Those long summer days.......

And just like that, I am home and back in the thick of it, the hum drum of normal life. It's good to back home again, but it was equally really lovely to leave it all behind for a few weeks too! It's very comforting and familiar, sure. I've been getting the tedious jobs done. Washing, food shopping, cleaning and generally getting back to routine. I feel really quite disgusting at the moment, like I went on holiday looking pretty and came back looking like a troll! I'm not kidding.

I suffered a bout of sun stroke mid holiday and still don't feel quite right really. Dehydration is very dangerous, so I found out. The last place I wanted to be was a clinic with a drip in my arm, but I very glad I got treatment and quickly.

The flight back was utter torture really. Zero space to move around, it was a night flight on cheapo airways and I travelled with an unknown four year olds feet up my bum! The granny in charge of said child was more interested in her own comfort sadly! Honestly, I just shut my mouth and got on with it as it wasn't the child's fault.

The amount of coughing on the flight really made me want an emergency of some kind, just so I could wear the oxygen mask! Seriously, it was the most uncomfortable flight I've ever been on in my entire life! Never again! I felt contaminated!

Turkey was lovely really. The local people make Turkey. They are really charming and we do feel like we left some real friends behind. When my husband suggested a luxury all inclusive, it was a big NO from me but we did it anyway. Would I do it again? No, never.

He wanted a relaxing vibe, no bills and alcohol and food on tap. Me? I'm a celiac and despite the right noises being made by the resort, the food was utterly boring and 12 days in, I couldn't bare it any longer. Such a shame and anyway, I'm really not a big fan of seeing so much food buffet style. I can only imagine the waste and I wonder if 'all inclusive' has a place in the world in this day and age? Also the quality and taste of the food is generally pretty poor, just as in anything mass produced. The Agean night Al la cart was just awful and a waste of a good bottle of champagne really. My hubby ordered a nice bottle of champagne, but I clocked the date and asked him to check the price........just before the cork was popped the price was revealed to be 459 euros! Thank god I noticed in time. We switched it out for a normal bottle which was 90 euros (35 quid in the uk super markets)!

I just saw waste everywhere and obviously the gluten contamination is super high, it was like playing Russian roulette. My stomach is still protesting loudly! I also now know what two weeks without any grain does to my digestion and its not good! I even got bored of the alcohol in the end. Too much of a good thing? Yes, very much so! Speaking of Russians, there were a few there and we were appalled at one of the bands playing Russian music. I ended up comforting a Ukrainian bar lady who got really upset. It was really quite insensitive! Of course I realise not all Russians are bad people, but being around them felt very awkward.

We've been to Turkey before. Our last trip several years ago was to Istanbul and then to Bodrum for a few nights. Loved it then and love it now. Its Middle East meets Europe, a bridge, if you like. Theres a lot to do and see. We chose a 5* Jet 2 Indulgent Escape. I believe these holidays are a new Jet 2 concept? Let me tell you, the Jet 2 part is rubbish! We paid a fortune but the indulgent bit clearly doesn't start with the flight. We weren't sat together going or coming back! The hybrid of cheap flights with luxury break needs more thought I feel!

We arrived in the middle of the night and our transfer to the resort was fine really. It was dark and we had no idea what surrounded us on our journey. We arrived in the lobby of the resort. The lobby was in semi darkness, fountain switched off and only the laundry man to help us check in. We were really confused. We'd booked two suites, one above the other, the SUNSET suites for obvious reasons. We were given a welcome drink of some 'minty' juice which was utterly vile and I immediately had an allergic reaction to it! Then the chap said he'd upgraded my hubby and I to a 'romance suite' in a different part of the resort to our daughter. Imagine being whisked off in the night on a golf buggy and not seeing mum and dad till the next day!

Our upgrade was a complete farce. I was livid! I knew what our SUNSET SUITE looked like and my daughter confirmed that she was supper happy with her lovely suite. The so called 'Romance suite' was something else.......! The main feature being a round bed with an ill-fitting quilt and a modular soft sofa that had seen better days! I was not impressed with my downgrade and we tried to raise help to get it sorted to no avail! To call our Rep we had to call the 24 hour uk Jet 2 hotline, which never picked up. The resort reception later admitted that the suite we had booked hadn't been cleaned, hence the pretence at upgrade! We then tried to get some food which we never got for various reasons, even though the resort served food 24/7! In the end we tried to sleep by hanging on to the edges of the 'porno Pete' bed and in the cold light of the next day, everything was sorted and we were shown to our booked suite.

The celiacs thing was taken seriously, kinda, Mr Kobe the dietician and duty manager definitely paid lip service to it, but the truth was, nothing was made for me and I had to just hope for the best. The labelling of the food wasn't consistent and desserts weren't labelled at all. It really was quite awfully repetitive. All those chefs and barely a meal I could eat unless bbq meat and salad.

That said the service was second to none, the resort was spotless and the facilities fabulous. The entertainment was good, but not interactive and of course by the second week, we'd seen it all before. In my humble opinion, the resort is nearly a European 5* but not quite! The staff were super, really friendly and kind. They made our holiday, them and the water sports company!

We had a ball, mostly. The weather was glorious every darn day and we had the infinity pool or the sea at our beck and call. We relaxed in a way we haven't, I haven't, in a a very long time. All our cares floated away day after day. There's a lot to be said for a resort holiday were everything is on tap I guess, noting much to think about. We also did some Ketch sailing which really got my husband re interested in buying a boat and soon. He sailed as a Sapper in the Army and really misses it. I could have quite happily lived on a boat, island hopping for the summer. We had such an adventure, maybe next time eh!

D x

Jet 2 holiday - Bodrum - Indulgent Escape - Resort - Xanadu - All-inclusive Sunset Suites