If there's anything worse than a six-hour delay at Gatwick Airport, it's a six-hour delay with two young children.
As every long-suffering parent will know, a wait of that length leads to soaring stress levels and racing heartbeats.
Maybe that's why they call it a 'Terminal' - a place with terminal consequences, that is.
But the moment we landed at Izmir to be greeted by the Sunsail staff for our week-long half-term break the tiresome delay seemed a distant memory.
Clutching bottles of water and wearing sympathetic smiles, which belied the fact it was 2am and they were probably as tired as we were, they gently ushered us onto our coaches for the hour-and-a-half drive to our destination.
On arrival we quickly clambered exhausted into our extremely comfortable beds to catch up on some well-needed sleep.
Club Phokaia is on the west coast of Turkey close to a picturesque fishing village named Foca - pronounced Fotcha.
Our first sight of it the following morning was impressive to say the least. It is not often that the reality of a resort is better than the glossy photographs pictures in the brochure. But this was one of those occasions.
On opening our curtains we were greeted by a stunning view of North Bay, where we were later to hone our extremely limited sailing skills, uninhabited Victory Island and beyond across the Aegean, which glinted in the morning sunlight.
We were pleasantly surprised by the size and quality of our room. We were booked into a family room with adjoining room for our two boys, William, five and ten-month-old Alex, so at no time did we feel squeezed in, not that we spent much time in our room.
But don't worry, this isn't one of those chintzy joints where the well-to-do and wealthy stay to show off to their friends at the golf club. This is a smart, practical, clean and functional hotel that caters for all-and-sundry.
We made our way down to breakfast and again it was clear this is a 'family resort' if ever there was one.
Like most parents we are obviously used to having to almost plead for a high-chair while a disinterested staff member worker stares at you as if you've asked her to clean your shoes with her toothbrush.
There was none of that here.
A long line of high-chairs were neatly parked at the entrance and the buffet, which was both extensive and impressive, was nicely complimented by a hot grill outside on the patio where two chefs whipped up fresh omelettes and pancakes.
The huge round tables which seat eight people encourage families to socialise at meal times and wax lyrical about their exploits on the high-seas.
Evening meals were again varied and of good quality with a mix of local dishes and British staples with tasty options for children of all ages.
When meals were not covered by our half-board package we mostly ate at the beachfront Jetty Restaurant and Bar, which although slightly limited in choice was not limited in quality. And after a hard day's sailing the open air tables and chairs are a perfect place to put your feet up and watch the more accomplished mariners putting the rest of us to shame.
The main attraction of a Sunsail holiday for us was the chance to learn to sail safe in the knowledge that our children were being cared for and enjoying themselves in the kids clubs.
Initially my wife Jules was nervous about leaving baby Alex in the Minnows nursery as apart from a couple of nights with a local babysitter they had never been parted for long.
But after meeting the nursery staff who were to look after him Jules was suitably impressed enough to hand over Alex.
As William, was initiated into the Sea Urchins club for the under-5s by way of a matching t-shirt and baseball cap, we were being taught the basics of windsurfing by one of the resort's highly-qualified instructors.
If I had to find one word to describe our tutor, Kate, it would be 'patient'. I lost count of the number of times I emerged from the deep with a mouth full of salty sea water after another wipe-out to see her still standing smiling on the beach yelling out instructions.
Windsurfing is one of a heap of things to do during a Sunsail holiday. The list is endless, and I don't have room to run through all of them, check www.sunsail.co.uk.
But the activities we took advantage of once we tired of plunging off the windsurfer into the chilly water were the morning sailing clinics, the windsurfing school (again), tennis, mountain biking and mini-golf. All of which are included in the price of the break.
On our third day we enrolled in the beginners dinghy clinic. This involved half-an-hour being taught the basics of how to sail a small boat while avoiding something called the boom, which can knock a man unconscious if you have your head in the wrong position when it swings past as you turn into the wind.
In order to avoid the boom dealing a potentially fatal blow the idea is to leap quickly across to the other side of the boat to balance your vessel while turn it. Sounds easy doesn't it?
But once we were out on the water it was a different kettle of fish -particularly as the last time I was onboard a boat of any sort I was standing on a cross channel ferry clutching the handrail and staring at the horizon trying to keep my lunch down.
So off into the Aegean we went and it wasn't long before we were sailing, belting out Rod Stewart's hit as we glided off towards Victory Island with the waves lapping at the bow of our Topper Topaz.
The feeling of freedom was something to behold. Forget work, the credit crunch, recession and knife crime, we were at one with nature. Man, wife and dinghy in perfect harmony.
Then we had to 'tack' - or turn our boat into the wind in order to sail back from whence we came. Under the watchful eye of a nearby safety boat, we both leapt to the other side of the dinghy, tightened up our sail and headed back towards the beach.
The feeling of achievement was something we shall both remember for some time, as we will our holiday.
For us it was the perfect break.
Flexible kids clubs, great staff, beautiful location and smart hotel. The sailing and windsurfing were the icing on the cake.
William had a fantastic time and is begging to go again, desperate for another round of treasure hunts, pirate ship trips, tennis, board games, art lessons and all round general fun.
He has not yet stopped singing the trademark 'Everywhere we go, people want to know' song belted out by the Sea Urchins as they stomped from one exciting activity to the next.
We are already planning our next Sunsail holiday.
Watch out Tony Bullimore, here we come...
by
Doug Shields (and family)
October 2008
Prices start from £669 per person (£539 for kids) based on two sharing a standard twin / double room, including flights from London Gatwick, accommodation, half board meals, Kids' Clubs and all of the inclusive Sunsail activities.
For more information take a look at the Sunsail website or call 0844 463 6578
Club Phokaia at a Glance
Location: Turkey
Departure day: Sunday
(ask about different holiday durations)
Departure airport: London Gatwick
(ask about regional flights)
Arrival airport: Izmir
Flight time: Approx 4hrs
Transfer time: Approx 1hr 45mins
(get there quicker, ask about private transfers)
Wind: Cross-shore N/NW Force 2-6
Temperature oC: 22-32 May-Oct
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