Important Info

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.

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 (page 297). You must either take the cover recommended by us (see page 297) 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).

Accuracy of website

All information on this website 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 the site 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 on this website 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.
 

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: Where mentioned in our descriptions, air conditioning and heating may only be turned on at certain times of the day or year - as the owner or manager deems it necessary. Hotels do not have air conditioning unless stated.

Flights 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 Crystal 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 Crystal.

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.  

Artist’s impression and computer generated images

In some cases in this brochure 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 brochure.

Special requests

For any special requests consult Crystal 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 £25.

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.

Brochure prices – our brochure prices are in £ sterling.

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 Crystal representative 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 representative.

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).

Excursions/Activities

If you intend to participate in any potentially hazardous activities, please check the details of your holiday insurance to ensure you are covered beforehand.

As will 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 holiday insurance. Please check the details of your individual before participation.

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.

Superdeals/Late Availability

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 brochure and may or may not represent a financial saving on brochure 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 Superdeal holidays or specify the bed type.

Short Stays in Crystal managed properties
Please note that 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 2 weeks of travel, a ticket on departure 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.