62 Travel
Don’t put
up with this
Car-hire deposit lost
despite breakdown
We hired a car for two weeks from
Corvera airport in Spain through
InterRent. About ten days later a
warning light appeared on the
dashboard that meant something
might be wrong with the engine. Wephoned InterRent, which told us not
to use the car and that it would be
collected. We were also told that a taxi
would pick us up the next morning to
take us to the airport to get a new car
— but it transpired that we were
expected to pay for a £55 taxi ride and
hire a new vehicle, paying the deposit
and insurance all over again.
We decided against this because
it was clearly ridiculous and we’ve
now seen that the whole deposit
of £860 has been taken from our
credit card with no explanation.
Of course we also lost the last fivedays of the rental. Can you help?
Jo Howes, via emailWouldn’t it be helpful if car-rental
companies could get out of the “deduct
now, ask questions later” mentality?
Fortunately InterRent has now accepted
that you weren’t to blame. “InterRent
is sorry that Mr and Mrs Howes’
experience did not meet the company’s
usual standards. Having reviewed the
case, the company has reimbursed the
deposit. It has also refunded five days
of the rental when the vehicle was not
able to be used,” a spokesperson said.Q
I’ve just got engaged and
would like to organise a
tiny destination wedding
somewhere hot and sunny
for April next year. I like
luxury hotels and spas, while my
fiancé likes history, and we’d like to
honeymoon on an island afterwards.
Would Greece be a good option?
Are there any good bespoke wedding
companies?
Vicky Taylor, via emailA
Congratulations! If you’re
happy with warm (about 23C)
rather than properly hot, Crete
would be a great choice for a
mid-April wedding. You can get legally
married there too, rather than just have
a blessing, although you really would
need a wedding planner to guide you
through the process.
Ceremonies can’t be organised at
archaeological sites, but you could get
married in front of Mount Ida (where,
according to mythology, Zeus was
born) or in a Byzantine chapel or
ancient Minoan sanctuary. You could
then celebrate in one of the many
boutique hotels in the photogenic old
town of Chania or in one of Elounda’s
luxury resorts with spas such as the
Cayo Exclusive.
Crete Within Weddings could organise
your “elopement”, as a wedding for two
is known, from about £6,000, as well as
arrange a honeymoon on the island
(cretewithinweddings.com).Q My wife is celebrating a big birthday
next year and we’re thinking about a
trip to Salamanca entirely by train
from the UK. Could you suggest a
company that could arrange travel
and hotels?
Andrew Harper, via emailA The fastest route from London
to the gorgeous medieval
university town of Salamanca in
northwest Spain is via western
France, crossing the Spanish border at
Irun. The rail specialist Ffestiniog
Travel suggests that you stay for a nightTravel doctor Solving your holiday dilemmas
Julia Brookes
Consumer expertA On November 1 the UK linked
with the EU Gateway, so the NHS
Covid-19 pass can now be scanned
for travel and for domestic use in
Europe. But that’s of little help to
12 to 15-year-olds from the UK whose
single vaccination status is not
recognised internationally and who
can’t access the pass. Trips to Germany
are out because of quarantine
requirements for unvaccinated
over-12s, and these are unlikely to
be relaxed any time soon because of
a surge in cases. Meanwhile, to qualify
for domestic vaccine passports in
France and Italy, your daughter will
require regular tests.
But there are some European
destinations that (at present) should
work for a February city break with a
young teenager without too much hassle.
Head to Lisbon and your daughter will
just need proof of a negative antigen test
taken up to 48 hours before arrival and
there’s no domestic passport scheme to
worry about. The same rules apply in
Greece, so Athens is another possibility,
while Spain requires a PCR test to be
taken up to 72 hours before arrival, as
does Ireland.Contact us
If you have a gripe, suggestion or question
relating to your holidays, please email
[email protected]in the medieval Basque border town of
Hendaye on the outbound and return
journeys, with the rest of the week at
the Grand Hotel Don Gregorio, a
restored 15th-century palace in a great
spot near Salamanca’s cathedral. A
bespoke seven-night trip starts at
£1,180pp, B&B, including standard-class
rail tickets; hotels and rail travel can
be upgraded (ffestiniogtravel.com).
Alternatively, Wexas suggests
that you travel via Barcelona and
Madrid and stay at either the
16th-century Hospes Palacio de
San Esteban in the city centre or
the Hacienda Zorita wine hotel,
surrounded by terraced vineyards,
on the outskirts. Basing the trip on
daytime trains, a seven-night trip
starts at £1,550pp in Business Premier
on Eurostar, with first-class seats on
French and Spanish trains, one night’s
B&B in Paris, Madrid and Barcelona,
and four nights’ B&B in Salamanca.
Taking the sleeper train between
Paris and Barcelona is another option
(wexas.com).Q We’re planning to travel to the US
next month and have had two doses of
the AstraZeneca vaccine Vaxzevria
from the batch that was queried in the
summer. Is AstraZeneca approved for
entry to the US? I’ve found conflicting
information.
Kerry Stephens, via emailA Don’t worry, you will be able to enter
the US. AstraZeneca’s vaccine has
still not been approved for use in
America by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), despite several
attempts by the company, but
wherever it was manufactured, it
will get the thumbs-up from border
officials because the US Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) said last month
that it would accept any vaccine
authorised for use by US regulators or
the World Health Organisation. I’d
recommend you carry a printout of
your NHS Covid-19 pass to be on the
safe side. Don’t forget to take an
antigen test in the three days before
your flight and to apply for an ESTA
or you won’t be going anywhere (£10;
esta.cbp.dhs.gov).Q We’d like to take a European
city break next February with
our 15-year-old daughter. We looked
at Berlin and discovered that
British 12 to 15-year-olds, who are
receiving only one vaccination dose,
have to be quarantined on arrival
in Germany. A cursory glance at
other countries suggests that there
are restrictions of some kind for
British children in this age group
elsewhere too. Is this likely to change,
and where might we be able to visit
in February?
David Atkinson, via emailThe harbour at Chania,
on the Greek island
of Crete. Below:
Salamanca CathedralGETTY IMAGES