| FAQ's |
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| What does my holiday cost include? |
If you are booking a flight inclusive holiday your holiday cost will include return scheduled flights, accommodation, services of our local representative and return airport transfers along with local taxes and services charges on some islands where these apply. A villa only holiday will include all of the above with the exclusion of flights. |
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| Which airlines do you use and what are the timings of flights? |
Our preferred carriers are British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Air Jamaica, however we are able to book flights with a number of additional airlines including BWIA and charter airlines such as Excel. We also book inter-island flights with LIAT and Caribbean Star. Generally flights to the Caribbean will depart in the morning between 9-11am, arriving to the island by mid to late afternoon local time. Return flights will generally depart the island late afternoon flying overnight to arrive back in the UK early the next morning.
British Airways and Virgin flights generally depart from Gatwick airport, and Air Jamaica and BWIA depart from Heathrow. We are able to offer some domestic connections from other UK airports to connect with these flights, however we can also offer flights direct from Manchester to Barbados with BWIA and from Manchester to Jamaica with Air Jamaica. |
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| Are there any discounts for children? |
Children pay the same amount as an adult when occupying a villa, except in a handful of villas where there may be the ability to accommodate extra children in addition to the normal villa occupancy, free of charge or at a small supplement. However, children under 12 years do receive flight discounts for scheduled airlines, generally paying 67% of an adult flight cost. Charter flights do not usually give much discount to children. Infants under 2 years occupying a cot would not be charged for villa occupancy and flight costs are generally 10% of an adult fare. |
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| What other costs can I expect to pay for once at my villa? |
Food - a villa is a self-catering holiday in the sense that food is not included, however, villas on most islands include a cook who will prepare your meals once you have groceries on hand for them to cook.
Cots, Highchairs, Rollaway Beds, Baby-Sitting, Cook – these items/services are generally available for hire at each villa (where not automatically supplied) for a small extra charge.
Staff Gratuities – most villas do not include service charges to cover gratuities for staff, however it is customary to reward staff for their hard work and long hours in ensuring your villa has everything you need to add to the enjoyment of your holiday.
Telephone Calls – any phone calls made from your villa will be charged in addition to your rental. Local calls are generally free of charge, however international calls will need to be paid for, and telephone bills may follow some months after you have returned home. Culsen Travel recommend you purchase a local international phone card or use your credit care where possible to avoid having to pay a large phone bill after your departure. |
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| Will I need to pay a security deposit? |
A security deposit may be required by a villa manager/owner to cover against any damage to the villa or its contents or to pay for any large outstanding bills, such as telephone bills. On some islands this deposit can be paid upon arrival at your villa when the villa manager will take an imprint of your credit card. At the end of your stay any breakages can be discussed and payment agreed, however in a few villas where there are no credit card facilities, Culsen Travel will ask for a security damage deposit form to be signed advising that the credit card details supplied will act as a pledge to cover the cost of any damages once notified. The security deposit amount for the specific villa will be advised on the form. It should be noted that this deposit amount might increase for special circumstances, such as a large wedding to be held at the villa. However, It is rare for damages to occur resulting in payments, most minor breakages can be put right immediately by paying for the item or buying it back locally ie. glasses/crockery etc. |
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| What time can I arrive at my villa and depart my villa at the start and end of my holiday? |
Most villas stipulate a check-in time of no earlier than 3pm, so they can prepare the villa following guests that may have departed that day, this will generally not pose a problem for guests arriving from the UK as flights generally arrive in the Caribbean after 4pm. The check-out time for all villas is generally 12 midday so the villa can be prepared for arriving guests, however when there are no arrivals that day it will generally not be a problem for you to arrange a later check-out time, but this can only be confirmed with your villa manager/staff on the day of your departure. If you wish to guarantee a late check-out you will need to pay for an additional nights rental to ensure no guests arrive on the day of your departure. |
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| What can we expect to find when we arrive at the villa? |
Unless your flight arrives extremely late, you will generally be met by at least one member of your villa staff, who will be on hand to show you around the villa and answer any questions you may have. If your villa has a cook, Culsen Travel also arrange for a small complimentary food parcel to be placed in your villa with items for that evening and breakfast the following morning, and a light meal will also be prepared for your first evening. If your villa does not have a cook or you would like us to stock the villa with additional groceries so you will not need to shop for your first few days, we can forward a shopping list ahead of your arrival, and you can pay for these groceries locally before you leave the villa. |
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| Will I need to bring items like towels and bedding with me for use in the villa? |
All of our villas are fully equipped with bed linen and towels for use in the villa and around the swimming pool. We recommend you bring your own beach towels. All of our villas are equipped with washing machines and irons and ironing boards so the staff will take of the general laundry and you can do your own personal laundry, or request that the staff do this for you as their time permits when there is not an actual laundress on the staff. Please remember to reward staff with an additional tip when they hae assisted with extra jobs such as personal washing and ironing. |
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| Will I be able to use my electrical items at the villa? |
Voltage in the Caribbean tends to be the same as America, either 110 or 220 volts, and the plug is usually 2 round pins. You will therefore need to bring an adapter to use your personal electrical items such as hairdryers, shavers etc. Many villas will have their own music systems for use in the villa. |
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| Who should I speak to if I have a problem related to the villa? |
Your first point of contact should be the villa staff as it is their job to look after the house and they will generally know who to contact if something needs to be fixed. Most of our villas will also have a villa manager and their contact details will be on your travel itinerary, they should also be informed if there is a problem that cannot be solved by the staff. Lastly, you will have a local representative on the island who can also be contacted as an independent third party if you are still dissatisfied, and it will be their responsibility to contact us should we need to intercede in matters. |
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| Will I need to hire a car? |
Culsen Travel recommend car hire for a villa holiday. Whilst some villas will be directly on the beach or within close walking distance of a local shop, restaurants or a beach, the vast majority of villas will be located a short distance away from these facilities and car hire will give you the independence to access these facilities easily, particularly at night when it can be dangerous to walk along roads which are poorly lit and have no pavements, putting you at danger from passing traffic. Car hire will also give you the freedom to do your shopping easily and see many of the attractions on the island at your leisure. Culsen Travel can arrange car hire on your behalf, organising for the vehicle to be delivered to and collected directly from your villa. See our individual island pages for details of car hire costs. |
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| Will we need to purchase local currency before we travel? |
In Antgua, St Lucia and Grenada the local currency is EC Dollars, and Barbados, Jamaica and Tobago each have their own local dollars - most of these currencies will be difficult to purchase here, however all 6 islands also accept US dollars readily, so this would be the best currency to take, whether as travellers cheques or cash. However, with all islands now having a number of ATM's all over the island, it is very easy to take cash from these machines directly from your UK high street bank account with the use of your UK ATM card and pin number. Credit cards are also readily accepted in most places on the islands. |
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| Will we need to have any vaccinations before we travel? |
Currently there are no vaccination requirements for visiting the Caribbean unless you have visited an infected area within a specific period, however we recommend you should consult your doctor to confirm this. Whilst the Caribbean does have mosquitos, they are not Maleria carrying, however, the Aedes mosquito does exist on these islands, and can transmit an illness called Dengue Fever. Whilst this is rare, we recommend that you use repellents which contain diethyltolvamide (DEET), which is generally quite effective. We also advise that you close up your villa's bedrooms at around dusk and spray repellents or light coils, and turn on your air-conditioning where available to minimise their effect when you go to sleep. |
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| Will I be safe whilst on my holiday? |
Overall, we can say yes. The Caribbean is generally viewed as a safe place, free from many of the threats which plague other parts of the world, particularly these days. However, nowhere in the world is trouble free, and petty crime and theft exist everywhere, we therefore advise our clients to be as aware and careful on holiday as you would at home. Ensure that you lock up your villas and car when out and at night, use the safe in your villa for valuables, ariline tickets and passports - when one is provided, do not leave money and valuable items unattended on the beach, and do not encourage complete strangers to visit you at your villa. For your personal safety, ensure you wear your seat belts when driving and be careful when driving around the windy roads on some islands, which can be difficult to negotiate when you are not used to them and often have sheer drops, also be careful when walking in the road at night, as drivers may not see you clearly. When swimming always take care to stick to swimming in the Caribbean sea rather than the Atlantic, which is always rough and can be extremely dangerous, and at your villa always ensure that children are under supervision when around the swimming pool, even a shallow one. |
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