the mosquitos in.

anyway im sure ull have a great time but its just the food that spoilt it for us.

*Edit please do not use phone text Briar

That's quite a worrying report xamyx We'll be off to the Sun City in 7 days, I've already bought plenty of mossie stuff and the sunbed situation seems to have been a problem for a long time now.
Any idea which particular foods were causing the tummy upsets? All other reviews I've seen say the food is wonderful, so it maybe the bad tums were caused by a tummy bug instead, this occasionally happens in hotels and is not the hotel's fault but the fault of the people who bring the virus with them and don't wash their hands before going into the restaurant. I'm not saying this is what is happening at the Sun City but it is a possibility.
I'm already aware the private beach only serves sandwiches and juice as part of the all-inc and I know you have to pay for other drinks down there. To be honest, I prefer juice or water on a hot day anyway and always save my alcohol thirst for the evening...
I'm looking forward to my holiday anyway. Sorry you were disappointed with yours xamyx - do you have any photos you could show us?

I went to Club Sun City in October last year and echo some of xamyx's comments. I agree that the place is generally too crowded and the food isn't the best (although no worse than many AI's in Turkey or Spain for that matter). There were no problems with food-related illness that I know of when we were there - these things can happen anywhere though and could be down to something like gastric flu i.e. not necessarily food related.

However, on the ClubSun City upside, the rooms are fairly spacious and clean (as long as the room is spotless, I can put up with other things) and the private beach, whilst perhaps not "private" is secluded and really quite pleasant (although we did have a problem with sewage floating past one day). You do pay for drinks there, but it's not a lot, really.

All this didn't stop us from generally having a good time, though. Perhaps you could budget for having 2 or 3 meals out if you think the food issue is going to be a problem.

It has to be said on a similar thread last year, most people liked this hotel - I was about the only dissenting voice. Hope you all have nice trips.

yeah i know how you feel. dont read what i put and just make up your own minds. im sure you will have a great time its just that it didnt do it for us.

Returned from the Sun City on Thurs night/Fri morning. I'll write a full review when I've caught up on my sleep. We had a great holiday and this was mainly because of the entertainment reps and the various good people we met. The hotel itself gave me a few little niggles but no major complaints. The food was plentiful, edible, but lacking variety, and none of us were ill at all The rooms were comfortable but lacking storage space. The weather was extremely hot while we were there and there was nowhere for families to go to get out of the sun (the 'cool room' was adults-only) I twisted my ankle on some badly-lit stairs on the 5th night and suffered discomfort for the rest of the holiday because of this, however everyone was very helpful, the bar girls brought me ice-packs every evening; and the stairs were lit up and a handrail appeared the very next night...
Overall, we had a good time, I certainly wouldn't make any big deal about little things, but I would suggest First Choice downgrades the brochure details to 3-star instead of 4-star, there is no way this hotel matches up to any 4-star place we've been to in Spain.

Staying at Sun city in exactly two weeks! I really can't wait! all the reviews look encouraging!

Been told to buy all my mossie stuff out there as its cheaper and better quality than the boots stuff! thats my main concern at the moment.

In reference to "Because the free child place goes up to 16 "

I thought Sun City Child Age was only up to 12yrs.

I was going to go back this October again but our youngest Son will be 13 by the time we travel and I thought we would then be paying a full adult price?

If anyone can confirm any tour operators that would accept him as a child price would be greatly appreciated. I have referenced Thomas Cook and First Choice and both state Ages 2-12.

Tulip holidays priced them up as children until 16 when we went 3 years ago http://www.tulipholidays.com.

At the time we saved about £900 over thomas cook/cosmos/first choices prices as they didnt charge us the big supplements for the family room that took 5. But every family is different. We found with them the childrens prices were more but the adult price less.

give them a try we had an excellent service from them ,usual rep on site and quick minibus transfer. we had a thomas cook flight and beat the TC transfer coach by an hour.

lyn

In reference to "Because the free child place goes up to 16 "
I thought Sun City Child Age was only up to 12yrs.

I got a free child place this summer for my 13 year old daughter because at the time I booked the holiday with First Choice, from the 1st edition brochure, they were still offering child price up to age 16. That went down to age 12 with the 2nd edition brochure and has stayed at age 12 ever since.

Been told to buy all my mossie stuff out there as its cheaper and better quality than the boots stuff! thats my main concern at the moment.

You can buy 'Sin Kov' and 'Off' from the supermarket just down the road for about 5 lira each. I didn't bother - I used Avon SSS Soft & Fresh every night after my shower and had no problems, I also took Garlic and VitB1 tablets every day (and for 2-3 weeks before the holiday)

Thanks for the replies.

The Web Site for Tulip appears to be down. Is anyone aware of issues with Tulip eg Are they still in operation etc?

When we went to Sun City last year we paid £1200 AI for 3 of us and I was hoping to get a week this year at the same time for a better price but they all seem to be around £1500 for 1 week which I think is way over the top.

My quest continues.....

That link i gave works ok for me Aasgmhill it does take a few seconds to load tho

there are a few phone numbers ,here is one for reservations via head office 02077340484 . i couldnt seem to get the site to price but i have just read on their site as a general guide child prices up to 12 . so looks like they have changed as well but still worth trying as maybe different deals on different hotels.

I also saw a good deal last year when looking for my friend on http://www.somewheretostay.co.uk which is an accomodation site owned by cosmos

lyn

Just had a quick look at somewheretostay and got a price on their web for 2 adults and a 13 yr old for 1 week . £450 in a room that takes 3 adults and 1 child. That sounds like a good price if you can get a good deal on the flights Maybe £200 each??.