Today's challenge was 'Your Worst Holiday' and, while I've had one or two unusual holidaying experiences over the years, it was easy to find the source material for this. It happened all the way back in the mists of time in 1994 and it involved my first experience of a package holiday. It was enough to put me off them pretty much for good. With only 300 words to play with, I had to skimp a little on the details, but I hope you enjoy today's piece of creative non-fiction. As it turned out, this holiday would be pivotal in my joining the game industry and getting my first job as a game designer, but that's a story for another day!

“You’ve never been on a package holiday?” my girlfriend had asked me incredulously. “You have to! They’re great.”

So, at the age of 21, I skipped a week from University and signed up for a package holiday to Greece. The idea was simple; there were three four-star hotels, and a three-star Hotel, and you didn’t know which one you were going to get until you landed.

We got the three-star. 

Except, as time went on, I gradually began to question the immense generosity of the reviewer.

Maybe it was the beach covered with straggly grass. Maybe it was the herd of goats eating said straggly grass. Maybe it was the pool covered with leaves. Maybe it was the three legged Jack Russell that ruled the pool area with an iron paw.

Or maybe it was the hotel being several miles away from the nearest town and there only being two shuttle buses a day. Or maybe it was the fact that the room was in a basement and that the plumbing was deeply questionable. Or maybe it was the fact that it was the first week of the holiday season and the bar wouldn’t open until the following week. 

Possibly it was the sheer range of cuisine on offer (“You want lamb and chips?”, “Well, what are the other options?”, “Lamb. And chips”). Possibly it was the fact that the butter served at breakfast was green with mold and had an expiry date from a year earlier. Possibly it was the cockroaches the size of small kittens.

Whatever the reason, it was the worst holiday experience ever.

I staged a mutiny on the first morning and we were subsequently all moved to somewhere far better. But, while I’ve forgotten the name of the hotel, I’ll never forget that one day.