5* Sri Lanka Beach Stay and Dubai City Stay

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €324.50pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

Sri Lanka visa requirements

A visa is required for entry into Sri Lanka. You can apply and pay for your visa online. Please visit https://www.srilankaevisa.lk/ to obtain your visa. You should get your approval notice within 24 hours, and you can use this to enter Sri Lanka. A visa can still be obtained when arriving at Colombo airport but visas will cost more on arrival. Alternatively, we work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange your visa for you on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote "Mercury Holidays". Passports must be valid for a minimum period of six months from the date of arrival in Sri Lanka. Visa requirements are subject to change and obtaining a visa is the responsibility of the traveller and not Mercury Holidays. We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity.

Dubai/United Arab Emirates visa requirements

You can get a visitor or tourist visa issued free of charge when you arrive in the UAE. You do not need to apply in advance of travel. Your passport will be stamped with the visa as you go through immigration. It will be valid for up to 40 days.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote ‘WK830’ for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, www.travelhealthpro.org.uk, www. hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

The currency in Sri Lanka is the Rupee (LKR) and it is a closed currency. This means it is not possible to buy Sri Lankan money in the UK before you travel. It is important to budget carefully as you should not take any Rupee (LKR) out of Sri Lanka when you depart. There are foreign exchange offices and cash machines available in most places during your tour. Your tour guide will assist you at the start of your tour with currency exchange. Credit and debit cards are accepted in most hotels and some shops and restaurants; a charge is sometimes added for using them.

The currency in Dubai is the UAE Dirham. We recommend that you exchange you currency before you leave the UK, however cash machines are available in all the major cities to withdraw money in the local currency.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.

You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any personal purchases, such as souvenirs, laundry and extra drinks and snacks.

We have no minimum number of passengers to run this holiday. If we are not able to operate your departure date for any other reason, then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

For this holiday, you will not be escorted by a tour guide. Your time here will be free to do as you wish. Details of your departure transfer will be confirmed by a representative in the hotel and you can book sightseeing trips through the hotel or representative.

Please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist compared to what you might expect in the UK.

Western and international food will be served however some establishments will serve traditional meals giving you a chance to experience local flavours. Vegetarian and Vegan options available, please request prior to departure. Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way. Bottled water will be available at shops and hotels/lodges.

During a full moon and religious holidays alcohol shops are closed and it is prohibited by law to serve liquor in any establishment on that day. However, it is not prohibited to drink alcohol purchased prior to full moon, but you need to do so in a private space.

In Sri Lanka they celebrate various festivals throughout the year, Vesak Poya is considered one of the most important Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka and is celebrated on the full moon poya day falling in May. The celebrations begin on the full moon day and continue for a week, where every corner has magical and colourful lanterns. Thai Pongal is the equivalent to a thanksgiving festival usually celebrated in January, followed by the Sinhala and Tamil New Year which is usually celebrated in April, it is a festival were people ensure their houses are clean, purchase new clothes, and prepare many traditional sweets.

It is seen as respectful to cover your shoulders and not to expose too much skin in Sri Lanka, so it would be advisable to pack a shawl or similar for women to cover up, including wearing up to/covering your knees when entering religious buildings etc.

Please note that plastic bottles are banned in the national parks so keep a reusable water bottle for your tour.

On your arrival in Colombo you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Aitken Spence, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/Aitken Spence representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your guide will be able to answer any queries.

On arrival in Dubai, after collecting your hold luggage and passing through Customs, transfers are found in the arrival hall and our partners in Dubai (Desert Gate) will be there with a Mercury Branded Sign and will guide you to your transfer vehicle.

Sri Lanka: If you need to contact Aitken Spence during your stay the details are:

Aitken Spence Travel (Colombo) 4th Floor Aitken Spence Towers 02 315, Vauxhall Street Colombo 02 Sri Lanka

Contact number: 0094 112 499623

Emergency contact information: Rizmika 0094 772 916461, Anu 0094 774593182

Dubai:

If you need to contact Desert Gate during your stay the details are:

Desert Gate Tourism: Address: 16E1, IRise Tower, Tecom, P O Box19271, Dubai Office number: 009714 442 1155 Email: premium@desertgate.ae

Emergency Contact details: Tel (24hr): 00971 52 750 2173 Jiri (Representative): 00971 52 332 4356 Romina (Representative): 00971 52 614 7659 Airport Representative (24hr): 00971 52 7502173