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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Accommodation

You should not expect to find the same standard of furnishings and fittings in holiday accommodation in Greece as you enjoy at home. Greeks spend most of their time outside in the sunshine and warm air, so their houses have much simpler and more functional furniture. They also tend to relax with friends sitting at the table over a good meal and a glass of wine, rather than round the fire on upholstered suites, so Greek sitting rooms are more like English dining rooms, insofar as there can be a comparison.

There is a similar contrast in kitchen equipment. All the villas/apartments we use have a kitchen/kitchenette with a fridge and cooking facilities, and are adequately equipped with linen, crockery, glassware and cutlery. Most villas/apartments also have an electric kettle, toaster and an iron.

Each villa/apartment has hot and cold running water and a bathroom or shower room. In one or two villas/apartments the water is heated by solar power and the supply of hot water therefore depends on how much sunshine there is.

If your holiday/course includes accommodation, this will not normally be available before 13:00 local time. On your day of departure, you must vacate your accommodation by 10:00, even if you are travelling on a late return flight, so that the accommodation may be cleaned in time for the next guests arriving. We will however endeavour to make arrangements for your luggage to be looked after and, where possible, for a shower to be made available for your use. 

Animals

The cats and dogs in Greece are very often strays and even those that are not are rarely looked after as well as they would be in England. On health grounds we therefore advise against physical contact with these animals. In addition, Paxos is a very rural island and the villas/apartments that we use are in rural or semi-rural locations. You should therefore expect to encounter local animals, including rodents, and insects during the course of your stay.
 
Booking and Payment

Once you have decided which holiday/course/activity you would like to book, you will need to read our Booking Conditions and Important Information, and then complete and submit the appropriate on-line Booking Form. We will then issue a Booking Confirmation and ask you to pay a non-refundable deposit equivalent to 25% of the cost of your total booking within seven days. On receipt of your deposit, we will issue a Confirmation Invoice which you must check carefully to ensure that the details are as booked. We will then ask you to pay the remaining 75% of the cost eight weeks/56 days before the commencement of the course/activity that you have booked. If you book a holiday/course/activity eight weeks/56 days or less from the date of commencement, we will ask you to pay the full cost on receipt of your Booking Form. We will issue you with full details of your itinerary and joining instructions at least two weeks before your holiday/course/activity is due to start.

Booking Alterations

If you request an alteration and we are able to make the alteration requested, there will be a charge of up to £20 for each alteration made to cover administrative costs, plus any additional charges that the holiday/course/activity supplier may levy (see Booking Conditions).

Breakages

We do not ask for local breakage deposits where accommodation is included in the cost of the holiday/course. However, you are responsible for the cost of repairing or replacing any lost, broken or damaged items, including lost keys (which could also include the cost of changing the lock). If you break or damage anything, or lose a key during your stay, please report this to our Paxos office and agree a suitable replacement/repair cost before your departure. This will then ensure that guests coming after you will find the accommodation properly equipped. If you fail to report breakages or damage to our Paxos office, and we do not become aware of these until after your departure, we will seek reimbursement of the cost of replacement/repair from you on your return home and this will be subject to a handling charge of £20.

Car Hire

We work with one of the most reliable car hire businesses on the island and can book your hire car for you. You can find details of prices and vehicles available on the ‘Car Hire’ page of this website.

Currency

The official currency of Greece is the euro and, as the UK is not in the euro zone, the sterling value against the euro varies on the foreign currency markets from day to day. If you want more information about taking money abroad, speak to your bank or consult the travel pages of the Foreign Office website at www.fco.gov.uk or the European Central Bank website at www.euro.ecb.int.

Driving to Greece

If you wish to drive to Greece, you can find information about this on the ‘Getting to Paxos’ pages of this website. We are always happy to discuss the various options with you.

Extended Holidays

If you wish to spend some additional time on Paxos, either before or after your course, we work with a number of specialist tour operators and are familiar with many of the villas and apartments that are available for rent. Contact us if you would like further information or would like to discuss your accommodation requirements.

Financial Peace of Mind 

Some of our holidays and courses include accommodation as well as tuition and are therefore classed as “packages” under the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992. In order to comply with the requirements of the Regulations, all monies paid to us in respect of any such holidays or courses will be held in a trust account until after the completion of the holiday/course. This provides you with financial protection, in the event of the Company’s insolvency. Your Booking Confirmation and Confirmation Invoice will state quite clearly whether or not the holiday/course you have booked comes within the scope of the Regulations.

Flight Timings

The cost of travel to and from Greece is not included in any of our holidays/courses/activities and we do not arrange this. If you are travelling via Corfu, you should choose a flight that lands by 13.00 at the latest in order to be sure of catching the afternoon hydrofoil service to Paxos. If your flight lands later than 13.00, then you may have to spend the first night of your holiday on Corfu at your own expense.

On the return journey, the early morning hydrofoil from Paxos will normally get you back to Corfu in time to catch flights leaving after 11.00. If you are at all concerned about getting back to Corfu in time to catch your return flight to the UK, then you might like to consider extending your holiday and spending an additional night in Corfu town.  We are always happy to discuss the options with you. 

Foreign Office Travel Advice

Up-to-date information about holiday destinations and advice for British citizens travelling abroad is available from the Foreign Office. Contact the Travel Advice Unit, Consular Division, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Old Admiralty Building, London SW1A 2PA (tel: 0870 606 0290, fax: 020 7008 0155) or visit their website at www.fco.gov.uk.

Group Discounts

We are keen to encourage group bookings and can usually offer a small discount to groups of friends/family who wish to book the same holiday/course/activity with us direct. The number of participants required to qualify for a discount and the amount of that discount will depend on the holiday/course/activity booked but in some cases we can offer a small discount to groups of at least four.

Health

Although it is a condition of booking our holidays/courses/activities that you have comprehensive holiday insurance that includes cover for the holidays/courses/activities in which you are planning to participate, we strongly advise you to also apply for a EHIC card (this has replaced the E111) if you are a UK resident. This entitles you to some medical treatment at certain hospitals at a reduced or zero cost when visiting an EU country. You can apply online for a card by visiting www.ehic.org.uk, call 0845 606 2030 or pick up an application form from the Post Office.

If you are taking any medication, you should take adequate supplies with you and carry them in hand luggage only.

Insurance
 
It is a condition of booking our holidays/courses/activities that you have comprehensive holiday insurance that includes cover for the holidays/courses/activities in which you intend to participate. We have therefore arranged a policy which you can buy on-line with Travel & General Insurance Company plc. You must, however, ensure that this policy meets all your requirements before you purchase it. If you have already taken out travel insurance, you will need to check your policy to ensure that it provides cover for all the holidays/courses/activities in which you intend to participate. If it does not, then you will need to contact your insurer to arrange additional cover. For holidays to Paxos it is particularly important that your insurance policy includes cover for delayed departure, missed departure and missed connections, as transport links with
Corfu can sometimes be disrupted, due to adverse weather, mechanical breakdown or other reasons. We will ask you for details of your insurance policy before you travel to Greece and before you are allowed to take part in any of our holidays, courses or activities.

Linen

Where the cost of your holiday or course includes accommodation, linen and bath towels are included in the holiday price and are changed once a week. Towels for the pool or beach are not provided. 

Medical Care

There is an English-speaking doctor on Paxos who attends the Medical Centre each morning and will also visit you in your villa/apartment in case of an emergency. In addition, there are facilities for taking anyone who needs hospital care to either Corfu or to Ioannina on the Greek mainland. There are two dentists on the island.

Money

The local currency is the euro. More and more retailers and restaurants are starting to accept credit cards but payment by this method should not be taken for granted. Cash and travellers’ cheques can exchanged at the tourist offices in Loggos, Lakka or Gaios and there is a bank and a couple of ATMs in Gaios. 

Noise

In Greece, the working day starts early in the morning and finishes late at night, with local people travelling to and from work by car, moped and motorcycles, which are noisy. There is also increasing pressure on owners to renovate and improve their properties, and this can lead to building work, sometimes noisy, being started without warning near any of the accommodation that we use. We will endeavour to advise you as soon as possible if any such work should begin near the accommodation in which you will be staying but work may start at very short notice or with no notice at all.

None of the accommodation we use is next to a bar or disco, but the sound of the music does travel and may therefore be heard. In addition, the locals may organise musical events which can prove noisy without warning. In rural areas such as Paxos, there are also the usual countryside noises from animals such as donkeys, cockerels and dogs which can start annoyingly early in the day. The quietest time of day in Greece is siesta time between
14:30 and 17:30.
 
Office Hours

You can contact us all year round either by emailing us at [email protected] or by telephoning either 0044 1444 258048 or 0030 26620 31207. From May to October we also have an office on Paxos, which is situated on the waterfront in Loggos and is open Monday to Friday 09.00 – 13.30 and 18.00 – 20.30 and Saturday 09.00 - 13.30.

Passports and Visas

It is your responsibility to be in possession of a valid passport (preferably with the expiry date at least six months after your return travel date) and of any necessary visas. For British citizens, the UK Identity and Passport Service has a website www.ips.gov.uk and 24-hour Passport Adviceline 0300 222 0000. If you do not yet have a passport, it is currently recommended that you apply for one at least six weeks before your holiday. The time that you need to allow for your passport application to be processed may however change and it is your responsibility to check the latest position with the Identity and Passport Service.

EU citizens do not need a visa to travel to Greece but non-EU citizens should contact the Greek Consulate (020 7221 6467) and their own embassy for information about the entry/re-entry requirements.

Problems

We will do all we can to ensure that everything is right for your arrival and that the facilities and service during your stay give no cause for complaint. However, if there should be something you find unsatisfactory, please inform our Paxos office immediately, so that they can put things right. Please do not wait until your return to lodge any complaint, as we can do nothing if we are not informed while you are on holiday.

Single Travellers

A number of our courses include accommodation in a villa/apartment on a shared-room basis and are therefore particularly suitable for people travelling on their own. A limited number of rooms are also available for sole occupancy upon payment of a supplement.

Suitability of our Courses and Activities

Our holidays, courses and activities are only open to people age 18 and over and we reserve the right to decline any booking. As Paxos is a relatively hilly island, we do not feel that it is suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.

Transfers

Where transfers are included in the cost of your holiday or course, or where you have purchased transfers from us separately, the price paid includes travel by shared taxis and scheduled hydrofoil service from Corfu Airport to your accommodation on Paxos and return, unless stated otherwise on your Booking Confirmation and Confirmation Invoice. If the hydrofoil service between Corfu and Paxos is suspended for any reason eg adverse weather conditions, mechanical failure or industrial action, we will endeavour to arrange alternative transport for you or, if this is not possible, accommodation. Where we are able to do this, it will be subject to the payment by you of any additional charges incurred by us. It is essential that your insurance policy includes cover for delayed departure, missed departure and missed connections.

Water

We do not recommend that you drink Greek tap water and you should instead buy bottled mineral water. Water in general is a precious commodity on Greek islands, as most have virtually no rainfall during the summer months and the inhabitants depend entirely on storing the winter rain. Water shortages may result in low water pressure in showers and taps, and when the stored water runs out, more has to be bought at considerable expense. If there is an acute shortage of water, we will do all we can to minimise the impact on you. It should be realised, however, that this is largely out of our control.

Some houses on Paxos rely on the local public supply of community water for flushing WCs and the supply can occasionally be interrupted by the authorities for repairs or other reasons.


September 2010

 

Paxos Life Activities Ltd
telephone: 0044 1444 258048 or 0030 69810 18036

email: [email protected]