July 2022
Issue no 2
Mersea Island Holiday Park presents
Park Life
What’s happening at
Hello from the team! Hello and welcome to your latest newsletter. Some of you may already know, but Nathan has moved on to one of our sister Away Resorts' Parks and Louise Sanchez has taken over the General Manager hot seat on park. Many of you will know Louise very well as she has worked on the park for 10 years now in the holiday home sales office and absolutely loves Mersea Island, so is very excited about the new challenge ahead for her. If you haven't seen her recently, please do pop in and say hello as she loves seeing you all. In other news, our new pizza offering at the Muddy Duck is proving very popular, so thank you to all of you who have been supporting this. If you haven't managed to pop over to the Muddy Duck yet, why not join us over the summer for a delicious pizza, cocktail or glass of something chilled? We are always happy to see you! We are also moving closer to our Music weekender, which is the 5th and 6th August, so we hope you are all making plans to join us! All the staff are excited about this, so we hope you and all your family members are too. If you have any family or friends that would like to join us and need accommodation, then please get them to contact our Guest Services team they will be only too happy to help - don't forget your friends and family discount. Thank you to all our owners who took part in the Jubilee celebrations, it was great to see so many of you get involved in the weekend and a big congratulations to our prize winners for the most patriotic caravan: Mark and Dawn from the Orchards. Summer is now upon us so we hope to see you all soon, please note the swimming pool is still operating on a pre booked service, so book in advance to avoid disappointment, the team at the Muddy Duck can help you with booking your sessions. Also, we have a date change for your calendar in November, our end of season owners’ party will now be Saturday 19th November, so please make a note in your diary as we would love to see you all there. We look forward to seeing you all soon!
See you soon!
The team Follow us on social media
@MerseaIslandAwayResorts
@AwayResortsUK
@AwayResortsHolidays
A shout out to your
holiday heroes
If you’ve been blown away by a member of our team, please do let us know so that we can recognise them and give them a future shout out: merseaguestservices@awayresorts.co.uk
Lorna We would like to welcome Lorna to our Guest Services team. Lorna will be joining Bridie and Megan in looking after you and has been doing a great job so far.
An update from Carl Hi all, it’s been a while since my last message to you; I hope you are well. Just under 12 months ago, we embarked on the integration of Aria Resorts into Away Resorts. Our aim with this acquisition was to build on our current reputation as one of the industry’s leading operators, giving our guests, holiday homeowners and team members authentic, unique, and ethical experiences. The bulk of our integration work has been completed and we now have 24 locations with the Away Resorts' flag proudly flying. While you may have noticed some changes on park, I want to assure you that you’re in safe hands. We’re an ambitious business looking to grow but are equally committed to regularly investing in our current locations. Over the next three years, we are looking to deploy 50 million pounds worth of capital across the business annually; this investment will introduce new bars and restaurants, swimming pools, enhanced technical infrastructure, and improved park grounds and maintenance. As a community of Holiday Homeowners, you play a crucial part in the park’s success, and I thank you in advance for your continued support. Should you have any initial feedback or comments, remember our team members (who we lovingly refer to as Holiday Heroes) are always on hand to help. I am so pleased that you will be joining us on this continued journey, and I hope that you get some time to enjoy your wonderful holiday home over the summer season. I look forward to meeting some of you on my travels. See you soon!
Carl Castledine CEO of Away Resorts
Your Owners’ Events Calendar 2022 Don’t miss our fabulous owner events which are available to book 2 weeks before they are due to take place.
August
September
October
5th and 6th
10th
15th and 16th
Event: Music Weekender
Event: Oktoberfest Themed Weekend
Event: Gin Tasting Time: 3–5pm
17th Event: Cheese & Wine
7th
Event: Colour Fest
Time: 3–5pm
November
24th
5th
Event: MacMillan Coffee Morning Time: 10am–12pm
Event: Rum Tasting Time: 3–5pm
12th
28th
Event: Custard Pie Fight
For more event information & times, please keep an eye on Third Place Social your dedicated owners' Facebook page.
Event: End of Season Party Time: 7–11pm
*All events are of course subject to change, government guidance, and some are weather permitting.
Dates
for your diary
Outdoor Cinema Every Friday from 8pm Grab the popcorn and a blanket and join us for our brand new outdoor cinema sessions. Live every Sunday at 8pm, there will be a new film shown each week. Please head to Guest Services to find out which movie will be shown.
...for effortless investing Investment Purchasing With the arrival of our latest parks from Aria Resorts we are pleased to be able to introduce some investment buying options, giving you the opportunity to benefit from the UK holiday property market with a fixed 7% NET return for a period of 3 or 5 years. Prices for investment properties start from just £155,000 for a brick-built cottage on the Isle of Wight; or you could choose one of our stunning boutique barns at Retallack Resort & Spa, where we are offering an up to £10,000 stamp duty contribution on selected properties until 18th September.* * Terms and conditions apply, please enquire for full details.
Investment Buying at a Glance
• Handsfree investment
• Fixed annual return of 7% per annum**
• Meets qualifying Furnished Holiday Let criteria for tax purposes during investment period†
• Properties built to ICW standards and sold with a 10-year structural warranty^
• Capital appreciation potential
• Up to 999-year lease
• Pensionable income
• Mortgageable^^
To find out more about investment purchasing visit: www.awayresorts.co.uk/holiday-homes/buy-tolet/investment/ or call 01637 882 402
• Choice of 3- or 5-year investment term
**The Away Resorts' investment option is available at selected resorts, on selected properties exclusively to qualifying investors for a period of 3 - 5 years. Terms and conditions apply. †We advise you to approach a specialist tax advisor to ensure you can make the most of your investment purchase. ^Available on Retallack properties only. ^^Subject to status. If you do not have a mortgage or finance provider, we may be able to introduce you to one. Your capital is at risk, and you may not get back the amounts you invest when you come to sell the property. Your property is at risk of repossession if you do not keep up your payments as they fall due.
Sizzling Summer Holidays If you fancy taking a quick break in a new location this summer or have friends and family still looking to book their family holiday, don’t forget you can all receive up to 10% off holidays at any of our 23 locations. Will you choose an Island escape to one of our 4 Isle of Wight retreats, a Welsh adventure where we have 2 parks to choose from; or maybe head to the Cornish coast with no less than 5 different parks at your disposal. With parks in some of the best locations across the UK there is plenty to discover. To get your discount just call: 0330 053 7000 and quote: •
OWNER10 – for you 10% owner discount
•
OWNFF – for your friends and family discount
Please note your discount needs to be applied at the time of booking.
Bulletin
Board
Walkies!
Pitch Improvements
When it’s time to take your pooch for a stroll around the park please make sure that you keep them on a lead.
If you are looking to enhance your pitch, please complete a pitch improvements form with Guest Services before any work is carried out.
Photo passes Stay in touch
If you haven’t organised your photo pass ready for Summer please do so as soon as possible. These can be obtained from Guest Services and will ensure you are “access all areas”!
If you need us for anything our Guest Services email address is merseaguestservices@awayresorts.co.uk
New shop! In other exciting news we have launched our new shop in Guest Services so please pop in to see our exciting new ranges including lots of local produce.
Pizza
Menu
Every Day 12pm – late 12" Margarita pizza only £9.95 12" Pepperoni Pizza only £10.95 Eat in or takeaway
Special
Offers
Don’t miss these Savvy Summer special offers* when you next visit your holiday home. *All offers are subject to availability, can be withdrawn at any time and can not be used in conjunction with any other offer
Tea-Time tipples 2 Cocktails from The Muddy Duck for £12 July 22nd – September 4th, Monday to Sunday, 3 – 5pm *Check venue opening days on park. 2 selected cocktails only. Over 18 only, ID may be required for purchase.
Have a hot drink on us! Pick up a loyalty card and get a free hot drink once you’ve collected 6 stamps *Seventh hot drink will be free once 6 stamps are obtained, cards must be redeemed by 31/12/22 and can not be rolled over to following year.
Lucky number 7 Cocktail Pick up a loyalty card and get a free cocktail once you’ve collected 6 stamps *Seventh hot drink will be free once 6 stamps are obtained, cards must be redeemed by 31/12/22 and can not be rolled over to following year.
Fancy a change of scene? Anything else to go here?
If you’ve tried out all the local restaurants, visited the most scenic beauty spots and enjoyed a pint in all the best bars around your holiday home; and are now hankering for something new, ask us about upgrading into a holiday home at one of our other parks. With 19 ownership locations, there are plenty to choose from! It may be possible for you to upgrade into a holiday home at a park which has additional facilities that you fancy having regular access to, has a little more peace and quiet; or that is in a location that you are desperate to explore. Just pop into your sales office and speak to the team who will be happy to help you explore all the opportunities. If you are happy where you are, but just fancy looking at a holiday home with an extra bedroom, perhaps an en-suite bathroom or a breakfast bar for lazy weekend brunches, we can help with that too! We can provide a personalised upgrade quote for you and talk you through your finance options, plus your new purchase will benefit from our warranty plus program!
Could this be your new holiday home? 2022 Swift Toronto
£250,000 If you are ready for the super luxe lifestyle this Summer, upgrade into the swanky Swift Toronto lodge on a beautiful seafront pitch. Foodies will be in heaven with the 5-burner gas hob with a central wok burner and a wine fridge close at hand! Keep the temperature just right with a wireless programmable thermostat and kick back and relax in the evening to enjoy your 40" TV from the comfort of your plush, freestanding sofa. This is the only lodge of this type available and is sold with our warranty plus package for your piece of mind. Have a chat with us about the finance options that we can offer to help you make this lifestyle change. • 40’ X 20’ • Two bedrooms • En-suite bathroom and family shower room • King size bed with lift up storage • Separate dressing room • Twin beds able to be made into a double • Integrated microwave and dishwasher • Luxury carpets with underlay • Loft style feature wall in hallway • Double USB sockets
Recommend a friend and get £500 off your pitch fees! Refer more friends and you could get up to £1000 account credit! Wouldn’t it be great if your friends owned a holiday home here too, to enjoy the park with and spend more quality time together! If you know anyone who would love it as much as you do, why not recommend them? If they go ahead and purchase a holiday home through us, completing within 12 months of your referral; we will give you an account credit of £500 as a big thank you! If you then recommend a second person you will get £750 account credit, and a third you will get £1000 account credit. We will make it really easy for you and your friend too, there is no hard sell here - just pop along with them to Holiday Home Sales and we’ll show them around the park, or ask them to call us on 01206 383252 and quote ‘I’ve been referred by (your name)’, or grab an Owners' Referral Form from us, fill it out and we’ll do the rest!