Essential Information

We present our brochure for 2009. It contains a mix of short breaks and longer holidays, jazz tours and wine tours. There are no gimmicks or eye catching dubious offers, just a genuine programme of reliable, tested holidays which will deliver value for money and, as usual, we will be trying at all times to ensure that your holiday turns out exactly as you want it, no nasty surprises or botched organisation.
We very much regret the sharp increase in prices which is entirely due to fuel rises, the poor rate of exchange and Government legislation. We can do nothing about any of these except the latter which, amongst other things, dictates that one day in every seven has to be a rest day. As a result we have increased the number of 6-day holidays to save you paying for a wasted day of inaction.
Almost all the tours depart from Plymouth Ferryport which means a short journey to and from home at the beginning and end of your holiday. As an added attraction this year, our clients will be amongst the first travellers to experience the new super ferry “Armorique”.
We explain our holidays as honestly and factually as we can within the brochure pages and from the information given we hope you will be able to make an informed choice.
There are no flights of fancy, we have personal experience of everything we do. We don’t try and do it as cheaply as possible or mislead you in any way. All the tours are designed to be as leisurely paced as possible so we don’t pack too much into the day and we give you plenty of time to relax. It’s your holiday - not a test of your endurance!
In an effort to avoid cancellations through insufficient support we will be collaborating with other Operators on most holidays to ensure that your holiday goes ahead as planned.

THE COACHES

Our tours will be in modern vehicles fitted with reclining seats, toilet and drinks machines. The coaches have seat belts and most are air conditioned. The coach travels all the way. We operate a non smoking policy on board the coach.

SEAT ALLOCATION

This is made at the time of booking. We will try and satisfy specific requests but ordinarily you will be seated strictly in order of acceptance of booking from front to rear. We never place anyone in the back seats unless they have requested them or without notifying you that they are all that remain.

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT

Sadly we have no control over this and usually we subsidise the rate charged to us. If you pay the single supplement you will always have a room to yourself and where applicable, a cabin to yourself. You will never be required to share.

TOUR ESCORT

These days, most travellers are sophisticated enough and have travelled abroad regularly enough not to need leading by the hand, so usually, but not always, we will leave the trip in the hands of a capable and competent, experienced Tour Driver who knows the tour well. However, we will use a Tour Escort from time to time and if you wish to know when we invite you to contact us.

THE SAILING TO SANTANDER

On all holidays to and from Santander, a 2-berth cabin with shower and WC is provided. There are NO 2-berth outside cabins available.
Cabin options
A 4-berth cabin for exclusive use of 2 persons costs an extra £65 per cabin, return.
If you’d like an outside 4-berth cabin it can be arranged for an extra charge of £45 per cabin return (i.e. a total of £110 return).
A Club Class cabin is a 4-berth outside cabin with TV and teamaker and costs £125 return.
There are NO 2-bedded cabins on the ship i.e. cabins with 2 ground berths.
If you need ground berths you have to request a 4-berth cabin for 2 persons and pay the supplement shown above.
All Single Supplements include sole use of a 2- berth cabin.

THE HOTELS AND CATERING

All rooms will have private facilities ie. toilet and bath/shower. Generally, buffet breakfast is always provided and on tours with half board, dinner is also provided usually with wine included. The wine is not unlimited!
On the vast majority of coach holidays dinner is normally a set meal for the group but dietary variations can usually be accommodated within reason. You should note that in countries bordered by the Atlantic, fish is commonly served. We limit any fish dinners to a maximum of two per tour. If you find the meals are totally unacceptable you can switch to B & B and we’ll make an allowance for dinners not taken. You will then need to make your own arrangements for dinner either in the hotel or elsewhere. Other dinners reflect the country in which we travel and we ensure that no bizarre local tastes (snails, razor shells etc etc) are served.

THE EXCURSIONS

All the excursions described in the brochure are completely free of charge.

VEGETARIANS

We have been saying for years that we cannot guarantee authentic vegetarian cuisine at any of the hotels that we use. Sadly, nothing has changed despite our constant reminders to them that this culture is not going to go away! They will do their best for you but you should be aware that Vegetarianism has few adherents in mainland Europe and despite our best efforts we have yet to find a hotel that can cater competently for Vegetarians. If you eat fish there will be no problem as all the destinations we feature are renowned for their sea food. Please indicate so in the Remarks column of the Booking Form if you are Vegetarian but also note if you eat fish.

PASSPORTS

You will need a passport for all trips abroad. At the time of going to print, no other visas for any of the destinations featured in this brochure are required.

INSURANCE

We recommend that you take out holiday insurance but we do not include it in the tour cost as many people these days have their own annual arrangements. However, if you would like us to arrange it for you, please indicate so on the booking form and include the relevant premium. When you receive the policy we advise you to check it thoroughly for suitability and if it is not acceptable we can cancel it and refund the premium.
Pre-existing medical conditions have to be notified. There are no age restrictions.
The policy covers:
Cancellation& curtailment: £3,000
Delayed departure £100
Missed departure £300
Abandonment £3,000
Personal Possessions £1,750
Loss of passport £250
Medical expenses £2,000,000
Hospital benefit £300
Personal liability £2,000,000
Personal accident £1,000
Legal expenses £1,000
Repatriation from abroad
This is a brief summary, the policy document shows more detail. There are no excess deductions in the event of a claim.
Insurance Premiums Rates: Up to 3 days £12.50 : 4-7 days £17.50 : 8-10 days £22.50 : Children 2-15 years Less 25% : Infants under 2 Free:

THE PICK-UP POINTS

These are our main picking up points for our longer holidays. Under each holiday we state the pick-up points for that tour and you’ll see that on the short weekend trips there are additional pick up points around Devon only. We are willing to consider any en route pick up points.
BATH Avon Street
BRISTOL Colston Hall
TAUNTON Deane Services or Coach Station (dependent upon tour)
EXETER Moto Services or Belgrave Rd/Paris Street (dependent upon tour)
NEWTON ABBOT Railway Station
TORQUAY Lymington Road Bus Station
PAIGNTON Garfield Road Coach Halt
IVYBRIDGE Centre
PLYMOUTH Millbay Docks
Pick Up Concession
We would like to encourage bookings from towns outside the pick up route so we are offering a £20 reduction off the cost of any holiday of more than 4 days for travellers who live more than 20 miles from any indicated pick up point. This reduction should cover the cost of a taxi to the nearest pick up point or for parking at, and fuel costs to, Millbay Docks.
Car parking at Plymouth’s Millbay Docks is available and costs £4.50 per day (at time of writing).

PRIVATE GROUPS

We work with many diverse private groups. Contact us for a quotation as early as possible. We will quote for any destination not just those featured in our brochure.