General Information

The following notes can to be used in conjunction with our Booking Conditions and with the price information provided on our relevant internet page. Please take the time to read them. If you do not, we cannot be held responsible for any misapprehensions you may have about our holidays.
Information contained on this website may change between its publication and any booking by a customer.

About Transylvan and bond cover
The air holidays and flights on this web site are ATOL protected, since our air tickets are issued by SUNVIL, who hold an Air Travel Organiser's License granted by The Civil Aviation Authority. The SUNVIL ATOL Number is 808. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, or that of SUNVIL, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any holiday money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk. SUNVIL has been operating holidays since 1970, a long time for an independent company in this volatile business. SUNVIL are both retail and tour operating members of ABTA, licensed by IAIA, and have a busy commercial department for business travellers. Like TRANSYLVAN, SUNVIL is owner managed and fiercely independent. The survey covered all UK holiday companies. In June 2001 Sunvil was ranked 11th in the Observer and Guardian Newspaper Best Travel Companies Readers' Survey (17,000 replied). In September 2001, the readers of Wanderlust Magazine voted Sunvil the "Best UK Tour Operator".

Non-standard holidays
Our holidays can be very flexible. Any length of stay can be arranged. Please contact us by email (tourism@transylvan.co.uk or telephone (01628 850694) for a quotation. For holidays to parts of Romania featured on our web site but not specifically included in the packages offered, please ask us for a quotation, again by email or telephone - if you wish us to call you please let us know your telephone number. We can arrange visits to neighbouring countries such as Bulgaria , Croatia and Hungary . If your requirements can be met at a reasonable price, we may well ask for a signed booking form and deposit before starting work on the actual holiday arrangements. We can also arrange flights for one person and accommodation for two, a week in a hotel and varying durations for different members of your party etc. In fact, we are generally open to suggestion.

Persons travelling on their own
All prices are per person for a minimum of two people in a group. When clients are travelling entirely on their own, there may well be (depending on the individual holiday) additional supplements for transfers, and/or provision of transport and guides. However for groups of 4, or more up to 8, some reduction may be possible. Individual rates will be reduced if more than one other booking is made for the same trip.
Hotel accommodation
Room furnishings: In most cases rooms are furnished with twin beds and, when a double bed is requested we pass the preference to the hotel. Most hotels do have some rooms with double beds; if they do not, they can usually successfully push two single beds together. Soap and towels are provided.
Three bedded rooms: Three bedded rooms are available in all hotels but, as they are often twin rooms with an extra bed, they may be rather cramped. We cannot be held responsible if you find the room too crowded.
Single rooms: Single rooms are sometimes smaller and are more difficult to book in high season. In the low season, even sometimes in the high season, you may well, however, have a twin for sole use, although it is very much luck of the draw.
Air-conditioning: Where air-conditioning is mentioned this is provided at the discretion of the management and may not necessarily operate all day and every day.

Validity of programme
This website was published based departures from 1st April, 2006 until the 31st October 2006 and was first placed on the internet in December, 2003.

Amendments, late bookings, telephone and Telex charges
A fee of £25 per booking will be charged for each amendment to a confirmed booking to cover administration costs. In the case of a minor amendment (e.g. change of room) this charge is per booking; in the case of a major amendment (e.g. change of holiday dates, accommodation or booked trip) this charge is per person. Fax and telephone fees may also be charged when bookings are altered. For an alteration within 8 weeks of departure, we reserve the right to treat the alteration as a cancellation of the original holiday (attracting cancellation charges) and regard it as a new holiday booking.

Safety and personal protection
Bag snatching and petty theft is widespread in most countries in the world including the UK . Please do not take valuables with you. If you do, keep them out of sight, never leave them away from yourself and make sure they are kept in the hotel safe when you are out of your room. Valuable items should always be separately insured. None of our clients have ever been mugged abroad but please avoid unlit areas at night and unsavoury parts of cities.

Children's reductions and infants
Children: Children's reductions of 10% apply on the basis of one child per two full fare paying passengers. Children must be under the age of 12 years on the date of departure to qualify, and in hotels they must occupy the third bed in a three-bedded room.
Infants: Infants under 2 years of age on the date of departure travel for a flat rate of £45. Cots should be requested on the booking form and are payable locally. All food also is payable locally. Infants do not qualify for a seat on the aircraft, nor do they have any baggage allowance. However, under the terms of SUNVIL's insurance policy, infants are insured free of charge providing the other members of the party are insured with SUNVIL.

Local representatives and agents
As this is a tailor-made programme for seasoned travellers we have no local representatives. We have local agents who can give any necessary help and guidance and can be contacted. Our tours do have separate drivers and guides who may be able to help. However, do not expect a visit. Please remember that wherever you are, most hotel managers, owners and receptionists are often only too keen to help you with local information. Any problems you experience must be reported locally so that we are given the opportunity of solving them. If you cannot reach our local agent then try us in the UK .

Group travel
We are experienced in making arrangements for special groups and welcome genuine enquiries for affinity, conference and incentive travel.

Payment and ticket despatch
The balance of your holiday cost as detailed on your confirmation and account is due 8 weeks before departure. No reminders are sent, but should you require a receipt, please indicate that and enclose a stamped addressed envelope with your payment. Tickets are sent about 10 days before departure. SUNVIL will accept Access and Visa (but a 1% additional processing charge is made for their use).

Passports, visas and health requirements
VALID PASSPORTS are required. At the time of going to press no visas, inoculations or vaccinations were required by citizens of the United Kingdom and Ireland for travel to Romania . It is however advisable to check with your doctor well before departure. If you do not hold a United Kingdom passport, you must inform us of this fact when booking a holiday. We can then tell you if a visa is especially required in your case. If we are not informed we cannot be held responsible for any trouble or delay at foreign airports. Please see the relevant destination pages. From 6th October 1998 it was no longer possible to include or add children to a British Passport. From that date all children (including babies) who are not already included on a valid 10 year passport need to hold their own passport if they are to travel abroad. Children who are already included on an existing passport must continue to travel with the passport holder until:
a) the child reaches the age of 16, or
b) the passport on which the child is included expires or
c) the passport on which the child is included is submitted for amendment. If you do not hold an EEC Passport, please inform us of this fact when you book your holiday and check with the relevant High Commission/Embassy as to whether a visa is required in your case. Passports must have at least six months to run before expiry to be on the safe side.

Currency regulations
At the time of preparing this statement (November, 2003) going to press, there was no restriction imposed by the British Government as to the value of foreign currency, Sterling cash or travellers cheques taken out of the United Kingdom. Many shops, hotels and car hire agents abroad will accept Barclaycard, Mastercard, Diners Club and American Express cards. You are permitted to take the following amounts of local currency in and out of the following countries: Romania - ; Italy - 20 million Lire; Portugal - Unlimited; Spain - 1 million Pesetas; Hungary - 300,000 Florints; Armenia - Nil; Lebanon - Nil; Syria - Nil.

A few facts of life
We believe that the information contained on this website is true and correct and it is essential that you read our descriptions most carefully to avoid making a wrong decision. If you are unsure of anything please contact us by email. Our advice is impartial; our ambition is not to take people to unsuitable destinations but to exceed the expectation of those people for whom we do provide holidays. Having said that, we would also like to make our own position clear. Seasons change; what is quiet in June can be crowded in August. Tourist facilities depend on the time of year, weather and/or demand. Please bear this in mind before booking as it is impossible to qualify every statement on every page. Remember too, that our prices tend to reflect these differences throughout the season. If you visit a Central European country you must be prepared to accept the local way of life which, due to the climate, can be totally different from ours. Buses tend to run very early in the morning, shops and offices may well close in the afternoon; bars and discotheques may be noisier and open later than their British equivalents. Plumbing is rarely perfect. Roads can be unlit, and have no pavement and may be unmade so, if you wish to go out at night, a torch may come in handy. Please bear in mind too that life must go on, buildings must be built, roads must be dug and children will play noisily in the streets. We are not trying to dissuade you from travelling with us but just pointing out that you must take the rough with the smooth when you visit any foreign country with any tour operator. Despite the above, we are certain you will have the holiday of a lifetime but, if you do experience some niggles try to have patience and understanding and gracefully accept them, if nothing can be done.

Safety standards and regulations
The safety standards and regulations in operation overseas are those of the country in question and may not reach the same level as those we enjoy in the UK . The monitoring, enforcement and compliance with these local regulations is a matter for the authorities of that country. The general standards of safety and hygiene, fire precautions etc, will generally be lower than in the U.K. Liability insurance requirements vary considerably from country to country as does the responsibility placed on an organisation by local law. Please therefore, take all precautions to protect yourself and your family whilst on holiday. In particular, you should familiarise yourself with hotel fire escape routes.

Travel Insurance
We consider adequate travel insurance vital prior to any trip, and therefore make this a condition of carriage. SUNVIL has negotiated comprehensive cover at very competitive rates. The premium for this insurance is in addition to the £100 booking deposit and will be shown separately on your Confirmation and Account Invoice if your tickets are issued through Sunvil. Should you not wish to take SUNVIL's travel insurance the deposit you pay remains £100. The cover you take should be at least as good, and you must tick the box "NO" on the booking form and advise SUNVIL of your Insurer's name, policy number (if applicable) and 24 hour emergency telephone number. If you do not do this you will automatically be insured by SUNVIL; the premium is non-refundable. We would like to point out that, in the event of an emergency abroad, we are in a much better position to assist you quickly and efficiently if you have taken SUNVIL insurance. It is the responsibility of each client to ensure that they have a valid certificate of insurance, whether or not from SUNVIL, and acquaint themselves with the terms and conditions contained therein. Please call us if you wish full details of travel insurance cover, premiums for your length of stay and any restrictions.