Phuket Beach Stay and 4* Dubai City Stay

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of £295.00pp 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 visa is not required before you travel to Thailand; you will be issued with a tourist visa valid for 60 days on arrival into the country. 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 visas and passport validity. You will be required to fill in a digital arrival card 3 days before arrival in Thailand. You can do this online here - https://tdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card/#/home

Holders of full British passports will be granted a free of charge visitor/tourist visa upon arrival in the UAE. No application in advance of travel is needed. Your passport will be stamped with the visa as you pass through Immigration. The visa issued at the airport for British passport holders is 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, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. 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 Thailand is the Thai Baht (THB). 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.

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 dinners where these are not mentioned on your itinerary and personal purchases, such as souvenirs, extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £200-£300 per person should be sufficient for the duration of your holiday.

Tipping is not compulsory and is at your discretion to tip for your driver and if you hire a guide. We would recommend to tip approximately £2-3 per person per day/trip. Tips are accepted in the local currency.

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.

Both Western and local meals are available.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian 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.

The three most important Buddhist holidays are Makha Bucha Day, Visakha Bucha Day and Asahna Bucha Day. All three are public holidays in Thailand. During this time many shops and business close for the celebrations. Because they are such important religious occasions, there are temporary restrictions in place on alcohol sales with entertainment venues in some areas also closing.

If you chose to visit Churches/Temples, please note both men and women need to wear long trousers or skirts to cover knees, tops with sleeves should be worn to cover shoulders.

On Arrival in Thailand, you will be met just after the Customs office by a representative from our local agent, Tour East. The Mercury Holidays/Asian Trails representative will show you to your transfer vehicle.

On your arrival in Dubai you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Desert Gate.

Once you have passed through customs you must make your way to the arrivals area where your airport representative will be waiting for you holding a Mercury Holidays sign.

If you arrive into terminal 3, you will locate your transfer in front of Carrefour in the Arrivals Hall. Please note that our partners will not have a Mercury Holidays Sign but a Desert Gate Sign.

Thailand:

If you need to contact Asian Trails, during your stay the details are:

Address: 12th Floor, The regent house, 183 Ratchadamri Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330

Phone: +66 (0)6-5120-7183 (Dedicated English-Speaking Emergency Line)

Email: attinboundenglish@asiantrails.org;

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

• Insect repellent
• Personal toiletries
• Personal first aid kit containing travel pills, rehydration powder, plasters, stomach settlers, antiseptic creams, aspirin etc
• A plug adaptor - the electricity supply is 220 V. You will need a 2 round pin plug adapter – Plug type C/F
• Light material long sleeved tops and trousers - during temple visits arms and legs must be covered, please bear this in mind when packing for your trip
• Sunglasses, Sunscreen and hat
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Ruck sack or light bag