Hi everyone,
I just want to give you all a really great recommendation. I love travelling and have found it a risky business since becoming ill - you never know what obstacles you may come across on your holidays. On a recent trip to Italy I discovered my hotel was on the top floor only accessible by 5 flights of marble staircase.
I have just returned from the Macdonald Monchique Hotel and Spa in the Monchique Mountains in Southern Portugal. The hotel was built about 8 years ago and was purpose built to be a hospital retreat / convelence hotel. It's fully designed for wheelchairs. It was taken over by the Scottish Macdonald group a couple of years ago and made into a tranquil hotel and spa. If you are on a special diet like low carb or just plain healthy you will have ample choice or they will cater to your needs. They have an activities programme perfect for those who are capable of limited exercise like 30 minutes of stretching or gentle guided walks - all included. For the more able there is yoga and Pilates - for the fit and healthy bootcamp. The staff are very helpful and will do anything to make life easier for you if you explain your limitations. There are simple things put on like a social slot where you can relax with a "heartwarming" hot drink in the bar (free of charge) and you can drop in and out as you wish. They put on a healing sounds session on in the Zen room where you can meditate and relax. It is a very modern building with lots of light and space. The rooms are ideal as you get a kitchen, dining area, living area and balcony. I was quite happy to just wake up and sunbathe on the balcony and listen to the mountain birds. I genuinely had the best holiday ever (even prior to ME). The cleaners are excellent and do a daily clean and even insist on doing your washing up. This means with all your chores taken care of you get the chance to just focus on you and use your energy on the good stuff. You can even live in your hotel dressing gown and flip flops (meaning you can travel very light and not waste energy even on thinking about getting dressed!) I'm not in anyway connected to the hotel. I'm just raving about it, because it's hotel made in heaven for people with ME / CFS / PVFS. It is described by the hotel as affordable luxury and I have to agree it is good value for money. We paid £110 per night for dinner, bed and breakfast for two people (April).
Has anybody else found really good holiday places for limited mobility / energy?
I hope this is welcomed like it is intended and not seen as a sales pitch, which it is absolutely not. I'm just so excited to find a place so perfectly adapted to our condition.