Important information

At Thomson, we've made sure all you have to think about is where you want to go. All our air holidays are protected by ATOL and ABTA, so your trip is in safe hands.

Being part of ABTA means we have proven we promise high professional standards and superior choice, quality and service at fair prices. While the financial protection scheme ATOL lets you look forward to your holiday without worrying - even if something as obscure as a volcanic ash cloud gets in the way.

We're here for you

All You Need To Know

We have prepared some important information that’s designed to make your holiday decision easy.
Please read it carefully before you book, as it forms part of the contract between us.

Our Address

King’s Place, 12-42 Wood Street, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, KT1 1JY.

Minimum Age

We do not accept bookings made in the name of persons aged under 18 years old.

Holiday Insurance

It is a condition of booking that you take travel insurance which must be of at least equal standard to Crystal recommended insurance. You must either take the cover recommended by us or take out another policy offering at least the same or better cover (no liability will be accepted for the consequences of your travelling without adequate travel insurance).

Brochure & Website Accuracy

All information in the brochure is to the best of our knowledge and belief correct at the time of publication. However, we reserve the right to make changes to information contained within our brochure and will advise you of these changes at point of booking or when they are known to us. This advice will be limited to that which is fundamental to the contract or which we believe may affect the enjoyment of your holiday.

If any facility detailed in this brochure is essential to the enjoyment of your holiday, please advise us at the time of booking and we will try to advise you of the latest information. However, we are sure you will understand that at times certain advertised facilities may not be in operation and we may have no information or prior warning of such matters.

Photographs: Many pictures are included for their attractiveness and general relevance; those with specific notation refer to hotels or relevant features. Photographs of rooms represent the type of accommodation available, but not all rooms will be the same and room sizes, decor and furnishings will vary, particularly in older or historical buildings.

Tours and Cruises: Local conditions may demand a change to the amount of time spent in a town or resort or even eliminate a stop altogether.

Meal Service: Hoteliers may decide to change from buffet service to waiter service – or vice versa. We will inform you of this if we are advised in advance.

Artist's Impressions and Computer Generated Images

In some cases on this website we have had to use an artist's impression or a computer generated image of a hotel, apartment residence or chalet. This image will be an accurate representation of the property based upon the information available to us at the time of publication of this website.

Early and Late Season

Due to poor volume of support and unsettled weather conditions, it is often the case that advertised activities such as guided walks, barbecues and some excursions, will not be available. Similarly, some advertised resort and hotel facilities like swimming pools, cable cars, chair lifts, sporting activities, leisure facilities, etc. may not be in operation.

Excursions/Evening events: The advertised programme of events is dependent upon achieving a minimum number of participants and, therefore, some events may not always be available due to insufficient demand or, in some cases, adverse weather conditions.

Air Conditioning and Heating: Please note that hotels will not have air conditioning unless stated in the individual brochure description and it is not usually available early/late season. The hours/months of operation of the air conditioning and heating system remain at the discretion of the hotelier.

Flights: These may need to be consolidated due to low numbers at certain times. This may mean you have to travel at a different time or from another airport - often at short notice.

Recommended Venues

All ‘Recommended’ restaurants and other venues featured in this brochure which are not owned by Thomson are not under our direct control and have not been inspected by us. Therefore, any recommendation is merely an indication that these facilities have proved popular and are worthy of mention and are not a personal recommendation by Thomson Lakes & Mountains.

Resort Development & Local Events

The noise and inconvenience of building work inevitably seems worse on holiday. That is why our overseas staff keep us constantly informed about developments. Ask your travel agent for up-to-date information from our Reservations team. As the situation may change quickly at a local level, we can have no control over building schedules. We will, however, always do our best to tell you about any specific work going on near your accommodation if time allows before you go on holiday.

Events such as concerts, festivals, conferences, sporting events etc. may sometimes cause restricted access to resort amenities ie. roads, shops, bars & restaurants.

Special Requests

For any special requests consult your travel agent or the Thomson Reservations Department when you confirm your holiday booking. We shall always do our best to meet your requirements, but no guarantee is given, as this does not form part of our holiday contract with you, irrespective of the fact that details of the request may be found on your confirmation invoice. If, however, your request is essential to your holiday arrangements, please make this known at the time of booking in order that we can ascertain whether this is possible with our supplier. This will require us contacting the supplier and confirming the request to you in writing, for which there will be an administration charge of £35 if made over 56 days before departure or £50 if made within 56 days of departure.

Representation

We have at least one resident resort rep based in the majority of our destinations. For the few resorts where this is not the case, you will have the services either of a Thomson rep from a nearby resort or from an appointed local agent/hotelier who will give guidance and assistance. Details of an emergency contact number will be provided with your travel documents.

On holidays which involve a city destination, travel from the airport to the city and then on to your chosen resort will be planned by us and all tickets and itineraries will be provided. However, few city destinations are served by a rep.

Some resorts will not have a resident rep but a contact number is provided. You will be provided with all the information that you need including maps and in some cases a Summer Card to help you get around and see the area.

Holiday deposit

When you or your travel agent wish to confirm a booking you must pay the deposit of £130 per person (Europe) or £179 per person (USA/Canada), together with the insurance premium if required. The deposit payable on seat only bookings is £75 (Europe).Scheduled flights are non-refundable and require tickets to be issued immediately. To cover the costs associated with this, an additional deposit of up to £150 per person is payable.

Excursion/activities

If you intend to participate in any potentially hazardous activities, please check the details of your travel insurance to ensure you are covered beforehand. As with all adventure sports, you partake at your own risk and you may be required to sign a disclaimer prior to some activities. Any excursions or hazardous activity in which you partake locally, such as white water rafting, horse riding etc. are at your own risk and liability may not be covered under the terms of your travel insurance. Please check the details of your individual policy before participation.

Other excursion information

• Days of operation of excursions are sometimes subject to change which may occasionally mean that it may not be convenient or it may coincide with a weekly transfer day. Also excursions may be cancelled due to poor volume of support, or poor weather conditions. In such circumstances we will always try our best to offer alternatives locally but should this not be possible a full refund of the excursion cost will be paid
• Some excursions may involve a fairly lengthy journey for a relatively short time at the destination and we would therefore suggest you make enquiries before booking
• On some excursions the commentary may be conducted in several languages and an English speaking guide may not always be available
• The size of vehicle used will be dependent upon the number of passengers
• Entrance fees, road tolls, boat crossings and optional extras are not included in the excursion prices shown including 'free' excursions and are payable locally
• In the event of Sterling dropping significantly below our estimated exchange rates, Crystal must reserve the right to increase these costs at any time or to withdraw the excursion
• The prices detailed on the website may be higher or lower than resort prices due to exchange rates or special offers available locally at the time. However, should this be the case no refunds or extra costs are due on items pre-booked
• Please note that no refunds can be made except in the case of cancellation by the local operator
• If credit cards are used to book tours locally, a handling charge will be added at a percentage rate advised in resort

Currency

A small amount of foreign money can be very useful when you arrive abroad. In Slovenia, Sterling is widely accepted in banks, hotels and bureau de change.

Scottish and Northern Irish bank notes can cause confusion outside the UK. Should you wish to take any sterling abroad, it's probably best to take English Sterling notes.

Credit/Cash Cards - most major credit cards are widely accepted in most countries abroad and can often be used in automated cash dispensers with your usual PIN number. Most European countries also accept cash cards with Cirrus & Maestro using your existing PIN number. Credit cards are not widely used in Austria.

Noise

In early and late summer, resorts are less busy and, consequently, quieter. Italy, for example, is not an excessively noisy country, but traffic and other sounds can present problems in most places of the world today, particularly in cities. Also, as many lakeside resorts are serviced by a perimeter road around the lake, at busy times some traffic congestion and noise is inevitable. Make sure you read the resort and hotel descriptions carefully to help you identify those which are stated to be in quieter locations and those which may not be (eg hotels in or close to town centres, or near main railway lines or roads).

What is/isn't included in your holiday's price

Crystal prices include:

Air holidays

• Return air flights and transfers (coach, train, taxi or rental free car hire in some USA/Canada resorts) to and from your resort
• Flight baggage allowance usually 44lbs (20kgs) but 15kgs on selected routes. See Travel information on page 401.
• Accommodation and meals as per your booking
• Help & advice from your resort rep or agent
• All local taxes, VAT, UK & overseas service charges, & bed linen
• All current airport taxes are included in our prices including the Air Travel Duty

Self-Drive holidays

• Eurotunnel or cross channel ferry (short crossing)
• GB sticker etc
• Accommodation and meals as per your booking
• Help and advice from your rep or agent
• All local taxes unless otherwise stated in the hotel description, VAT, UK & overseas service charges & bed linen

Accommodation only

On some dates we are able to offer accommodation only holidays which include accommodation and food basis as booked. Should you require transfers these can also be arranged on our transfer coaches, at additional cost, as long as you are travelling on one of our charter flights. Otherwise, we would be pleased to offer you the option to buy car hire or private taxi transfers. All prices include VAT on all holidays to EU countries and are based on the rates of exchange at the time that this brochure went to print: US$1.59, CAN$ 1.62, EUR 1.14, Sfr 1.55 and YEN 129. In addition to the details confirmed on the invoice the price of your holiday includes all currency surcharges, local taxes, VAT, UK and overseas service charges, all current airport taxes including USA airport tax and the Government Air Travel Duty of £12 per economy passenger and £24 per upgraded passenger travelling in different cabin classes to EEA countries, £60 per economy passenger and £120 per upgraded passenger travelling in different cabin classes to non-EEA countries. Please note that UK domestic flights will incur a £5 charge for each leg of the journey i.e. £10 return. Due to circumstances beyond our control airlines may cease to operate on certain routes which may have an effect upon the holiday price.

Crystal prices do not include:

• Meals and accommodation en route (except where specified)
• In-flight catering on some short haul flights
• Airport holiday supplement, where applicable
• Ski travel insurance (which you must have, see web)
• Carriage of skis and snowboards on charter flights (included on some scheduled flights)
• Porterage of luggage at any stage
• Breakdown Insurance (Self-Drive)
• CDW or local taxes on car hire
• Any services provided locally that are advertised as being available at the booked resort or accommodation, but not described as free of charge e.g. child care/ski school, hotel facilities.
• Any local gratuities, taxes charged by hotels/condos in USA/Canada
• Credit card handling fees

Administration charge

We reserve the right to levy an administration charge in certain circumstances to cover any additional costs incurred by us, such as contacting suppliers to check availability or special requests, returning lost property, special ticket dispatch, extra administration relating to late bookings within 7 days of departure etc. This charge is £25 per booking, but may be higher to cover special ticket dispatch costs. This charge does not relate to changes you make to your booking.

Whilst on holiday

1. If you want to make changes to the booked arrangements in resort, for example upgrading your accommodation, changing resort or extending or reducing your holiday duration, changes will be subject to availability. Any extra costs or cancellation charges must be paid by you locally. All changes must be arranged with us in writing, either through our local representative/agent, area office or, if this is not possible, our head office in the UK.
2. The accommodation booked must only be used by those persons named on your invoice unless otherwise agreed by us in writing. You are not allowed to share the accommodation or let anyone else stay there.
3. You are responsible for any damage caused to your holiday accommodation during your stay, except by unknown third parties and any justifiable charges made by the owner/hotel manager in this respect must be paid by you locally.

Super deals/Summer savers/Late availability

Superdeals may be allocated into apartments, mobile homes, hotels, chalets or Crystal run hotels. Neither Crystal nor the travel agent know precisely which resort or accommodation will be allocated at the time of booking, as this is done locally, except where supplements have been paid to guarantee a specified resort area, termed a Resort Superdeal. In all cases the standard of accommodation will vary according to availability but we will provide you with accommodation of the star rating selected by you. However, we cannot guarantee any specific facilities will be available other than those confirmed on the invoice and accommodation may be provided in non-smoking or family chalets. Accommodation is not always from that advertised within our website and may or may not represent a financial saving on website prices, particularly when extra flights or accommodation have been contracted to meet demand. As rooms are allocated locally, we cannot guarantee that rooms booked on a Superdeal for groups will all be in the same property.

If half board is requested this will be indicated on your invoices as "CA or HB". However, this does not guarantee either hotel or chalet accommodation will be provided. Half board arrangements may be provided by way of vouchers for restaurants, hotels in the resort, or by an arrangement with one specific hotel or restaurant. A "CA or HB" Superdeal allocated into one of our Crystal managed chalets or hotels would receive meals on the same basis, where dinner is for 6 nights per week only (7 nights in Switzerland). Please note: We are unable to guarantee any special requests on Super deal holidays or specify the bed type.

Short Stays in Crystal managed properties. If you book a 3 or 4 nights stay which coincides with the staff night off, you will be free to make your own meal arrangements locally for one night at your own cost.

For bookings within 15 days of travel, a late booking charge is compulsory at an extra charge of £15 per person, or more if express delivery is required.

Superdeal bookings do not qualify for any special offers advertised as available at their designated accommodation.

Health Matters

Customers are reminded that they should check with their own doctor for advice on medical requirements of the host countries. From 1st September 2005, the E111 travel health insurance document was replaced by the new European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The old style E111 ceased to be valid from 1st January 2006. Travellers who wish to use this facility must apply for the new EHIC by one of the methods stated in the T7 booklet or on the website www.dh.gov.uk/travellers or by calling 0845 606 2030 as you will need to present the EHIC card for reciprocal treatment.

Information about free and reduced-cost emergency care and medical treatment in most EU countries can be found in the leaflet T7 "Health Advice for Travellers", which is available free from post offices, local Department of Health offices, GPs and libraries, or by calling the Health Literature Line on 0800 123 1002.

However, as this only provides limited cover, we require all our customers to have adequate holiday insurance cover. Therefore, please ensure that you have arranged sufficient alternative insurance. For treatment in any country you will need to produce your passport.

High altitude: for customers going to high altitude resorts, it is suggested that, if relevant, you contact your GP as some customers encounter difficulties due to the high altitude of the resort. Please bear in mind that when walking at altitude you should allow time to acclimatise physically, drink plenty of water, reduce alcohol intake and ensure that appropriate warm clothing is taken. Your doctor and suitable publications will provide further information in this regard.

Special Needs, Disabled and Elderly Customers: We are happy to advise and assist elderly, special needs or disabled customers to choose a holiday. However, some of the properties featured in this brochure may lack even the simplest facilities such as ramps for wheelchairs and lifts etc. Therefore, we must be provided with full written details of any disability or special requirements before booking to ascertain whether the holiday of your choice is suitable.

A comprehensive form is available specifically for this purpose, which you should request when making your booking. Similarly, if you have a medical condition which necessitates special seating requirements on the aircraft or wheelchair assistance at the airport we must have written confirmation from your doctor prior to booking. Failure to advise us of any such requirements prior to booking may result in the chosen holiday being unsuitable and may cause inconvenience and distress to all customers on that holiday. In that case we reserve the right to terminate your holiday arrangements with us, for which we would not be liable to make alternative arrangements or to make refunds or pay compensation.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Travel Advice Unit may have issued information about your holiday destination. You are advised to check this information on BBC2 (Ceefax) or on the Internet under the address www.fco.gov.uk, or phone 0845 850 2829. Alternatively, you can contact the ABTA Information Department on 020 3117 0500 (calls charged at 50p/minute).

Know Before You Go: We are working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to do all that we can to help British travellers stay safe overseas. Before you go overseas, check out the FCO web site at: www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo.