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Essential notices about our site, your privacy, terms and other useful information
These Booking Terms and Conditions, the Essential Information also referred to as Addendum A and Final Departure Information together with our privacy policy, our website terms and conditions of use and with any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking, form the basis of your contract with SandyBlue Lda (“we” or “us”). Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these Booking Conditions references to “you” and “your” include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person added or transferred to that booking.
By making a booking, the first named person on the booking agrees on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking that:
A binding contract is made with us by payment of your reservation deposit, payment in full if you are booking within 12 weeks of departure and the completion of the booking form (which also confirms your agreement to our Terms and Conditions).
These Booking Conditions and any agreement to which they apply are governed in all respects by Portuguese law. We both agree that any dispute, claim or other matter which arises between us out of or in connection with your contract or booking will be dealt with by the Courts of Portugal.
These terms and conditions must be read in conjunction with the Essential information regarding your tenancy herein referred to as Addendum A which forms part of your binding contract with SandyBlue.
At the time of booking, you will be required to pay a deposit of 25% of the value of the accommodation. All deposits are non refundable. For some reservations with specific resorts you will be bound by their terms and conditions which may have different deposit requirements. We will advise this at the time of booking. All bookings are subject to a 2% service charge.
The balance of your holiday price must be received by us no less than 12 weeks before arrival date. If we do not receive this balance in full and on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as a ‘cancellation’ in which case the cancellation charges set out in clause 11 will become payable.
If you cancel after we confirm your booking, you must compensate us for losses, as we incur costs from the moment you make the booking. The closer your cancellation is to the departure date, the less likely we are to recover the costs by re-selling the holiday at the original price. Our cancellation charges therefore increase as the departure date approaches, and you must pay us the sums up to the maximum shown in Clause 11.
Final departure access to property information will not be supplied until your holiday has been paid for in full, we have received any applicable refundable security deposits for the property and all passport information for all guests.
We endeavour to ensure all information, contract and booking conditions and prices both on our website and in our partner websites are accurate however occasionally changes and errors occur, and we reserve the right to correct prices and update and amend all information on our website or partner websites in such circumstances. You must check the current price and all other details relating to our contract before confirming your reservation.
All prices include VAT at the prevailing rate. We reserve the right to offer via our marketing: discounts that can not be retrospectively applied or used in conjunction with any other offer you may have had. We can also amend the price of unsold holidays at any time and correct any errors in the prices of confirmed holidays including any changes in costs such as services or amenities requested by the guest: extra cleaning, extra laundry costs, baby travel cots, foldaway beds, extra linens, or any other items that are separate to the rental of a property. For a SandyBlue Longer Stay of 28 nights or more, utility bills on selected properties are included. Where this applies, we operate a “Fair-Usage” policy which will be handled on a case-by-case basis. In the event large utility bills are judged to have arisen from excessive or neglectful use, we reserve the right to charge this excess to the guest. We reserve the right to amend the values of any applicable refundable security deposits at any time (See Clause 7).
Accidental Damage Cover
All properties are subject to Accidental Damage Cover (ADC) by a non-refundable charge of €7 per maximum occupancy, per week, which will be added to your booking value. This ADC charge covers you for accidental damage to the property during your stay up to the value of €200 per incident. This expressly excludes damage caused through negligence and/or vandalism.
If there has been any damage to the property which exceeds the value of €200, or we believe has been caused by negligence and/or vandalism, you will be notified by email within 14 days of your leaving date and we will issue you (the ‘lead’ booker) an invoice for immediate payment. In the event of any damage, we ask that you notify us immediately regardless of value. This does not cover lost house keys which will be immediately charged if lost.
Security Deposit
Some high value properties and certain 3rd party agent properties can also be subject to a refundable security deposit. The security deposit is payable at least 4 weeks prior to arrival date or typically with the final balance payment of your holiday.
The type of payment required, the amount and when it is payable will be confirmed to you at the time of booking. Security deposits are set by SandyBlue owners and agents and vary from property to property. We reserve the right to amend the value of the security deposit at any time.
As with ADC, any damage caused to the property must be reported immediately and any damage cost will be deducted from your security deposit. Your ADC will cover the first €200 of any single incident.
With both ADC bookings and those that require a security deposit, if any member of your party cause any damage to your holiday accommodation, any item in it or on its premises, you (the ‘lead’ booker) and/or your party will be required to pay for the loss and/or damage caused. We will hold you and each member of your party, jointly and individually responsible. We will issue you (the ‘lead’ booker) an invoice for immediate payment.
We reserve the right to take photographic images of any damaged property at any time during the course of the tenancy or after departure as proof of damage.
Following your departure, the property management team will inspect the property and you will be informed within 10 days of any issues identified. Your security deposit will be returned within 14 days.
Please check your confirmation email, payment receipts, final departure information and all other documents you receive from us immediately on receipt. You must contact us as soon as possible if any information appears to be incorrect as it may not be possible to make changes later and it may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any document within a reasonable period of time.
Should you wish to make changes to any details of your booking following final confirmation, we reserve the right to charge a minimum €50 administration fee.
If any member of your party is prevented from travelling, that person(s) may transfer their place to someone else (introduced by you and satisfying all the conditions applicable to the holiday booked) providing we are notified not less than 14 days before departure, all details of the new member of the party are provided to us in accordance with our booking procedure and you pay an amendment fee notified to you at the time your request the transfer, meet all costs and charges incurred by us and/or incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers and the transferee agrees to these booking conditions and all other terms of the contract between us.
Once your holiday has been confirmed, any changes or request to cancel can only be made by the lead party. Cancellation date is determined by the date we receive your email and confirm we have received that email. In all cases the deposit for your holiday reservation is non refundable.
Our cancellation charges increase as your arrival date approaches. The cancellation charge detailed is calculated on the basis of the total cost of the holiday payable excluding amendment charges which are not refundable.
If you have to cancel for a reason covered by your insurance policy, you may be able to recover the cancellation charges from your insurance company. Claims must be made directly to the insurance company concerned.
When only some members cancel in a group that has booked a holiday together, the full value of the reservation must be bourn by the remaining members of the party.
For all accommodation types, the following terms apply:
It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your confirmed travel arrangements or cancel them however we do start planning arrangements many months in advance. Occasionally, we may have to make changes and correct errors on the website and other details both before and after bookings have been confirmed. In the event of minor alterations, we will do our best to notify you before you travel.
If a ‘significant change’ (see below) or cancellation has to be made to your holiday property we will notify you as soon as possible. You may then: a) accept the changed property; b) accept an offer of an alternative holiday of comparable standard from us, if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value; or c) cancel your booking completely, in which case we will refund you all monies paid by you.
Note: In the event that you choose an alternative property, if the substituted holiday property is of a lower price than the one originally booked, we will also refund the price difference. If the substitute holiday is of a higher price you will pay the difference to upgrade. The original terms of our agreement will transfer to the substituted accommodation.
We will not pay you compensation where we make a major change or cancel before departure or in the event that we are forced to make a change or cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care.
The above sets out the maximum extent of our liability for changes and cancellations and we regret we cannot meet any expenses or losses you may incur as a result of change or cancellation.
We will not pay you compensation and the above options will not be available if we make a minor change or cancel as a result of your failure to make full payment on time or where the change(s) or cancellation by us arises out of alterations to the confirmed booking requested by you.
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions we will not be liable or pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by any event which we or the supplier(s) of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. These events can include, but are not limited to war, threat of war, civil strife terrorist activity and its consequences or the threat of such activity, riot, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster and adverse weather, sea, ice and river conditions and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) concern’s control.
The law does not dictate that neighbours or resort management need to advise of building works or noise adjacent to and or near any property. Therefore we cannot be held responsible for any resulting disturbance. Any building work which may commence in the local area is completely outside of our control, this can include noise from landscaping, building and road works.
Building works are legally allowed to place from Monday 8:00am to Saturday 6:00pm. These are the normal and legally recognized working hours in Portugal. Some building works can also take place with additional licence for longer hours and also on Sundays and bank holidays.
However, should we become aware of any building work which may reasonably be considered to adversely affect the enjoyment of your holiday we will notify you as soon as possible, and if possible, will offer you the opportunity to transfer to an alternative available property at the published advertised price.
If you have a special request that does not form part of the arrangements described on the website please inform us in writing at the time of booking. We will do our best to comply but cannot guarantee this.
We regret that we are unable to advise prior to departure if special requests cannot be met. The fact that a special request has been noted on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation or that it has been passed on to the supplier is not confirmation that the request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part unless the request has been specifically confirmed. We do not accept bookings that are conditional upon any special request being met.
If you or any member of your party has any; health issue, medical problem or disability which may affect your stay, please provide us with full details before we confirm your booking so that we can try to advise you as to the suitability of your chosen arrangements. Acting reasonably, if we are unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will not confirm your booking or if you did not give us full details at the time of booking, we will cancel it and impose applicable cancellation charges when we become aware of these details.
If the medical issue becomes apparent when you are in tenancy we cannot accept any liability in any circumstances due to your non-disclosure of the medical condition at the time of booking.
Travel insurance is essential. The policy should be valid from the time of confirming your booking. Your insurance should have cancellation cover as well as multi risk, medical and repatriation. We highly recommend that insurance purchased must have a 24-hour emergency telephone service. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover that you chose not to have for your holiday.
1. We will accept responsibility for the arrangements we agree to provide or arrange for you as an “accommodation provider” subject to these booking conditions, if we or our suppliers perform or arrange your contracted holiday arrangements negligently, taking into consideration all relevant factors (for example following the complaints procedure as described in these conditions and the extent to which ours or our employees’ or suppliers’ negligence affected the overall enjoyment of your holiday), we will pay you reasonable compensation. Please note that it is your responsibility to show that we or our supplier(s) have been negligent if you wish to make a claim against us.
2. We will not be responsible or pay you compensation for any injury, illness, death, loss, damage, expense, cost or other claim of any description if it results from:
The act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected; including non disclosure of medical conditions,
The act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party who provides supplementary services for the accommodation, which were unforeseeable or unavoidable; or
Unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond ours or our supplier(s) control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised; or
An event which either ourselves or suppliers could not, even with all due care, have foreseen or forestalled.
The maximum amount we will have to pay you in respect of these claims is an amount equal to the applicable excess in your travel insurance policy in total because you are assumed to have adequate insurance in place to cover any losses of this kind.
Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss or expense or other sum(s) of any description which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you; or (f) any business losses.
All decisions regarding any monetary values, refund or compensation of any description, is only with direct written confirmation and agreement solely between the leader of the party and the Director/s of SandyBlue Lda.
We will not accept responsibility for services or facilities which do not form part of our accommodation agreement. For example; any facility that is provided or maintained by a third party, any excursion you book, or any service including internet provider or facility including communal pools or similar amenities, tennis, golf or other similar leisure activities, chefs, child care, restaurants, transfer and taxi services which any other supplier agrees to provide for you.
Some of the services which make up your holiday are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions which will form part of your contract with us.
If you or one of your party suffers personal injury, illness or death during the holiday through no fault of ours or your own, we will, at our discretion, give you general assistance. The offer of assistance is without prejudice.
If you have cause for complaint whilst on holiday this must be brought to the attention of a SandyBlue Lda. representative and relevant supplier immediately so that action can be taken at the time to rectify the problem. Should the representative/local agent/ supplier or property management company be unable to resolve the matter, details of the complaint must be notified to SandyBlue Lda in writing within 14 days of the end of your holiday. Failure to do so will affect ours and the applicable supplier’s ability to investigate your complaint.
At all times during your holiday, you are expected to have consideration for your fellow travellers and other third parties. If in the opinion of ourselves, any service provider, accommodation owner or other person in authority, you are or appear to be behaving in such a way as to cause, or to be likely to cause, danger, distress, annoyance or damage to third parties or property either ourselves or the supplier concerned may terminate your holiday arrangements. In this situation, we will have no further liability to you and will not be responsible for meeting any expenses you incur as a result, making any refund or paying any compensation. Subject to clause 7, you and/or your party may also be required to pay for loss and/or damage caused by your actions and we will hold you and each member of your party jointly and individually liable for any damage or losses caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the accommodation owner or other supplier prior to departure from the accommodation. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result of your actions together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you. We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.
We are required by law to lodge all passport information with SEF Border Control. This information must be provided on your reservation booking form before we can release the Final Departure Information for your holiday.
It is your responsibility to hold a valid passport, visa and/or entry permit. Your passport and travel documents must be intact: you may not be able to travel if they are damaged or have been tampered with. Passport, visa and health requirements are subject to change and it is your responsibility to check the up-to-date position in good time before departure. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel, or incur any other loss because you have not complied with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities.
SandyBlue reserves the right to use recording devices for electronic mail, texts and telephone calls and meetings. Specifically in the case of disputes for evidential purposes, the tenant permits SandyBlue Lda for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; the right to record with video the meeting and all conversations with the tenant/s and to be able to photograph the article / object / situation in dispute.
All items disputed remain the property of SandyBlue Lda.
In order to process your booking and provide you with your confirmed holiday, we will need to collect and process personal information. For operational reasons, this data is held at various secure locations. When needed, we must pass on certain elements of this data to the companies, organisations or property owners who need them so that your holiday can be provided. For example, SEF - the Portuguese government border control authority requests all passport information for every guest. Others include resort accommodation providers, transport companies, banks or from our affiliated companies.
Where you provide us with this personal information, you consent to this data being used as described in this clause. We would also like to send you information about our products and services that we think will be of interest to you. We may do this by post, telephone, SMS or email. We are entitled to assume you do not object to our doing any of the things mentioned above unless you email to us at info@sandyblue.com
Last updated 10th August 2021
The following terms replace terms and conditions above where appropriate.
From 12 weeks you will be expected to travel unless Covid 19 Restrictions* (as defined below) apply to your travel plans. We know that restrictions are being placed at very short notice and you are likely to be concerned about this. We want to help and make your booking with SandyBlue an enjoyable experience. If Covid 19 restrictions* are applied at very short notice which makes your arrival impossible, we will work with you to find the best solution. We would want as much time as possible to resell your booking to another country of departure where restrictions might not be in place. If you cooperate with us by giving as much notice as possible, we will protect the money you have paid, less a charge, by issuing a voucher for use in a SandyBlue property to be booked by end December 2021 and for bookings before September 2022. The charge would be a maximum of 15% of the booking value.
* Covid 19 Restrictions are defined as:
It is your responsibility (as the lead guest on the booking) to ensure that you and all other parties in your booking have travel insurance. SandyBlue is NOT liable for any costs you or any member of your party may incur due to travel restrictions, outside of the terms described above. SandyBlue is not a provider of travel insurance.
We sincerely want you to have a relaxed & enjoyable holiday. The purpose of this ‘plain English’ information is to clearly state what you can expect from your holiday accommodation with us.
The following information will help you find out about all aspects of your SandyBlue holiday, whether staying in a resort or private villa, from services within the accommodation to 3rd party service providers.
This essential information forms part of your contract with SandyBlue. By payment of your deposit you have accepted and agreed the conditions outlined here in Addendum A and the Rental Terms and Conditions.
Should you require any further information regarding any of the matters below, please do not hesitate to contact our Reservation Administrators for clarification of any points of issue you might want to ask.
The properties featured on SandyBlue are privately owned and are furnished to the owner's taste, so the standards, styles and finish fixtures and fittings of property will differ. We endeavour to give an accurate description of each property with interior and exterior photographs, but sometimes an owner may update or change the décor / fixtures / fittings after you book your holiday. These changes would be considered upgrades and not to effect the overall enjoyment of your holiday.
We endeavour to represent as clearly as possible the features within each property. The properties featured operate to Portuguese safety standards, services and regulations. A change to the interior or exterior décor after you have confirmed and paid for your accommodation will not give grounds for cancelation or compensation of your booking.
Access to the property is at 5pm and Departure from the property is 9am
Only those persons registered on the booking form may occupy the accommodation from 5pm on the date of arrival and all guests must vacate, including luggage, by 9am on the date of departure.
Failure to vacate the property by 9am on your date of check-out will result in further charges being levied and deducted from your security deposit.
In low season – November to March we will try to give immediate access and a late departure for the property. But we can not guarantee this unless it is specifically agreed on your booking reservation. Closer to the time of arrival we can confirm if this would be possible, please contact us to discuss.
In peak season – Easter to October, we welcome you to bring your bags to the SandyBlue office during business hours. All arrivals regardless of using airport transfers or private car hire all guests must wait until 5pm to gain entry into the property.
We can also send you the access code information by text or email when the property is ready if you do not wish to leave your bags at the SandyBlue office.
Your final departure information will be sent to you generally 14 days before arrival this email will have information about how to access the property & we will request that you save it to your mobile device, and also print off driving directions and access codes.
On arrival the property the keys can typically be obtained from the key safe which is located at the entrance of the property or may be key collection at a Reception Desk / Office. On your final day return the keys to the key safe, and leave additional keys on the dining table or return the keys to Reception services.
If you lose any of the keys you have been provided the cost of the replacement will be deducted from the security deposit. Replacement costs also include alarm remotes, gates & garage fobs or auto remote controllers for access to the property.
During your holiday you are responsible for ensuring you lock up the property when you go out, including use of locks and alarms as provided and that you have your keys with you to be able to get back in.
If you accidently forget to take your keys with you and you have not left your emergency access key in the key safe so you can access a key (on properties that have a key safe). You will be responsible for the ‘call out’ charge to unlock the property. Every call out to open the property that you have locked yourself out of will incur a minimum fee of €75 per assistance. Call outs will deduct from the security deposit.
Some locks may require a locksmith to open and the cost of this is the responsibility of the tenant and will be paid directly to the locksmith or deducted off your security deposit.
Some sliding patio doors also have ‘auto’ locks when you slide them into closed position – they will lock automatically. Same for front doors – many of our properties have a dead lock that if you leave the key in the back of the door you will not be able to get back in the property. When you arrive take time to walk around the property and take note of the type of locks in the property.
In the local area there are several supermarkets including: Apolonia, Pingo Doce, Lidl, Aldi, AliSuper, Jaffers, Mini Preco and some smaller localised shops. Apolonia and Continente offer a shopping delivery service. You can read more about this on their websites. www.apolonia.pt and www.continente.pt
Please note that safes are not provided in all properties and should you require a property with this facility please ask our Reservation Administrators at the time of booking.
During your stay it is necessary for the maintenance team, pool team & gardeners to carry out their duties at the rental property, including cutting grass, general garden duties, pool maintenance and urgent property maintenance. While we don’t want to disturb your holiday these duties are essential to keep our properties to a high standard.
Please read this link to understand what generally will be the maid services provided to you on holiday: SandyBlue What To Expect From Your Maid Service [pdf]
Portugal is a developing country and there is major infrastructure work being done to bring electrical and water supply up to a Northern European standard. There may be times that the supply will be disrupted. We have found over the years that EDP / Camara (Council) will try to have normal supply reconnected within a few hours. Unless there is a specific problem with the property there is nothing else that we can do but communicate to you of the situation.
Note that all properties are allocated a ‘volume’ of electricity by EDP this varies from property to property. Generally we have requested and upgraded all our electric circuits to the maximum voltage we are allowed to have. But given the demands on the property and the electrics in the property it may short out if too many appliances on at once.
If you have too many gadgets – including air conditioning, tv, oven, ipads, mobile phones, laptops, hob, entertainment system, washing machine, hair dryer, kettle all on at the same time you will probably blow a fuse. Turn off some of the electronic items and reset the fuse box.
To reset the fuse box: open the front panel – look to see which switches are not facing the right way. Reset any wrong switches. Properties vary and there will be additional instructions in the information manual for the property or contact the Property Manager if you cannot reset the fuse box.
Portuguese sewerage standards are not to the same standard as your home. In most restaurants, shops and beach facilities you will see signs requesting you not to put paper in the toilet but in the bin beside. Many properties do not have main mains sewerage.
You may put toilet paper in the toilets in most of our properties (except for some villas which will be advised). Apart from toilet paper no other items can go in the toilet whatsoever – this includes, Kandoo, baby wipes and sanitary products. If a toilet system blocks during your tenancy and the blockage is something other than toilet paper, we will deduct the cost of the clearance of the blockage from your security deposit.
You may find that sometimes a ‘smell’ comes from drains and toilets, this is because of the way the sewerage is constructed. Portuguese building regulations do not require ‘soil stacks’ the tube that takes the smells above the roof. The plumbing is under the floor of the bathrooms and you will see a silver round ‘plate’ on the floor. Sometimes there is a build-up of odour particularly in summer. This is normal, generally if you flush the toilet and run a tap for a minute or so the smell will dissipate. The pipework for the drains in the shower and bath are much smaller than European standard and it will take longer and be a bit slower for the water to drain away.
The boilers in the properties are generally electrical immersion heaters and are of sufficient size for the capacity of guests we allow to stay in the property. Some properties have gas boilers and these will either be fed off a ‘bottled gas’ which of course can run out (or main feed – only available in larger resorts) generally in the outhouse of the property there will be another bottle and it you can change the regulator over to the new bottle.
If you over fill a bath or take a shower for a long time, you will find that the hot water will run out. Please take shorter showers or smaller / shallower baths to ensure that you can all have hot water available for your use. If you use up all the water it will take several hours to re-heat a full tank of water.
There is no door to door rubbish collection. You will have to take your own rubbish on a daily basis to communal bins. Large dumpster style bins will be located on roadsides and in resort developments there are recycling points to dispose of your rubbish.
We ask that you do not leave air conditioning units on when you are not in the property. We specifically request you do not leave doors and windows open and the air conditioning units on. If we note that the above happens we reserve the right to remove the air conditioning remotes from the property
When accommodation is equipped with air conditioning or heating system this will be detailed accordingly. It could be on arrival you see additional infrastructure in the property but unless we have specifically offered this infrastructure with the rental contract it is not available for your use. It could be that it may be available in exceptional circumstances and a charge will be payable locally to use the infrastructure.
Please note that the majority of our properties are not equipped with any form of heating facilities, however where available, it will be indicated in the description and these objects will be the only heating available.
In some properties there is any extra charge for the use of air conditioning / heating systems and this charge will be on the website information for each individual property.
When a property has a wood burning fireplace we do not supply wood, you must buy this yourself.
During winter the temperature will drop very quickly after 3.30pm. Do not leave any windows open when you go out during the day as you will find the property will be cold on your return and will take a long time to get warm again.
We recommend that you leave the oil heaters (where provided or if you have paid the hire) at least on low all the time to maintain the warmth. The air conditioning is also reverse cycle – which means that it can heat the rooms.
When you are on holiday we intend to respect your privacy. Our office is based in Almancil if you want to pop in and meet us. Our team area available to help via emergency@sandyblue.com
The dictionary defines an emergency as: an unforeseen, unexpected or sudden occurrence, a serious situation especially of a danger - demanding urgent & immediate remedy, action or assistance. If you call outside of business hours and it is not a problem as described above we will respond to you during normal business hours.
All serious emergencies – please dial 112 for Fire / Police or Ambulance
In certain resorts, in particular those closest to the airport, it is not uncommon to experience aircraft noise. This may be more noticeable during peak season due to the increase of flights.
There may be limited facilities available during Low season which can be from end of September through to May in the Algarve. Consequently, we recommend car hire during these times and to check before you book your holiday what amenities and facilities are open in this season.
Please read this link for the available extras we can provide: SandyBlue Extras Information [pdf]
If after your arrival you would like any additional extras for your holiday. We can organise this, subject to availability and delivery charge.
The GPS satellite navigation system is fairly reliable here and is useful in locating places of interest during your holiday. We try and provide as accurate as possible GPS codes but you must also use any of the additional specific directions provided in your travel information pack when travelling to your property, to avoid any difficulties.
Please ensure all personal possessions are packed when departing your holiday property. Whilst we will endeavour to assist when items are left, unfortunately we are unable to guarantee the return of any items which have been left unattended and will not be liable for any items lost or damaged in transit. Postage, packaging and handling fees may be applied for the return of lost property.
It is your responsibility to ensure you have a valid passport and visa (if applicable). Passports should have six months validity by your return travel date.
If your travel requires a visa – and you require additional supporting documentation from us there is an administration charge of a minimum €50 per person per document for the additional supporting paperwork for your visa application.
By law in Portugal you should always carry your passport, ID and car hire documents with you at all times. There are regular police checks on cars and they will ask for your ID and car hire paperwork. We also recommend to photocopy or, save on your phone, your important documents / credit card fronts and also have the telephone number of your Bank written down if you need to make an emergency call. Put these documents in a sealable plastic bag then you have duplicates / emergency numbers if you need them.
The Algarve is generally a safe place. But this does not mean that you should not be cautious. Do not leave valuables in your car. Close windows in properties that face onto public areas. Always lock all windows / doors / shutters when you go out of the property and if there is an alarm always set it. Always shut all doors, windows and shutters when you go to bed.
If you lose any items of value while on holiday through theft, you must report the facts immediately to the local police and obtain a written report (they will ask for a payment to make a report and it can take several hours). If a report is not obtained, you may not be able to claim back on your insurance policy.
All our properties are maintained by the staff that have access to the property. Gardens have to be maintained on a weekly basis. Pools are normally checked and cleaned twice a week and this is normally carried out early in the morning. Pools require salt and chlorine to keep them balanced and the pool person will advise if this has been done and that maybe the pool will not be able to be used for a short amount of time, this is a normal procedure.
Pool and garden personnel do not have fixed hours, so it is not possible for us to advise you of the exact date or time of their visit. We ask for your cooperation when these people visit.
Please read this document about swimming pools: SandyBlue Essential Information Swimming Pools [pdf]
Although every effort is made to ensure the information contained within the various resort details is correct, this information has been provided by the specific resorts and therefore SandyBlue Lda cannot take responsibility for its accuracy. All the facilities listed are provided by the resort, and the management of the resort is responsible for the quality and provision of facilities, services and staff. Unfortunately, some facilities may not be available at certain times of year, or at times when maintenance work is required or events are being held. In addition, local charges apply for resort facilities.
Unless specifically included on the booking form, no transfers are included in the cost of the holiday accommodation. We can organise airport transfers for you at an additional cost. You can be transferred to any destination from the airport upon arrival, but not the rental property. Access to the property is only after 5pm.
Activities booked on your behalf such as sports activities, tennis and golf, the provision of the service and facility is a Third Party Supplier and SandyBlue cannot guarantee the service or availability of the amenity, service level or quality. All local attractions referred to are independent and provided by third party suppliers and not SandyBlue Lda. All complaints with the services of Third Party Suppliers should be directed to the supplier not SandyBlue.
Some facilities, activities and excursions could involve an element of risk and are not controlled by SandyBlue Lda. If you wish to participate, purchase or make use of any optional activities, facilities or excursions SandyBlue Lda cannot accept liability in relation to these. The contract for the provision of that activity, facility or excursion will be between you and that provider. The discretion to partake in any such activities, facilities, or excursions is entirely at your own risk. You are responsible for taking sensible precautions for your own safety and for the safety of any children or family members for whom you are responsible. Please liaise with the supplier of the facility, activity or excursion for the Terms and Conditions of your activity, facility or excursion which will govern your contract with the supplier.
Unless otherwise stated, telephones are not provided in our properties. In Portugal it is not uncommon that it can take several attempts to ‘dial out’ of the country. If this happens just keep trying.
Please read this document here about the TV systems available: SandyBlue TV Channel Information [pdf]
Please read this document about the internet: SandyBlue Essential Information Internet [pdf]
We can organise car hire for you. The terms and conditions of the car rental is with the provider not SandyBlue Lda.
You will need a credit card, a full driving licence which has been held for at least one year. All drivers must have a licence. If you hold a photo-card licence you will require the accompanying paper documentation. Photocopies will not be accepted. Child seats can be provided. Cars can be collected from the airport or delivered to your property.
The Algarve has mosquitoes, ants, cockroaches and other creeping and flying insects. Ants are common and if you leave food out or forget to clean down tables, sweep floors and serving areas, the ants will have wandered in and happily start eating up your leftovers. If this happens remove the leftover food and wipe down the affected area. If the ants persist we can provide ant powder as a repellent.
The properties are surrounded by gardens and countryside and field mice and other rodents are common, along with local farm animals, dogs and cats. Some of these animals make noise. We have no control of any animals that belong to neighbours or non-domesticated animals who make noise or may be roaming around, so we ask your understanding in this matter.
SandyBlue accepts the responsibility under the regulatory framework of Portuguese law for the provision of a safe working environment for our staff.
All SandyBlue employees and SandyBlue service providers should be entitled to perform their duties free from the threat of overt stress, harassment, intimidation or physical violence.
SandyBlue will not tolerate any abuse of its employees or service providers including:
In everyday life things can and do go wrong and you have the right to discuss any aspect of your holiday with us. We request that it is done in a calm manner in accordance with our service provision policies and will look to rectify any issue which we believe needs rectifying in a realistic timeframe.
We make every effort to ensure that the information and photography contained on our website and our associated websites are accurate. However, many individuals are responsible for the provision of your holiday arrangements and they may alter or temporarily withdraw some of the advertised facilities or services without prior notice to us. Unfortunately, errors can occur and prices may alter, however we will always endeavour to advise you of any changes at the earliest opportunity. The distances to amenities, beaches, restaurants, supermarkets and pool measurements we have provided are approximate and if floor plans are displayed these are a guide and are not to scale.
Please read our pdf regarding all aspects of your SandyBlue holiday.
Rua do Comércio 274/276, Edificio Palma Bloco A - R/C Esquerdo, 8135-127 Almancil
Office Hours 9am - 6pm, Monday to Saturday. Let's talk about Your Holiday!
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