Mercury Holidays

TELEPHONE 1800 804 006

Here to Help

Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions
Booking Conditions
Terms and Conditions
The holiday prices in this brochure are quoted per person and can be booked through our office in England. Demand is sure to be high so don?t miss your place. You can make your reservation by telephoning our Reservations Department on the direct telephone number given on page 2. You can also make a booking online at www.mercuryholidays.ie or via one of our Authorised Travel Agents. At the conclusion of your booking you will be given a unique reservations booking number which you will need to keep for future reference. A deposit from ?300pp (please note the deposit may be increased depending on the airline and/or country you are travelling to. You will be advised of the amount of the deposit payable at the time of booking, however those who have made bookings on the website may be contacted up to 72 hours after the booking has been made and advised of any increases) is payable at the time of booking. Please see section 1.Booking and payments of the booking conditions. Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to Mercury Holidays. To avoid disappointment please book without delay, giving your second choice of dates if possible to ensure inclusion if your first choice is already booked. On receipt of your appropriate payment we will issue a confirmation invoice to you. If booking within ten weeks of departure, full payment is required. You will receive your tickets and travel information approximately 14 days before departure.

Back to top

You may pay for your holiday by debit or credit card. Items not included in the holiday price (per person). Holiday Insurance Passports visas and vaccinations Optional excursions Meals, unless otherwise stated Personal expenditure Transfers except where stated Porterage Flight supplements Excess baggage on the aircraft

Back to top

As travel regulations are constantly changing, we are unable to provide up to date information concerning such requirements. It is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with all necessary, visa, passport and other travel regulations. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. A valid passport is essential when you travel abroad, although your passport has been issued for 10 years (5 years for children) you should note that some overseas countries have an immigration requirement for a passport to remain valid for a minimum period after the date of entry to that country. If your passport is in its final year of validity you are advised to check the requirements of the country before you make your final travel plans. Irish passport holders will require a visa or ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) to travel to Australia. ETAs can be processed by our administation department at a cost of €21pp. Visas are required for travel to Kerala and Sri Lanka and some stopover destinations, the cost of a Visa will be confirmed on application.

Back to top

Travel to certain countries may mean that is advisable, or in certain cases, compulsory for you to be inoculated against certain illnesses. In view of the fact that our brochure has been published several months in advance of your departure date, we cannot give up to date details of inoculations and health precautions for your holiday. It is essential, therefore, that at the time of booking you get fully comprehensive information about inoculations and health precaustions that you may need for your holiday. Your GP can provide the leaflet 'Access to health care abroad' for more information or Local Area Health Authority MASTA can provide a detailed Helath Brief specially tailored to your journey and giving inforamtion closer to your departure date. It is your responsibility to ensure your are in possession of all necessary travel documentation. If failure to have any necessary travel or other documents results to fines, surcharges or other financial penalty being imposed on us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly.

Back to top

The prices showin on this website are per person in Euros (€'s) and are valid from 01/11/11. Prices are subject to increase. The prices and information feature in our brochures and shown on our website are correct at the time of publication but are given as guidance only as prices can go up or down. However, in the event of any online inaccuracy or discrepancy, the price quoted by our in-house booking system will be taken as the valid price for the holiday in question at time of booking. We reserve the right to change prices. Accordingly, it is possible that when you book your holiday, the actual price of your holiday has changed, the correct price will confirmed at the time of booking. We reserve the right to correct errors at any time prior to the price being confirmed at the time of booking. Once you have made your booking and paid a deposit or full payment has been made, we will only increase the price in the following circumstances. Price increases after booking will be passed on by way of a surcharge (see clause 2. 'Our Price Policy'). A surcharge will be payable in the event of increases in transportation costs (eg aviation insurance and secruity levy, fuel, scheduled air fares and any other airline surcharges which are part of the contract between airlines (and their agents) and the tour operator) and/or in any dues, taxes, or fees payable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports or airports or where the costs increase as a result of any adverse changes in the exchange rates which have been used to calculate the cost of your holiday. Please bear in mind from time to time certain facilities, including optional excursions, swimming pools and entertainment may be withdrawn or cruise itineraries altered, due to lack of demand, weather conditions, essential maintenance work or other circumstances outside of our control, Indoor pools are heated in the winter where shown, however it is at the hotels discretion which months the indoor pool is heated.

Back to top

All our prices (including flight and hotel supplements) are per person and are based on the shared occupancy of double or twin-bedded rooms. Rooms may have twin or double beds regardless of the name of the room on your booking confirmation. If you require a specific bed configuration then please ask for this in the special requests box before you confirm your booking. All special requests are subject to availability.(Alternative accommodation supplements are given with the individual holiday details and all accommodation supplements are per person daily). As far as possible we will use the hotels stated in the brochure. Occasionally it may be necessary to use an alternative hotel of equal standard and you will be advised at the earliest opportunity (see clause 5 for further information). While a supplement is normally charged for single rooms in European hotels these are often inferior to double or twin-bedded rooms. Three-bedded rooms are usually twin rooms with an extra bed. The standard international practice is to let rooms from midday to midday. However times do vary, Check-in times are usually between 2pm and 3pm, check out times between 11am and 12 noon on the day of departure. Therefore, if you check-in immediately after a night flight this would normally count as one night?s accommodation. Similarly if your return flight is at night you will normally be required to vacate your rooms at 12 noon prior to leaving for the airport. Day rooms are subject to availability/ cost and should be arranged locally with the accommodation management. On holidays including Half Board meal arrangements, dinners will normally be based on a table d hote set menu unless otherwise stated. As far as possible we will use the hotels stated in the brochure. One of the main attractions of holidaying abroad is to see something of a way of life that is different to what we are used to at home. You should not therefore expect things to be the same as in Britain - invariably this is not so. For example star ratings should not be compared to the equivalent star ratings in the UK, they will be based on guidelines by local authorities (see clause 33 of the booking conditions). Where it is stated that there is satellite TV in your room, please do not expect to receive more than 1 or 2 English channels. In other countries - some of which have only recently become accustomed to an influx of foreign tourists - the locals tend to be more relaxed in their approach to life, and this usually means taking their time over things. Also, because of the rapid development of some resorts, the provision of roads, power supplies and water supplies etc. has sometimes not kept pace with the demands of tourism. You may experience problems with plumbing or drainage or inconvenience like a broken door handle, or missing lightbulb. Standards of furnishing or electrical fittings may be more basic. It is also worth remembering that on a holiday where the absence of rain rates high on your list of priorities, water shortages can sometimes be unavoidable - indeed even in the largest hotels if everyone decides to shower or bath at the same time, hot water may run short. Don?t get annoyed if these things occur - just report it to the receptionist and it will be fixed eventually! And of course our representatives will also help in any way possible. Food overseas can also be a little different to what you?re used to. The choice of food is a very personal matter and often hotel menus are designed to please the greatest number of people. However, many resorts do have restaurants and snack bars where British style dishes can be bought if you prefer. Certain hotels may request a credit card/deposit at check in to cover any additional extras. Please be advised some of the facilities listed in the hotel description may be an additional fee, you will be advised of this in resort by the hotel. Meal Plans in our hotels: Your meal plan starts when you check in to your hotel, and ends when you check out and is subject to restaurant and bar opening hours. Our hotels will generally offer a number of different meal plans or board basis for you to choose from. For your ease we have defined the basic elements of each board basis here: Room Only (RO) ? No Meals Included. Self-Catering (SC) ? No Meals Included. Bed & Breakfast (BB) ? Breakfast Included. Half Board (HB) ? Breakfast and evening meal included. Full Board (FB) ? Breakfast, lunch and evening meal included. All-Inclusive (AI) - Breakfast, lunch and evening meal as well as other selected elements included. What is included within meal plans varies from hotel to hotel; we therefore recommend that you check this with our reservations consultants prior to booking. As standard Breakfast will be in a continental style and it cannot be guaranteed that a cooked option will be available in certain countries the breakfast may also include various national dishes which you may consider different. On holidays including Half Board and Full Board meal arrangements, your lunch and evening meal will normally be either a buffet or based on a table d?hote set menu unless otherwise stated. Please note that in some of our hotels Gentlemen will be required to wear long trousers at meal times. When taking an All-Inclusive holiday the following may apply: You may be required to wear a wrist band or carry an identification card to qualify for the full range of inclusive benefits. Times when free drinks and snacks are served can vary but are typically between 11.00am and midnight. After that a cash bar may operate. Bottled water may not be included as part of your All-Inclusive package. There may be a charge for motorised sports, time limits on some other free sporting activities as well as age or experience qualifications for some sports. If you are under 18, you may have to wear a different coloured wrist band or carry a different identification card to those issued to adult guests. Travellers who are under 18 years old should not expect to be served alcohol. A la carte meals are not included as part of the All-Inclusive package unless otherwise notified by the hotel. For full terms we recommend you read the All-Inclusive section in our terms and conditions and speak to our reservations consultants.

Back to top

Throughout this website we have had to abbreviate some words, please find a full list below:
AdAdultDsvDeluxe Seaview
ChChildSdvSide Seaview
RORoom OnlyGdvGardenview
SCSelf CateringSutSuite
BBBed & BreakfastPvwPoolview
FBFull BoardPano Dlx SvwPanoramic Deluxe Seaview
AIAll Inclusive
HB (3rd wk)Half Board (3rd week)
AptApartment
SvwSeaview1bd1 Bedroom
SupSuperior2bd2 Bedroom
SsvSuperior SeaviewStuStudio
DlxDeluxeEx NtExtra Night
PrivPrivilegeFamFamily
InlvwInland ViewJnrJunior
MvwMarina ViewB'fastBreakfast

Back to top

We are happy to welcome travellers with disabilities on many of our holidays but regret that in some cases we are unable to do so, due to the trabel arrangements and/or the hotels which are featured. The suitability of any holiday will depend on the nature of a disability and in some cases whether the person with the disability is accompanied by an able-bodied companion. In order to endure the comfort, safety and enjoyment of your holiday if you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your holiday, please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen arrangements where necessary, instruct our representatives accordingly. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person concerned, we must reserve the right to decline their reservation or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel when we become aware of these details. A checklist for disabled and less mobile passenger can be obtained by contacting us directly and will need to be completed and signed by you before your booking can proceed. Please note that completion of this form will not guarantee your needs will be met. It will however enable us to check the suitability of your chosen holiday with our resort staff based on the information supplied by you. We cannot be held liable if you fail to tell us about any special requirements that may affect your holiday. PLEASE NOTE: If special arrangements need to be made for you an extra charge may be levied, this may include transfers. We cannot be held responsible if you fail to tell us about special needs/requirements that will affect your holiday experience and no compensation will be made.

Back to top

Smoking has been banned in all public areas in Malta and restrictions are in place in the other destinations featured in our brochure, including the Algarve & Canary Islands. Please refer to the relevant country's tourist board website prior to travel, in order to see the full details of the restrictions. Please note that public areas include bars, restaurants, hotels, shops, coaches and the airport. Separate smoking areas that are well ventilated will be at the discretion of indiviual bar, caafe or restaurant owners.

Back to top

If you have any special request, you must advise us at the time of booking and clearly note it on your booking form. Although we will endeavour to pass any reasonable requests on to the relevant supplier, we regret we cannot guarantee any request will be met. Faliure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part. We regret we cannot accept any conditional bookings, i.e. any booking which is specified to be conditional on the fulfilment of a particular request. All such bookings will be trated as standard bookings subject to the above provisions on special requests.

Back to top

Private transfer prices are based on a minimum of two people (maximum four). If one person is travelling the cost will be double.

Back to top

A table will be available for independent travellers to share at meal times

Back to top

Booking Conditions
Subject to availability, the holidays in this brochure can be booked by telephoning our reservations department in Sevenoaks, England, using the appropriate telephone number in this brochure, by visiting our website www.mercuryholidays.ie or via one of our Authorised Travel Agents. The person making the booking must be over 18 and in making the booking guarantees that they have authority to accept and do accept on behalf of all parties detailed on the booking, the terms of these booking conditions. The person making the booking guarantees payment to us of the total cost of the holiday booked. A deposit from €300 per person, (or full payment if booking within ten weeks of departure), is payable at the time of booking. Please note the deposit may be increased depending on the airline, accommodation and/or country you are travelling to. You will be advised of the amount of the deposit payable at the time of booking, however those who have made bookings on the website may be contacted up to 72 hours after the booking has been made and advised of any increases. The balance of the cost of your arrangements (including any applicable surcharge) is due by the balance due date notified to you. This will normally be ten weeks before departure. If the deposit or balance is not received by us in full by the applicable due date, we reserve the right to treat the booking as cancelled by you and levy cancellation charges as described in Section 3 of these Booking Conditions. We do not send reminders of monies owing. Your booking is confirmed and a binding contract between us and you comes into existence when we have received payment of the deposit or the full cost of your booking (where applicable) and we issue you with a booking confirmation confirming the details of your booking (which will be sent to you or your travel agent). Contact us immediately (and no later than ten days of receipt) if any information which appears on the booking confirmation or any other document is incorrect or incomplete so that the error can be investigated. We will do our best to rectify any mistake or omission notified to us within the time limits specified above if the error was our fault, but you must meet any costs involved in our doing so if the error was as a result of your fault. If we are notified of inaccuracies or errors more than 10 days after you have received your confirmation, any costs to amend the booking will be your responsibility. We reserve the right to return your deposit and decline to issue a booking confirmation at our absolute discretion. If your confirmed arrangements include a flight departing from the UK, we (or if you booked via an authorised agent of ours, that agent) will issue you with an ATOL Certificate in addition to the confirmation invoice. Contact us immediately (at least within ten days) if any information which appears on the email or confirmation and ATOL certificate or any other document is incorrect or incomplete so that the error can be investigated. Any money paid to an authorised agent of ours in respect of a booking covered by our ATOL is held by that agent on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust at all times, but subject to the agent?s obligation to pay it to us for so long as we do not fail financially. If we do fail financially, any money held at that time by the agent or subsequently accepted from the consumer by the agent, is and continues to be held by that agent on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust without any obligation to pay that money to us. Credit and Debit Cards: You may make payment by debit or credit card.

Back to top

The prices shown on this website are per person in Euros (&euros;s). We reserve the right to amend the price of unsold holidays at any time and correct errors in the prices of confirmed holidays. You will be advised of the current price of the holiday that you wish to book before your booking is confirmed and contract created. All our prices (including flight and hotel supplements) are per person and are based on the shared occupancy of double or twin-bedded rooms. (Alternative accommodation supplements are given with the individual holiday details and all accommodation supplements are per person per night). If a 3rd week is free, this will still be subject to any room supplements. The price of your holiday is based on exchange rates quoted by Allied Irish Bank PLC (AIB) and Barclays Bank PLC. The price of your confirmed holiday is subject at all times to changes in i) transportation costs, including the cost of fuel; or ii) dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports; or iii) the exchange rates used to calculate your arrangements. Such variations could include but are not limited to airline cost changes which are part of our contracts with airlines (and their agents), cruise ship operators and any other transport providers. We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. You will be charged for the amount over and above that, plus an administration charge of €2 per person. If this means that you have to pay an increase of more than 10% of the price of your travel arrangements (excluding insurance premiums and any amendment charges), you will have the option of accepting a change to another holiday if we are able to offer one (if this is of equivalent or higher quality you will not have to pay more but if it is of lower quality you will be refunded the difference in price), or cancelling and receiving a full refund of monies paid, except for any amendment charges or insurance premiums. Should you decide to cancel because of this, you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days from the issue date printed on the invoice. If you do not tell us that you wish to cancel within this period of time, we are entitled to assume that you do not wish to cancel and will pay the surcharge. Any surcharge must be paid with the balance of the cost of the holiday or within 14 days of the issue date printed on the surcharge invoice, whichever is the later. We promise not to levy a surcharge within 30 days of your departure date. Should the price of your holiday go down due to the changes mentioned above, by more than 2% of your holiday cost, then any refund due will be paid to you. However, please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual & other protection in place. Please consider that the prices in this brochure are based on the lowest airfares available at the time of going to print. Our short haul destinations are based on low cost airlines and flight prices fluctuate daily, flight prices may also increase with scheduled airlines and during peak travel periods. Ultimately the nearer to your date of departure that you book your holiday, the higher the flight costs will be, therefore increasing your holiday price. Mercury Holidays always recommends you book early to take advantage of the lower flight prices and to avoid disappointment.

Back to top

There is a possibility of the introduction of consumer levies to provide additional financial protection for the holidays in this brochure. As we have no way of knowing whether this will happen, our prices have been calculated on the basis that no such levy will be introduced during the validity period of this brochure. If a consumer levy is introduced it will be added to the price of both unsold and confirmed holidays (if applicable) whether it is payable by the consumer or by the tour operator. The levy will be shown as a separate item on your invoice and will not be subject to the provisions of Our Price Policy (2).

Back to top

Should you or any member of your party need to cancel your booking, or any part of it, once it has been confirmed, you must do so in writing. The charges which we will impose are set out below, and their level will depend on when we receive your written notification of cancellation. Any amendment fees, insurance premiums, airport taxes or higher level deposit paid cannot be refunded and are payable in full. Period before departure within which Cancellation charge per written notification of cancellation person cancelling is received by us (see note below)
Period pre departure at which notice of cancellation is received:Cancellation Charge
More than 70 daysDeposit only plus any additional cancellation charges from your suppliers (Up to 100% of booking value)
69 - 43 days70% plus any additional cancellation charges from your suppliers (Up to 100% of booking value)
42 - 29 days 80% plus any additional cancellation charges from your suppliers (Up to 100% of booking value)
28 - 15 days90% plus any additional cancellation charges from your suppliers (Up to 100% of booking value)
14 - 0 days100%
Note: cancellation charges above are shown as a percentage of holiday cost (excluding insurance premiums or amendment fees). Please ensure that you are in receipt of written confirmation from us of your cancellation. Depending on the reason for cancellation, you may be able to reclaim these cancellation charges (less any applicable excess) under the terms of your insurance policy. Claims must be made directly to the insurance company concerned. Airport taxes are not refundable if your holiday is cancelled. Please be advised that if you pay 50% of the cost of your holiday at the time of booking then this is a non refundable deposit. For flight inclusive bookings, you must in addition pay the charges levied by the airline concerned. As most airlines do not permit name changes after tickets have been issued for any reason, these charges are likely to be the full cost of the flight.

Back to top

Requests to change your booking after confirmation (e.g transferring to a different hotel, departure date or airport) must be made in writing, but we are not bound to comply with such requests. If additional people are added to your booking, they are added on the understanding that they have also accepted these booking conditions and you or they will pay any additional costs. Where we can meet a request for a change to your holiday we will issue a revised holiday invoice to confirm this. To avoid incurring booking service changes at a later date, please remember to book all additional items when you confirm your holiday. All amendments/alterations more than 10 weeks before the original departure date will incur the following charges: (a) An amendment fee of from €35 per person for all destinations will be payable together with any costs incurred by ourselves and any costs or charges incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers. If you amend your booking in any way (subject to (b) below) less than ten weeks before your original departure date this will be treated as a cancellation by you and the cancellation charges shown in paragraph 4 will apply. Any new arrangements you request will be treated as an entirely new booking. (b) If you or a member of your party is prevented from travelling, that person may transfer their place to someone else (introduced by you) up to 28 days before departure subject to the following conditions: i) the reason for such a transfer is personal illness which prevents you from travelling, death or serious illness of a close family relative, redundancy or unavoidable work commitments, jury service and ii) you provide documentary proof such as a doctor?s certificate of the reason for your wish to transfer and iii) you, or the transferee, pays any balance due before the transfer is finalised and iv) the transferee meets any conditions which may apply to the holiday and agrees to these booking conditions and v) you request the transfer in writing and provide full details of the transferee together with documentary proof and return to us all existing documentation. Where a transfer to a person of your choice can be made, all costs and charges incurred by us and/or incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers as a result together with the amendment fee of a minimum of €35 per person for all destinations must be paid before the transfer can be effected. NOTE. Certain arrangements (e.g flights) may not be amended after they have been confirmed and any alteration could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements. In some cases any changes made may mean you have to pay for the cancelled arrangements and having to purchase new ones at full cost.

Back to top

We start planning the holidays many months in advance. Whilst it is unlikely that we will have to cancel your holiday or make changes to it, occasionally we may have to do so. We also reserve the right to make changes to or correct errors in our brochure, and on our website. Further, your flight details may change, or a hotel may close down. However we promise not to make any significant changes (as described below) to or cancel your confirmed holiday arrangements less than 28 days before departure, unless we are forced to do so as a result of force majeure or (in the event that we cancel) because you have failed to pay for your holiday in accordance with these Booking Conditions. If we have to cancel or make a significant change to your arrangements, we will give you the following choices: a) accepting the changed arrangements as notified to you or b) purchasing another holiday from us, of a similar standard to that originally booked if available (with you paying an additional fee or receiving a refund in respect of any price difference) or c) cancelling your booking or accepting the cancellation and receiving a full and prompt refund of all monies paid to us. A significant change is a change made before departure which, on the basis of the information given to us by you at the time of making your booking, we can reasonably expect will have a major effect on your holiday. The following changes are examples of significant changes:
  • A reduction in the number of nights of your holiday
  • A change of your date of departure
  • A change of your resort area or your accommodation to a lower brochure category for the full duration of your stay
  • A change from a day flight to night flight (providing time of departure is changed by more than 8 hours for shorthaul and 12 hours for longhaul). A night flight which is changed to depart after or before midnight is not a change of date.
    • You must notify us of your choice within 7 days of our offer. If you fail to do so we will assume that you have chosen to accept the alternative booking arrangements. If we make a significant change or cancel less than 70 days before departure, we will also pay compensation as detailed below: Period before departure Compensation per person (excluding infants) a significant change or cancellation is notified to you:
    70-15€12
    14 days or less€23
    We will not pay you compensation and the above options will not be available where: (i) we are forced to make a change or cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even using all due care (ii) the holiday is cancelled as a result of the minimum number required for the holiday not being met and you are informed in writing of the cancellation for this reason within 28 days of departure; (iii) we make a minor change; (iv) we cancel as a result of your failure to make full payment on time; or (v) where the change(s) or cancellation by us arises out of alterations to the confirmed booking requested by you. Please note: where accommodation with a higher price than the original accommodation is offered by us and accepted by you, the difference in price will be deducted from any compensation payable. In no case will we pay compensation if accommodation is offered by us and accepted by you with a higher price than that originally booked in the same location where no additional payment is made by you. Compensation will not be paid in respect of children staying at hotels for free and, where payable, will be paid on a pro-rata basis of the adult rate where children have received a reduced rate. Very rarely, we may be forced by ?force majeure? (see clause 8) to change or terminate your arrangements after departure. If this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to make any refunds (unless we obtain any from our suppliers), pay you compensation or meet any costs or expenses you incur as a result. If we become unable to provide a significant proportion of the services that you have booked with us after you have departed, we will make alternative arrangements for you at no extra charge and, if appropriate in all the circumstances, will pay you reasonable compensation.

    Back to top

Where your flight or other transport arrangement forms part of your booking with us, if you or any member of your party misses your flight or other transport arrangement, it is cancelled or you are subject to a delay of over 3 hours for any reason, you must contact us and the airline or other transport supplier concerned immediately. If you are delayed for more than 3 hours for a reason other than force majeure and in respect of the main flight included in your holiday, we have adopted the ABTA recommendation practice on flight delays which state; a. operators should seek to ensure that in the event of a delay exceeding 3 hours, customers should receive light refreshments b. in the event of a delay exceeding 6 hours customers should receive a main meal c. in the event of a longer delay, wherever possible customers should receive meals and accommodation appropriate for the time of day. In the event that you experience difficulty on the occurrence of circumstances described in clauses 7 (2) (b) (c) or (d) of these Booking Conditions, we will provide you with prompt assistance. Where you experience a delay which is not owing to any failure by us, our employees or sub-contractors, this prompt assistance is likely to extend to providing help in locating refreshments, accommodation and communications but not paying for them. Any airline or other transport supplier may however pay for or provide refreshments and/or appropriate accommodation & you should make a claim directly to them (see below). Subject to the other terms of these conditions, we will not be liable for any costs, fees or charges you incur in the above circumstances, if you fail to obtain our prior authorisation before making your own travel arrangements. Under EU Law you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from your airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be publicised at EU airports and will also be available from airlines. However reimbursement in such cases will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday cost from us. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in these booking conditions. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by the airline will be deducted from this amount. If your airline does not comply with these rules you should complain to the air carrier under Regulation 261/ 2004. However, if the air carrier fails to conclude the matter in accordance with the Regulation, or to the satisfaction of you, the complaint should be forwarded either to the Commission for Aviation Regulation, 3rd Floor, Alexandra House, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2 or to the appropriate national enforcement body. You are reminded that captains of aircraft have absolute authority over the aircraft and its passengers whilst boarding or in flight. The captain or other authorised representative if an airline can refuse to carry anyone if they are unruly or otherwise fit to travel. If you are refused carriage in these circumstances your holiday will terminate immediately and we shall have no further responsibility or liability to you. The carrier(s), flight timings and types of aircraft shown in this brochure and detailed on your confirmation invoice are for guidance only and are subject to alteration and confirmation. We shall inform you of the identity of the actual carrier(s) as soon as we become aware of it. The latest flight timings will be shown on your tickets which will be despatched to you approximately two weeks before departure. You should check your tickets very carefully immediately on receipt to ensure you have the correct flight times. If flight times change after tickets have been dispatched we will contact you as soon as we can to let you know.

Back to top

(1) We will accept responsibility for the arrangements we agree to provide or arrange for you as an ?organiser? under the Package Holidays and Travel Trade Act, 1995 as set out below. Subject to these Booking Conditions, if we or our suppliers perform or arrange your contracted holiday arrangements negligently, taking into consideration all relevant factors (for example following the complaints procedure as described in these conditions and the extent to which ours or our employees? or suppliers? negligence affected the overall enjoyment of your holiday), we will pay you reasonable compensation. Please note that it is your responsibility to show that we or our supplier(s) have been negligent if you wish to make a claim against us. (2) We will not be responsible or pay you compensation for any injury, illness, death, loss, damage, expense, cost or other claim of any description which results from: (a) the act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected; (b) the act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party unconnected with the provision of the services contracted for and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable; or (c) unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond ours or our supplier(s) control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised; or (d) an event which either ourselves or suppliers could not, even with all due care, have foreseen or forestalled. (3) We limit the amount of compensation we may have to pay you if we are found liable under this clause: a.) loss of and/or damage to any luggage or personal possessions and money: the maximum amount we will have to pay you is €29 per person in total because you are assumed to have adequate insurance in place to cover any losses of this kind b. Claims not falling under a. above and which dont involve injury, illness or death: The maximum amount we will have to pay you is twice the price paid by or on behalf of the person(s) affected in total. This maximum amount will only be payable where everything has gone wrong and you or your party has not received any benefit at all from your holiday c. Claims in respect of international travel by air, sea and rail, or any stay in a hotel: i. The extent of our liability will in all cases be limited as if we were carriers under the appropriate Conventions, which include The Warsaw/Montreal Convention (international travel by air); The Athens Convention (with respect to sea travel); The Berne/Cotif Convention (with respect to rail travel) and The Paris Convention (with respect to hotel arrangements). You can ask for copies of these Conventions from our offices. Please contact us. In addition, you agree that the operating carrier or transport companys own Conditions of Carriage will apply to you on that journey. When arranging transportation for you, we rely on the terms and conditions contained within these international conventions and those Conditions of Carriage. You acknowledge that all of the terms and conditions contained in those Conditions of Carriage form part of your contract with us, as well as with the transport company and that those Conditions of Carriage shall be deemed to be included by reference into these Booking Conditions. ii. In any circumstances in which a carrier is liable to you by virtue of the Denied Boarding Regulation 2004, any liability we may have to you under our contract with you, arising out of the same facts, is limited to the remedies provided under the Regulation as if (for this purpose only) we were a carrier. iii. When making any payment, we are entitled to deduct any money which you have received or are entitled to receive from the transport provider or hotelier for the complaint or claim in question. (4) It is a condition of our acceptance of liability under this clause that you notify any claim to ourselves and our supplier(s) strictly in accordance with the complaints procedure set out in these Booking Conditions. (5) Where any payment is made, the person(s) receiving it (and their parent or guardian if under 18 years) must also assign to ourselves or our insurers any rights they may have to pursue any third party and must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require. (6) Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss or expense or other sum(s) of any description which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you; or (b) any business losses. (7) We will not accept responsibility for services or facilities which do not form part of our agreement or where they are not advertised in our brochure. For example any excursion you book whilst away, or any service or facility which your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide for you.

Back to top

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss (as more fully described in clause 7 above) as a result of ?force majeure?. In these Booking Conditions, force majeure means any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Including but not limited to, war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, hostilities, political unrest; government action; industrial dispute; natural or other disaster; nuclear incident; terrorist activity; adverse weather conditions; closure of airports; fire; flood; drought; re-scheduling; or cancellation of flights or alteration of the airline; or aircraft type by an airline and unavoidable technical problems and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) concerneds control. Advice from a Foreign Office to leave a country may constitute Force Majeure.

Back to top

We do our best to make your holiday a success. However in the event that you should wish to complain about any aspect of your holiday, you must notify our local representative. Our representative is there to help you and can usually deal with problems quickly and satisfactory. You must also inform the relevant supplier (e.g. hotel). If your complaint cannot be resolved on the spot and you wish to take up the matter after your holiday, a Complaint Registration Form, available from our representative, must be completed in resort before you return. One copy of this form will be given to you and you should then follow this up by writing to our Customer Relations Department within 28 days of your return from holiday, quoting your booking number and detailing the circumstances of your complaint. The matter will then be investigated on your behalf. If you fail to follow this simple procedure we will then have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate & rectify your complaint whilst you were in resort which may affect your rights under this contract. Subsequent correspondence must be followed up in writing within 6 weeks of your receiving a full reply from us. Investigations can take up to 8 weeks. Our address for service in Ireland is Mercury Holidays, Fitzwilliam Hall, Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2.

Back to top

We are a Member of ABTA, membership number V0211. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTAs Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTAs scheme for the resolution of disputes which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we can not resolve your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTAs simple procedure. Further information on the Code and ABTAs assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com. You can also access the European Commission Online Dispute (ODR) Resolution platform at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. This ODR platform is a means of registering your complaint with us; it will not determine how your complaint should be resolved.

Back to top

For your information, our flights are scheduled to be operated by: British Airways, Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Emirates, Air Mauritius, Air France, Qatar Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines, Thai Airways, Wantas, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Etihad Airways, Oman Air and Jet Airways. We reserve the right to substitute alternative carriers and/or aircraft types if necessary in which case in flight service and flight plans may be subject to alteration if changes occur. Holiday flights operate a no smoking policy. On some airlines there may be a charge for sail boards, golf clubs, Wedding dress, SCUBA or diving equipment or other items such as bicycles or musical instruments. Please note that bookings on "no frills" carriers, like Ryanair & Aer Lingus include one piece of checked hold luggage per person and allowance will vary dependent on carrier, unless you choose to not include a bad on your flight. "No frills" carriers operate a buy-on-board service. Ryanair flights require self check in on-line. Flight timings planned are also given for your guidance but your actual flight timings will be those shown on your airline tickets or E-TICKET itinerary (although it is possible that even these timings may change), and you should check tickets or E-TICKET itinerary carefully as soon as you receive them. We may substitute alternative airlines and/or aircraft and/or airports of destination if necessary, in which case you cannot transfer to another holiday or cancel without incurring normal cancellation charges-see section 4. Any such change will be a minor one, not entitling you to compensation. Where travel is by scheduled air flights, these will be in economy class. This brochure is issued on the sole responsibility of the tour operator, it is not issued on behalf of and does not commit the airline mentioned therein or any airline whose services are used in the course of these holidays. Please note that certain departure times will be affected by the clocks changing in the Spring and again in the Autumn. Any changes to the actual airline after you have received your tickets will be notified to you as soon as possible and in all cases at check in or at the boarding gate. Please note the existence of a "Community list" (available for inspection at http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/air/safety/flywell_en.htm) detailing air carriers that are subject to an operating ban with the EU Community.

Back to top

A number of Governments are introducing new requirements for air carriers to provide personal information about all travellers on their aircraft to the Authorities before the aircraft leaves Ireland. The data will be collected either at the airport when you check in or in some circumstances when, or after you make your booking. Accordingly, you are advised to allow extra time to check in for your flight.

Back to top

We consider adequate travel insurance to be essential. You should give details of your policy (insurer and policy number) to us in writing at the time of booking. Please read your policy details carefully. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is adequate for your particular needs. We do not check alternative insurance policies. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

Back to top

Many of the services which make up your holiday are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the suppliers liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions (see clause 7). Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from us or the supplier concerned.

Back to top

a. Financial security for departures from Ireland We are licenced by the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) to carry on business as a tour operator (licence number T.O. 0742). EU law and our CAR licence require that we provide security for the monies that you pay for the package holidays booked from this brochure and for your repatriation in the event of our insolvency. This means that in the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAR will ensure that you are not left stranded abroad or will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. Under the Package Holidays and Travel Trade Acts,1982 and 1995, (the Acts), Tour Operators and Travel Agents are required to be licenced and bonded in respect of the sale and offering for sale, of travel originating within the State to destinations outside the State. The legislation comprises the Acts and Regulations made in accordance with those Acts. The Acts and related Regulations provide for measures to regulate the Irish travel industry and to protect the interests of its customers. It does this primarily by requiring Travel Agents and Tour Operators selling, or offering for sale, travel out of Ireland to have a licence and also a bond in place from which travellers may be refunded or reimbursed in the event of a Travel Agent or Tour Operator going out of business or becoming insolvent. The bond is an amount of money that will become available to the Commission for Aviation Regulation to cover disbursements to customers of a Travel Agent or Tour Operator who has not been able to fulfil their financial or contractual obligations in respect of that customer. It takes the form of either a cash sum or a bank or insurance company guarantee. The Acts are only concerned with travel to destinations outside the State. In relation to domestic travel, the Acts require package organisers to have a bond in place to protect consumers against going out of business or insolvency. The administration of the Acts is primarily a matter for the Director of Consumer Affairs who may be contacted by telephone at (01) 4025555. The Acts defines a tour operator as: a person other than a carrier who arranges for the purpose of selling or offering for sale to any person accommodation for travel by air, sea or land transport commencing in the State to destinations outside the State or Northern Ireland or who holds himself out by advertising or otherwise as one who may make available such accommodation, either solely or in association with other accommodation, facilities or other services. For more information please visit www.aviationreg.ie. b.) Financial security for departures from the UK (Madeira and Tour Programme) The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 require us to provide security for the monies that you pay for the package holidays booked from this brochure and for your repatriation in the event of our insolvency. We provide this security by way of a bond held by the Civil Aviation Authority under ATOL number 1631. When you buy a flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate and a Confirmation invoice from us (or via our authorised agent through which you booked). This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong. This means that in respect of all arrangements including flights, in the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not left stranded abroad or will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking except where your contracted arrangements with us do not include transport to and from the UK. In this case, if already abroad, you will be returned to the point where your contracted arrangements with us commenced. In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL Scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable). If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk. The price of our flight inclusive arrangements includes the amount of £2.50 per person as part of the ATOL Protection Contribution (APC) we pay to the CAA. This charge is included in our advertised prices. Not all holiday or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL Scheme. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. We provide financial security for holidays not including flights by way of a bond held with ABTA, No. V0211. If your package holiday does not include flights, ABTA will financially protect your holiday in the same way. If you book arrangements other than a package holiday from this brochure, the financial protection referred to above does not apply. A package holiday is defined as more than one of the following when they are booked and paid for at an inclusive price: flights, accommodation plus any other tourist services that is not ancillary to transport or accommodation.

Back to top

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 Ireland. As a general rule, these requirements and standards will not be the same as Ireland and may sometimes be lower. We therefore advise clients to take all reasonable precautions whilst on holiday and, in particular to familiarise yourself with hotel fire escape routes.

Back to top

Child prices/reductions (reductions are off of the full adult price) apply to a max of 2 children (aged 2-11yrs inclusive for hotels and self-catering) sharing a room with two full fare paying adults unless otherwise stated. All children must pay appropriate premiums and supplements such as Half Board and Seaview where applicable.

Back to top

For the purpose of the Data Protection Act 1998, we Sunspot Tours Ltd trading as Mercury Holidays are a Data Controller. In order to process your booking, we need to collect certain personal details from you. These will include, where applicable, the names and addresses of party members, credit/debit card or other payment details and details which may be considered ?sensitive personal data? such as special requirements relating to any disability or medical condition which may affect the chosen holiday arrangements and any dietary restrictions which may disclose your religious beliefs. If we need any other personal details, we will tell you before we obtain them from you. We need to pass your personal details to the companies and organisations who need to know them so that your holiday can be provided (for example your airline, hotel, other supplier, credit/debit card company or bank). Such companies and organisations may be outside the European Union, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein if your holiday is to take place or involves suppliers outside these countries where controls on data privacy may not be as strong. We would also like to store and use your personal details for future marketing purpose (for example, sending you a brochure or details of a promotion). All details you give us in connection with your booking (including those relating to any disability or medical condition or your religious beliefs) will be kept but we will use only names and contact details for marketing purposes. Occasionally, we may sell clients names and addresses to other companies or organisations who offer goods or services which we feel may interest you. Except where expressly permitted by the Data Protection Act, we will only deal with the personal details you give us as set out in the above unless you agree otherwise. For example, if we wish to use any of your personal details for marketing purposes, we will tell you this when we ask for your details and give you the opportunity to say no if you do not want us to do so. We have appropriate security measures in place to protect this information. You are generally entitled to ask us (by letter or e-mail) what details of yours are being held or processed, for what purpose and to whom they may be or have been disclosed. We will charge a fee to respond to such a request. We promise to respond to your request within 40 days of receiving your written request and fee. In certain limited circumstances we are entitled to refuse your request. Your call maybe recorded, however you will be informed of this by way of pre-recorded message at the outset of the call.

Back to top

Information posted on our website and detailed in our brochure is published in good faith and is updated regularly. However, we cannot guarantee the completeness and accuracy of this information. Prices and other holiday details shown are provided as a guide only but, in the event of any inaccuracy or discrepancy, the price quoted and details given at the time of booking will be applicable. We recommend you contact us on 1800 805 515 if you are in any doubt or have any queries before acting on any information on our website or in our brochure. Changes and Errors sometimes occur. Please check the price and other details of your chosen holiday at the time of booking.

Back to top

In the event of a costing error being given either by our reservations/ internet system or appearing on the confirmation invoice, the price costings as appears in the brochure or relevant late availability offer will prevail. Please note that any contract entered into upon a mistake, such as a wrong costing is not valid or binding.

Back to top

All guests staying with us are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly and acceptable manner and not to disrupt the enjoyment of other guests. If in our opinion or in the opinion of any hotel manager or any other person in authority, your behaviour or that of any member of your party is causing or is likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any of our other guests or any third party or damage to property, or to cause a delay or diversion to transportation, we reserve the right to terminate your booking arrangements with us immediately. In the event of such termination our liability to you and/or your party will cease and you and/or your party will be required to leave your accommodation or other service immediately. We will have no further obligations to you and/or your party. No refunds for lost accommodation or any other service will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of termination. You and/or your party may also be required to pay for loss and/or damage caused by your actions and we will hold you and each member of your party jointly and individually liable for any damage or losses caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the hotel manager or other supplier prior to departure from the hotel. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result of your actions together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you. We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.

Back to top

If you wish to make a special request, you must do so at the time of booking. We will try to pass any reasonable requests on to the relevant supplier but we cannot guarantee that requests will be met. The fact that a special request has been noted on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation or that it has been passed on to the supplier is not confirmation that the request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part unless the request has been specifically confirmed. If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your chosen holiday arrangements, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. For further assistance, call our team on 0044843 224 0070 If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person(s) concerned, we will not confirm the booking or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel when we become aware of these details, in which case cancellation charges may be payable.

Back to top

Guests on an All-Inclusive package normally take all meals at one specific restaurant. Other advertised restaurants may be at a supplement unless otherwise stated. Details of your package will be explained shortly after arrival in resort. Your All-Inclusive meal plan starts when you check in to your hotel, and ends when you check out. Drinks included within the package may only be available from certain locations within the hotel, and may be at a supplement if obtained from other outlets. Unless otherwise stated mini-bars are not included within the All-Inclusive package. Time and measurement stipulations may apply. Bottled Water is not included unless stated. Please note that, in keeping with local traditions and customs, some of our hotels will not serve alcohol on or during certain religious festivals and holidays, this is especially true of Ramadan in Islamic countries and the Poya holidays in Sri Lanka. Please note that at some of our hotels during Ramadan parts of the All-Inclusive Package may only be available during certain times of the day.

Back to top

Single travellers may avoid paying a single supplement in certain allocated rooms at selected hotels. These rooms are strictly available for single travellers. Once the available rooms without single supplement are full, a single supplement will be applicable.

Back to top

Free room upgrades are available at a selection of hotels and are subject to availability but are not applicable to single travellers.

Back to top

Although a property may describe itself as having air-conditioning, it may only function during the hotter months in the year and in some properties, whatever the temperature, this may not be until May.

Back to top

Outdoor swimming pools will be closed from November to April in Malta and Algarve. Swimming pool closures are at the hotels discretion and beyond our control.

Back to top

Certain hotels may request a credit card/deposit at check in to cover any additional extras. Please be advised that some of the facilities listed in the hotel description may be at an additional fee and you will be advised of this in resort by the hotel.

Back to top

Please be advised late check out is only relevant to the time you check out, for example, if you are staying on All-Inclusive this will not be continued past normal checkout hours.

Back to top

As the weather is so unpredictable we cannot be held responsible for disruption to your holiday due to bad or unusual weather conditions or for reasons of force majeure (see section 8). For more details on the temperature, sunshine and rainfall in our destinations, please see the weather section of the relevant country. These charts are for your guidance only.

Back to top

We will give you general information about passport and visa requirements for the holiday you book. However it is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa, and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. Requirements may change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date, please contact the passport office for full details. Special conditions apply for travel to the USA, you will need to obtain an ESTA visa for entry into the USA. All passengers must have a Bio-metric ePassport. Important note: if you do not have a Bio-metric ePassport, you will be refused entry into the USA. Please check www.usembassy.org.uk. For European holidays you should obtain a completed and issued form EHIC prior to departure. Up to date travel advice can be obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visit www.gov.uk. You should obtain up to date advice on passport and visa requirements from the Embassy, High Commission or Consulate of your destination or country(ies) through which you are travelling. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel, or incur any other loss because you have not complied with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities. You agree to reimburse us in relation to any fines or other losses which we incur as a result of your failure to comply with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities. The cost of a Visa will be confirmed on application.

Back to top

All the hotels in this brochure have been chosen and inspected by one of the directors or senior members of staff of this company and star ratings for all our hotels have been allocated by us for your guidance and do not necessarily reflect the local official classification. Our classifications may be higher than the hotels local official classification. Our classifications are as follows: Two Star - Standard medium class Two Star Plus - Standard plus medium class Three Star - Medium class Three Star plus - Superior medium class Four Star - Standard first Class Four Star Plus - Standard plus first class Five Star - Superior first class. Additional properties will be available on the website which have not been inspected by a member of our staff we are therefore reliant on information provided to us in good faith. Please note that star ratings are provided for guidance only and are liable to change without notice. Where your chosen accommodations star rating is reduced after you have made your booking, this would not constitute a significant change and we would not have any liability to you for this.

Back to top

The name on the passport must match the name on the ticket, otherwise you may not be able to travel and insurance may be invalid. If, after booking a holiday but before travelling, any member of your party changes their name, e.g. as a result of getting married, we must be notified immediately so that we can make the necessary changes to your holiday documentation. A fee may be payable.

Back to top

Whilst you are away on holiday you may be offered the opportunity to buy optional excursions and activities. These are provided by independent local companies, which are neither owned nor controlled by Mercury Holidays, and for whom Mercury Holidays acts only as an agent. If you decide to buy an excursion or activity, your contract will be made with the local company which provides it and it will not from part of your package with Mercury Holidays. The contract may be subject to the excursion/activity provider?s terms and conditions, some of which may exclude or limit its liability to you, and will be governed by local law and jurisdiction. Mercury Holidays accepts no liability for any breach of contract or negligent act or omission of any excursion/activity provider. Some excursions/activities may contain an element of risk or require a good level of physical fitness, and, if in doubt, you should make direct enquiries with the local provider, before deciding to buy and check that you are covered by your travel insurance policy. Please note that in some resorts we do work closely with some excursion providers and we may occasionally provide them with Sunspot branded equipment, such as clothing and stationery etc, to make it easier for our guests to identify these excursion providers. We may also provide details of certain excursion providers in our welcome packs provided to guests upon arrival at the resort. This does not suggest any association or recommendation of these excursion providers by Mercury Holidays.

Back to top

Where you book an Escorted Tour with us, the following terms apply in addition to our general Booking Conditions: Passport, visa and health requirements It is your responsibility to ensure you comply with all passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your chosen Tour and we can only give you general information about this. Requirements may change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. Changes & Cancellations by Mercury Holidays If we have to cancel or make a significant change to your arrangements, we will give you the following choices: - Accepting the changed arrangements as notified to you. - Purchasing another tour from us, of a similar standard to that originally booked if available (with you paying or receiving a refund in respect of any price difference). - Cancelling your booking or accepting the cancellation & receiving a full & prompt refund of all monies paid to us. A significant change is a change made before departure which, on the basis of the information given to us by you at the time of making your booking, we can reasonably expect will have a major effect on your holiday. The following changes are examples of significant changes: - A reduction in the number of nights of your tour. - A change of your resort area or your accommodation to a lower brochure category for the full duration of your stay. - A change of outward departure time or overall length of your arrangements of twelve or more hours. - A change from a day flight to night flight (providing time of departure is changed by more than 8 hours for short-haul and 12 hours for long-haul). A night flight which is changed to depart after or before midnight is not a change of date. - A change of UK departure airport, as long as that change is not from one London airport to another London airport. London airports are Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City. You must notify us of your choice within 7 days of our offer. If you fail to do so we will assume that you have chosen to accept the alternative booking arrangements. If we make a significant change or cancellation less than 70 days before departure, we will also pay compensation as detailed in our Booking Conditions. Please note that the above options and/or compensation (including any reimbursement of independent travel arrangements) shall not be payable in the following circumstances: - Where the change we make is a minor change. - In the event that we are forced to make a change or cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even using all due care. - Where we cancel as a result of your failure to make full payment on time. - Where the change(s) or cancellation by us arises out of alterations to the confirmed booking requested by you. - We cancel your arrangements because the minimum number of participants to run the tour has not been reached. (We will tell you if we have to cancel for this reason not less than 28 days before departure). Flights If you or any member of your party misses your flight or other transport arrangement, it is cancelled or you are subject to a delay of over 3 hours for any reason, you must contact the airline or other transport supplier concerned immediately who may be able to assist with the provision of refreshments, depending on availability of suitable facilities at the airport. If your flight is delayed due to reasons of force majeure we regret that neither we nor the airline will be liable to provide meals, refreshments or overnight accommodation. You should ensure that your own travel insurance policy provides a reasonable level of cover for such eventualities. Under EU Law (EC261/2004), you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from the airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. You should approach the airline concerned not Mercury Holidays, as these regulations apply to the airline not the tour operator. Reimbursement in such cases is the responsibility of the airline and will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday price from us. A delay or cancellation to your flight does not automatically entitle you to cancel any other arrangements even where those arrangements have been made in conjunction with your flight. We will not offer compensation for inconvenience or loss of holiday time caused by flight delays, flight diversions or curtailment regardless of how caused. Similarly it is not possible to obtain refunds for any unused accommodation or facilities or for losses, costs and expenses of other travel/accommodation arrangements outside of the package resulting from flight changes, delays or diversions, which should be claimed on your own insurance policy. Conditions of Suppliers Many of the services which make up your tour are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions which will form part of your contract with us. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the suppliers liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions. Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from us.

Back to top

From time to time we may make offers available where you can take advantage of a lower initial deposit payment (Low Holiday Deposit). Where this is the case, the following terms will apply:
  1. The Low Holiday Deposit offer will be available from €49 per person but will only apply to selected package holiday and hotel only bookings, that are booked more than 10 weeks prior to the departure date. The low deposit scheme does not apply to escorted tours, river cruise and fly drive holidays
  2. The Low Holiday Deposit offer does not apply to and will not be offered for flight only bookings.
  3. Where you make a booking that takes advantage of the Low Holiday Deposit, you will be required to pay a further deposit of €200 per person, no later than 28 days from the date your booking was made.
  4. Please Note: If the balance due date applicable to your booking (normally 10 weeks prior to departure) falls within the 28 day period mentioned above, then the full balance for your booking will still fall due on the normal balance due date and not at the end of the 28 day period.
  5. The amount of the Low Holiday Deposit required at the time of booking plus details of any further deposit and the value of the final balance, together with the applicable payment due dates will be detailed to you on the payment page or advised to you by your agent before you confirm your booking.
  6. Where you make a booking under a Low Holiday Deposit offer, all of the standard booking and cancellation terms set out on this page will apply to your booking, as normal.
  7. All deposits (including both the initial Low Holiday Deposit and the further deposits you are required to pay, where applicable) are non-refundable and therefore would not be reimbursed should you decide to cancel your booking. If you wish to cancel your booking, you may also be required to pay any additional cancellation charges imposed by the applicable supplier and our administration charges, please see section 4 for further details.
  8. If you would like to make changes or add extras to your booking, you will be required to pay the additional associated charges (i.e. amendment charges) when the amendments are applied.
  9. Please note that any Low Holiday Deposit offers that we promoted are subject to availability and are offered entirely at our discretion.

Back to top

  1. The €1 low deposit offer applies to Long Haul and most Escorted Tour bookings made more than 10 weeks prior to the departure date.
  2. The offer does not apply to and will not be offered for flight only bookings, river cruises and short haul holidays (i.e. holidays to Europe and North Africa). Selected escorted tour itinerarires are also excluded (Ecuador & Galapagos, Egypt Nile Cruises, Ethiopia Tours, Alaskan Coastal Cruises and Seychelles Discovery Cruise).
  3. The amount of the Long Haul Low Deposit required at the time of booking plus details of any further deposit and the value of the final balance, together with the applicable payment due dates will be detailed to you on the payment page or advised to you by your agent before you confirm your booking.
  4. Where you make a booking under a Low Holiday Deposit offer, all of the standard booking and cancellation terms set out on this page will apply to your booking, as normal.
  5. All deposits are non-refundable and therefore would not be reimbursed should you decide to cancel your booking. If you wish to cancel your booking, you may also be required to pay any additional cancellation charges imposed by the applicable supplier and our administration charges, please see section 4 for further details.
  6. If you would like to make changes or add extras to your booking, you will be required to pay the additional associated charges (i.e. amendment charges) when the amendments are applied.
  7. Please note that any Low Deposit offers are subject to availability and are offered entirely at our discretion.
  8. This promotion may be terminated at any point at our discretion.

Back to top

Why Mercury Holidays?
  • When you experience one of our award-winning holidays or escorted tours we're confident you'll return with memories that last a lifetime. That's why we are proud to promise...
  • No-one includes More for Less
    Unbeatable value holidays you won't find elsewhere.
  • Complete Customer Satisfaction
    Over 91% would travel with us again.
  • Price Match Guarantee
    The lowest prices you'll find or your money back.
  • More than 38 years of Experience
    Established in 1980 we've been arranging award-winning holidays for over 38 years.
  • We look after you
    Representatives in resort are on hand throughout your holiday.
Here to help