View Full Version : Help. Holiday cancelled.
Booked a holiday in May last year. Today have rung by Hayes and Jarvis to be told that my 2 week holiday at Biyadhoo, Maldives, starting next week has been cancelled due to overbooking - their mistake they agree. But with only 5 working days left options are limited in finding an alternative for 8 divers !!
I have been offered a week at Medhufushi island then a week in Sri Lanka.
Questions
1) Medhufushi - any good for divers? I'm not really interested in all the add on luxuries and in fact the fewer people I meet there, the better.
2) Sri Lanka , any good diver sites ? If so where please.
3) I believe you need anti-malarials for Sri Lanka - which ones are safe for divers?
Jules
Booked a holiday in May last year. Today have rung by Hayes and Jarvis to be told that my 2 week holiday at Biyadhoo, Maldives, starting next week has been cancelled due to overbooking - their mistake they agree. But with only 5 working days left options are limited in finding an alternative for 8 divers !!
I have been offered a week at Medhufushi island then a week in Sri Lanka.
Questions
1) Medhufushi - any good for divers? I'm not really interested in all the add on luxuries and in fact the fewer people I meet there, the better.
2) Sri Lanka , any good diver sites ? If so where please.
3) I believe you need anti-malarials for Sri Lanka - which ones are safe for divers?
Jules
If I was you I'd be putting the ownus on them to provide you with some / all of these answers to your questions. They agree they have cocked up, so let them do some of the leg work for you.
These might help you in the mean time
http://www.bsactravelclub.co.uk/schools/wlmedhufushi.htm
http://maldives.dive-international.net/centreinfo.php?cid=30&pid=3
http://www.divingsrilanka.com/
http://www.dive-centers.net/diving-sri_lanka-74.html
http://www.bsactravelclub.co.uk/reports/srilanka.htm
These might help on the midical issue
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/260/health/Indian-Subcontinent/Sri-Lanka.html
http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/asia/sri_lanka.html
Hope these help
many many thanks for all those links.
jules
Alison Boler
21-03-2007, 08:27
Jules
I would argue most strongly that you booked a DIVING holiday and that is what you want. From our reports, Sri Lanka is a fascinating country to visit but the diving is pretty average, certainly not on a par with the Maldives. The onus should be on H&J to at least offer you a holiday that matches the one you booked and that should be 2 weeks in the Maldives.
Press them hard.
Allie
Jules
I would argue most strongly that you booked a DIVING holiday and that is what you want. From our reports, Sri Lanka is a fascinating country to visit but the diving is pretty average, certainly not on a par with the Maldives. The onus should be on H&J to at least offer you a holiday that matches the one you booked and that should be 2 weeks in the Maldives.
I agree, except that I would describe the diving as poor. Some good friends of ours in the dive club did some diving off Sri Lanka, and they had viz of between 3m to 5m. Now they could just have been unlucky, but I too would be telling H&J that their offer is not acceptable.
Janos
Oh I do hope H & J aren't BSAC travel partners.
Jules sorry about your trip - I would be gutted. Tell them to bump someone else off.
Alison Boler
21-03-2007, 11:01
Er... well... I was probably being too tactful there... yes, I think I would describe it as very poor from what I've heard.
Fiona :) you minx!!! Actually, they're not BSAC PTPs - they used to be, but not for about a year now.
Allie
Chris aka divingchef
21-03-2007, 11:26
Tell them to bump someone else off.
Err not sugesting "getting a contract " out on them,:eek: a bit harsh :D
simon1574
21-03-2007, 11:34
My suggestion would be to explain that you booked a holiday to the maldives and that is what you expect if they have to upgrade your accomodation and or flights then that is their problem for over booking! Sounds harsh i know but you pay for an expert to arrange your travel and pay well from my experience and you dont expect to have a cancellation at such short notice. If you had cancelled at such short notice then i seriously doubt you would be offered any refund so why should the company expect better treatment. My suggestion would be if they have a web site look for availability on your selected dates at any resort they offer of equal or better standard or if you must accept a lesser resort then ask for a significant refund.
Right thats my dummy landed again but expensive holidays and bad customer service are my pet hates. No matter who it happens too.
Finally i hope you get everything sorted and have a great holiday and safe diving.
:)
AndyDavis
21-03-2007, 11:39
Why don't you just get a cheap, last minute flight to Malaysia or Thailand?
They are very easy places to visit independantly and the diving is fantastic (plus easy to organise when you arrive).
Adrian Kelland
21-03-2007, 11:49
Oh I do hope H & J aren't BSAC travel partners.
Jules sorry about your trip - I would be gutted. Tell them to bump someone else off. They probably can't.
'Overbooking' tends to happen because the travel company has not actually told the accomodation supplier that someone is coming. They sit on your money and confirm any room at the last minute.
A hotel has 100 rooms. German company is allocated 60. British company is allocated 60. German company gets 60 clients & confirms with hotel straight away. British company gets 60 clients and does nothing but take your money. Come confirmation day with hotel, only 40 rooms available...
Adrian
Why don't you just get a cheap, last minute flight to Malaysia or Thailand?
They are very easy places to visit independantly and the diving is fantastic (plus easy to organise when you arrive).
As gutted as you must be, this might be a good option. Full refund + compensation?
I did my DM course on Koh Tao, spent 3 months out there diving and had a fantastic time - Thailands becoming a second home...
Jules,
I've just spent 3 weeks travelling around Sri Lanka and whilst it probably isn't the holiday you are looking for it is an excellent location for a holiday non the less. If you intend to stay on the South West coast then you will be okay without anti-malarial prophylaxis. Malaria is more of a risk inland although there are few mosquitos to be honest.
The diving isn't brilliant to be honest. The coral is a little monochrome and the marine life is scant in some areas. The people are extremely friendly (in a local manner and not in a tourist manner), it is a very cheap place to stay and the local beer is excellent.
As I said, it's not the solution to your problems but 'go for it', you won't regret it.
Badders (Dave)
21-03-2007, 18:44
Dito: Insist on an upgrade, this is down to their error. or as someone said earlier get your money back and insist on some Compo.
This might sound a bit daft but speak to watch dog, if lots have had the same problem they will get involved and sort the problem out for you.
Think positively
You might get lucky and find a much better holiday only for less money from a cancellations specialist.
I hope it works out OK for you.
Badders
Michael Purcell
21-03-2007, 20:04
If the primary purpose of this trip is diving and you were planning on diving the Maldives I would NOT suggest accepting Sri Lanka. However it was a holiday with some diving on the side I would strongly suggest Sri Lanka. It is a wonderful place with great people and very average diving. With the potential for rough seas.
Thanks, all of you.
Latest update.
We all remain fairly sanguine about this - life's a lot more ****ty for millions of other people, and I've got Dosthill quarry 3 miles done the road :D
Anyway your replies confirmed my quick internet search that Sri Lanka is not for us.
We have explained our position to H&J and it was received loud and clear. (My wife is very good at that bit :p ) H&J are trying to find us alternative Maldive site/s and we are currently waiting to see if Medhufushi is available for the full 2 weeks- as I'd rather not waste my annual leave days doing even more travelling. A considerable upgrade is being offered. But as divers we want a chance to get into some decent current and see some big pelagic stuff.
I cant really discover what sort of diving is available at this site and whether its a good centre for pelagics etc . Anyone been to Medhufush?
Also Kerala in India had been mentioned but I can find little useful about diving there - its a state with a coastline of hundreds of miles ! Where do you start?
Regards
Jules
Oh I do hope H & J aren't BSAC travel partners.
Jules sorry about your trip - I would be gutted. Tell them to bump someone else off.
They can't be
your post would have been removed
Alison Boler
22-03-2007, 08:24
Hi Jules
Stick with Maldives. Kerala is a wonderful place - absolutely fantastic - but the diving is average to poor, like Goa. I don't quite understand where H&J are coming from on this, you've made it clear that you want a full blown 2 weeks of diving, and they keep offering you a second week in a place where diving is really low down the pecking order of desirable things to do. Duh????
MarkA: You are beginning to resemble a stuck record and it devalues anything you have to say. Get over it mate. The only reason posts are removed is if they contain libel/slander or if they are abusive or blatant spam. The forum policy stands for itself and is quite open.
Allie
Thanks for all the advice. We insisted on the maldives and H&J came good in the end after some serious persuasion from SWMBO.
We did a week at Biyadhoo as originally planned and then another week at Medhufushi. The latter is a posh place that we would never normally bothered with (and so was a bit of an upgrade really) but the non-divers liked our villas on sticks in the lagoon, the free spa sessions (I thought it was a local supermarket) with massages etc. But fancy loos, ridiculously large shower rooms etc do nothing for me I'm afraid. Food was great on both islands. One of our group ate at least three curries every day for the fortnight - wiffy or what !:(
Personally I preferred Biyadhoo, the house reef diving was great (did our own thing, on our own, when we wanted to do it - sort of diving), the bar & restaurant & beach were all much closer together on account of it being a tiny island. Yes it is a bit tatty now and will refurbished soon I understand. I found Medhufushi had a rather odd artificial feel to it all which Biyadhoo didnt have- probably just me, as I like real ale and loathe lager.
The downside is I've put on 4kg - cripes !!!:eek:
Jules
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