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Hi Frineds,

Here are some tips for your enjoying vacations..

When booking your holiday always make sure that you have read the brochure very carefully and be aware of such terms as "lively location" which usually means very noisy, all-night bars and discos; "close to shops and local amenities" usually means lots of traffic noise, close to a main road, restaurants, bars, etc; "childrens clubs and facilities" usually means that the hotel will be mainly catering for families with children and if you are wanting a quiet, peaceful holiday then the children may cause you unwanted noise. "Quiet, peaceful location" can mean complete isolation where the use of a car is essential. Beware of terms which describe such things as "terraced gardens", "split level", anything which describes "going down or going up" as this will give you a fairly good indication that the hotel may not be suitable with mobility problems and there may be a number of steps.

Always check to see whether there are lifts if lifts are a requirement and also how many bedrooms the hotel has which would give you an indication of the size of the establishment.

If you are going on an all-inclusive board basis then do check the small print for exactly what the all-inclusive includes and what it excludes and read the additional pages at the back of the tour operator's brochure which will explain that some facilities have to be paid for.

Always take the brochure with you on holiday as only then can you decide for yourself whether you have got exactly what you booked and paid for or whether you have got something which is essentially different. For example if your brochure shows a beautiful swimming pool which clearly is not a swimming pool in your hotel grounds you can take a photograph of the hotel swimming pool and this is evidence which you can use on your return. Without taking the brochure on holiday then you have no way of being able to make a comparison.