General & Essential Information

BOOKING CONDITIONS

Please refer to the Concorde Travel Booking Form for details before completing it. Please read conditions carefully and contact your travel agent if you have any queries.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS/VISAS

For a holiday abroad Irish citizens need a valid passport and it is your sole responsibility to ensure that you have one. For travelling to Croatia, Slovenia or Montenegro your (Irish) passport needs to be valid a minimum of three months after return date. EU/Irish citizens do not require a visa for entry into Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro or Bulgaria. Other nationalities please check with respective diplomatic mission. The Croatian Embassy may be contacted on 01 476 7181 and the Bulgarian on 01 660 3293 for all relevant information. Concorde Travel cannot accept any responsibility for incorrect travel documents.

MONEY

The local currency in Croatia is the Kuna. At the time of writing the exchange rate is approximately 7.2 Kuna to 1 Euro. Slovenia is in the Euro zone, and Montenegro uses the Euro as its national currency. The local currency in Bulgaria is the Lev and the Euro is widely recognised. At the time of writing the exchange rate is approximately 1.91 Levs to 1 Euro.

EXCHANGING MONEY

Credit and ATM cards. Banks, post offices and most hotels throughout the region have exchange services. Credit cards are widely accepted and Banklink cards can be used with ATM machines. Please note that in smaller resort credit cards may not be so widely acceptable. Credit cards are not so widely accepted in Montenegro, although many hotels will accept them.

OPENING HOURS

Most shops open from 8am to 8pm. Many close for an hour at lunch, especially banks and government offices. In many resorts many of the shops stay open till 11pm or midnight, while the bars tend to close up between midnight and 2am.

LANGUAGE

Official language is Croatian, Slovenian, Serbian (Montenegro) and Bulgarian. Many people, particularly the young, speak English.

CLIMATE

The Adriatic coastal resorts are situated in the southern Adriatic/Mediterranean. Dubrovnik is on the same latitude as Rome and Barcelona. The area has a predominantly warm Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters. The climate in Northern Bulgaria is moderate continental, while the climate in Southern Bulgaria is intermediate continental tending to Mediterranean. The climate in the regions with an altitude of 1900-2000m above sea level is mountainous and along the Black Sea coast it is maritime.

TOPOGRAPHY

The coasts of Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro are predominantly karst (limestone) and hilly and many hotels are situated in picturesque locations but may also have numerous steps leading to them. The Old Towns of Hvar, Trogir, Split, Dubrovnik and the island of Palmizana are pedestrian areas and therefore mobile luggage is recommended. Due to the karst, beaches in these areas are largely pebble and rocky, with manmade platforms, although Montenegro has predominantly sandy beaches. The Adriatic sea however is extremely clear, clean and attractive.

BOOKING WITH US

Our reservation office (01 775 9300) is open from 9.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday, and from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays. You can also book online at www.concordetravel.ie.
A deposit of €100 + insurance cost is required at time of booking. Full amount due if booking within 8 weeks of departure. Where accommodation is on request – not immediately available – deposit must be paid on request, and refunded if not available.

BOOKING THROUGH YOUR LOCAL TRAVEL AGENT

Your local travel agent can check availability and make your reservation. You will be required to sign a completed booking form and pay a deposit of €100 per person.

PRICES INCLUDE

Return flights from Ireland.
Return transfers between the arrival airport and holiday accommodation as invoiced.
Accommodation and meals as invoiced.
Local accommodation taxes, except where stated otherwise.
Services of a local representative.

NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE

Getting to and from the airport in Ireland.
Airport taxes/aviation security charges.
Flight supplements where applicable.
All holidays in this brochure are subject to additional fuel charges imposed by the airlines should the cost of fuel rise significantly. Such surcharges are outside of Concorde Travel’s control.

CHILD/INFANT PRICES

In general, a child under 12 (13 in Bulgaria) years of age qualifies for a child price on one of our holidays when sharing a hotel room with 2 adults (unless otherwise stated). No discount applies when sharing a hotel room with 1 adult. Infants (under 2 yrs of age at the time of the return flight) will be charged at a standard fee of €50. All infants must sit on an adults lap during the flight.
Children must be within the age range on the date of their return travel. Their ages and date of birth must be stated at the time of booking and detailed on the booking form.

CHARTER FLIGHTS

Some flights may touch down at different airport on the outbound and/or inbound flights. Please call/see flight information for further details. Food and drinks are payable on board on most flights, however please note that there may be no in-flight catering on some flights. All charter flights are subject to alteration and may change prior to your departure. The final timings shall be confirmed upon receipt of your tickets. Flight delays are the responsibility of the airline and subject to their conditions of carriage. Please note that all times are based on the 24-hour clock system.

HOLIDAY REPRESENTATIVES

Concorde Travel holiday representatives are knowledgeable and well informed on your resort and local area, and their responsibility is to ensure your overall well-being and enjoyment whilst on holidays. We suggest that you attend the welcome meeting held in each resort as you will be advised of very useful information in connection with your holiday. In most properties you will also find information books and notice boards providing you with all the up to date activities in your resort, as well as transfer information.

COMPLAINTS

Incidents and complaints should be brought to the immediate attention of the local representative, and a report filled out. They should be dealt with while you are in the resort. If not handled to your satisfaction, a complaint should be submitted in writing to Concorde Travel’s office within 28 days after return to the port of departure or termination of the holiday whichever is the earlier. Please note that complaints not registered in resort could seriously compromise the outcome/resolution upon your return. Any complaints received after the 28 day period will not be entertained.

TRANSFER INFORMATION

On arrival at your destination you will be met by our representative who will show you to your transfer bus. Journey times shown in the brochure are approximate and may vary depending on local conditions (weather, road works, traffic delays, etc.). In some cases, access by coach into accommodation is restricted.

ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES

Accommodation featured in this brochure has been selected by Concorde Travel and descriptions are based on the information available at the time this brochure goes to print (December 2007). We have added the hotel ratings that we feel are representative of the standards that our customers have come to expect. Where our rating differs from the official rating will appear in the description. The photographs depicted in this brochure are intended to give an overall impression of the standards provided. The shape, layout and style of furniture or décor of accommodation can vary even within the same block. It is possible that some facilities within a complex may become temporarily or permanently unavailable. Additional charges may apply to listed facilities such as tennis, gymnasium or sauna. Hotels may charge locally for amenities such as baby cots, sunbeds, parasols, safety deposit boxes, some sports, spa and wellness centre facilities, etc. Air-conditioning where mentioned, might only be operating at certain times of the day or year at the hotelier’s discretion.
Some accommodations have twin or double rooms that can facilitate and extra bed or beds. It should be noted that the third bed in triple rooms is usually sofa bed, foldout or camp bed. Space will be limited in most cased. Single rooms are limited, may be inferior in quality and may not have balconies and can be smaller than standard double/twin rooms. The supplement payable for a single room is for the convenience of having a room to oneself.

APARTMENT / ROOM ALLOCATION

We cannot confirm a specific room or an apartment within a complex. In most cases check-in is from 2pm and accommodation must be vacated by 12 noon on the last day of you holiday. At the discretion of the management of your property, you may be allowed to keep your room, but they are entitled to charge for this service.

SPECIAL REQUESTS

Special requests must be communicated by the holidaymaker to Concorde Travel or travel agent at the time of booking in writing. The granting of such requests is at the sole discretion of the property management and you will be advised on arrival if it has been possible to facilitate your request. Requests for specific rooms or positions within the hotel cannot be guaranteed although every effort will be made by the hotel to comply with your specific request and every effort is made in passing on your request. However, please note that no special request can be guaranteed.

PROPERTY DEPOSITS

At some self-catering properties, a refundable deposit may be payable on arrival. It is held against any potential breakage or damage to the property beyond normal wear and tear.

MEALS

In the price box for each property, the meal basis is clearly indicated. Full-board means three traditional meals per day. Half-board means breakfast and dinner, although some properties may, subject to agreement, allow lunch to be taken instead of dinner. Buffet style meals are offered by many properties in full or in part, and these may be either hot or cold. It is possible that you may miss a meal due to the time of arrival or departure from your hotel.

HEALTH & SAFETY STANDARDS

Health and safety standards in Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro may not reach the same levels as those enjoyed in Ireland, although all properties comply with applicable local and/or national regulations. Monitoring and enforcement of such are subject to the regulations of the local government. We therefore advise clients to take all reasonable precautions while on holidays. Water from the tap is perfectly drinkable, however bottled water is cheap and widely available.

NOISE/Building work

Resorts in Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro are going through constant re-development and while we undertake to minimize the impact of this within the immediate vicinity of your accommodation, construction noise can be a problem and is at all times outside our control. Neither the hotel or apartments used, nor Concorde Travel can accept responsibility for anything outside the accommodation grounds.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

It is mandatory to have adequate travel insurance when booking a holiday. We have negotiated a scheme with Blue Insurance for comprehensive travel insurance. If you are not taking travel insurance with Concorde Travel, you must show us that you have taken out appropriate holiday insurance or sign the disclaimer on your booking form. Please note that it is the responsibility of each client to ensure that they receive an Insurance Policy from us, and acquaint themselves with the terms and conditions contained therein.
All claims that may arise must be submitted directly to the insurance company as outlined on the insurance policy. For claims assistance, please call AXA Assistance Claims at 01 883 3157. If you or any person who is travelling has a pre-existing medical condition, this condition must be declared to Health Check at 0818 484849.

JOE WALSH PILGRIM TOURS
Operator No. T.O. 052

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