A Weekend with MGM in England

Albufeira it isn't, but having Infiniti Exit points to use up before 2015 ends we decided to spend a weekend at Muthu Hotels' solitary resort in the UK, at the perhaps unlikely location of Belstead Brook, just outside Ipswich in Suffolk.

It's not a place we would usually have visited. No personal issues with East Anglia, of course, but a horrible 115-mile drive, half of it around the M25, coupled with its lack of proximity to the sea renders it a slightly inhospitable alternative to the many coastal resorts from which we have to choose due south.

Nevertheless at a little over 10,000 Exit points for a long weekend we decided to go for it, and arrived here at about 6.30 in the evening after a long and windy day pounding the streets at work.

The first impressions were favourable. After parking up we descended the steps to the Reception, where we were assisted by a very pleasant and helpful young man for whom nothing was too much trouble, and who answered our last question with as much patience and enthusiasm as he had the first. We took a look around - at the pool (which was self-evidently popular even at that time on a Friday evening), the spa, the gym and the restaurant and bar facilities. We were offered a table for lunch, which like breakfast was ever so slightly on the expensive side, but declined as we had already eaten, although we promised ourselves we would give it a try on Sunday.

The room is nice - quite spacious, all the necessary facilities, clean and smart. The double bed is at the small end of acceptable, but adequate. A good selection of television channels, and of hot beverages. The pictures on the wall captured my wife's interest.

Down at the bar in the evening, once again one was struck by the polite helpfulness of the staff. By hotel bar standards there was a good range of beers, including the weakish but tasty local brew Adnams Southwold, which were decently priced. We enjoyed a few in comfortable surrounds, along with some tasty hot bar snacks.

In the morning we used the swimming pool, which it seems is also visited upon by the locals as Belstead Brook is a leisure centre as well as a hotel. The water was nice and warm and there were lots of good facilities - sauna, jacuzzi, ample lounge area with comfy chairs, a selection of reading material and a coffee machine. The changing rooms were decent and the showers warm, something which ought to be a given but is not always so at holiday resorts. This was followed by a leisurely walk around the hotel's substantial grounds, and a venture into the pleasant town of Belstead where we found a great local pub and restaurant, the Belstead Arms, which is worthy of a mention in its own right.

The Belstead Brook Muthu Hotel is a great place for a stay, to relax and to chill out. It is difficult to reconcile it with the Clube Praia da Oura, which is my unlikely connection with this resort and indirectly my reason for being here. It is a typical, quality English hotel, having little in common with the sunny poolside apartments and ambience of CPO. But I'm glad of the experience and it is a change as well as a rest.

Infiniti Exit Concerns

This blog exists to publicise and promote the Algarve region in general and the Clube Praia da Oura in Albufeira in particular, for the simple reason that I as author have great affection for the resort, its staff, the people who visit and the ambience that all these elements combine to create.

But as is stated in its “Disclaimer” this blog is not under the ownership or influence in any way of MGM Hotels, Infiniti, RCI, Petchey Leisure or any of the various entities which seem to have a stake in the resort and/or in its marketing as a holiday destination. This humble blog is solely the property of its author and when something gives me cause for concern I feel I have a right and a duty to comment on it. I am nobody’s shill.

Just a couple of weeks ago I had an unpleasant experience which I feel obligated to share, if only for the benefit of others who may be labouring under misapprehensions about their membership.

Having been given a timeshare at the resort back in 2006 I was a regular visitor to CPO, and I always enjoyed my stay at the complex whether I was in the company of my family or, as was often the case, I travelled alone. However the relentless annual increase in maintenance fees under the old regime, coupled with changes in the whole dynamic of European travel, meant that the arrangement became increasingly unviable, to the point where I was paying more than twice as much for my timeshare as a cash customer would have paid for the same service.

UNREALISTIC PAYMENTS

Something had to give. It is one thing a timeshare company demanding unrealistic payments with menaces, but at some stage the point is reached at which customers just will not and in some cases cannot pay. Seeing the writing on the wall, the new management offered a new approach via the points scheme. One option was the Exit program involving the payment of a rather substantial sum as a “buy out” from the timeshare contract, with the blow softened by the inclusion of a generous points allocation over a two year period, enabling the customer to travel to CPO and other resorts within the group for a total of several weeks during the remaining period of the contract.

This was the option I took. At a cost of £4,800 I was awarded 80,000 points for each of two years, which enabled to me to travel three times in 2014 with a similar allowance for this year. Last year I used these to good effect, visiting my beloved CPO on three occasions – for 12 nights in February, 9 nights in July and a fleeting 3-night visit in December – on each and every occasion, I should add, as a high-spending customer.

This year however I was in for a shock. When a few weeks ago I attempted to book a July holiday at the resort I was told curtly that there was no availability whatsoever throughout the months of June, July, August or September. Everything was fully booked.

ALMERIA

Having promised my daughter a holiday I settled for a week at the Infiniti Beach Resort in Almeria, Spain. I’m sure it’s a very nice resort, however I am something of a “homer” and when I find a place and get to know it I tend to plump for it rather than for the uncertainty of something unfamiliar. No matter, I’m sure we’ll enjoy it.

I did though harbour a nagging feeling, call it a sixth sense, that I wasn’t being told quite the truth. And so I contacted MGM Hotels via the Customer Chat mechanism on the company website and asked whether any availability existed for CPO on my chosen week in July. This was the reply I received:

It is self-evident that MGM, having my money and that of others like me securely in the bank, had decided to reserve the high-season slots for cash customers and to offer the loyal but already committed points customers the off-peak slots which were left over. In other words I have paid nearly £5,000 to be a second-class customer.

For a while I felt so incensed by this that I seriously considered never returning to the resort, as I was reluctant to give my money to a company with such a poor ethic. But CPO is my “home” – I feel welcome when I visit the restaurant, the bars, the Reception area, and the sister resorts. I know many of the waiting staff, the entertainment staff and the visiting acts. This is my holiday home and I’m not going to be driven away by the anonymous faces who manage from afar, but it leaves a bad taste all the same.

Next year, health permitting, I will return to CPO as a cash customer. But I wouldn’t like to be the poor sales rep who comes to my apartment in Spain in July, or at the CPO in October (when I did manage to secure a booking) and tries to sell me an extension of their points scheme!

Learning the Lingo

The CPO, or for that matter the Algarve in general, is probably not the best place to go if the object of the exercise is to properly learn the Portuguese language. Indeed, in the writer's experience some of the locals can actually become irritated by an English-speaking visitor trying to speak Portuguese badly when they themselves can speak English relatively well anyway.

Nevertheless it is surely good manners to make some kind of effort. Indeed some might consider it rude, or at least embarrassing, to return to a place year after year and simply expect the locals to converse with them in their own language rather than the lingo of the land.

As such it is worth learning at least the basics, if only to demonstrate that some kind of attempt is being made. Most people know to say "obrigado" (or "obrigada" if you are female), meaning "thank you". But how many English visitors would even know how to ask the time, or directions to a café, in Portuguese? Or to count to ten? Or say "good morning"?

Fortunately there are a number of excellent free resources available online which can be used to learn and familiarise oneself with key phrases. With a bit of effort these can be picked up within a few weeks, and for those who wish to progress further they provide an excellent foundation for moving on to more advanced learning.

For one of just many examples take a look at this one from the BBC. Or just Google something along the lines of "learn Portuguese" for a choice of many.

News from Bruno

Friends of Clube Praia da Oura has recently heard from Bruno, former singer, entertainer and all-round good guy at CPO, who has given us some news and info about his present work.

Bruno is currently the front man for the DiéB Band, who have been playing gigs at venues around Albufeira, as well as singing and entertaining in his own right. You can keep up to date with the group's activities by visiting their well-supported Facebook site.

It would be great to see Bruno and his band performing back at the CPO some time - and if the management team are reading this, I'm sure I'm not alone in looking forward to the day. But in the meantime, I'll leave you with a little DiéB:

Does Anybody Know This Man?

"I've know this guy since he was this high"

Striking a pose in his fetching new cerise shirt, our intrepid Algarvian superhero demonstrates how he maintains his cool by keeping one hand on the ice bucket whilst doling out canecas and peanuts to the multitude.

The legend that is Miguel has been bartendering to the CPO faithful since time immemorial, forever with a smile. If you see him when next you are at the resort, say "hi" (or "bom dia") from the Friends of CPO and tell him that the Fat Bloke at the Bar will be returning in earnest for laughs and lager before the summer is done.

Big John and Cláudia - Live Music Duo

One of the most popular and long-standing entertainment acts serving CPO and its sister resorts is the musical duo Big John and Cláudia, a.k.a. João Nave e Cláudia Rocha.

Those who have heard John and Cláudia invariably comment on the harmony and the chemistry that they exude as they ease through soothing medleys of Simon and Garfunkel, Eagles and other songs from the genre.

Take a moment to Like their Facebook Page, and maybe listen to a few of the clips from their musical sets that they have posted up.

Merry Christmas to all Friends of the CPO

Friends of CPO would like to wish all its readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

New Acquisition - Forte da Oura

MGM Muthu Group began with just six European hotels in its portfolio. Since then it has expanded its presence, particularly on the Algarve where last year it took on the luxurious Forte do Vale. Now the CPO "family" has grown further by the acquisition of the magnificent Forte da Oura, one of the largest and most popular hotels on the Algarve.

Forte da Oura is a spacious and sought after 4-star hotel with 115 modern and fully air-conditioned apartments each with a private balcony, a large outdoor pool with a private area for kids and a dedicated pool bar, a stylish restaurant, wonderful entertainment, a children's play area and a tennis court. It is situated directly beside MGM's Oura Praia Hotel.

As well as the leisure market, Forte da Oura offers a full range of services for business travellers and meeting planners.

Some Reflections from a Weekend at CPO

This is the first post on this blog, hopefully of many, that has actually been made from the CPO itself. Having arrived on Friday night for an untypically short weekend visit, I was determined to see whether anything had changed very much since my last time here, for better or for worse.

One of the "for worse" parts is that the weather is pretty dire - dry, but cold. There's no feeling homesick for Blighty while it's like this.

But there isn't really very much the management or the team at the Clube Praia da Oura can do about the elements. One piece of bad news that does come from within is that the hard-working and ever-popular entertainer Bruno has moved on to pastures new. Bruno was an absolute legend and an institution at CPO, a real character who personified everything that is fun about the resort, not only providing entertainment and laughter in the evenings but also calling the numbers at bingo (in the days when it was permitted by the Portuguese government), helping to run the pool parties in the summer and even managing activities such as archery during the day. Bruno will be missed by many and we wish him all the very best in his new work.

The CPO itself continues to excel in its service to its clients. The room as always is spotless and the small but thoughtful "added touches" - some basic foodstuffs in the fridge (for which one is always grateful after the flight and transfer in), bottle of wine, toothbrush and other little bathroom essentials, are always much appreciated.

CPO's portfolio of entertainers would appear to be expanding, and the strategy of encouraging cross-patronage around the family of resorts and hotels would appear to be progressing well.

Obviously this week there is a Christmassy feel as well, although I will have missed the carols in the open air by arriving too late on Friday and departing too early on Monday.

It is always a pleasure to be at the CPO and always a sadness to leave. Three nights are never enough to completely rediscover a feel for a place but there is clearly much to be optimistic about.

The Oura Praia Hotel

The Oura Praia Hotel is part of the CPO "family" and is situated just a short walk from the CPO site as one exits the north side of the site.

The hotel boasts a veritable array of leisure facilities and activities for guests. Outdoor pools, a sauna and jacuzzi, tennis court and gymnasium are available for use and indoors the Café Latte Bar and Trevi Restaurant serve a range of food from breakfasts to evening meals as well as hosting (at Trevi) night time entertainment, often with Bruno the Club Praia da Oura's lead entertainer. There is also a bar at poolside where one can choose from a range of soft drinks or cocktails.

The 126 self-catering apartments are all newly redecorated and are equipped throughout with satellite television and air conditioning. From the balconies and the furnished terraces guests can enjoy views over the pool and Oura village.