Olympus World

At Club Olympus we like to keep all our owners and guests aware of any potential problems that you might encounter on your holidays down in Tenerife or elsewhere. We give regular warnings about bogus resale companies or resale companies who ask for up front registration fees and encourage you to avoid them.

Recently the OFT gave a warning to holiday makers about the problem of “Holiday Packs” or “Discount Travel Membership Clubs”. This problem exists in Tenerife too and our advice is  - stay away!

Usually you will be approached on the street by somebody offering a scratchcard. You will be told that you have won a fabulous prize and you will be whisked off to attend a lengthy presentation that will attempt to inveigle you into a wonderful sounding holiday system that allows you to trade in your timeshare and be worth a fortune in years to come.

These companies sidestep legislation designed to protect the consumer and there is little recourse if you get involved. They usually try to take large deposits on your credit card and it is tough to get your money back.

This is what the OFT said in a press release this week.

“The OFT is warning holidaymakers flying out to Spain about the dangers of bogus holiday club scams which cost UK consumers millions of pounds a year.

Mike Haley, OFT Head of Consumer Protection, said :

‘Every year thousands of holidays to Spain are ruined when holidaymakers fall for the high- pressure selling techniques of bogus holiday clubs. When they return home they realise they have paid thousands of pounds for near worthless contracts.’

Research has shown that this is a peak time for consumers being targeted by bogus holiday clubs, with the average victim losing over £3000. Every year thousands of UK consumers fall for this type of scam at resorts such

Costa del Sol, and in the Canary Islands. Consumers are typically targeted by ’scratchcard touts’ who hand out bogus winning cards to holidaymakers. To collect their prize they are forced to attend a lengthy presentation and persuaded into signing a contract for an ‘exclusive’ club on the basis of false claims as to the price, range and quality of holidays available. After spending thousands of pounds, consumers often find they have bought little more than access to an internet booking service offering the same service they could get at a high street travel agent.”

We want you to enjoy your holidays down in Tenerife. Please avoid these type of operators. If you have any questions or worries call us on 0034 922 795606 or speak with one of the In-House team at Club Olympus.

Tenerife is a terrific place to come on holiday and we have very few problems. However it pays to be on guard.

 Scroll down through our blog to find out about our resort in Tenerife or click on the blogroll at the right hand side for specific information. Comment if you wish by clicking on the “comment” box below and to your right.

 See you soon - Club Olympus

I just walked past the main Pool area today at Club Olympus and I thought “here, aren’t we supposed to be a bit quiet in May”. This was scene around the pool at 4.30 pm today (May 29th)

And is that our very own Miles Yorston from the Club Olympus office in Sale, Manchester on the left of the picture? And is he heading for the Poolside Bar for an ice-cold pint of Dorada beer?

If you are ready for some sunshine give us a call on 0034 922 795606 and speak to Sue or Cassie in our Reservations team.

Hi to you all from everyone at Club Olympus. Home from Home in Tenerife!

Ivan

Ps. Do feel free to say hello back! Simply click on the comment box just below and to your right and leave a greeting.

Recently we have been looking at a comprehensive change to our main web-site. One of the guys from the company that we are going to use came over. He wanted to get some shots of the resort to prepare a virtual tour of Garden City and the apartments for anyone anticipating coming out to Club Olympus.

So we got our hands on some of his photo’s and decided to give you a sneak preview!

Here of course is the Club Olympus Reception. This is also scheduled to undergo a major refurbishment shortly.

This is the interior of our reception with Resort Manager Alan Gibbons behind the desk.

We have a variety of units at Club Olympus and shown below are some of the low level apartments.

The apartments above are in 600’s series of units and the ones below are surrounding the large pool in the 100’s area.

Here below are some of the apartments overlooking the small Top Pool, these are in the 2000’s section. So called because each aptartment number begins with 2000, for example you might be allocated aptartment number 2005.

Most of these apartments have tremendous sea views and are South (’ish) facing and get a great deal of sunshine. Some apartments are really handy for the pool and ideal for families, some have fabulous sea views, some are at ground level and are useful for those who don’t want to climb steps or want to be nearer flat surfaces etc. We even have two-story duplex units at the top of the resort as well as Bungalows.

Don’t be worried by the clouds surrounding the mountain at the back in this photograph. It is rare that the clouds come further down to cover Playa De Las Americas and Los Cristianos.

Tenerife has incredible micro-climates and whereas it might be cloudy at the airport it is usually sunny in the resort areas, hence their popularity. Sometimes it can be raining heavily in the mountains just kilometres away and Las Americas will be basking in sunshine. Indeed it can even be snowing on Mount Teide as we sunbathe on the beach. Do you remember this shot below from January of this year!

Quite a number of apartments have been refurbished and here are the new designs that are going into those units.

Not all apartments have the new interiors yet. The one shown here is 665. Again almost every unit is slightly different and they do vary considerably in size and lay-out which is of course a nightmare for our interior designer.

Again, not all apartments have the new design but hopefully before too long they will have.

Bathroom sizes vary of course but the overall effect is quite pleasing.

The new bedroom suites have been a hit with owners and guests and we are working hard to get them installed in all apartments.

We hope you enjoyed that quick sneak preview of the virtual tour that is being prepared for the Club Olympus website.

For more information, call us on (0034) 922 795606.

Alf and Sheila Taylor have owned timeshare at Club Olympus for 16 years. Their young son Stevie always used to tell us that he would be a top footballer and that he would play for Newcastle and England. Well, he made that dream come true and the Taylors bobbed in to see us this weekend. Here is Stevie Taylor of Newcastle United and Captain of the England under 21 side in the Poolside Bar with his mum and dad.

Star defender Stevie brought a Newcastle shirt out with him to go into the Poolside bar and presented it to Marco Atkin.

Central Defender Stevie’s first goal for Newcastle was the match winner against Celta Vigo of Spain in the UEFA Cup in November 2006. His first Premiership goal was against Blackburn in December of the same year. “Tayls”, as he is known by the Newcastle squad, was a key player for Englands Under 21’s as they progressed to the semi-finals of the U-21 Euro 2007 tournament.

The Taylors are a lovely close family and it has been a pleasure to have them down at the resort. Stevie says his dad is his best mate and without the support of his parents he would not be where he is. He said his toughest opponents to date have been Thierry Henry and Ruud Van Nistelroy and that both took a great deal of watching. He loves playing against the likes of Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba and says he just thinks its a privilege to be involved in the game at that level. His hero’s are mighty defenders Tony Adams and John Terry.

Stevie Taylor with Ivan Rhodes of Club Olympus.

We look forward to seeing the Taylors back again soon and wish Stevie all the best with his career.

I have featured Masia Del Mar on my Good Food Guide before, but after a recent visit I thought we would briefly re-visit this terrific restaurant for the blog. Masia Del Mar is at the little fishing village of La Caleta, about a ten minute car drive away from Club Olympus.

The restaurant is right on the seafront and specialises in fish and seafood. To begin with we normally enjoy a selection of several different types of shellfish (such as the Langostinos shown below) and then follow it up with a nice large fish divided between us, usually an Abadejo, which is very similar to Haddock and a fillet or two of fresh Bonito (Tuna).

The Mussels in Marinero sauce are a particular favourite, look at the photo sequence below to see how my Granddaughter Dominique demonstrates how to scoop up the sauce with a mussel shell as it should be done!

The scoop!

The lift!

The sip!

The tip! - Outstanding.

Somebody has already snaffled one fillet of Bonito from the dish above but this local fish is absolutely delicious. Pan fried on a plancha (hotplate) with garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice over the top, wonderful! We find that an ice cold bottle of Vina Sol by Torres is an excellent accompaniment.

The view from the restaurant terrace is shown below.

Tenerife is blessed with an abundance of superb restaurants and Masia Del Mar is certainly one of them. Great eating and great value for money are a feature of Tenerife as you all know. If you get a chance to visit Masia Del Mar at La Caleta I am sure that you will love it.

All the best - Hedley

Marco Atkin (pictured with daughter Danielle) of the Club Olympus Poolside Bar wanted to say hi to everybody and to welcome you to the bar.

The Poolside Bar has had a very busy year and part of the pleasure to Marco is seeing old and new friends regularly down at the resort.

Marco says “the Poolside Bar is a challenging place to run because of the wide variety of roles that it has to play. It has to be a clubhouse, restaurant, function room, sports bar, barbecue, snack bar, ice cream parlour, Pub, creche, debating room, Leeds United supporters club, Cabaret venue, marriage guidance center, you name it. It really is the hub of the resort and while it is tough to make everybody happy, we do our best. And we love it!”

(Above) Family team effort with Dawn, Denise and Danielle.

The Euro exchange rate is also challenging at the moment so Marco is making sure that families have great value for money. For example on Thursday nights there is a Poolside Bar Barbecue Party. For just 5 euros per head you can enjoy ribs, chicken, sausage, burger, pasta, salad, coleslaw, French bread and Canarian wrinkled potatoes. That is an exchange rate buster! On Thursday evenings we also have a Kids disco, Parrot show and full cabaret line-up. Thursday day night is family party night.

On Sundays we have a traditional Sunday lunch also for just 5 euros per person with a choice of lamb, pork or half roast chicken, along with four different vegetables, mashed and roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and Bisto gravy! Followed by home-made apple crumble and custard, again all for 5 euros per person.

Don’t forget that we have cabaret entertainment every night except Friday, hosted by compere Dave O’Neill (one half of the world famous O’Neill twins)

All major sporting events are shown at the bar. On Saturdays we can get up to six Premiership games all at once.

Last night we were particularly busy for the Leeds -V- Carlisle Play-Off game which of course Leeds won 2 nil!! Leeds now head to Wembley for the Play-Off final against either Doncaster or Southend. If you are a Leeds fan and you happen to be in Tenerife, there is only one place to watch that final.

Couldn’t resist putting in this quick shot of Tony Rhodes with Leeds Midfield Maestro Dave Prutton (they were squeezing each others derriers at the time hence the daft grins). Anyway…………………..

Do use the Poolside Bar when you visit Club Olympus. Marco and the family would love to see you and they will do their best to make your visit a pleasure.

We can’t wait to see you!

As many of our Club Olympus Owners and guests know, we have a special Sangria party on Monday evenings. This is an ideal opportunity to meet and greet our owners, guests and friends. They are always great fun and friendships are made that last for years.

Suzanne White, our In-House Team Manager, does her stuff at the free prize draw for Olympus T-Shirts and bottles of Bubbly!

Everyone enjoys the evening sunshine at this time of year and we have had a particularly excellent winter and Spring in Tenerife this year. Clear blue skies, fabulous sunshine with a gentle breeze has been the norm!

Lynn and Richard (above) from Quedgely in Gloucestershire are enjoying the party, as is official Doorman Brian Bottomley below!

Brian is one of our Owners Committee Members and always has time for a chat and an up-date on what’s happening at the resort.

Here he is comparing artificial legs with Points Owner Peter Murray from Pen-Y-Fai, Mid Glamorgan.

Thought it best not to go for the close up shot on that one! Anyway, swiftly moving on…………………….

New owners John and Doreen Clements from Prestatyn, Wales, had a great time and are pictured above with In-House team member Ann Harrison (right).

Christine and Harry Bradley from Grimsby in Lincs are at Club Olympus on an RCI exchange and were very welcome.

And finally here are Byron and Joyce Shepherd from Cleethorpes. They have owned at Club Olympus for twenty years and we just caught them leaving after a terrific Monday night party!

It was great to see everybody last night (12th May) and the party certainly went with a swing. We look forward to seeing you at the Monday night party soon.

Best wishes from all the team at Club Olympus in Garden City

Many apologies for the lack of posts over the last week or so, we have had computer difficulties. These difficulties have been resolved and we are back at full strength. We will bring you up to date with everything happening down at the resort ASAP - Ivan