Monday 1 July 2019

Our Neilson Airone Italy Holiday

Back in 2015 (pre-children) we went to the Neilson Sivota site, and it was one of the best holidays we've ever been on. We always said they we'd love to do it again. We have received the newsletters ever since. Last year we noticed that new sites were opening in various locations. We kept looking up prices, but unlike other holiday companies, you pay for babies. It seemed really expensive, especially going from 2 to 4. Once the boys turned 2 we had to pay for them no matter what. We did some research and Airone seemed one of the most family friendly, especially as Sivota had A LOT of steps!
 


Food
One of the most important things for me is good food and my goodness they did not fail! So much choice. Fantastic quality and very tasty. I've gained a fair bit of weight, but it was so worth it! 
They are club board, which means breakfast and lunch is included everyday, and 4 evening meals. 

They then offer dinner on the other 3 nights in their bar. To give an idea of cost, a calzone was 9 euro. The inclusive meals included a bottle of water (still or sparking), with juices for breakfast. Of course you can purchase other drinks as extra cost. 
 

There is also a bar of the beach and one by the pool. They serve ice creams. They varied from 1-3 euro each. 

The staff across the restaurants and bars were VERY attentive, and literally couldn't do enough for you.

Accommodation
We stayed in one of the garden rooms, which are separate from the main hotel. They were amazingly clean (and I'm picky), and it worked for us. The bathroom had temple spa products, which I love!

 
As we were on the ground floor we had an open type of balcony. It included a seating area, which was super handy when the boys were napping. The airer was also a godsend! We covered the front in sand everyday, and the cleaners managed to clear it up every day!



The pool was huge, and always quiet. They was a section for lane swimming, and then the rest was free swimming. The boys adored the pool.

The beach was separated from the main site by a row of pine trees. The beach is private for the hotel. To the right is all the boating equipment, and to the left is the sunbeds and umbrellas. There was always loads available, and the staff were always quick to put up the umbrella for us.


Kids Club
I think 'Kids Club' makes it sound so much less than it is. It's seriously fantastic! On the first day the kids are provides with a rash vest, hat and bag. They are great quality (Zoggs) and ideal for the type of holiday.


 

The club runs 9.30-5.30 and 2.30-11.30 on Tuesdays and Thursday. They have an itinerary up everyday, and your child can come and go as they please. They do so much with them, including swimming, sailing, kayaking, painting... Ours were in the 'Sea Urchins' group, which officially is 2-4 years but the group was large, so they were in a group of just 2 year olds. On the first day the boys wouldn't leave, when we went to fill in the paperwork. The second day Ollie had a proper meltdown. There Nanny (or Manny) Alfie was amazing. He cuddled, read stories as distraction, and 15 minutes later we'd see them walking off to the beach holding hands and smiles all round. 
 
Activities
The main feature to a Neilson holiday is that all the activities are included. You can do as much or as little as you like. You can sign up to classes to learn the basics, or extend your knowledge. Or you can just go out freestyle. As I was unfortunately feeling so unwell, we opted for freestyle, so I could go out when I was feeling okay. We did SUP'ing and kayaking. We even took the boys out kayaking too.

The Spa
After feeling pretty lousy, we decided to have a little pamper out of the sun for a while. Gavin had a back massage, and I had a pedicure. I would've had a massage too, but I was concerned about not being able to wipe my nose! I had a lovely chat with the beautician. Afterwards they have a lovely little room where you can chill out. It was a lovely experience. 
 

Even with us all being pretty unwell, it was a fantastic holiday. It certainly will not be our last, and I'm excited to visit another site.

Keep your eyes out on our YouTube. I'll vlog will be coming soon!

Thank you for reading! xxx

4 comments:

  1. We are massive sailors and all our friends that sail and have kiddies recommend a Neilson break, we need to take one soon! They have great kit for sailing and windsurfing as well as tennis and cycling. My husband used to work for them, it's an awesome family run business!

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  2. Sounds like bliss! Glad you had a great time x

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  3. Oh gosh! I need a holiday! Although my wardrobe doesn't Haha.. I also love food on holiday and over indulge 🙈 so glad you had a great time :)

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  4. I’ve only ever been abroad the once and would love to go again but somewhere different. Here sounds fab! X

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