I agree with the above but the problem is that this year was unusual in that easter fell so early. I understand re highlighting the attitude of this particular hotel but I don't think it will make any difference to future bookings as the date of the holiday was earlier than what they hotel considered to be 'opening time' for the sunbeds and pool. They won't see any need to change their particular policy next year because it won't be relevant to them. 1st April will still seem like a good date to them.

I suppose though, that the TO (and I presume this is a large resort and so would have had a number of TO reps there?) could have pressed the management to have a bit more sense and open up the facilities to suit the weather.

Prettypollycat,
It wouldn't have mattered if Julie had the brochure in front of her or not - the Miracle hotel has never appeared in any First Choice or Eclipse brochure (I've just checked the last couple of years brochures). As I have already stated all the other hotels in Lara Beach in the wintersun brochure clearly show all the pools with water in them and sunbeds around them. How could Julie have known hers was any different? Denny

Having just looked on the First Choice website, I noticed a picture of an indoor pool with sunlougers (with rather comfy looking cushions on them) so I would be interested if these were not available too.



In the desciption it also states:

Not all facilities listed are available during the winter.

From their T's and C's (copied and pasted using fair use rights):

Our experts inspect every property and facility regularly to ensure that the contents of this website are accurate. However, circumstances can change after publication. For example, all the facilities in a resort might not be fully functional in early or late season. Sometimes a hotel may change its meal system from waiter service to buffet service, or back again. A pool may be closed for maintenance, or air conditioning may only be available at certain times of the day and/or year. Public holidays and religious festivals may also affect the availability of resort and hotel facilities. The tourist office for your chosen destination can provide details of such events, and other information

Mark

Denny53
I was going by what the original poster said:

and brochure states some ammienties may not be open. ( ibooked over phone, cuz web site wudnt load, so didnt have brochure to hand any how) -

This gives the impression (my opinion) that the hotel she booked with WAS in the brochure - which she didn't have to hand when she made the booking.

I would suggest to Julie that if she is going to pursue a complaint, she words it more clearly than in the posts here as some of the information provided is difficult to follow - as Mark's earlier replies to this thread have also indicated.

Polly

Polly
It seems this holiday to the Miracle hotel is only available on the website. (I had to ring them anyway re my forthcoming holiday, so asked whether it was in a brochure). I have just tried a dummy booking to this hotel for Jan 09. (so def Winter time) It clearly shows 20 or so photo's of the hotel facilities (1 of which Mark has posted above) a few of these photo's show the outdoor pools full of water with sunbeds around them. No where could I see, as I made this dummy booking, any terms and conditions or anything stating which facilities are available. - granted you may have to go to a different web page to see them and you do of course have to tick a box to say you have read them.
I can fully understand why Julie is p****d off, cos I do think it's very misleading, And maybe a lesson to us all, to check, check and check again that we really are going to get exactly what we think we are going to get.

Denny

I understand where you are coming from but my goodness why is it our responsibility to have to check and check again for something that is such a basic staple of a holiday - Chivas makes a very good point - how much do we have to check for when we book a holiday - if there was no window in the apartment should I have asked if there would be one - if there is no sink in my kitchen?

- ok that sounds stupid but the point Im making is that folk keep telling Julie she should have researched or she should have checked - if you are saying that the fact she didnt research her holiday enough before she booked then the Tour Operators can sit back and laugh at us all because all they have to say in answer to ANY complaint about a lack of ANYTHING - that it says in their brochure it mightnt be available!

That is a good point. You may spend thousands of pounds on a holiday. For some it is the biggest purchase they make in a year. Research is therefore very important unless money and time grows on trees for you and you can do it all over again in a couple of weeks time.

Mark

Just one last point from me that perhaps the OP can answer. The complaint was about no pool being available, yet I can see pictures of an indoor pool (and a nice looking one come that). So although the outdoor pool may not have been available, at least an alternative pool appears to be available for the guests to use.

Mark

Ok... one more point as a comparison...

Wouldn't it be similar to a hotel offering a variety of restaurants, one of them being an outdoor one that the hotel decided to close as in their opinion the weather wasn't suitable for it?

Now if there were no other restaurants available to have your paid dinner at, it would be a good reason for a complaint but being there alternative arrangements made (similar to an indoor pool being available) would a complaint then still be justified?

Mark

I think the main thing is that the sunbeds were not available for use. Either round the pool area or on the beach. Would it have been such a huge problem for the hotel management to get the sunbeds out, considering they had guests requesting it and the weather was suitable? In this instance, the TO rep should have been active in trying to get this small request sorted.

It doesn't sound much like the Turkish hospitality that we are all used to either.

SandC wrote:

Would it have been such a huge problem for the hotel management to get the sunbeds out, considering they had guests requesting it and the weather was suitable? In this instance, the TO rep should have been active in trying to get this small request sorted.

I quite don't understand this either. Perhaps the OP can make it clear whether such a request was point blank refused by the hotel considering the OP stated that the hotel was horrified by it.

Mark

Mark its not that I dont understand your point - its just that if I wanted to use an indoor pool or sunbeds I could go a hundred yards away to my leisure Centre

The point of booking a winter sun break to Turkey and seeing a picture of an outside pool with beds around it - surely its not too much to actually expect that to be the case when you get there? Particularly when the weather was georgous

If there is an indoor pool yes you could swim in it but its not half so nice to sit beside than an outside one - particularly if the sun is shining!

She could have booked a Centre Parcs holiday had she known she would have to stay inside

Well of course that is absolutely true, but had it been lashing down with rain when she was there it would have rendered the outdoor sunbathing useless as well.

It would be nice if the OP came back to this topic and provide us with some additional information.

Mark

yes of course - here we are all debating it without all the facts to hand

This reminds me of the fiasco I had one year checking self catering facilities. One hotel offered a full package, ceramic hob, oven and grill, even a cooker hood another offered two rings, a frying pan and a kettle. There were other hotels offering facilities in between the two but none of the brochures gave exact details of what was available and the pictures varied from one apartment to another. How on earth are we supposed to know these things?

It was thanks to HT that I researched the above in the first place after reading of someone else's problem with the facilities in their holiday apartment. Goodness knows what I would have booked had I not been a member here.

It also seems that there was a set date for when the sunbeds were put out (I'm sure I read that), so if this is the case then the TO should pass on this information as it isn't a maybe it's a definite! So the TO would know 100% that the beds wouldn't be out! (To their knowledge).
It can't be very nice looking out to glorious sunshine and not being able to sunbathe in it!

Silverpixie, Exactly, that is why HT is such a good holiday site. (Thanks Everyone)
I joined after having a awful holiday in Malta, and couldn't believe the amount of negative posts about the hotel - if only I'd known before hand.!!
Now I don't stay anywhere (even in the UK) without researching fully the hotel and area before I go!!!
Hopefully now Julie is a member she will do the same.

Denny

Have to agree there, denny - this is the best holiday forum on the market!

Many's the complex I was going to book over the last four years - came on here - read the reviews and thought "oops maybe not"

Exactly, Denny

Now I don't stay anywhere (even in the UK) without researching fully the hotel and area before I go!!!

As you said earlier in this thread:

Even though these hotels are open all year round ,it is widely known that the outdoor amenities are not open until the start of the summer season -which is usually the 1st of May. We are going to Lara beach(Larespark) on 29th April and accept that the pool and outdoor restaurants may not be open until later that week. A lot depends on the weather, if it is warm they will open the pools earlier than 1st May.

I may have a biased viewpoint here because I've only ever been to Turkey in the summer (and that was 10 years ago) but I wouldn't have thought it was a year-round destination.
For that reason alone, I would have checked exactly what WOULD be available whilst I was there, especially if it was a hotel with no reciprocal arrangements with another hotel nearby.

Maybe an expensive and distressing lesson learned by the OPand we should all be grateful to Julie for bringing the issue to everyone's notice.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of lessons learned, here's what Julie said at one point:

first choice replied to my complaint and said cuz i never filled in form (even though i did speak to rep and get confirmation of complaint put onto hotel records) then its tough -

A timely reminder to ensure that anyone with a complaint follows the appropriate procedures and collects supporting evidence including photographic/video proof and maybe views of other holiday-makers to back up the complaint.

Polly