Wonders of the Philippines with Cebu Beach Stay

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. Some road construction &/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

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.

A valid passport is required of all visitors. Generally, visitors may stay without a visa up to 30 days, provided they have an onward or return journey ticket. There are however certain nationalities who are required to apply for a visa when travelling to the Philippines. It is advisable to check with the Philippine Embassy or consulate for visa requirements. Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. We strongly advise you check your destinations? Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding passport validity. You must also register with the ‘e-travel’ system 72 hours or less prior to your arrival.

Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your e-ticket and final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Weight restrictions will be finalized on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. If you wish to arrange Airport car parking or accommodation at preferential rates, we recommend you book this in advance with Holiday Extras on 0871 360 2000, quoting HX313.

IMPORTANT: A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you. Please note that you should carry your invoice with flight details on it as you will need to show this at the airport.

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.

ellow Fever vaccination is required upon arrival of visitors coming from infected areas, except children under one year old of age who are, however, subject to isolation when necessary. Malaria is endemic in many provincial regions of the Philippines but does not affect the capital Manila.Dengue fever has been on the rise in Manila and neighbouring provinces along with outbreaks of other mosquito-borne diseases in many areas particularly during the rainy season between June and November. We encourage you to where necessary; take measures to avoid insect bites, including using an insect repellent at all times and wearing long, loose fitting, light coloured clothing. Medical facilities in the Philippines are adequate in major cities but are very limited in provincial regions and remote islands. Major private hospitals, particularly in Metro Manila, are well equipped and internationally accredited. Most hospitals will require up-front payment or guarantee of payment prior to commencing treatment, which can be expensive. We recommend that you take out appropriate travel insurance that will cover any overseas medical costs, including medical evacuation, before you depart. Over the counter prescription drugs are widely available in major cities, but best to bringfrequently used medicines from home. 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.

All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights, climb stairs and get on and off coaches and boats. The tour pace of Wonders of Philippines is rated as challenging. This is largely due to long driving times on low quality roads on the north island. A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for approximately four hours in a day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. You will be walking around the sights, getting on and off coaches, boats and climbing steps which may be irregular. You will stay in variety of hotels throughout the tour. Our guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary.

The currency in the Philippines is the Peso (Php). divided into 100 Centavos. Coins come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, and 25 centavos, P1, P5, P10 and notes in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 pesos. We recommend that you exchange your currency before you leave the UK. It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country. Cash machines will also be available throughout the tour in order to withdraw money in local currency although these may be very limited in more rural areas. All commercial banks, most large hotels, and some malls are authorized to exchange foreign currency. Bring your passport with you when exchanging foreign currency as it may be required by the banks and some money changers for identification purposes. American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa credit cards are widely accepted across the country except in some remote areas where cash payment is preferred.

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 money with you to cover any personal purchasessuch as souvenirs, laundry, any meals not included in the itinerary as well as drinks and any additional snacks. Approximately £300-£400 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour.

Tipping

Tipping is not compulsory and is at your discretion to tip both your driver and guide. We would recommend to tip approximately 2 USD per person per day. This is a total of 26 USD per person to budget for tips on your trip. Tips are accepted in the local currency.

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 10, and the maximum will be 25. If in the unlikely event there are less than 10 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date, 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.

There is no minimum number of travellers for this extension however the main tour passenger numbers will apply for the main part of the tour. If in the unlikely event there are less than the required number of people booked on your main tour date then you may be asked to change to a different date. A full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

This is a fully escorted tour meaning that you will be met by a local guide in each of the cities that you visit, ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and Philippines. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.

Breakfast is always western style and served in the hotel each morning. Lunch (when included) will be taken in local restaurants or at the hotel. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian meal options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.

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. A bottle of water will be supplied daily on this tour

Semana Santa is the most important event in the Philippine calendar as many Filipino people celebrate the Catholic religion. It is a time for people to be with their loved ones and celebrate. During this week many shops and business close for the celebrations and tourist attractions will be open but may be crowded.

On your arrival in Manila you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Blue Horizons Travel, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/Blue Horizons Travel representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your national guide will be on hand 24 hours a day should you have any queries.

The Mercury Holidays/Blue Horizons Travel representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your national guide will be on hand 24 hours a day should you have any queries, however if you need to contact your representative during your stay the details are: Blue Horizons Travel Contact number: +639178840563 Email: carla.mariano@bluehorizons.travel