SPRAWLED across the pool’s sun loungers, we listen to the waves tumbling on to a beach a few hundred metres away.
The poolside is dotted with English and German couples relaxing into their day, taking a dip in the water before plodding back to base.
Our three children are probably a couple of hours into a game of tennis by now, at the kids’ club.
Who doesn’t appreciate three hours to themselves to sit in the sunshine, swim or indulge in the all-inclusive bar menu?
My wife and I have whisked our five-year-old twins Reggie and Teddie, and eight-year-old daughter Frankie-Beau, away to the all-inclusive Tui Magic Life Plimmiri hotel in Rhodes.
The child-friendly facilities are so popular that every morning there is a rush on the Tui Magic Life app to secure a place for the following day’s club.
Our boys emerge after their first session with beaming smiles, and colouring and crafts to show us.
Strangely, not spending time with our children on a family holiday was a joy for both them and us.
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The three clubs — for ages three to six, seven to 12, and 13 to 16 — are run exceptionally well by a committed, caring team and are the jewels in the crown of the hotel’s vast offerings to its guests.
The other wonderful thing is, even though the 411-room, whitewashed resort occupies 200,000 square metres on this beautiful Greek island, everything is just a short stroll away, and the entire family can be as busy or as relaxed as we like.
Just browsing the app’s list of activities tires us out. Deep breath: Kayaking, windsurfing, football, tennis, aqua-cycling (water-based exercise-biking), shuffleboard, boccia (similar to bowls), archery, mountain-biking around the island, beach volleyball and scuba lessons.
If you are looking for even more of a calorie-burn, there’s an impressive gym with top-of-the-range equipment, free exercise classes taking place throughout the day and a hugely popular daily aqua-cycle session.
Between all the activities, we retreat to the poolside via one of many all-inclusive restaurants. At any point, you can just wander into the hotel’s coffee shop, snack bar, pool bar or beach bars for hot and cold drinks, beers, wines, cocktails, a selection of cakes and savoury goodies such as traditional Greek cheese pie or toasties.
When you have all that, plus an on-site farm, children’s playground and gaming room, “I’m bored” and “I’m hungry” are two of the kids’ favourite phrases that you don’t hear uttered once.
Brilliantly, even the resort’s stunning spa is a real family affair — fabulous back, neck and shoulder massages for the adults and even a gentle one for the children, with their own choice of “flavoured” massage oils (strawberry, chocolate or banana).
There’s also a fish foot spa if you are in need of a pedicure.
It’s at around dusk — when the brisk breeze from the Mediterranean blows in — that we meander back to our apartment, with double room, three children’s beds, TV and all-inclusive mini-bar.
Adults-only rooftop bar
Evenings can be as chilled or as lively as you want.
There is the option of a beautifully lit adults-only rooftop bar overlooking the main pool area.
Meanwhile, the kids can munch popcorn in a huge amphitheatre that shows a different children’s film each night (usually in German with subtitles).
Or they can join in with the resort’s entertainment team performing dances and singalongs to the likes of Baby Shark (sometimes in German, sometimes in English).
Later into the night, the kids’ vibe is replaced by a teenage disco scene.
Older children can hit the nightclub dancefloor while parents work their way through the extensive cocktail menu.
You can keep the party going until 1am if you want to.
After seven fun-packed days, we still had not set foot outside the hotel to enjoy one of the many excursions on offer.
Popular among these are a tour of the famous acropolis in Lindos and a short boat ride to the nearby island of Symi.
This was our first all-inclusive break, because the cost for a family of five had always put us off.
But the value in terms of not worrying about meal times and packing snacks, or how we would entertain the children and amuse them into the evenings, has all been utterly priceless.
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