This was our second visit to Phokaia - almost as soon as we had returned from the first one, I was booking for the following year.

Other reviewers have commented on the food and the accomodation, and I would agree with all of them - both are generally high standard. I am going to comment on activities.

Watersports - the resort overlooks a large sheltered bay with an island in front and smaller islands to either side. The effect is to create a sheltered sea area with very small waves which nevertheless gets some good winds, permitting fast windsurfing, smooth fast sailing, and even waterskiing in most weather conditions. All watersports are free, including the waterskiing and diving although the free goes are obviously rationed to ensure everyone gets a fair share - after that you start to pay. RYA courses are also free, and I think Neilson is about the only operator not to charge for these. The setting is also very pretty so even when the wind is light and the sailing sedate, there is nice scenery to look at.

Mountain biking: Neilson acknowledges that Phokaia is not its best resort for mountain biking. This is because there are few opportunities for off-road, as the surrounding hills are military land which is prohibited and possibly not safe to enter due to live firing exercises taking place inland. The instructors - Luke this year - have nevertheless managed to put together a decent package of on-road rides, with a bit of off-road thrown in, which marry a range of easy through to strenuous or technical rides with opportunities to admire the views or stop for a coffee or a beer in the old town. On the upside, the military land may be inaccessible but it is a big part of why the area is so beautiful - it hasn't suffered the overdevelopment which blights so much of the Turkish Aegean.

Tennis: we found Phokaia a good compromise between the Mark Warner industrial-scale tennis academies and some of the other Neilson/Sunsail resorts where there aren't enough courts or players present. My wife and daughter were kept well occupied with lessons, matchplays and tournaments against good competition.

Keep fit etc. Not my scene, but the sessions were well-attended and looked like good fun if you like that sort of thing.

Local tourism: the nearby town of Foca is a weekend/summer retreat for the better-off residents of Izmir, the nearby (and huge) city. There is little foreign tourism, and it shows, in that Foca has a charm and unspoilt nature missing in so many tourist traps. It does mean that some things like carpets, turkish delight etc are not so easy to find but they are available in the hotel (the carpet guy is excellent, by the way). Foca is close enough to walk - perhaps 30 minutes - but you can also sign out the bikes and ride there in 10 minutes. The resort asks that you don't ride alone, and that you wear a helmet, for safety reasons, but otherwise bikes are yours for the taking if not needed for guided rides - as there are about 35 bikes and guided rides tend to be limited to about 10-15 people, supply shouldn't be an issue. In town, you can get a beer, or a meal on a non-inclusive evening. You can visit the market on Tuesdays, to see a real working market instead of one of those chi-chi tourist traps we tend to see these days.

Kid's clubs: excellent, although a judgement on them inevitably depends on how well your kids get on with the other kids in the club. The kids staff are fantastic.

Social responsibility: to me, one of the most impressive things about Neilson is the way they contribute to the local economy. They don't try to finagle an army of brit staff in on "tourist" visas, instead they train their own Turkish staff to do front-end jobs like beach staff, sailing and waterski instruction etc, so thatthey can honestly meet the local recruitment requirement of 80%. The Turkish staff are excellent - their English is good, they are very friendly and obliging, and they really can instruct to RYA etc standards. Neilson is also involved in other aspects of the local community, notably dragooning guests into helping out with the litter picking on Orak island, the nature reserve which faces the resort and is home ot the mediterranean monk seal and the "Sirens' Rocks" from the story of Odysseus.

A tip: always, always wear shoes on the beach. My daughter was windsurfing, bare foot, and stepped on a sea urchin. Not especially painful at the time but the spines take absolutely ages to come out and they don't seem amenable to being tweezered. I gather you can get special windsurfing shoes, as that seems to be where the issue is, so do buy them before you go.

Two couples, one that liked sailing and one that liked tennis and both that liked sun, see and good eating. Club Phokaia delivered on all aspects.

The resort was set out well. Everything within a short walk in very pleasant surroundings.

Training was available on all the activities and relaxing spa if you didn't want to be active. A small but reasonably equipped gym for the few wet days.

A fantastic evening boat trip to Foca with island tour on the way. The food was great and the staff really helpful. We went early October and for weather it would definitely be better late September. We all plan to be back next year but for two weeks.

Just returned from a week's holiday with my husband and 2 kids (2 and 1 year old). Had a brilliant time. I thoroughly recommend Neilson as a company for their childcare alone. My 2 year old was sailing, kayaking, swimming, on a speed boat, playing tennis...he had a great time! My 1 year old was also sailing, swimming etc - the nannies were so good with them (many thanks to Laura, Claire and Daisy) I had no qualms with leaving them in their capable hands.

Whilst the kids were occupied we tried sailing, mountain biking, zumba, pilates, yogalates, tennis - there was lots to do and thanks to the lovely weather we were outside the whole time. The staff (and guests) were very friendly and helpful and the whole resort has a chilled out atmosphere. Would recommend the bike ride to foca ruins as you get a lovely view across the bay.

The food was faultless - really nice every day with lots to choose from. Plenty of local restaurants to go to on your non inclusive nights.

The hotel itself is quite nice - some areas are a bit tired and in need of TLC but I assume that as it was the end of the season that this will be addressed for the new season.
Only disappointment was the spa & gym - I had thought the pool would be heated as I knew the outside one would be too cold this time of year but turns out it wasn't so we didn't go swimming or use the spa facilities mainly due to this. The gym also didn't have a treadmill which is what I like to use so didn't use it either. The outside pool was freezing, which is to be expected at this time of year, but some brave people did go for a swim in it! It was huge and would be so nice in the warmer weather.

I would definitely recommend this hotel and Neilson in particular as a holiday company. The team at Club Phokaia, run by "Frosty", are all really lovely and very helpful – the instructors were really good, the fitness classes were fun, the nannies were fantastic, the hotel staff were always on hand to help and very efficient, I find it hard to find faults as had such a great time!

I have just cut and pasted a review from a week or so ago - because it seems to capture what we thought (and is a lazy option). All 5 of us (2 parents, 3 kids) had a fantastic holiday and thought the Neilson team to be absolutely outstanding........

We have just rerturned from a great holiday at Club Phokaia. It was our first time on a Neilson Activity holiday and we were a bit nervous as we don't normally take package holidays. However we had the most fantastic time and will definitely be trying another next year. The range of activities on offer is superb and the standard of instruction is excellent. Between us we tried just about everything. There really is something for everyone and there were guests there from all age brackets.
The Hotel is lovely, very clean and well kept despite it being the end of the season and the staff were excellent, very knowledgable and friendly. The food is also very good quality and the chefs did all they could to try and ring the changes.
If I were to pick at anything it would be that the room was a little bit basic and we didn't have a view, which was disappointing as the Turkish sunset was beautiful and we would have liked to have watched it from our balcony. The other thing would be the pool, which is olymipic size and beautifully clean, but FREEZING, only the very brave tried it. However they are small gripes, the good definitely out weighed the bad and all in all we had a great time. Thank you Neilson!