CreteTravel.com

Questions

Most Frequently Asked Questions

What is CreteTravel.com?

CreteTravel.com is your friend in Crete dedicated to helping you, our special independent travelers-guests, find and book small, unspoiled, hand-picked selected, with a certain something, exciting and unusual places to stay in lovely Crete. We know this amazing island inside out.
The website features a dynamically growing captivating collection of our favorite small hotels, great apartments, magical inns, dreamy guesthouses, superb villas and our acknowledged guide to the island of Crete - we have listened to you, our guests, and continue to make the websites better, easier to use, more informative and helpful.
Our philosophy is that travel should be fun and easy - including the planning part. We aim to simplify things. Great hotels at great prices. No guesswork, no games. That's CreteTravel.com

Who is your request sent to?

Your request, with all the information you include in the form, is sent to us, CreteTravel.com.
To avoid any confusion, Please Note: you are communicating & booking with us - NOT the hotel.

Who replies to your enquiry?

A living, breathing person looks into your enquiry, one of us. Requests are NOT "processed" like "purchase orders". We put a lot of time and thought into each and every one. If from your comments we have reason to think what you have selected may not suit you or meet your needs, we tell you so straightforwardly (even if we dont have an alternative to offer).

How soon can you expect a reply?

We reply to you within 24 hours - often less.
However, if your request is sent on a Friday afternoon or Saturday, it may take until Monday for you to receive our reply ... (not sure as often working weekends as well).

What does your reply include?

We come back to you with all the information, answers to any questions, suggestions and quotes you requested. We tell you if we think your choice really is just right for you and help you find alternatives if your first choice is unavailable.

The quote:

When you receive a quote from us, all the booking details are stated simply and clearly. Each quote shows the deposit you would be charged to confirm the reservation. And, exactly what is included, as well as anything that isn't. We also tell you what it would cost you to pay for any extras (e.g. air conditioning is extra in some hotels).

Also, we give you the cancellation terms applicable for the individual booking. Straightforward: until which date you can cancel without cancellation fees being payable and what happens after that date all the information you need, in one short paragraph, without having to plough through obscure "booking terms" pages.

What about availability?

When you have sent a request for specific dates, we first check the availability and normally hold for 2 days the room you are interested in (if it's available). Then we send your quote. This is to give you time to finalize your travel plans, secure flights or complete any other arrangement.

We do encourage you to let us know as soon as possible if you are interested in the reservation. The availability we give you may go if you do not reply promptly. If you need more time, telling us so will give us the opportunity to keep holding the room for longer if possible.

How do I confirm my reservation?

If everything is to your satisfaction and you would like to confirm the reservation, we ask you to send us the authorization to charge your Visa or MasterCard credit card with the quoted deposit, via the Secure page on our website (all details are encrypted for your security) - or if you prefer the details can be given by fax or telephone.

How do you confirm my reservation to me?

When we send you - by email - your confirmation for a reservation, again all the details are there for you: the amounts (what you have been charged, the balance you will pay at the hotel), the hotels address and phone numbers, directions of how to drive or get to the hotel, whether the hotel accepts credit cards and which.

Also, any other information you might have requested (suggestions for places to visit, special arrangements for taxis, car rental etc.). Our address and contact numbers are included in every single email we send you.

I don’t understand the payment and cancellation policy?

We always follow the hotels’ own cancellation and payment policies. Any deposit paid will be refunded in Smith hotel vouchers, provided the cancellation is made within the hotel's stipulated cancellation period.

Are airport transfers included?

They are generally not included in the room rate, but can usually be arranged by the hotel concierge if requested.

What currency do I have to make payments in?

Usually, the native currency of the hotel/supplier you have booked with that means Euros.

Are the quoted prices inclusive of taxes and surcharges?

Yes all taxes are included. About sucharges this depends largely on the hotel you are booking. On our "rates" pages for each hotel, we state clearly what is included and not included in the hotel's standard rates.

Anything I should do to make sure I receive your reply?

It is important we receive your phone number, home and office preferably, as email messages can be "bounced", meaning you might not receive our reply. We contact you directly by phone if there is a specific message needing swift action (e.g. urgent or limited availability, failed email attempts, clarification of your request).

*** Please read below our "Technical Questions" if you are using Comcast, Shaw.ca, AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, MSN, any web-based email program or if you use anti-spam software or filters. It is important.

I need an urgent reply

Where your reservation request is especially urgent (perhaps you have to choose and finalize flights) or if you would like to ask more about one of our special places, you may find it far more practical to telephone us and we will be happy to help you. The numbers are listed below.

How can we give you so much and not charge you for it?

Unbelievable? Well actually it makes good business sense. We save by not having to spend any time with problems. There is a negligible occurrence of problems of any type and so few disappointments. We make sure that you will be happy before making your hotel reservation.

Many of our customers return to us again and again: Our guests come back to us often, year after year. In fact, they become active advocates, spreading the word about us to their friends, family and colleagues. That means we don't have to spend as much on advertising!

We get a commission from the hotels : Our profit comes from the commission we make on the bookings, which comes out of the hotel or car rental company revenue.

Could you get the same good results booking these hotels on your own? NO.

How come?
Would it be easier? NO.

Many times, we have to track down the owners of small hotels on their mobile phones, while they are picking olives (!), where they have move to for the winter, in the family shop etc. We keep track of all the different contact methods, numbers and times that allow us to (eventually!) make contact with them. We then are able to seal a hold or a reservation with them for you, so that it is secure (when I was living in the US, I was faxing and re-faxing a small hotel in Crete for a month, trying to get a confirmation from them that made me feel happy my room was reserved).

Would you get the best possible room? NO.
We know all the rooms well and we always get you the best room available. 
For example, we ALWAYS ask for a sea view room, even if you haven't specified it (or if away from sea, for the most open, inspiring views). Our thinking is: we know the hotel has it, that's what we would prefer, so you should have the same too if it is available. The best view room request is for us automatic so much so, that we hardly need to utter it anymore to our hotels " they interrupt with"yes, of course you want a sea view room for your guests.

Would you get lower prices? Probably Not.
In many of the hotels we offer you, we charge the same price they would if you were able to book directly with them. And of course, we continue to offer you these delightful places, with the superb, all-questions-answered personal service you will find nowhere else (your happiness is in the end, priceless!)

Who writes these guides?

We do. That is, the members of CreteTravel.com/ SuperbGreece.com. We live in Crete year round and visit all these places and research all their features. Let's make one thing clear: we are not interested in population figures, prefecture divisions, and irrelevant facts! And we don't believe you are interested in these either, right?

So we assemble personally all the interesting, exciting information, only sourcing some of the historical facts. This is why our guides are different and really useful: we look at a place through the eyes of a traveller, not a bureaucracy. And, our guides are fresh and accurate; we double-check everything.

We write truthfully, without an agenda. We write what we like and say what could do with improvement or those things we would leave well alone.

What use are these guides to me?

We know it for a fact: many of our site's visitors print and take these guides with them and use them on their trip. Of course, these guides will also help you tremendously, before you travel, while you are planning your trip.

What can I find out from these guides?

Firstly, what each place "feels like". The atmosphere, style, ambience. Then: how you can get there (by air, sea or land), what you can see, what you can do, where there's a good place to eat and which other places nearby you could visit. A little bit of history, only if it's interesting!

Do you show any photographs?

Numerous photographs which we have taken. Clear but "light", so all the website pages you view appear on your screen blinking-fast.

Are the guides printer-friendly?

Yes, each and every one of them. If some guides span more than 1 page, we provide a "print the whole guide" option. We've been told it's helpful!

Legitimacy?

Superb Travel ( CreteTravel.com as well) is an insured and fully licensed agency approved by the local authorities and as members of the Travel Industry Association, we are required to maintain certain industry standards and practices. However, if you want a firsthand account of how we operate, take a look at our customer testimonials!

Any other questions?

About reserving your ideal place to stay in Greece? Add any questions you have about the place you wish to reserve to the message area on your reservation request - or ask us!

Technical Questions

Email problems?

If your email address is at any of the following, please pay attention to this.  ( Comcast.net, Shaw.ca, AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, MSN, Any other web-based email program, Anti-spam software or filters)

You MUST enter our address in your personal address book, "white list" or "safe list" on your email service. Otherwise, the filters used by these services may prevent you from receiving email from us.

We could send you a reply and you may not receive it, as it will be "blocked" or "stopped" by your email service or filter. And, any further attempts to contact you from our side will be rejected also.

(This has happened with several customers who are using these services, so please TAKE NOTE!)

To make sure you will be able to receive our emails, please do this:
Go to your "Address Book" and enter CreteTravel.com & our email address:
Name: CreteTravel.com
Email: reservations@cretetravel.com

For services that provide a "White List" or "Safe List" (of people who can legitimately contact you)
Add our domain (CreteTravel.com) and our email address reservations@cretetravel.com to this list

In Hotmail for instance, login to your account, click "Options" and then look down the list and below "Junk Filters" you'll see the words "Safe List". Just add reservations@cretetravel.com and the domain, CreteTravel.com, to your list.

This way you will receive our reply about your reservation enquiry, as well as all the answers to any questions you may have had about your visit to Crete. You don't want to miss this!

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