RHODES - three destinations - one holiday and a bad start

Last year (October 2014) Thomson was offering a good deal on flights to Rhodes from Bournemouth Airport. We love Greece, but had never been to this island, so once we secured the flights, we independently booked a three-centre holiday to allow us to see the different aspects of the island and not be tied to one resort.

That was our first mistake. If you’re flying with Thomson, it is better to book a package tour because I believe you get a better baggage allowance. Anyway, we didn’t know this at the time and with our bags neatly packed and our son driving us the 15 minutes distance to the airport, we felt privileged to have this international facility almost on our doorstep - until we got there.

It cost £2.50 to be dropped off - you don’t even get ripped off at London Heathrow for drop offs. Last time we’d flown from Bournemouth, it was free. I know it’s not Thomson’s fault, but they really should have offered us an exemption to keep us sweet, especially when, within a short time of arriving at the airport we were stung on the luggage allowance.

My hand luggage, like some other passengers, was overweight. It appeared to be a common problem and if you’re not cute, your handbag gets weighed with it. Mine did, but the girl in front of me craftily slung hers over her back and they didn’t see it.

Unfortunately our ‘chauffeur’ had left by the time we checked in (that £2.50 parking charge only lasted for 30 minutes) otherwise I could have offloaded some of my heavy stuff back into the car. On the plus side, we’d arrived early so had time to leave the check-in area, slink to the scales like scolded cats and start weighing and juggling luggage as well as dressing up like Michelin men and stuffing our pockets with just about everything we could. We were in good company. A man with his arm in plaster had to go through the same process.

By now I’d chucked some of the heavy items in the bin (like all those mini shampoos, sun creams, hand cream and mosquito repellants, all bought especially for the holiday) and was sweating it out in a pair of shorts hidden under a long dress, wearing a t-shirt, a jog top, shawl and a coat with pockets stuffed to the gunnels. Somehow, we got the weight down enough to save my husband being penalized, but I still had to pay £48 to put my overweight bag in the hold. At this point, I was so exasperated, I could have turned round and gone back home.

I cursed under my breath for not having the foresight to do what that lady in front of me had done with her handbag. Instead, she waltzed into the departure lounge with an elegant swish, whilst I had to waddle through the door sweating like an ox, only to find that once there I was able to fill a whole bag with heavy items of shopping and carry it on board without anyone batting an eyelid. In fact, the notices actively encouraged passengers to stock up with weighty bottles of alcohol! So it wasn’t a weight issue like they said it was. It was plain meanness at being able to outwit travellers by feeding them with confusing luggage allowance information and then zapping them for extra charges. To add insult to injury, it was the very same girls who waved us through from the departure lounge on to the plane. They’d gone from blinking awkward, to not having a care about how heavy our bags were and by this time, my hand luggage was back up to heavyweight because I’d stripped off in the ladies’ loo and repacked. As for the duty free – I had no intention of buying anything there. I was much too cross.

The holiday had already cost an extra £50.50 before we'd even got off the ground, but after boarding, I remembered the sandwiches and my mood lifted. Brown seeded bread with cheese and salad – maybe a bit flatter for having been smuggled down my shorts. But hooray, we didn’t have to spend any money on the flight. Other passengers had to suffer mass produced croque monsieur or bacon ciabatta, which cost £4 each; children’s snack boxes were £3.90, a cheese ploughman's snack box was £4.50 and chunky chips were £3. Our homemade sandwiches were exceedingly good value by comparison and judging by the envious looks of other passengers, much tastier, even if they were a bit squashed.

As for water – all seasoned travellers will know that everyone is forced to dump bottles of drink before going into a departure lounge. It seems to be a pre-requisite at all airports. In my simplistic way of thinking, I interpret this purely as a money grabbing procedure. We have it drummed into us not to be wasteful, but when boarding a plane, being wasteful is suddenly acceptable because the businesses in the departure lounge and plane companies want your money and that simple act of depriving you of drink, immediately makes you thirsty. They’ve got you right where they want you.

Once on the plane, 500ml of spring water leapt to a staggering £1.80. Well, we couldn’t do without it and felt stung once again. It cost the same for 330ml of Pepsi. Spirits started at £4 and a small bottle of wine (187ml) was also £4. Lager was £3.80 for 330ml can. Fortunately, we didn’t have the desire or need to drink alcohol, so it was easy to say no. But tea, chocolate and cappuccino was harder to turn down, especially when everyone else was swilling it down. At £2.50 a cup, (Starbucks coffee £2.60) we did succumb. After the food and drinks, the duty free was rolled out, then more drinks, so it was no surprise that people were up and down to the toilets the whole journey and those with weak bladders had to do the walk of shame several times.

On the plus side, we arrived in Rhodes earlier than the ETA. It was dark and all we had to do was find our pre-booked bus in the airport car park. It was a balmy evening, just right for al fresco dining and we knew our accommodation in Rhodes Old Town was only a 10 minute drive away. Once aboard the bus, our spirits lifted.

Two hours later, we arrived, having been driven all around the houses dropping everyone else off first. By now we were frazzled and still had one more hurdle to cross. We had to walk to our hotel. To our relief it wasn’t far and someone was there to greet us, despite it being late. Tired and hungry, we set off to find a meal, unaware of what Rhodes had in store for us.