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Please find below answers to
the most common questions you may have.
Accommodation
What do
Self-Catering, BB, Half Board and Full Board mean?
What
should I expect to find in self-catering accommodation?
What is a Single Supplement?
Your prices refer to "Twin Room" but then quote a "Per Person" rate. Please
explain.
What time
can I check in, and what time must I check out?
Price
How much will my accommodation
cost?
Can the cost of my accommodation change after I have booked?
You quoted me a price some time ago, but now when I have decided to book, you
are advising me of a different (higher) rate. Why? Can I book at the previous
quoted price?
I found the same property cheaper on a different site. Why?
I called up the hotel/apartment complex and they asked me for much more money.
How could this be?
Do you have any booking charges?
Do any taxes need to be added?
Booking
How do I book a property?
Is it safe to enter my card details online?
Is a deposit necessary to reserve?
What is the deposit for?
What is a damage deposit?
When is the balance paid?
How is the balance paid?
I have just booked. What next?
How do I get to the property?
Problems
What if I have a problem with
the accommodation?
I have to cancel my booking. Do I get a refund of my deposit?
I have to cancel my booking at very short notice. Are there any charges?
Why do these charges exist?
I have booked at property A, but now think I prefer property B. Can I change?
General
I have given you personal
contact details. Will I get any junkmail from you?
I have another question...
What do
Self-Catering, BB, Half Board and Full Board mean? (back to top)
With Self
Catering accommodation no meals are provided, and generally cooking facilities
are available within the unit. Some self catering properties may offer meals as
an option, particularly if they are annexed to a hotel complex. BB or Bed and
Breakfast is normally the basic accommodation package offered in hotels,
although a few may offer Room Only rates. Breakfast may be Continental, English
or Buffet. Half Board means Breakfast plus one meal a day, either lunch or
dinner (evening). Full Board means Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. A few hotels
offer All-Inclusive which normally means that you do not have to pay for any
additional food and drink items consumed during the day, not just at mealtime,
although certain restrictions may apply.
What
should I expect to find in self-catering accommodation? (back to top)
Generally
you will find cooking facilities, and basic necessities for same. There will
normally be bed linen, and towels available to you. Some properties offer a
weekly or more frequent cleaning and linen/towels change service, others may
provide extra linen/towels to last for the duration of your stay, with cleaning
service available at an extra charge upon request. A few properties could also
have a washing machine, or offer a laundry service at a charge. Upon arrival,
some property owners may provide a food pack with basic essentials such as
tea/coffee etc, this may be included or at a charge. If you have any special
requirements we will pass them on.
What is a Single Supplement?
(back to top)
Prices for hotel
rooms, when quoted on a Per Person basis, refer to the rate applied when two
persons share a room. This is the basic rate. If only one person will be using a
room, a supplement is payable. This because effectively the whole room needs to
be paid for, but the "empty bed" is charged for at a reduced rate.
Your prices refer to "Twin Room" but
then quote a "Per Person" rate. Please explain.
(back to top)
The rate charged is
per person, based on two persons sharing a room. See note above re "Single
Supplement" for related information.
What time can
I check in, and what time must I check out? (back to top)
Check-in
time is usually around 2 p.m. (14:00 hrs) and check-out time is usually 11 a.m.
(11:00 hrs). Exact times may vary. Depending on availability, which is not
always possible to confirm before the actual day of departure, some
hotels/apartments may allow you to keep your accommodation later, but there may
be a charge. Similarly, some may allow you to check in earlier. If you arrive
very early or depart very late, an extra night may be payable.
How much will my accommodation
cost? (back to top)
Most properties have full pricing on the page. Please do note whether the price
is per person, per room or per apartment. When calculating cost, do also take
careful note of any supplements listed. When rates vary during the period of
your stay, this is calculated on a per night basis. E.g. if you check in on the
26th of Feb, and leave on the 1st of March, this is three nights and the rates
are those as applicable for the 26th, 27th, 28th Feb. So only February rates are
applicable. If you left on the 2nd March, only one night would be chargeable at
the March rates. Checkout time is usually late morning, and check-in time mid
afternoon. If you require your property outside of these times, an extra charge
is often payable.
Can the
cost of my accommodation change after I have booked? (back to top)
No, the price you pay is the price as at the time of booking. This is very
important, as property owners may change their published rates both upwards (if
they are very busy) and downwards (if they offer any special rates such as late
offers). Therefore if the rates increase, you still pay the lower previous rate
as at date of booking, and vice versa. However prices are normally set months in
advance and do not change. If extraordinary circumstances require a price
increase, property owners would normally offer the option to cancel.
You quoted me a price some time ago, but now when I have decided to book, you
are advising me of a different (higher) rate. Why? Can I book at the previous
quoted price? (back to top)
Only bookings have guaranteed pricing. If you have not booked and the property
owners decide to increase the rates, the current (higher) rates must be used. If
the increase occurs within a few days of your first enquiry, we will do our best
to negotiate with the property owners and obtain the lower price – but there can
be no guarantees.
I found the
same property cheaper on a different site. Why? (back to top)
Please let us know. In most cases, the information on the other site would be
old and outdated. In some cases, however, the property owners would not have
updated their prices on our site with any special promotions or reduced rates.
If you let us know, we will look into it, for your benefit and that of other
renters.
I called up the hotel/apartment complex and they asked me for much more money.
How could this be? (back to top)
We keep property owners very
busy throughout the year. This means that we can negotiate extremely
advantageous rates on your behalf, rates which are not offered to individuals.
So you book through us, get all the advantages of a direct booking, but at a
lower price.
Do you have any booking charges? (back to top)
No, the price quoted is the full price you pay.
Do any taxes need to be added? (back to top)
No, as above.
How do I book a property? (back to top)
Fill in the enquiry form, together with credit card details further down on the
same page. If you do not have a credit card, you may place your deposit by other
means – bank transfer, or services such as Western Union, Travelex or similar.
Is it safe to enter my card
details online? (back to top)
Our booking form is hosted on a secure server with 128 bit encryption – so yes,
it is safe! If this still does not convince you, please ask us for a telephone
number where you may call us to give us the details.
Is a deposit necessary to reserve? (back to top)
In most cases, yes. Exceptions are usually very late bookings, a day or two
before arrival.
What is the deposit for? (back to top)
The deposit forms part of the total amount that you will be paying, therefore
this is deducted from the balance. It is a part payment.
What is a damage deposit? (back to top)
This is different from a normal deposit. This deposit is sometimes requested and
collected by property owners, to ensure that good care is taken of their
properties. This is refunded in full upon departure.
When is the balance paid? (back to top)
The balance is normally settled immediately upon arrival, directly to the
property owners. Some property owners may however request the balance before
your arrival.
How is the balance paid? (back to top)
Only hotels and complexes would normally have credit card acceptance facilities.
Only cash or guaranteed cheques are normally accepted by owners of other
property types, so please do ensure that you are in a position to pay in this
manner. Credit cards can normally be used to withdraw money from local banks and
ATM’s, but do always check before departure. If the owner requests settlement
before arrival, or if you prefer this method because of its convenience and
safety, this is normally done by bank transfer.
I have just booked. What next? (back to top)
We will acknowledge the booking, and the property you selected is reserved for
you. We will also send you a booking voucher with full details of your booking.
Please note that booking vouchers are sent in batches, therefore it is perfectly
normal to receive the voucher after a couple of weeks. The exception is if you
are arriving shortly, where this will be given priority. Also, if you will not
be having access /limited access to e-mail for some reason, such as travelling
to other countries before Malta, please also advise us. The voucher is sent by
e-mail.
How do I get to the property? (back to top)
We recommend a pre-booked taxi or owner supplied transport ideally, but if you
are making your own way by hired car please do check that you have the full
address which we will supply. If you ask us to pre-book a taxi or ask the owner,
the driver will know where the property is and will be waiting for you at the
airport. “Normal” airport taxis are generally more expensive (even when they
don’t overcharge), might not know where the property is (in case of privately
owned properties and smaller apartment complexes) and could get you off to a bad
start. The keys to the property would be handed to you by the owner, reception,
or occasionally by the taxi driver engaged by the owner.
What if I have a
problem with the accommodation? (back to top)
While we make efforts to only deal with reputable property owners, very rarely
even with the best of intentions things may not go as planned. It is very
important that you advise the property owners of any shortcomings immediately
they are noticed, but ALWAYS DURING YOUR STAY. This gives the property owners an
opportunity to rectify the situation. There is very little that can be done
after you have left. Naturally if the complaints are reasonable, justified, and
not seen to during your stay, then do not hesitate to write to us.
I have to
cancel my booking. Do I get a refund of my deposit? (back to top)
Very generally speaking, the earlier you cancel, the
greater the chance of a full or part refund, especially
during peak season. View terms and conditions for more
information. We do recommend that you take out insurance which also covers
cancellation charges and loss of deposits.
I have to cancel my booking at very short notice. Are there any
extra charges? (back to top)
Some properties may have a cancellation/no show fee varying from one night
charge to the total cost of your accommodation. As above, we strongly recommend
insurance if there is even the slightest chance that you may not travel.
Why do these charges exist? (back to top)
Unfortunately accommodation is not a normal service or product which can easily
be re-sold to other persons, and the later you cancel, the more difficult this
becomes. The property owners would have likely turned down other enquirers for
the same period as your booking – therefore if you cancel or do not turn up they
have lost their income, with no way of recovering it.
I have booked at property A, but now think I prefer property B. Can I change? (back to top)
If property B is available, yes, however this is considered a cancellation of
property A with charges if applicable, and a new booking of property B. If there
are no cancellation charges of property A, the deposit will be transferred to
property B in full. On principle, we always do our best to accommodate your
wishes in the most convenient and least costly manner, but since we are dealing
with many property owners not everything is always possible!
I have given you personal contact details. Will I get any junkmail from you? (back to top)
No! We never use e-mails except in connection with your
enquiry/booking, and we never send any printed brochures, etc by post or any
other means. The same applies for any other contact information you may provide
to us.
I have another question... (back to top)
Contact us...
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