✉ Last autumn we booked a holiday, due to start in three weeks’ time, through Tui at Riu Funana on Sal Island in Cape Verde. We’ve had many lovely holidays with Tui and Riu in other countries, but we read the Sunday Times report of shigella outbreaks on the islands and deaths due to gastric illnesses at some of its hotels, including Riu Funana, worsened by the poor medical facilities. We’re a couple in our late seventies with a number of disabilities between us, and while we could drink bottled water and eat fresh well-cooked food, avoiding potentially contaminated salads washed in infected water would detract from our ability to relax. We’re very concerned. What are our options? Ideally we’d like to cancel without losing any money, or transfer to another country.
Bill Rawlinson
I’m not surprised you and your wife no longer want to go to Cape Verde. When I asked Tui what your options were, it said you could pop into your local Tui store, give them a call or send them an email to find out. You took this advice and went into your local store, but couldn’t get help because you’d booked online. You eventually managed to get through to a call centre and were offered a refund or a change of destination. You chose the latter and are now off to Morocco, with a partial refund because your new holiday is cheaper. But it seems you’ve been fortunate: I’ve heard from other readers who’ve only been offered a different destination with a hefty change fee. But wherever you book a holiday, you should always check government travel advice, not just rely on information from a tour operator.
Travel newsletter
Your weekly round-up of the best travel inspiration, guides, hotel reviews and advice from our experts.
Sign up with one click
After a shigella outbreak in Cape Verde, two readers want to cancel their tripGetty iamges
✉ Last July I booked a Jet2 trip to Mallorca via Co-op Travel for me, my wife, our daughter and our two granddaughters for a week in August. It cost £7,050, but on the day of travel I was unwell and was eventually taken off the flight we’d all boarded. My wife came off the plane too, to help me get home, then she paid to travel out separately the following day to help our daughter with the children. Since then our travel agent has been attempting to get a figure for my part of the holiday cost so I can reclaim this on my travel insurance, but has been unable to get any useful response from Jet2.
As the invoice stated one child travelled free, I don’t want the travel insurance to refund one fifth of the cost: it should be at least 25 per cent and possibly a bit more (to reflect that two of the passengers were children and one travelled free). All I want is a breakdown of the total figure so I can reclaim the amount that’s due, but it seems impossible to get. Can you help?
John Challis
Jet2 is an award-winning tour operator that gets plaudits for its customer service, so it’s mystifying it couldn’t handle such a simple request. After I got involved it finally contacted your travel agent to confirm that your share of the cost was £1,863. You’d been waiting for this figure for nearly five months and are delighted that you can finally go ahead with your travel insurance claim. Jet2 said: “We have reviewed and can confirm that the cost has now been communicated to Mr Challis. We would like to apologise for the delay in sharing this information.”
One reader found Jet2 unhelpful with a request about their holiday to MallorcaPA
✉ My friend and I are interested in the history of the Silk Road and want to visit one of the Stans in central Asia to celebrate our upcoming significant birthdays this summer. We think an organised tour is probably the best idea (but it needs to be a small group) and we’d like to be away for no more than two weeks. We’re hoping to pay about £5,000 but could up this for something special. Any ideas?
Jess Blake
The adventure travel specialists Silk Road Adventures, whose director was a producer on Joanna Lumley’s 2018 travelogue in central Asia, has designed a 12-night small-group journey through Kyrgyzstan and the first departure is on June 9. Highlights include wildlife hiking in the Chon Kemin gorge, staying in stylish guesthouses and family-run yurt camps, visiting the Silk Road caravanserai of Tash Rabat, meeting an eagle hunter, watching Kok Baru “goat carcass” polo and learning about red deer conservation. Travel is in top-of-the-range 4WDs with driver-guides and there’s a maximum of ten guests. The tour costs £4,950pp including all accommodation (there’s no single supplement), all meals, some alcohol, transfers, local guides and activities (silkroadadventures.com). Flights are extra. The best route to Bishkek is via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines and should cost about £580 return.
✉ My 16-year-old daughter finishes her GCSEs on June 15 and I want to take her away for a few days. We’ll be travelling with my cousin who’s coming over from the US and we were thinking of a city break in Paris or Vienna. I don’t want anywhere super hot. My problem is that we’re on a budget and accommodation for three seems like a rarity. What can you suggest?
Laura Oliver
It’s a fool’s game trying to predict the weather these days, but there was a heatwave in Paris last June so Vienna could be a safer bet for warmth rather than intense heat. Reasonably priced triple rooms can be hard to find in the city centre, but Simm’s hotel is right next to the Zippererstrasse stop on the U3 U-Bahn line, so you’ll reach central spots like St Stephen’s Cathedral in about 15 minutes. Tram line 71 runs in front of the hotel and stops at the Upper Belvedere museum (home to The Kiss and other fabulous Klimts) and the State Opera. A top-floor junior suite with views over the city sleeps three and starts at £128 room-only in mid-June (simmshotel.at).
Vienna is a good bet for a summer city break that’s not too hotGetty images
✉ My niece will be studying at Uppsala University in Sweden and I’d like to visit for a short break in the spring with my two children, both in their twenties. We’d like to have a day or two in and around Uppsala and spend the rest of the time enjoying nature; we’re particularly keen to swim and sauna. Any suggestions for how to organise this?
Alison Peacock
Uppsala is a quick train ride from Stockholm airport and near the station you’ll find the family-run Grand Hotell Hornan, right by the River Fyris and full of old-school charm as well as a great bar (B&B singles from £132, doubles from £145; grandhotelhornan.com). It’s within walking distance of restaurants and the cathedral, which you won’t want to miss: this gothic beauty dates back to the 13th century and is the tallest church in the Nordic countries. If you’re keen to get out on the water, Aktivt Uteliv offers canoe and kayak rentals for a paddle along the river or Lake Ekoln (uppsala.aktivtuteliv.se), while for a quick dip (the water will be very chilly) followed swiftly by a sauna, locals often head for Fjällnorabadet by Lake Trehörningen in Fjällnora, about ten miles east of Uppsala, which has a sandy beach and a floating dock. If you can, push your trip into early June when the weather will likely be better.
Have you got a holiday dilemma? Email [email protected]
