Frequently Asked Questions

Which UK airports do you fly from?

We offer flights from the following UK Airports - London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Luton, Stansted, Manchester, East Midlands, Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, Leeds Bradford, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Southend, Liverpool, Norwich, Southampton, Cardiff, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Belfast. Find out more about our Package & Flight Only Holidays.

How do I find out which terminal I am flying from?

To complement the accommodation we feature we offer flights from a number of UK departure airports and to find out which airlines fly from which terminals at London Gatwick, London Heathrow and Manchester airports visit our Airport Terminal Information page. For all other airports there is just one terminal.

Methods of payment and card charges

There is a 0% surcharge per transaction for payments made using most major credit cards. There is no charge for payments made using debit cards (except debit cards issued by a bank outside the UK for which a charge of 2% will be made).

How do I amend my booking?

It may become necessary for you to make an amendment to your booking after the initial booking has been made and in these circumstances we will make every effort to help. If you need to make such an amendment to your booking call us on 020 8492 6799.. For more information on how to amend a booking visit our Booking Terms and Conditions page.

How can I book flight extras?

To enhance your flight experience with additional services such as baggage allowance or pre-booked seats, please refer to your booking confirmation. Your airline's website link and booking reference number can be found in the confirmation details.

** Please note that where you have the option of booking flight extras online, we would recommend you do so yourself. If you opt to contact our Customer Services team to process flight extras for you in these circumstances, there is a standard admin fee of £5.00 per airline booking.

Can I amend any flight extras I have booked?

Unfortunately, once flight extras have been booked, they cannot be amended and are non refundable.

We recommend you book any flight extras before checking in online. Once checked in, adding flight extras is not permitted.

Are my details secure online?

Yes your credit card details are secure online. Olympic Holidays is committed to protecting your privacy online. We will not share your personal information without your consent unless required to by law. Our site is secure and is certified by Verisign.
You can view your booking and add API info online. Read more about what type of bookings are financially (ATOL) protected & in case you have any queries, you can contact us here.

Do I need to give my passport details in advance?

For security reasons most EU States and other countries now require airlines to provide details about their passengers before they travel which includes passport information. API information can be added during the online check-in process directly with the airline you have booked your holiday with.

Do I need to check in online before travelling?

Your online check-in information, including the airline's website link and booking reference number can be found in the confirmation details.

How do I cancel my booking?

It may become necessary for you to cancel your booking and we will make every effort to help. If you do need to cancel your booking call us on 020 8492 6799. For more information on how to cancel a booking visit our Booking Terms and Conditions page.

Do I need to inform you of a disability?

To allow us to ensure that the hotel and resort selected are suitable for your needs, we advise you to speak to our reservations staff before making your booking on 020 8492 6868.

How do I make a complaint?

Please refer to the 'Complaints Procedure' section of our Booking Terms and Conditions page.

How can I give feedback about my holiday?

We hope you have had a fabulous holiday and greatly appreciate your feedback on every aspect of your holiday and the services we provide. If you wish to leave a review you can do so via Trust Pilot. The information you provide will be analysed and used to implement changes and improvements to all our services and suppliers, in order to offer you the best holiday experience possible.

Tickets and Travel Documents

All the information you require regarding your travel services are emailed to you directly after your booking has been confirmed. Due to the airlines we partner with no longer issuing tickets for travel, you are only required to show your passport at check-in. Whilst we would recommend that you take travel documents on holiday with you, a printed version is not necessary as long as you have a copy that you can access on your mobile or tablet device. For the above reasons we do not send out printed documents, tickets or any other information related to your holiday. If you do wish to have your documents sent to you in the post, we are happy to do this, however for this service there is there is standard fee of £7.50 applied to your booking. If you have any urgent queries about Ticketless Travel, please call our Customer Services Team on 020 8492 6799 option 3. For certain airlines you will need to check-in online before your departure date or you may be subject to a charge by the airline.

I haven’t received a booking confirmation yet. What should I do?

You should receive a booking confirmation by email within minutes of confirming your booking. If however you do not receive a booking confirmation then contact us here or on 020 8492 6799.

I am pregnant. Do I need to advise anyone before I travel?

If you are more than 28 weeks pregnant your airline will require a medical certificate of fitness to fly to allow you to fly. If you are more than 32 weeks pregnant you will not be permitted to fly. Whatever stage of your pregnancy you are at, we do recommend that you seek advice from your doctor before booking or travelling.

I am under the age of 18. Am I able to travel without my parents?

We will only accept and confirm bookings for persons aged 16 or 17 years old (at the date of return), who are travelling unaccompanied by a responsible adult, when a signed and completed ‘Under-age booking waiver’ form is received from a responsible adult. This form outlines that the adult signing is to be accountable for any costs or damages arising from the booking or its cancellation. For certain arrangements, the acceptance of bookings from persons under the age of 18 depends on the airline and accommodation selected and for this reason we cannot accept such bookings on this website. Our Call Centre 020 8492 6868 will be able to advise and, if permissible, book the required arrangements.

DOWNLOAD YOUR UNDER-AGED WAIVER HERE

Has my booking been confirmed?

At the end of the booking you will be allocated a booking reference number. Please print the page or write down the reference number. Shortly afterwards you will receive an email confirmation as long as the e-mail address you have entered is correct.
Your travel document containing your travel arrangements will be emailed to you two weeks prior to departure. If we don’t have an email address for you, then we will post the itinerary to you.

What is an early booking discount?

Where you see the words Early Booking Discount we are able to offer an especially low price which will enable you to make some great savings! This discount is included in the per person price shown for each hotel/apartment. To take advantage of this low price, you must book before the date shown. After that date we may increase these prices. These low priced holidays are limited and will be available on a 'first come, first served' basis, so remember to book early for the best bargains. You can save more as these fantastic low prices are in addition to any other offer or discount you may qualify for on the holiday you select.

How do I make a special request?

If you have any special requests, which are not mentioned in connection with the arrangements described on the website (such as dietary requirements, a need for special assistance or accommodation requests such as ground floor room) please contact us no later than 7 days prior to departure. To pre-book seats, please ring our Customer Services team on 020 8492 6799, no later than 2 weeks prior to departure. Please note that we will always do our best to meet such requests but cannot guarantee to do so, and in no circumstances will any such request be accepted by us so as to form part of our contractual obligations.

Types of rooms and what do they include?

Hotel room types and the facilities provided differ by hotel. For descriptions of the room types and facilities offered please visit the "Accommodation" section of the hotel description.

What age do you classify children as?

At most hotels children's ages are between 2 and under 12. For most of our self-catering accommodation children's ages are between 2 and under 16.

How do I book excursions for my holiday?

All excursions can be booked on the Olympic Holidays App.

You can also get insider tips, discover things to do in your resort, get transfer information (if you have them included) and live chat with your reps!

What do the accommodation ratings mean?

Tour Operator's often have their own ratings for assessing the quality of the accommodations featured. The flame ratings that are shown on our website are our own ratings and are an attempt to give a guide to the overall quality of each property. These are based on a combination of factors such as the official rating, customer feedback and the opinions of senior managers in both the UK and overseas. Where possible official ratings (as designated by the authorities within each country) are also shown and although official ratings do give a fair impression of relative standards within each country, different countries tend to have different standards and therefore a 3-star hotel in one country is not necessarily of the same standard as a 3-star hotel in another.
The Olympic Holidays flame ratings have therefore been designed to make comparisons of quality between different accommodations simpler.
As a basic outline of what our flame ratings mean:

2 flames = Good value, budget accommodation with limited basic services and amenities
3 flames = Well maintained accommodation with a reasonable level of services and amenities
4 flames = Good quality accommodation with a good level of services and amenities of a good standard
5 flames = High quality accommodation with a full range of services and amenities of the highest standards

Please note that a 'Plus' after the rating indicates that we think it is of better quality than the average in its category.

What do the special features listed on hotel pages mean?

There are a number of special features listed on hotel pages. Please see below for an explanation of what they are:

Free Car Hire: This means that you will not be charged for the hire of the car, nor for any of the items normally included in our car hire prices. However, any item or service not included in our car hire prices will be payable locally.
Exclusive to Olympic Holidays: Whenever you see this it means that this accommodation is either completely exclusive to Olympic Holidays or is not shared with any other UK Tour Operator.
Late Check Out: Late night flight home? Why not pre-book a late check out room? We are pleased to offer late check out rooms in a number of properties which we hope will ease the inconvenience of a late night flight home.
Child Stays Free: At most hotels we have arranged 'Child Stays Free' offers when up to 2 children aged over 2 and under 12 are sharing accommodation with 2 full fare paying adults.
Reduced Child Price: In all of our self-catering accommodation we've arranged a very special deal for families enabling us to offer especially low prices for up to 2 children aged over 2 and under 16 if sharing a studio or apartment with 2 full fare paying adults (Terms and Conditions Apply).
Family Rooms / Hotels: Although many of our hotels are children/family friendly, there are many that offer special facilities, services and activities for children making them ideal for families.
Single Parent Savers: This means that you will pay the same low child price for your child as children staying with two adults, provided that the adult is charged the single room supplement. Please note that for some hotels the offer varies.
Use of Pool: In many cases hotels have their own swimming pools. However in many smaller studios and apartments you are permitted to use the swimming pool at other nearby properties.
Wedding Offers: If you're celebrating your wedding or honeymoon, you will find special offers and packages at selected hotels.

Climate Crisis Resilience Fee

Greece has introduced a new tax for tourists called climate crisis resilience fee, this tax replaces the previous hotel tax. This is payable locally by the individual tourist on checking in to accommodation in Greece and varies according to the official rating of the accommodation. The tax applies per room / per day and is as follows:

From March to October:

Hotels:

1-2 star: €1.50

3 star: €3.00

4 star: €7.00

5 star €10.00

Studios & Apartments - all categories €1.50

From November to February:

Hotels:

1-2 star: €0.50

3 star: €1.50

4 star: €3.00

5 star €4.00

Studios & Apartments - all categories €0.50

Payment can be made by cash or card.

All of our accommodation descriptions contain both our ‘flame’ rating and the official rating of hotels and apartments. The amount you’ll pay is based on the official rating of the accommodation you have booked. The Olympic 'flame' ratings given to our accommodation may differ from the official star rating of the accommodation, please refer to our brochure or website descriptions if you are unsure.

Balearics Sustainable Tourist Tax

A Sustainable Tourism Tax was introduced by the Balearic Islands Government aimed at all overnight stays in Tourist Accommodation on Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza from the 1st July 2016. This will be collected on check-in at the accommodation.

The official website of the Government of the Balearic Islands setting out the tax rates can be found here. The rates quoted are for 2018, but we understand that the rates for 2019 are the same.

Please note that the rates quoted are per person per day and that 10% VAT will be added to the stated rates. Children under the age of 16 are exempt from the tax and from the 9^th day of your stay the tax reduces by 50%.

Italy Tourist Tax including Sicily and Sardinia

An Italian tourist tax has been introduced gradually across Italy including certain regions in Sardinia and Sicily. This tax varies by city or area. All visitors must pay on checking in to their accommodation approximately 1 to 5 Euros per person per night according to their accommodation star rating i.e. up to a maximum of 5 Euros per person per night for a 5-star hotel. This tax is not included in your holiday price.

What are the Cape Verde entry requirements?

Please note that as from 1^st January 2019 holders of British Citizen passports (which must be valid for 6 months after the date of arrival) may visit Cape Verde for up to 30 days without needing a visa. However, visitors must register at least 5 days before travelling with the EASE website at https://registration.cv.zetes.com/Pages/CapeVerde/PersonalInfo.aspx.

On registration a new Airport Security Tax is payable amounting to 3,400 Escudos (around £30 but depending on exchange rates) per person except for infants under the age of 2 years.

Holders of other than British Citizen passports may need a visa to enter Cape Verde. This can be applied for at the airport on arrival at a cost of approximately €25. Please check at https://www.capeverdeislands.org/visa/

We recommend you check the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website for further travel advice and information on Cape Verde as a tourist destination.

Island Hopping - Everything you need to know

Embarking on an Island Hopping adventure? Find out everything you need to know before you go.

Ferry transfers between islands

Where there is a transfer between islands by ferry as part of your holiday arrangements, please note that we recommend day flights to permit ferry transfers on the same day where possible.

However, please bear in mind that ferry sailing times do not always allow this. If your flight arrives after the last ferry has departed, if flights are delayed, or if ferries are cancelled and the wait exceed over 8 hours, you will be accommodated overnight on the island at which your aircraft arrives until the next ferry sailing. In such cases your stay at your booked accommodation may be shorter than the full 7 or 14 nights you have booked. No refund will, however, be payable.

Please note that we are unable to confirm ferry timings prior to your arrival in resort, timings are subject to change and weather conditions.