Travelling in the new normal - Part 2

Sharon Court on 27 September 2020
Here is part 2 of my experience of travelling in the new normal, the in hotel & in resort...…………

Hotel I stayed at the Sheraton Rhodes Resort in Ixia, the hotel was lovely & clean, they use a steam cleaning system for making sure everywhere is safe, there are sanitiser stations by the lifts, at the entrance to the bars and restaurants, also in and around the buffet area of the restaurant, along with signs everywhere in the hotel reminding you about social distancing and to wash/sanitise your hands. The rooms were deep cleaned prior to arrival and then cleaned again after 3 days, we received clean towels and bins emptied each day. There was a maximum of two guests or one family for the lifts which was meant there was sometimes a wait for the lift at peak times such as breakfast or leaving the pool area (reception and the rooms are on levels 7 and above) but you felt safer with this in place. The Sun Loungers by the pool where spaced in pairs around an umbrella 2m apart from each other and were sanitised after each use. Masks were not compulsory around the hotel but we were advised to wear them, all staff worse masks, personally I used my common sense, when we first arrived it was very quiet but as the week went on it got busier this was when I wore my mask when moving around the buffet restaurant and the hotel.

Resort – Ixia The resort was fully open except for two of the larger hotels, both Ixia and nearby Rhodes Town were a lot quieter than normal and I really felt for the locals who depend on tourism for their lively hoods, the local restaurants had social distancing measures in place along with hand sanitiser either as you enter or brought to you at the table, I had three really lovely meals out at local restaurants. In Greece masks are compulsory in shops, taxies & buses.

Coming Home Rhodes airport was quiet and the same protocols as Stansted were in place, the flight the same as coming out and worked well, the queue at passport control at Stansted was longer as was the wait for baggage but again from landing to being in my car within 55 minutes. There is a Passenger Locator form which needs to be completed to come back into the UK 48hrs before you arrive, it is a bit more complex than the Greek one and you need one each, this wasn’t checked when we landed.

I am so glad I was able to get away and took the opportunity to travel, yes it was different but I felt totally safe, I would not hesitate to get on a plane and travel again, the only thing to remember is there are now different protocols and entry requirements for places which can change quickly, you need to keep an eye on these to make sure you have everything covered,