Bit of advice on setting up something?

lost_soul_4

Hi All,

I am in the process of setting up a resort on the Costa del Sol for use by guests with disabilities. Basically to cut a long story short I have been setting up the spanish side of things and a friend was setting up the british side. Unfortunately I have completed my side, but my friend has basically done nothing this end so I am going it alone.

Basically the resort is a pontins style resort with loads of activities and is geared up to provide respite and as much care assistance as required. I have been told that there are various bodies that provide funding for children to go on holidays. I have no marketing experience so this is a big learning curve for me.

I am sending information out to councils and special needs schools, but are there any other places I should target? Does anyone here get help with costs?

Its a fantastic resort and I really want to see it work so any advice would be greatly appreciated. If anyone wants to see the place its at adeptadventures dot co dot uk (I hope its ok to post the website - if not please let me know and I will remove it).

Thanks in advance

Darren

parapusher

It looks very good - out of my price range at the moment though. There are several disabled holidays websites, that I usually consult, e.g. http://www.accessatlast.com and http://www.disabledholidaydirectory.co.uk/ who you could contact. By the way, are the doorways in the wheelchair accessible apartments extra wide?

di3004

Hi there
Congratulations on this....:beer:

Just been checking on your website as well.:T

Will take another look.

But have you tried by also posting perhaps on autism sites, such as:
http://www.autism-awareness.org.uk/index.asp

and here:
http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=119

There is a site called yourable where lots of people with disabilities post on there here:
http://www.youreable.com/

It may be a good idea for you to maybe email the main one of the site first and see what they say.

I wish you all the luck.:beer:;)

Di

lost_soul_4

Hi Parapusher and di3004,

Yes the doorways are wider than standard doors. Unfortunately because of the poor exchange rate we cant drive the price down any further at this stage, but the cost includes carers, is fully inclusive and includes all the facilities (which are not fully listed). If the pound recovers the prices will come down.

Thanks for the links I will check them out.

Anyone recognise the resort? Formerly the set for 'Eldorado'!

skipsmum

looks good! Its not clear on the site, are you set up for groups or family units? (DS2 has a wheelchair).

lost_soul_4

Hi Skipsmum,

We aim to cater for all - groups or families. After speaking to carers we found that the major problem they have when using resorts like this in the UK was that everything was set up for children, and they also found it difficult interacting with families/groups without disabilities. We want to make it a place for everyone to enjoy and want to come back.
We intend to take groups of socially excluded children and young adults, but they will be restricted to certain weeks throughout the year.

I will make sure the site is changed to make it clearer.

Regards
Darren

covlass

As a mother of a child with learning difficulties and Autism we are always looking for some where suitable to go.

One problem we do have our daughter has sensory issue so lighting and acoustics of some rooms/buildings can cause anxiety. Just had a peak at the web site and it looks very nice, the dining area looks very large is there a smaller one? the reason I ask is the sound of lots of people chattering the cutlery & the plates could cause a sensory overload.

Trampoline (s) may be an idea if you could fit them in the grounds some where you would be suprised how many children with learning difficulties/autism etc use theses every day.

A sensory/white room I know lots of people of all ages with all types of disabilities would enjoy that type of thing.

Well done to you and your friend : )

PolishBigSpender

Are you aiming this exclusively towards the UK, or are you considering elsewhere in Europe too? My own country is probably useless for this sort of thing - but this sort of thing could be very popular in Germany, especially given that the Costa Del Sol is almost like Costa Del Deutschand at times.

I'd suggest marketing towards charities and social services too - these are the kind of people that can point people towards your resort. I'd also post on virtually every disability forum and website you can find - it's free and won't hurt a bit.

Personally speaking, I would get a landline number in the UK - a mobile just doesn't say 'professional resort'.

lost_soul_4

@ Covlass - next to the main restaurant is an additional smaller dining room which will be used if required. We also have trampolines and possibly a bouncy castle (depending on health and safety), both will be installed before we open in september.

@PolishBigSpender - at the moment we are targetting the UK market, to try for more at this early stage would be too much too soon. We have a large council that have just agreed in principle to start using the resort. We are also in talks the the British Legion and will hopefully make an agreement soon.
I agree about the phone number - I am waiting for a second line to be installed. I dont want to use my own landline number yet, but I agree a mobile doesnt look professional. I will be spending alot of time flying to and fro which is why I put the mobile number for now.

We want to target councils and large organisations primarily as they have more money to spend (the council we have been in talks with currently spends up to £1500 per week per child). If I can get some big long term contracts I can inflate the price slightly which would enable me to offer cheaper holidays for families and charities. Any profit I make will be put back into improving the resort. It may sound sentimental, but this is a chance to make a difference to alot of lives - and it was my fathers dream to see this happen.

asperger

i like the look of it but looking at what is included and i think you might need more for the kids to do because alot of children with disabilties can get bored really really easy, so a wide range of things for them to do might be what is needed.

lost_soul_4

Hi asperger,

There is just as much for kids to do as there is in an english resort. If they get bored of horse riding, boating, fishing, trampolines, quads and everything else outside (petting zoo, nature trails etc) then there are other activites such as the pools, the playground, the games room with a pool table, games consoles, the tv/cinema room, pottery lessons, spanish lessons, the internet area.....etc.

We cant please them all, but more things will be added as time goes on - we have 30 acres spare to work with.

Another important point is we want to provide a holiday for the carers as well as the guests (respite etc).

Plus dont forget local excursions. We have a very large boat which we will be using for sea fishing and dolphin/whale spotting.