Holidays General information

ABTA
Travel a la Carte is a Member of ABTA (number V2429). ABTA and ABTA Members help holidaymakers to get the most from their travel and assist them when things do not go according to plan. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. We have lodged a bond with ABTA which means that you are financially protected when you buy a package holiday from us. For further information about ABTA, the Code of Conduct and the arbitration scheme available to you if you have a complaint, please see www.abta.com.

Advance Bookings
If you wish to reserve specific accommodation for the following year, we are very happy to take provisional reservations in advance of publication of our prices. If while on holiday you wish to view a particular property, please ask our local representative if this is possible.

Animals
The cats and dogs in Greece are very often strays. Even those that are not are rarely looked after as they would be in England. On health grounds we therefore advise against physical contact with these animals, especially in the case of children. One or two of our house owners keep cats or dogs and if this is likely to disturb you, please mention it when booking. In addition, since many of our houses are in rural locations, encounters with local animals and insects, including rodents, are not uncommon. If this is likely to trouble you, please enquire when you discuss your booking with us.

Availability
Before sending off your booking form, please call us on 0207 316 1867 or email us to check availability and discuss which property and location best suit your requirements.

Our office hours are 09:00 – 18:00 Monday to Friday and 10:00 – 14:00 on Saturdays from January to August.

Boat Hire
On many islands, a boat is a very convenient and enjoyable way of getting around, being ideal for finding hidden coves and beachside tavernas. Generally speaking it is no longer necessary to book hire boats in advance but if you would like information on availability and cost, please let us know.

Booking and Payment
If you have reserved your chosen holiday by phone, you should immediately complete your booking form and send it to us together with your deposit and payment for extras where applicable. We should receive this deposit within five working days of reservation. We will then confirm your booking to you in writing.

The deposit for one- or two-week holidays is 25%. The balance of your holiday cost is payable eight weeks before departure. Those booking less than eight weeks before the departure date must pay the total amount on booking.

Please note that payment by debit card incurs no charge but we charge two percent for payments by credit card (three percent for AMEX).

Booking Alterations
There is a charge of £30 for each alteration made to cover administrative costs (see Booking Conditions).

Breakages
We ask for local breakage deposits only at a small selection of our properties. In general, if there are any breakages during your stay, please report them, even minor ones, to our representatives and agree a suitable replacement cost before your departure. This ensures that guests coming after find the villa properly equipped.

Car Hire
Please ask us for details of prices and vehicles available. Cars can be booked in advance on Corfu, Paxos and Skiathos.

Car parking and airport hotels
Many of our flights have early morning departures, to avoid delays and ensure onward connection to outlying islands the same day, If you wish to stay overnight at a hotel near your airport, let us know and we can quote you for overnight accommodation and car parking while you are away.

Children

High chairs can be provided in our accommodation at a cost of £15 per week.

When choosing a holiday for the family, you may wish to consider the facilities available to younger members of the group. Our UK staff will be pleased to offer advice on the suitability of each of our destinations and properties for children of all ages.

Most facilities and amenities are within close proximity and children can be watched easily from the tavernas – relaxing for the parents.

As the children get older, they may want something more than snorkelling or a fishing net. On Corfu there are windsurfing and dinghy sailing at Avlaki near Aghios Stephanos, watersports at Kaminaki and Barbati and boat hire facilities near all our properties. Scuba diving is also available and there is a good golf course in the Ropa Valley.

On Paxos there are watersports and windsurfing in Lakka Bay, close to Loggos and twenty minutes’ drive from Gaios. In addition you can take the express boats to Anti-Paxos to swim at the island’s fine sandy beaches. Skiathos is famous for its sandy beaches and offers a variety of watersports. Tennis courts are also available for public use.

Currency
The official currency of Greece is now the euro. As the UK is not in the euro zone, the sterling value against the euro will vary on the foreign currency markets. As a rough guideline, and for a quick conversion, the euro is now (8/10/09) worth 92p. If you pay for purchases with a debit or credit card, your account will be debited by the sterling equivalent of the euro and you may have to pay a bank handling charge. You should bear in mind that the larger denomination notes have a very high value, eg a 500 euro note is worth £460, so you may wish to carry only lower value notes. You will, of course, be able to take euro travellers’ cheques.

If you would like more information you can speak to your bank or consult the travel pages of the Foreign Office website www.fco.gov.uk or the European Central Bank website at www.euro.ecb.int.

Driving to Greece
If you wish to drive to Greece, you should allow around two to three days for the journey by car from the UK. If you do not wish to drive the entire distance, a motorrail service operates between a terminal in Belgium and Milan in Italy. There are car ferries from Venice, Ancona Bari and Brindisi to Corfu and Igoumenitsa on the mainland.

Extra Beds
Some properties have space to accommodate an extra person. If there is no divan bed available, we can supply a put-up bed for this extra person. Extra beds are usually set up in a sitting room, with no hanging or shelf space. There is a charge for an extra bed which you will be told of on booking.

Flight Information
The Internet is a wonderful tool for people to use to purchase flights to all our destinations – it has been one of the real revolutions of the last few years. Not too long ago you were obliged either to book your flights through a travel agency or to book a whole package with a tour operator, which quite often tied you into 7 or 14 nights only and arriving and departing on certain days of the week. With the advent of the internet and the arrival of budget airlines, this has all changed: we can all now book our own flights directly on the web and, for many destinations, choose when we arrive, when we depart and how long we stay.

Here at Travel a la carte we soon realised that the seat prices our customers could obtain directly from the airlines were better than anything we were able to offer and therefore decided that it would be in our clients’ best interests if they booked their flights directly on the Internet. However, while we no longer sell flights, we retain great expertise in the flight market and are very happy to advise and assist our customers in their search for the best and most convenient travel arrangements. Just ask any of our staff and we can point you to the best websites to check for flights for a particular island and thereby get the best prices.

Food Hampers
For bookings of the full Meet and Greet Service we provide a welcome pack in your accommodation, to provide immediate supplies before you can venture out to the shops. It varies from island to island but usually includes bread, water, yoghurt, tea, coffee, sugar, marmalade, butter, biscuits, wine, beer, milk, fruit juice, toilet paper, washing up liquid and sponge.

Foreign Office Travel Advice
Up-to-date information about your holiday destination and advice for British citizens travelling abroad is available from the Foreign Office. Contact the Travel Advice Unit, Consular Division, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Old Admiralty Building, London SW1A 2PA (tel: 0870 606 0290, fax: 020 7008 0155) or visit the website at FCO website. The advice is also on BBC2 ceefax page 470 onwards.

Health and Inoculations
At the time of going to print, inoculations are not required for travel to the Greek Islands. Should this become necessary for any reason, we will notify you before you travel.

Insurance
Everyone travelling with us should be insured.

Travel à la carte recommends insurance cover arranged by travel insurance specialists Travel & General Insurance Services Limited, this scheme offers excellent cover at a very competitive price, and includes Missed Connection Cover, a special feature covering additional expenses arising from a missed boat or ferry connection due to strikes, adverse weather conditions and other causes.

Please note this Travel Insurance is only available to those travelling from and to the United Kingdom.

Linen
Linen and bath towels are included in the holiday price. Linen is changed weekly, except at Villa Laza and Laza Penthouse on Symi, where linen is changed every other day. Towels for the pool or beach are not provided.

Maid Service
The frequency of maid service on the various islands is as follows:

Corfu: three days a week.

Skiathos and Symi: twice a week (six times at the Villa Laza and Laza Penthouse on Symi)

Paxos: three days a week.

Villas must be vacated by 10:00 on the morning of departure, to allow the accommodation to be cleaned before the next guests arrive.

Medical Care
In the unlikely event of one of your party having an accident or falling ill, the medical care available in Greece is now generally of a good standard. Also, increasingly, medical staff are able to speak English. There are doctors on all our islands and their details can be found in the Information Books in our accommodation.

Money
The local currency is now the euro, in which most payments have to be made. More and more retailers and restaurants are accepting credit cards but payment by this method should not be taken for granted, especially on the smaller islands.
All our islands have bureaux de change or tourist offices where travellers’ cheques and sterling can be exchanged for eurosand have at least one ATM where cash can be withdrawn.

Noise
In Greece, the working day starts early in the morning and finishes late at night, with local people travelling to and from work by car, moped and motorcyles, which are noisy. Greek youngsters increasingly regard motorcycles as a status symbol and when riding them do little to control the noise they make, even at night.
Machines aside, those who travel to Greece regularly will be familiar with countryside noises from animals such as donkeys, cockerels and dogs. These can start their clamour annoyingly early in the day. And while none of our houses is next to a bar or disco, the sound of the music does travel on the night air and will be heard in some accommodation. In addition, the locals may organise musical events without warning which can prove noisy.

If you are especially concerned about noise, please mention this at the time of booking.

A note on building work. There is increasing pressure on owners to renovate and improve their properties on the islands, and this can lead to building work, sometimes noisy, being started without warning near any of our properties. We will of course endeavour to advise you as soon as possible if such work should begin near the accommodation you have chosen. The quietest time of day in Greece is siesta time between 14:30 and 17:30.

Office Hours
Our office hours are 09:00 – 18:00 Monday to Friday and 10.00 – 14:00 on Saturdays (January - August). Tel: 0207 316 1867

Party Size
The number of persons stipulated by you on the booking form must not be exceeded without our agreement and, if further persons do stay, additional payment must be made. Our villas and apartments may also be booked by parties smaller than those indicated. Please enquire for prices.

Passports and Visas
British citizens will need a full 10 year UK passport to travel to Greece. Children (including infants) not already included on their parents’ passports require their own passport if they are travelling abroad. The name and initial on your airline ticket must correspond with the name on your passport. The Passport Office has a website www.ukpa.gov.uk and helpline 0870 521 0410.

If you do not currently possess a British or EC passport, contact the Greek Consulate (020 7221 6467) to enquire whether a visa is required.

Prices
Prices for ‘Tailor made’ holidays include the components of the holiday as booked and listed on your confirmation invoice.

Problems
We do all we can to ensure everything is right for your arrival and the facilities and service during your stay give no cause for complaint. However, if there should be something you find unsatisfactory, please inform our local representative immediately. He or she is there to help, inform and put things right. Please do not wait until your return to lodge any complaint. We can do nothing if our local representative has not been informed.

Representatives
We are proud to have a hard-working team of representatives throughout the islands, who look after our clients with great care. They are familiar with the resorts and have much local knowledge. They will give you very sound advice and, in the event of an emergency, will be there to help. They will not intrude upon your time (or try to sell you anything) but you can be assured of their assistance when needed.

Second or Further Holidays in the same year
Anyone who books a second or third holiday with us in the same year is then eligible for a discount. This discount will be calculated as being equal to 10% off the lowest priced holiday they have booked.

Single Travellers
A number of our properties in Greece are suitable for people travelling on their own.

Tenancy Times
On the day of arrival, our properties cannot normally be occupied before 13:00 local time. Clients are kindly asked to vacate their accommodation by 10:00 on the day of departure. We have to ask you to leave at this time even if you are travelling on a late return flight. In such cases our local staff will, if desired, endeavour to make arrangements for your luggage to be looked after and, where possible, a shower to be made available for your use.

Transfer Information
We offer a full Meet & Greet service on Paxos and a limited service on our other islands. The full service includes someone to meet you on arrival at the airport, the arrangement of all transport and luggage transfers to the villa along with a Welcome Food Hamper on arrival and then, at the end of the holiday, the organising of all your return transfers back to the airport. This service is particularly useful on a ‘harder to reach’ island such as Paxos, as it relieves you of all worries about reaching and returning from your destination once in Greece - especially useful in the peak summer months, when local transport can be busy and fully booked. Please ask for details of this service when you are booking.

Two-centre Holidays
Clients travelling to islands close to each other can divide their holiday, spending a week or more in each.

Villas
Those visiting the Greek islands for the first time should not expect to find the same standard of furnishings and fittings as they enjoy at home. The difference in the climate dictates differences in the way of life.

Greeks spend most of their time outside in the sunshine and warm air, so their houses have much simpler and more functional furniture. Greeks tend to relax with friends sitting at the table over a good meal and a glass of wine, not round the fire on upholstered suites, so Greek sitting rooms are more like English dining rooms, insofar as there can be a comparison.

There is a similar contrast in kitchen equipment. All our villas and kitchens have a fridge and cooking facilities, and are adequately equipped with linen, crockery, glassware and cutlery. Most villas also have electric kettles, toasters and irons. A certain number of cool boxes are also available for clients’ use.

Each villa has hot and cold running water and a bathroom or shower room. Almost all bathrooms have a shower (mostly hand-held) and not a bath. In one or two villas the water is heated by solar power and the supply of hot water can depend on the supplies of sunshine.

Water
We do not recommend Greek tap water for drinking. You should buy bottled mineral water. Water in general is a precious commodity on the Greek islands, as most have virtually no rainfall during the summer months. The inhabitants depend entirely on storing the winter rain. When that runs out, water has to be bought at considerable expense. Water shortage may result in low water pressure in showers and taps. If there is an acute shortage of water on our islands, we will do all we can to ensure that our clients do not suffer. It should be realised, however, that this is largely out of our control.

A note on salt water. On Paxos, some houses rely on the local public supply of brackish water (a mixture of salt and sweet water) for flushing the lavatories. Occasionally the supply can be interrupted by the authorities for repairs or other reasons.

Your Needs
Everyone is an individual, every family has different needs. We pride ourselves on our ability to suggest and organise the right holiday, tailor-made to suit our clients. To help us with this, please ensure that you give us the most detailed information possible when booking. Tell us about your needs and expectations and we will do our best to provide the perfect holiday.