Victoria's Voyage

25/07/2018

The idea of a holiday is usually a rather thrilling one, but when you arrive and it’s nothing like you expected, you can start to wonder what you were thinking, or how you’ve been misled.

Taking a break from my usual hectic travel style, I booked a few nights to chill out in Alcudia, Majorca, in an all inclusive hotel complex. The thinking was that we’d have everything there, soak up some sun and life would be good. Quite understandable, right?

Upon arrival the check in staff weren’t particularly friendly, and we were immediately faced with an incredibly hard-to-read map with things marked on it that are and aren’t included. That was strike one. When I pay for all inclusive, I don’t expect to not have access to certain things or the pay additional money for various drinks.

The pool lounger to guest ratio is also incredibly out of kilter, which was strike 2. Our only solution to being able to sit by any of the pools? Buy a cheap lilo and lay on some nearby grass.

And as if that isn’t enough, the pool closest to our block, which also seems like one of the bit nicer ones, is closed off for 24 hours for cleaning. Strike 3. All in all, our first impression after a long night of travelling: What have we done?

But at the end of the day, we’re here, we’ve paid for it, and we can’t just wallow forever. We finally came to a suitable pool overlooking the nearby lake. We found a spot of grass, set up our inflatable beds and laid out. Once relaxed, you don’t even notice where you’re laying as the sun’s rays beat down. The pool is a perfect way to cool off regularly, along with a small bar. Maybe we could make it work after all.

As it turns out, while we’re still slightly apprehensive, we have had some time in the sun and swimming pools, our room is wonderful and we’re currently sat in the outdoor bar with our included (very strong) vodkas while listening to an actually pretty decent Abba tribute.

The point is, while we already know we won’t come back to this hotel again, we can’t let a shoddy first impression ruin the entire trip. Life is what you make of it, and though it may be hard to accept in the moment, anything can become a positive experience if you just learn to let things go…