Think they've realised they. Sold too cheap n trying it on!

Trying it on and succeeding...... its just not right, even if its legal its just very immoral. This is such bad press for First Choice I am shocked they are doing this.

I for one am not surprized by this action by FC.
Only a few weeks ago they gave some people going to Lindos 48 hours notice that their accomodation was no longer available. Only offered Pefkos as a replacement.
FC will by next year have lost a lot of custom

Having lived on Rhodes for 7 years (not currently) and seen first hand through involvement in the tourism industry how Tour Companies operate, I have to say there is NOTHING a tour company does that would surprise me.

What does surprise me is that tourists (that's you) haven't figured out yet what business a tour company is in. I will repeat as I have written here before, they are in business to make money not to provide what the tourist thinks they are buying.

I consider tour companies to be parasites. They own no inventory, invest little money in anything other than marketing. They take money from the tourist and feed off an island like Rhodes which is attractive to a tourist.

Back in time, NO tour companies existed. You booked a boat or train or whatever and found a hotel when you got to where you wanted to go. But today people (that's you) don't want to do that for themselves. They willingly pay a middle man to do it for them. Every tourist has a choice. Book with a tour company and get what they choose to give you or do it yourself and have control over when and where you go and where you stay. I can assure you that every hotel on Rhodes would love it if you booked directly with them and cut out the middle man.

Don't complain about what you get when in fact you are getting what you asked for.

has anybody booked or stayed in a delux villa with private pool

Hello I am a bit surprised that considering the HV open on 8th May there are only 2 reviews on holidaytruths.
Even on Trip Advisor there are only 4 reviews.

Why surprised tpebop. The number of tourists who go on holiday vs. the number who frequent travel sites like this one is probably something like 95% vs. 5%. Of the few that do frequent travel sites to ask questions, the number that then take the time to provide a review is probably off the same kind of percentage. Most who post questions on travel forums rarely come back to say what happened. Many who post questions don't even acknowledge the answers they get. I've been posting for years on Lonely Planet's Thorntree for example and have seen good regular posters quit simply because they rarely got their answers acknowledged. Not thanked, just acknowledged.

When I had my bar on Orfanidou (Red Lion, still there and run by my ex-business partner Vasilli) I was surprised and amazed sometimes at the tourists. After 3 years of it they no longer surprised me at all. I used to offer a drink on the house (I'd pick who I offered it to) to people if they could show me on the map of Europe that was on one wall, where we were. Just point out Rhodes on the map. Rarely did I have to give them a free drink. They book a trip to sun and sand, they know it's in Greece and that's about all.

Tourists can provide all kinds of amusement. Some of my favourite questions/comments by tourists are: 'How much is that in real money?' 'Do you like living here?' (as if you would still be there if you didn't) 'What's the weather forecast for tomorrow?' (Umm, blue sky and hot like every other day in the summer)

Then there was the single female who booked a holiday in Haraki village one year and on her second day told the Tour Rep she wanted on the next flight home. The Rep couldn't get her to say why. She asked all the usual questions, 'don't you like your room?' 'Did someone bother you?' etc. Finally after much hesitation and vagueness the woman came out with it. She said, 'I didn't realize there would be so many foreigners.' Not meaning foreign tourists in her hotel, meaning Greeks.

Never overestimate the intelligence and common sense of the average tourist.

RodosRon, do you happen to have any other bars where you offer free drinks and geography lessons
<Deleted rest of my post due to an unsavoury email through another forum. Apparently some people do not like the truth>

Not many good reviews being posted for the HV.
Even German guests posting they were glad their holiday was over

I was born in Kirkcaldy John but my family emigrated to Canada when I was 7.

Well tpebop, that's to be expected. People are happy enough to book at a reduced price but still expect 100% perfection when they get there. You know it will take them all season to iron out the wrinkles or at least most of them. Being Greece, some wrinkles will of course remain forever.

Here's typical Greek logic and action at work. A tourist goes to the hotel reception and says, 'The lamp on the left side of our bed doesn't work can you have someone fix it please.' The reception person says, 'Does the one on the right side work?' 'Yes', says the tourist. 'Well, how much light do you need?' asks the receptionist. Persisting, the tourist says, 'I need the one on the left to work so that I can read in bed at night.' So the receptionist says, 'OK sir, I will have someone look at it tomorrow.' The tourist goes away thinking he has taken care of business. The receptionist goes away thinking, 'one of these days I will remember to have someone look at it.'

There are 2 words for tomorrow in Greek. 'Avrio' translates as 'tomorrow' but the meaning is sometime in the next week or so and 'meta avrio' which translates as 'after tomorrow' and means when is in the hands of the gods.

RodosRon when you say people pay at reduced rates and expect 100% they are still paying £4k to £5k for a 2 week holiday which I wouldn't exactly call a bargain bucket price would you? I don't think they expect 100%, most of us book places like the holiday village knowing it is essentially butlins abroad!

HI I agree with Calamity I have booked 2 rooms totaling over £7k and have 4 children that will be travelling with me. I have been travelling to Holiday Villages for years and have been to the Costa Del Sol village 4 times now and thats why we choose to try something different.

Are first choice trying to deal with these complaints that are being made on a daily basis.

If there are not enought sun beds they shoudl order in some more. Its is not acceptable to have to get up at 6am in the morning just to find one.

If the genarator is going all hours does this keep everyone awake ?????

I have phone first choice and they don't whish to comment and just say they will look into it and call back. I am not holding my breath on that one.

The only alternative is to change my booking an pay £35 per head and try and get somewhere else at the end of July, most places will be booke now.

I am really worried about going now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sandra

It worth saying that these problems are experienced with any new hotel until it gets settled in, the Sensatori resort in Mexico was slated in the first year now its getting 5* reviews.

What i would do is ignore everything people are saying thats bad, go with an open mind and i think you may be pleasantly suprised, because people are very fussy. I have stayed in many hotels over the world and if the reviews were to be believed i shouldnt have stayed in any of them but i didnt have any of the complaints other people had, whereas one hotel where everyone had given it 5* reviews i thought didnt deserve 1* its just personal opinion. Like i said open mind and all that.

Atlantica are a good company too they will deal with the teething troubles as they have done with their other hotels which one day were new too, now are perfectly fine.

My 16 year old has a question for those who have returned.

He doesn't like to go into the restaurant during the day and prefers to just get a snack mid day. We are staying in the activity area and would like to know what you can get from the snack bar. Is it all AI or are there some things that you have to pay for.

He likes most things nuggets pizza hot dogs burgers toasted sandwiches are these on the list. He will be doing the gym most mornings in readiness for his football season so has to be a but careful on how much he eats. Pastas would be good and chicken but very rarely do you get these in the snack section.

look forward to your comments.

I sat next to a family (mum, dad and 4 year old) on my return flight from Rhodes last week. They'd stayed at the holiday village and said the 4 year old had a fantastic time. All the children's activities were up and running and were excellent. They had some small teething problems but it certainly hadn't spoiled their holiday.They accepted the fact they were at a brand new place and said the pros far outweighed the cons.A lot of reviews will depend on the attitude of the holiday maker.

'A lot of reviews will depend on the attitude of the holiday maker'
Now there is a surprise. I didnt know that !!!

"now there's a surprise I didn't know that"
Not everyone is permanently negative or sarcastic

Calamity, if you read some of the earlier comments you will see that some people are now complaining that they paid X and are being told their vacation is cancelled, meanwhile they say vacancies are showing as available but at a higher price. That indicates to me that they bought at a reduced price. Am I wrong in that belief?

Having bought at a reduced price, you would have to ask yourself why was it a reduced price and the obvious answer, was to attract first guests to get the place up and running. But at the same time, being a first guest should also indicate to you that you will be subject to whatever teething problems there are. To then complain about those teething problems (as opposed to simply bringing them to the attention of the hotel staff and tour company) strikes me as wanting to have your cake and eat it too. I have no sympathy for someone who acts in that manner. So yes they want a bargain but want perfection.

Beanies48, if there are not enough sun beds then it is going to have to be acceptable since it is not likely to change during a person's stay. No hotel has enough sunbeds for every guest the hotel can accommodate. The phrase, 'that is not acceptable' is a waste of breath. What is your alternative? I see no reason to get up at 6am. That is a British complaint and yes I know all about the usual complaint that Germans put their towels out at the crack of dawn. What I have never understood is why that means anything. You go to the pool, if a bed is vacant but has a towel on it, you remove the towel and lie down. It is a different thing if someone's book, suntan lotion, sunglasses, flip-flops are all there. Then they may simply be in the pool swimming, they are using the bed. But it rarely takes long to figure out if a bed is actually being used or whether someone thinks there is a reservation system in place. There is no reservation system. Use it or lose it. I would not hesitate to tell someone who had the nerve to say to me I was 'on their sunbed' that unless they had proof of ownership, I would suggest they take their complaint to hotel management. I would also remove your towel if you left it while you went to lunch. Sunbeds are for people who are at the pool and using them, not for people who are elsewhere for whatever reason and want to hold a bed to come back to in an hour or two. If you want exclusive use of a sunbed, buy one. So let me ask you, do you and your children remove your towels etc. while you go off for an hour to lunch, so that others can use the sunbed? Or do you leave your stuff to 'hold' it for you, just the same as someone who does it at 6am?

Befree, I am in complete agreement that an open mind is an asset. Unfortunately, many tourists lack that asset.

Beanies, Greek cuisine is actually a very healthy one with lots of salads, fruits, yogurt, etc. There is no need to eat junk food in Greece. Contemporary Greek cookery makes wide use of olive oil, vegetables and herbs, grains and bread, wine, fish, and various meats, including poultry, rabbit, lamb and pork. Also important are olives, cheese, aubergine, courgette, and yoghurt. Greek desserts are characterized by the dominant use of nuts and honey. Here are some typical dishes. http://www.targetwoman.com/articles/greek-food.html Why go to Greece if what you want is chicken nuggets or a cheese toastie? Haven't you been watching Jamie Oliver's school programs? For heaven's sake, tell your son to stop eating junk food. If I were offered chicken nuggets in a 5 star resort I'd want my money back.

Tpebop, the typical attitude is more than evident here.

I think tpebop was simply trying to say you were stating the obvious annJ and not necessarily being sarcastic. I agree with you that attitude has a lot to do with how much someone enjoys their vacation. Unfortunately, the typical attitude here seems to leave a lot to be desired.

What I read here is not about people who want to experience Greece. They want a bubble with sunshine.