Booking Conditions

The air holidays, which are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority, are operated by Western Oriental Travel T/A Tropical Locations (ATOL 6094)*. To secure your holiday you will need to forward a deposit of 10% of the holiday price or £250 per person, whichever is greater or any higher deposit that may be applicable to your holiday. We will then send you our official confirmation/ account. Upon receipt, kindly ensure yourself that the holiday requirements and the names listed are correct. On receipt of this you should ensure yourself that the holiday requirements and the details are correct. If you do have any special requests these should have been detailed in writing to us. The company will try to ensure these are met, however they cannot be guaranteed. If the booking has been made through a travel agent all communications will be made through that agent. The confirmation account will detail the balance due date. This will be ten weeks prior to departure. When bookings are made within ten weeks full payment will be required. If the holiday has been booked through a travel agent all monies paid by the clients to the travel agent, are held by the travel agent as an agent of the company. If your holiday has been booked direct with the company all correspondence will be sent to the lead name. It will be assumed that the signatory is authorised to act on behalf of all passengers named. Travel documents will be despatched approximately 14 days before departure.

*ATOL protection only applies to residents of the United Kingdom, excluding Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS

We accept payment for deposit or balance by credit card, but charge an additional 2.5%.

ESSENTIAL HOLIDAY INSURANCE

It is a condition of booking that all clients have adequate travel insurance. Most clients have this as part of a yearly plan. Our expertise does not extend into insurance matters so please contact the Institute of Insurance Brookers www.iib-uk.com or 01933 410003 for independent professional advice. Insurance should at very least be applicable from date of booking, be valid throughout the holiday duration and financially cover any probable loss through cancellation or amendment.

SEAT BELT PROVISION OR REQUIREMENT

Some destinations have even more rigid regulations than the EC, but with most tropical areas seat belts are not a requirement. Even when they do apply it may only be for front seat drivers/ passengers only. Seat belts for children are rarely provided.

EXCHANGE RATES

For your guidance, the following exchange rates have been used to the £: US$1.98, HK$14.50, Sing$2.75, Thai Baht 55, Mauritius Rupee 50. For other currencies US$ have been used.

HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS

All of the resorts and destinations shown in this brochure can be offered on a year round basis although seasonal variances do apply. These are summarised on the relevant pages. You will note that some of the lower prices and extra value offers apply in the quieter months, when the climate may not be so consistent. During the quieter months hotels may decide to reduce facilities in line with anticipated occupancy (e.g. closure of restaurant/re-painting of pool etc). Equally in the busier months you should expect a livelier atmosphere with more demands placed on the facilities and the attentions of the staff. This can be particularly evident at times of school holidays when even a quiet hotel can have a sudden change in noise levels. The larger hotels, with well promoted kids clubs, might be worth avoiding if this is likelyto disturb you.

The UK is probably not in the best position to be critical about someone else’s heath and hospital facilities. In the Far East you will find the larger cities and hotels have good medical facilities, as with Mauritius. In the smaller or more remote islands or resorts, expect the facilities to be more basic.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON AVAILABILITY, PRICING AND SEASONAL SUPPLEMENTS

All price guides are based on contract hotel and airline rates. Some may have limited availability (for example an airline might offer us a promotional fare, but will limit the number of seats available to just 10% of the economy cabin, so maybe just 20 seats fought over by as many as 80 tour operators). It can, and does happen. Up sell fares – same seat, more availability, higher fare – are becoming more common, and these may be advanced for your consideration. As a general rule the months of May/June and September offer the best value as these are when the hotel and airline rates tend to be at their lowest.

Air fares are at their highest in the period July/August. This is primarily due to demand, and is not influenced specifically by weather patterns. Indeed for the Caribbean, Mauritius and much of the Far East, these are two of the most inconsistent months weather wise. Against this, many of the resorts mentioned above offer attractive hotel rates and extra value offers in these months.

BUILDING WORK

Unlike Europe, many of the tropical areas do not have stringent laws on building works. Whilst many hoteliers will act responsibly on this, the same would probably not apply to a private residence set aside a hotel. Unfortunately we have no control over such erections or the notice given – if any. You should expect to see a high level of building work in the major cities of the Far East and in Dubai where a substantial building programme is in progress.

DATA PROTECTION POLICY

In order for us to process your booking we do need to store and record your information, including data as supplied. This may include transfer of such information outside of the European Economic Area to parties involved in the arrangements of your holiday.

Equally we do use such information for updating our mailing list and from time to time you may receive travel related information from us. By signing this form you consent to our use of this information. Please note that only a client intending to travel (and authorised to accept the Tropical Locations Booking Conditions on behalf of all persons travelling) may sign the Booking Form. No other signatures can be accepted nor may any reservation be regarded as confirmed until the issue by Tropical Locations of the appropriate confirmation and invoice.

WATER SPORTS AND SWIMMING

Whilst some of the beaches closer to hotels may have lifeguards, many, and particularly those more isolated, will not, so you are personally responsible for your own safety. Please take local guidance as applicable on seasonal currents or restricted areas. Virtually all beaches are public. When water sports are provided this will be in accordance with the arrangements supplied by the hotels. Some restrictions or limited liability may apply. You may be asked to demonstrate your competence prior to usage. It will be assumed all clients partaking in any water sports, be it in the sea or pool, are able to swim. All water sports are provided subject to favourable weather conditions. Be guided by local advice on tidal and seasonal patterns and be aware of area markings. Items such as Para sailing, jet ski hire, and horse riding, are rarely provided by the hotels, and would be strictly at your own risk. We strongly suggest that you use the facilities only provided by the hotels rather than casual beach vendors whose equipment is frequently and deliberately faulty and carries no insurance liability.

Please read the hotel safety regulations which are generally in your room. This can particularly apply to fire regulations and procedure. Just as in your own home, you are the custodian of your own and your family’s welfare. Please be cautious with younger children near lifts, balconies and of course swimming pools. Please check that when extra beds or similar have been provided they satisfy your safety needs prior to use. When Eco adventures tours are provided, either on land or sea, these are arranged subject to local health and safety regulations. The term adventure would imply there is some risk, some may even consider it essential to their enjoyment. Please satisfy yourself on your capability prior to commencement. Again on arrangements at sea or in water, it will be assumed you are able to swim.

FLIGHT DELAYS

We only use the services of scheduled airlines, and these act fairly and responsibly in the event of their flights being delayed. Whilst their reactions can differ depending on individual circumstances, it is usual that if flights are delayed by over 4 hours refreshments are offered, and longer delays can also result in overnight accommodation if applicable. This can depend on the availability of these facilities, and immigration rulings. When long flight delays result in lost holiday time, no refunds are given by the hotels as the rooms are held for your eventual arrival and are not re-let. Most travel insurance will offer some compensation for flight delays, but this does differ from policy to policy and circumstances.

Under EU law you have rights in some circumstances in case of flight delay. Full details are publicised at EU airports. However reimbursement of the flight content may not entitle you to a full refund of holiday costs as other factors need to be considered.

CANCELLATION BY YOU

Any cancellation by the client must be advised to the company in writing, signed by the same person as the booking form. Cancellation will only take effect from the day the written cancellation is received. We suggest advice is sent by recorded delivery. For security reasons cancellations cannot be accepted over the telephone. Upon receipt the following charges will be levied and are payable by the clients.

The scale shows the days prior to departure:

% of HOLIDAY PAYABLE
Up to 70 days prior Deposit Forfeit
43-69 days prior 40%
31-42 days prior 75%
30 days prior and under 100%

In some cases we will have used special promotional air fares which require instant ticketing . In such cases the full holiday amount will be collected at time of booking documents issued and no refund thereafter permitted.