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Before you travel
Honeymoons and special occasions
The nature of our carefully selected properties makes many of them particularly suitable for special occasions. Should you have any specific requests, such as champagne, please discuss them with us when making your reservation. We can also suggest different itineraries or combinations of villas and hotels to help you celebrate your special occasion.
Club Class upgrades
For those wishing to travel in extra comfort, it is usually possible to upgrade to Club Class travel, when travelling on the scheduled flights of Easy Jet and Iberia Airlines. This is subject to availability and the supplement applicable will be confirmed at the time of booking.
Chauffeur drive to your UK departure airport
We can arrange a stress-free journey to and from most UK airports from as little as £70 return, if you live within 30 miles of the airport. A uniformed chauffeur will drive you in a comfortable saloon car and help you with your luggage. You’ll be telephoned the day before departure to confirm your pick-up time.
Additional airport services
In conjunction with our partners Holiday Extras we can offer a comprehensive pre-departure service including car parking, airport hotels and use of VIP airport lounges at many UK departure airports.
You may wish to book direct via our website link www.simpsontravel.com/links.htm and then click on the Holiday Extras logo. Alternatively, our sales team will be happy to reserve any of these facilities (subject to availability). Please note that payment for any Holiday Extras must be made at the time of booking.
Airport Parking
Choose from many car parks ‘on and off airport’ at most airports across the UK. Prices start from £4.00 per day across the UK. Prices start from £4.00 per day.
Airport Hotels
Stay overnight, before you fly at one of 104 hotels at 23 airports, many with parking facilities.‘Stay and Park’ prices start from £25.50 per person.
VIP Airport Lounges
Relax before your flight by prebooking an airport lounge and enjoy first-class comfort. All drinks (except champagne), snacks and newspapers are included from just £17.50 per person. Please note
that some airport lounges may have age restrictions for children.
In Andalucía & Mallorca
Our overseas assistance
Arrivals on Fridays at Málaga and Palma Airports will be assisted by our local team between 10:00 and 18:30 from 30 March to 26 October only. If you are arriving outside these hours, on an alternative day or at an alternative airport, you will not be met by a member of our local team, but you will receive the relevant information in advance with your travel documents. In addition, our representatives will only be a phone call away.
Having seen the strains on most airports at weekends, we have decided to ‘beat the crowds’ and make our villa changeover day a Friday. We can however be more flexible with the arrival date for clients staying in our selection of hotels and for villas booked from mid October to mid May.
Information guides
We provide in each of our self-catering properties and many of out hotels in Andalucía & Mallorca, a specially prepared folder containing extensive information about your accommodation, your area and Spain in general. It also contains contact numbers for local assistance and for our overseas representatives. Information guides are not provided in the hotels we feature in Antequera, Baeza, Córdoba, Granada, Osuna & Seville.
Restaurant recommendations/bookings
All our information guides will provide information about local restaurants to enjoy during your stay. If you would like help with restaurant bookings during, or even before, your holiday please do not hesitate to ask.
Complimentary welcome pack
At your self-catering property a complimentary starter pack of provisions will be provided. This will be a ‘startup’ supply of items such as tea, coffee, sugar, UHT milk, water, fruit juice and a bottle of wine. We will also include additional items depending on the availability of local produce.
Premier welcome hamper
In addition to your complimentary welcome pack, we can also provide a premier welcome hamper at a
supplement to your holiday cost. The exact contents of this upgraded hamper will vary from property to property. Details are available from our UK travel consultants who are able to arrange this service up to 2 weeks prior to departure.
Please note that this service is on request and subject to availability, depending on the location of your holiday property, the day/time of your arrival and the facilities we have available overseas.
Chilled Spanish Cava on arrival
Let us know if you would like us to arrange for a bottle of quality dry Spanish Cava to be chilled and waiting for you on your arrival at your villa – the perfect way to start your holiday. We can provide well-known brands such as Freixenet and Codorníu for £20 per bottle. This service can be arranged up to 2 weeks prior to departure.
Booking your holiday
To discuss your holiday to Mallorca or Andalucía
please call us on 0208 392 5853
A member of our specialist team will check the availability and dates of your selected accommodation and discuss your requirements with you.
Our office hours are 9.00am – 5.30pm from Monday to Friday and 10.00am – 2pm on Saturdays (during certain periods our hours will be extended to 4pm).
If these hours are not convenient to you, we will endeavour to call you at a more suitable time. Please note that the office will be closed on Sundays, statutory Bank Holidays and from 1.00pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
In order to secure the property of your choice, we advise you to book as early as possible. Hotels in Córdoba, Granada and Seville are popular from March to June and from September to November. Accommodation and flights during the school holidays are particularly popular, so it is advisable to consider a second choice.
Placing an option
In order to let you co-ordinate your holiday arrangements with friends and family, we may be able to hold an option for your choice of accommodation for a short time before you confirm your booking with us. In this case you will be given an option number as a reference. Please note we cannot hold off options for long, as this unfairly restricts availability for other customers.
Checklist for making a booking
To enable us to assist you efficiently, please have the following details ready when you call us:
- Preferred dates and times of travel
- Number of adults, children (2 – 11 years inclusive)
and infants in the party
- Accommodation required (and any preferred alternatives)
- Flights and car hire required
- Correct names exactly as printed in your passports,
for booking of all flights
- Age of all children on date of travel
- Details of any special dietary/mobility requirements
for flights and hotels if applicable
- Details of any special requests that you may have
(car upgrades, cots & highchairs, child car seats, double/twin bed, rooms on lower floor etc)
- Details of your own travel insurance (including the
policy number, name of insurance company and 24 hour emergency telephone number) in the event you opt not to take out our insurance.
- Credit/debit card details for deposit or balance, and for
authorisation of your villa security deposit if
appropriate.
Paying for your holiday
Booking confirmation and deposit
In order to confirm your booking a deposit of at least £125 per person is required. If we have to buy in flight seats for your booking, we will ask you to pay an increased deposit to cover the costs of the flight in addition to the £125 per person deposit. The exact amount will be quoted to you at the time of booking and this payment will be non-refundable. Furthermore, at this stage we need to take payment if you take out our travel insurance.
Unless specifically requested, we do not issue a receipt for deposit payments. This will be shown on your confirmation invoice, normally sent to you within 7 days of receipt of the deposit.
Balance payments
The balance payment for your holiday must be paid at least 8 weeks prior to your departure (or at the time of booking your holiday if your departure date is within this period). The date this payment is due will be on your confirmation invoice.
Please be advised that we do not issue reminders for this payment.
Payment methods
We accept debit cards (Maestro, Switch and Delta), personal cheques and credit cards (MasterCard, Visa & American Express*). All payments made by credit card will be subject to a 2% charge, reflecting our incurred costs (*except payments made by American Express, which are subject to a 3% charge).
For payments by cheque, please make cheques payable
to Simpson Travel and remember to write the booking
reference number on the back.
If you are sending a cheque, we will request your debit/ credit card details as security to hold the reservation, until receipt of payment. The cheque should reach us within 5 working days at 44 Sheen Lane, East Sheen, London, SW14 8LP.
Final documentation
Your travel documents, including your airline tickets, car hire voucher, driving directions (if applicable) and itinerary will be sent to you at least two weeks prior to your departure.
Please check them thoroughly and advise us
immediately if there are any discrepancies.
Pricing your holiday
Holiday prices can be found on each individual property page.
All flight-inclusive prices are per person for 3, 7 or 14 nights and vary according to how many people are travelling (excluding infants).
Self-catering holidays (inclusive of accommodation, flights and car hire)
Two-week holidays: if you are booking a two-week holiday in one of our properties which crosses two date bands, please take the applicable ‘14 night’ price from each date band, add them together and then divide by two.
Twin-centre holidays: take the 14-night price per person based on the arrival date at each property, add them together and divide by two.
Hotel holidays (inclusive of accommodation, flights and car hire)
Take the ‘3 night’ price for applicable for your first stay (based on the date of departure from the UK). Then add to this all subsequent ‘extra nights’ (at the same or additional hotels) at the rate for your actual stay.
Combining Self-catering and Hotel holidays
Take the 7-night price per person based on the arrival date at your chosen self-catering property and then add the hotel ‘extra night’ price based on the dates of your stay. Please note that there is a £25 per booking administration fee for all multi-centre holidays.
Accommodation only
For most of our self-catering properties we have given a total weekly price for the accommodation, excluding flights and car hire. We can also offer ‘Accommodation Only’ at all hotels and villas, even where an ‘Accommodation Only’ price is not specified. Please contact us for a quotation.
Extra car hire/transfer costs for 2 centre holidays
Please note that if car hire is not include in the cost of
the two properties then as additional transfer cost will
be applicable
Your self-catering holiday price includes:
- Accommodation for the guests named on your invoice
- Complimentary welcome pack
- The assistance of our local representatives
- The use of our specially prepared information book in
your accommodation
- Government and local taxes
If you book a flight and car hire inclusive villa holiday, the price also includes:
- Return flights from the UK to Spain (subject to
possible flight supplements – see Flight Information)
- An air-conditioned car and road map or transfers, as indicated
- Air Passenger Duty, Spanish and UK airport taxes
Your self-catering holiday price does not include:
- Accommodation for guests not named on your invoice
and guests exceeding the maximum occupancy
- Any breakages, damage, losses, extra cleaning or
outstanding accounts which have occurred during your stay
- Visas for non-EU passport holders
- Holiday Travel Insurance
Your hotel holiday price includes:
- Hotel(s) accommodation with breakfast for the guests
named on your invoice
- Return flights from the UK to Spain (subject to possible
flight supplements – see Flight Information)
- An air-conditioned car and road map or transfers, as indicated
- The assistance of our local representatives
- The use of our specially prepared information book in
your accommodation
- Government and local taxes
- Air Passenger Duty, Spanish and UK airport taxes
Your hotel holiday price does not include:
- Accommodation or breakfast for guests not named on
your invoice
- Additional extras in the hotel e.g. meals and bar
- Visas for non EU passport holders
- Holiday Travel Insurance
Guests travelling alone
Please ask us for a quotation on any of our holidays if you are travelling alone. Please note that many of the hotels we feature may not offer single rooms, so often a double room is given for single occupancy and a supplement will apply. We will advise you of applicable prices and room types at the time of booking.
Children/infants
Whether you are travelling with an infant, small child or teenager we will be happy to advise you on the suitability of your chosen accommodation.
Infants: An infant is a child that is under 2 years of age on the date of return travel. There is a charge of £50 per infant on all our holidays. Cots and high chairs are provided free of charge in our self-catering properties. However, some hotels may charge for cots and we will advise you of any extra costs at the time of booking.
Child concession: Please note that we pay the same price for a villa or apartment irrespective of whether it is being occupied by adult only or adult and children. However we try to be as flexible as possible and offer child concessions at selected properties, as indicated on the relevant price pages, on flight-inclusive holiday prices as follows:
25% in season A
10% in season B
5% in season C
The ‘child’ concession rates above apply to children from 2–11 years inclusive.
Please also note that many hotels offer reduced rates for children if they share the same room as their parents. Please us ask for a quotation on your chosen hotel.
Travel insurance
We require that all our guests have comprehensive travel insurance when they travel, and we strongly recommend that this is taken out at the time of booking your holiday, to cover you for certain cancellation charges.
Please click here for details of our comprehensive travel insurance (arranged through AXA). Please add the applicable premium to your deposit payment if taking out our insurance. If you choose not to take out our insurance policy you must provide us with the full details of your own policy at the time of booking, or before you travel.
Please note that certain travel insurance offered via credit cards is not comprehensive, so please ensure you are fully covered before you travel.
EHIC card
All UK residents can apply for an EHIC card (formerly known as an E111), entitling you to some medical treatment at certain hospitals at a reduced or zero cost when temporarily visiting an EU country. You can apply for a card free of charge via their website www.ehic.org.uk or by calling 0845 606 2030. You can also pick up an application form from the Post Office. Please note however that it is essential that you take out comprehensive travel insurance to cover you for medical emergencies.
Passports/visas
It is your responsibility to be in possession of a valid passport with the expiry date at least 6 months after your return travel date) and of any necessary visas. EU citizens do not need a visa to travel to Spain. If you are a non-EU citizen then you should check with your own embassy for the entry/re-entry requirements necessary for your journey.
Please note: children not on an accompanying parent’s passport before October 1998 are now required to hold their own passport if they are under 16 years old.
If you do not yet have a passport, it is recommended that you should apply for one at least six weeks before your holiday. The UK passport office has to confirm your identity before issuing your first passport and they will ask you to attend an interview to do this.
Foreign Office advice before you travel
If you’re worried that political unrest or a natural disaster may affect the safety of the country you are visiting, then please check with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) or ask your ABTA travel agent. The FCO telephone number is 0870 606 0290. You can also view the FCO website at www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo for essential travel advice and information.
Your security – ABTA/ATOL bonding
Simpson Travel is a member of ABTA (membership number W5698) and we also hold an ATOL license (number 5858). As such we are fully bonded according to ABTA’s rules and abide by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. In order to ensure that the monies you pay for your holiday are protected we will issue a confirmation invoice showing the details of the services that you have booked including the price and the amount of money paid by you. You should check these details carefully and contact Simpson Travel (or your travel agent) immediately if there are any discrepancies. Please see www.abta.com for a copy of the Guide to ABTA’s Scheme of Financial Protection.
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