In November past, some of the Terra crew were invited to the Jet 2 Holidays VIP Conference in Calpe, a beautiful resort just outside of Benidorm on the Costa Blanca. We stayed at the 4* AR Diamante Resort & Spa, a fantastic hotel situated about a 20 minute stroll from the main resort centre.

The hotel itself upon first glance looked fantastic. It has 3 outdoor pools and an inviting spa with turkish bath, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi & massage treatments. The main buffet restaurant had plenty of hot & cold food to suit every taste and was a mix of traditional Spanish & international cuisine. The were 2 additional a la carte restaurants as well; Audrey’s and La Pergola. The piano bar beside the reception had a live pianist playing on our arrival and throughout our stay, which was lovely to listen to. The staff as well were very friendly, always trying to interact and have a bit of fun with everyone!

On Monday afternoon we arrived to this wonderful hotel and were checked in quickly (even though there were 350 of us!). The rooms provided some breathtaking views of the resort and were very spacious with large balconies. Once we had unpacked we all met for drinks and nibbles, which gave us a chance to network with some of the hoteliers and even get a picture with this year’s celebrity guest, Peter Andre!!  After, we all headed to La Pergola bar & restaurant beside the pool where, firstly, we were introduced to the Costa Blanca tourist board who gave us a bit of insight into all the exciting things that Costa Blanca has to offer. Then there was karaoke and dancing – some interesting song choices and even more interesting voices!

Tuesday was an early start. We headed to the conference room and were updated on all things Jet 2 Holidays, facts & figures and were then introduced to the brand new Jet 2 Holidays concept, VIBE.  We had a a few words from the manager of the AR hotels manager, the Calpe tourist board and also the Benidorm tourist board, showing us that they are much more than the typical bucket and spade holidays that they have become so renowned for.  After, there was a Q&A session with Peter Andre (it seemed to be very popular with all the ladies for some reason!) where we found out a bit about his life and his career. When this was all done, we had a speed networking session with some of the suppliers before heading to a pub quiz, where we were quizzed on all things Jet 2 Holidays. Later on in the evening, we got all glammed up for the gala dinner and awards which took place in the main conference room. We even got a special performance from Peter himself who sang some original songs and some fantastic Stevie Wonder covers.

Wednesday gave us a bit of free time to do some activities or to explore Calpe at our leisure. Some of us took a Segway tour in the morning which let us see around Calpe, which really was outstanding. we stopped along the way to admire some of the stunning views and after, we had a bite to eat at a loca tapas restaurants, right along the beachfront. If you are looking for a more relaxed, safe feeling atmosphere with lots of local restaurants, shops & bars, then Calpe would be perfect.

Wednesday evening brought us a whole different vibe altogether. We all got dressed up in our fancy dress for which the theme was ‘Up the West End’. The Terra crew went as Alice and Wonderland. We all headed into Benidorm to the Benidorm Palace where we were treated to a magnificent show and dinner before starting the Jet 2 Holidays last ever Talent Competition! One of our Craigavon crew Terence sang a lively rendition of Don McClean’s American Pie and one of our Portadown crew Cara sang ‘This is me’ from the Greatest Showman and actually won by crowd approval! It truly was a night of celebrations!

Thursday morning came and it was time to say goodbye to this truly fantastic resort. We made use of the Jet 2 Free Resort Flight Check in, which, I have to say, was very efficient and quick and saved us queuing at the airport to check our luggage on. I would totally recommend this to anyone who has this service in their hotel. Everything ran on time and we came back from sunny Alicante to not so sunny Newcastle before making the onward journey back to Belfast.

Overall, a truly fantastic trip. We couldn’t recommend the hotel enough, especially for anyone looking for something just a bit different than the typical Benidorm image of Costa Blanca. It is certainly somewhere that I think all the Terra Crew can agree we will go back again on our own holidays!

If you have any questions or queries about this wonderful resort just give us a call.

We had Cara, Damian & Sharon from our Portadown office who visited – call us on 02838351500
Or Terence in our Craigavon office who visited – call him on 02838344646