When booking family groups, the most important objective is to ensure that everyone’s expectations are satisfied as much as possible.
The Gelbs contacted me to discuss their requirements back in October 2019. Their list of what would make this holiday perfect was quite specific and there was plenty of research done before we settled on the Sun Gardens in Dubrovnik.
After a year's delay and several additional pandemic-related considerations, I was eager to hear how they had got on...
We wanted a holiday for our whole family - that's ten adults and ten children - a big task to provide for such a large group of different ages, all of whom of course want different things. The children ranged from 3 to 14, with the grandparents just a little older!
We gave Ruth the simple task of finding somewhere and something to make everyone happy.
Originally, we were travelling in August 2020 to celebrate a special birthday, so there was a huge sense of disappointment when we had to push back to 2021.
Nevertheless, we were rebooked, and the countdown was on, although everyone remained apprehensive that we may be unable to go again. We watched the green list carefully and were very relieved when Croatia stayed on it.
There were of course many concerns throughout the entire period and Ruth was great, patiently answering all our questions. We were initially going for 10 nights, however, wanting to ensure we all had a good rest, we extended it to 14 nights.
Once we knew that the holiday was indeed going to happen, making sure the rooms were in order, securing kids clubs and restaurant reservations became the next concern. Ruth organised it all, checked us in and even had the boarding passes dropped at our home.
All the adults in our party had been vaccinated and we were delighted not to have to quarantine at all.
We did have to have PCR tests prior, during and post-holiday, which seemed excessive and unfairly expensive.
The main difference travelling post-pandemic are masks in both airports and on planes, but we felt very comfortable travelling and the journey to Dubrovnik was seamless, with a private transfer waiting to whisk us off to the hotel upon arrival.
Although the hotel is a little isolated, there is always lots going on and if you do want to get out and about, the local town is about 25 mins away.
There were a few closures in the resort, predominantly to keep up with social distancing requirements, and all hotel staff were wearing masks and were generally fabulous.
As half of the family were very happy by the pools and the other half keen to explore locally, there were no complaints.
We visited Bosnia which was very different and managed to see some ‘bridge diving’ courtesy of a Red Bull event.
Dubrovnik is a beautiful place, with welcoming people and delicious food. Apart from being asked to wear a mask in some shops, travelling around was very easy.
The kids loved the daily matches run by the football academy and the girls particularly loved the pools. As a family, we loved visiting the old city and exploring the restaurants locally. We hired quad bikes and took them to the top of the hills overlooking Dubrovnik.
We absolutely made the right decision to travel. After a horrible year, it was well worth going, spending a fantastic time together. We would encourage people to travel. We certainly felt rested!
We recommend Ruth, 100%. Her planning of our special holiday didn’t stop once we had left the UK - she stayed in contact with us whilst we were away and as she had expertly dealt with our numerous requests prior to travel, everything turned out to be completely stress-free.
She managed to please 20 different people with very different expectations and needs and our entire party were unanimous that the arrangements had been excellent.
Thank you, Ruth, for a very satisfying and memorable holiday.
