General Advice for traveling

Being away from home

Please note, it is the requirements and standards of the country in which any services which make up your holiday are provided which apply to those services and not those of the UK. As a general rule, these requirements and standards will not be the same as the UK and may sometimes be lower. 

Coastline and local roads / street lighting

No coastline in Europe is private and it may be possible for the general public to access and walk along some coastlines, including those that may be adjacent or close to our villas. Public roads from or near villas to local places of interest may not always have streetlights and pavements or paths may be uneven, so we recommend you carry a torch. Some roads may have an incline so always ask us before booking if you wish to know more details. 

Driving overseas

With the exception of Cyprus, as in most continental countries you drive on the right-hand side and overtake on the left. Like the UK, in Cyprus you drive on the left hand side. Please note that from 8 June 2015 the paper part of UK driving licences has been abolished. If you are hiring a car you will need to obtain a ‘check code’ from the DVLA no more than 21 days before picking up your car. Please visit https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence for more information. Minimum driving age is 21 years except for Portugal & Croatia: 18 years, Puglia: 19 years, Crete: 20 years & Corfu 23 years. In Cyprus drivers aged under 25 years old can only hire a car if they have held a Full Driving Licence for three years. Whilst driving, you are required by law to have your driving licence, identification with photograph (for British Citizens please use a passport), spare spectacles, and the car rental documentation given by the car company.

UK drivers don't need an International Driving Permit / IDP to drive in most countries in the EU, but must carry their photocard driving licence* and insurance details with them and any medical documentation if required to drive.

*You might need an IDP to drive in some EU countries ( Cyprus, France, Italy and Norway ) if you have a paper driving licence or a licence that was issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man.

IDP permits are available from UK Post Offices at a cost of £5.50 - drivers must be 18+, residents of the UK or Northern Ireland and hold a full UK driving licence.

The gov.uk website gives full guidance details: https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit

EU Driving post Brexit: https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad 

Drivers from non-UK countries should check with their own government website for specific information relating to their holiday. 

Family friendly

Children under the age of two on their return date are classed as infants and we can accommodate them for only £50.00 per week for the first week and £30.00 per week for subsequent weeks. Reductions are available for children from 2-11 years inclusive. Infants are not counted towards the party size. We still count children in your party size thereby reducing the cost for each member of your party and ensuring that there are no under occupancy charges. This is worth considering when making comparisons with other companies' child reductions. 

Festivals / sporting events

Local festivals and sporting events ( i.e. cycle races ) are held throughout the year in many of our destinations and although they can be enjoyable, there may be extra noise late at night in certain areas or driving routes may be temporarily restricted. Shops, banks, bars, restaurants, roads and other facilities may be closed. 

Insects & wildlife

Portugal, Spain, Greece, France, Italy, Cyprus, Madeira, Croatia and other destinations featured in our programme are no different to most southern countries when it comes to occasional problems with unwanted creature intrusions, for example, ants, mosquitoes, wasps & bees, cockroaches, crickets, cicadas. moths, other insects and small mammals and reptiles, such as mice and lizards. You may also see local unwanted wildlife by your villa. Their presence does not reflect the condition of the villa, it is simply a reflection of holidaying in a warm country or in a villa close to or in the countryside. Taking care to cover and clear up food, especially dropped crumbs, can help the situation and we ask that you dispose of your rubbish daily in the allocated external bins ( N.B.  Please note Italy has specific waste disposal laws. ) We would also ask you not to feed any stray animals, as they may become a nuisance and return to the villa even after you have returned to the U.K.  Stray cats are common in many of our destinations ( especially Greece and Cyprus ) and, while usually friendly, we ask you not to feed them or allow them inside the villa during your stay. Additionally, in rural areas, many residents have guard dogs, which may be more active than pet animals and bark more at night. Local attitudes to animals/pets differ to the UK. Also, motorbikes being driven without silencers are not uncommon.  

Missed flights

Villa Plus will not be held responsible for any liability incurred if you are a no-show at your booked villa, should you miss your independently arranged flight, and no refund will be made.  Please note that any flight information shown is via a 3rd party.  Villa Plus does not sell flights or package bookings. 

Our holiday guide

The information contained within our online Holiday Guide does not form part of our contract.                                                                                                                                             

Pregnancy and infants

Some airlines do not allow pregnant woman who are 28 or more weeks pregnant on the date of return to fly. Other airlines have variations on this rule between 28 and 32 weeks, allowing travel with a doctor's certificate. If you are showing signs of pregnancy, our advice is to take a doctor's certificate with you even if you are less than 28 weeks pregnant on your return date of travel. Airline tour operators can substitute different airlines for a flight and it may be that each airline has a different rule regarding travel.

Should you have a flight already booked with an airline and are not able to travel, our normal cancellation charges will apply. Our advice is to be cautious when travelling more than 28 weeks pregnant. Many airlines do not allow infants to travel under the age of two weeks old. 

Service supply

Water and electrical supplies can be erratic, especially during the months of June, July, August and September and during thunderstorms. There are many more electrical items in each villa these days, which can cause the trip switches to turn the supply off when used in conjunction with each other. Ensure that you know where the trip switches are when you arrive. Heavy rainfall and high humidity can, within a short spell, mar the appearance of some paintwork and cause flaking. Additionally, high salt content in the sea air and a prevailing off shore wind can act as a catalyst in the oxidisation process, particularly on some island resorts such as Menorca and Lanzarote, which can very quickly tarnish the appearance of external metal work. 

Tourist boards

• The Portuguese Tourist Office is located at 11 Belgrave Square, London, SW1X 8PP. Tel: [phone]. Website: londres.embaixadaportugal.mne.gov.pt/en/
• The Spanish National Tourist Office is located at 79 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6XB. Tel: [phone]. Website: www.spain.info
• The Greek National Tourism Organisation is located at 4 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 8QJ. Tel: [phone]. Website: www.visitgreece.gr
• Cyprus Tourism Organisation is located at 13 St James's Square, London,SW1Y 4LB, UK Tel: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail] Website: www.visitcyprus.com
• The Croatian National Tourist Office is located at 21 Effie Road, Fulham Broadway, London, SW6 1EN. Tel [phone] E-Mail [e-mail] Website: croatia.hr
• The French Tourist Office is located at Lincoln House, 300 High Holborn, London WC1V 7JH. Tel: [phone] Website: uk.france.fr
• The Italian Tourist Office is located at 1 Princes St. Mayfair, London W1B 2AY Tel: [phone] Website: www.enit.it

Villa description and standards

A particular villa may be more expensive than others because of its size or proximity to a beach or other reason and not because of the standard of its furnishings. Villas are decorated and furnished in different styles according to owner's tastes and the furniture / furnishings will sometimes vary from the brochure or website pictures. Photographs are factual unless they have a caption 'this is an artist's impression', which can occur when a facility was being constructed at the time the photograph was taken and the pictures on our website may not depict pool / table tennis tables but will be listed in the villa amenities if the property features them. Because many photographs are taken during the winter some 'natural' aspects surrounding the house may have been enhanced. If there are occasional or seasonal periods of general drought / water shortages and lack of rain, the grass may not be as green or abundant, as portrayed on images. 

Water Supply

The vast majority of residential villas are fitted with a traditional sized water tank of 150L capacity, so once the hot water supply has been used up, there will be some delay whilst the water tank refills. This is standard in most domestic properties and we recommend larger parties therefore stagger showers. Hot water supply will also be dependent on simultaneous water usage, such as washing machines, dishwasher, showers etc. Sometimes water supply may initially be a little cloudy if the property has been unoccupied the preceding week, so running the taps for a few minutes should restore water clarity. Countryside villa locations in many destinations may not have access to a local mains water supply and will be served by a borehole located on the villa grounds.

Obtaining service engineers abroad is a little different to the UK and on occasion they may not be able to attend to a problem on the same day that it is reported. We will always try our best to rectify any problems reported to us as soon as possible, in accordance with our booking terms. 

Weather

Our resorts enjoy many more sunny days than the UK but occasionally it does rain heavily. The villas are not naturally suited to poor weather conditions which may result in temporary water ingress into the villa, water marks appearing on ceilings or walls or dampness. 

Some destinations are prone to a ‘calima’ where dust and sand are carried by the wind which can affect outside areas and, particularly, pools. As all villas in the area are likely to be affected, it may take time to arrange for this to be cleaned and we would ask your patience. 

We do not feature five star or luxuriously furnished villas, but our villas are well equipped, primarily as a second home or for holiday rentals. We provide self-catering accommodation and do not offer hotel style reception, facilities or services. Villas advertised with greater seclusion does not mean they are totally private but simply have more overall seclusion than most villas. 

We try to be accurate at all times. It is impossible to give a full description of our villas within this brochure or website. All the villas featured have been visited by us and it is important that you not only read the individual descriptions but also speak to us to obtain a better understanding of each villa and the surrounding area. You can also visit our website, www.villaplus.com which shows extra information and pictures about our villas, the surrounding areas, local beaches and places of interest.