New Bookings

Which property should I choose and how do I book:

The choice is entirely yours, you can search for features essential to your holiday and find our availability. Or simply browse through our accommodation list. Booking is easy - simply hover over the booking calendar, the hover box tells you if it's available with an indication of price and then you click a start date to get a quote. Follow the on screen prompts to complete your booking. We do not take telephone or email bookings as you need to complete payment and confirm our conditions. If you still want to know more then see our Booking Help section.

Can you tell me what's available:

Please use our search features to find availability and features. We are strictly and internet business and from experience know that if we tell you something is available today if you don't book straight away it may well be gone by the time you have decided. You also need to read the listing and our terms and conditions to be sure theaccommodation is what you are expecting. Payments are collected online thus you need to use our website.

Can I have a discount voucher:

You must be signed up to our newsletter to get a discount voucher or you might find them in current issues of magazines and newspapers. Please don't call or email saying can I have one - we issue them only in our newelstters.

Vouchers must by typed or copied and pasted exactly as printed. On most browsers this is achieved with a Right-Click action.

Vouchers cannot be used on an existing booking, the must strictly be entered at the time of booking because we draw up the contract with our owner to pay the value stated less our fees as soon as you make a booking. Thus we cannot retrospectivly start taking money off simply because you have now receieved a voucher in our latest newsletter.

We reserve the right to strip the voucher value from your booking if you do not pay your balance on time and the holiday is automatically cancelled.

We no longer issue repeat customer discounts. These were only valid for 12 months from the point of your last booking and thus being on our newsletter distribution list allows you and your friends and familiy more oppertnities than ever before to get a discount code. It also saves us any misunderstandings with customers who would have been entitled to a discount but have changed their contact details meaning we can't automatically verify your claim.

How close to the date can I book:

You can in fact book for tonight if it's available. You must book and pay online and then the key location or code will be available to you. We strongly suggest that you call the owners number provided just so they know you are coming. Our policy is to clean after the last guest and to setup for the next expected guest so if there's more than two of you the beds might not be made up correctly unless you speek to someone first.

Can you tell me if something becomes available:

Sorry we do not have a system to keep records of who wanted what. The dates are shown available again the second someone cancels or if they fail to complete payment within a reasonable time limit or fail to pay their balance which is 6 weeks before the holiday date. Please sign up to our newsletter and we'll let you know if we have significant changes to our site and update you on availability and pricing changes.

The system won't let me book something:

Our system follows our booking rules to maximise occupency. If you cannot book something then please choose alternative dates. Some of our accommodation does not allow one night bookings. We therefore cannot allow you to make a booking that would create a trapped single night as those dates become unsailable. However if the holiday is within 7 days we will happily accept your booking. Some of our accommodation only employs cleaning staff on Mondays and Fridays and thus cannot be booked at any other time. For Christmas periods we strictly do not allow bookings that start or end on the key public holiday and preparation dates. Accommodation which operates Monday/Friday change overs will remain on that schedule meaning in some years we can only accept 7 night bookings. Again this becomes negotiable if the dates remain unsold in mid December.

Do you charge for Children:

Our prices are based on the number of people regardless of age. Babies in a cot however do not need to be included in your number of guests. If the accommodation has a Cot you will see this in the extras available list and can add it as an option, there is sometimes a charge. You can change the number of guests at any time up to a few days prior to your arrival. It's often a good idea to put a note on your account if you are bringing children and their ages so that the owners can advise you if you need to know anything to keep them safe.

Existing bookings

How do I check my booking:

You can check your booking online at any time. Click here and enter your email address if you have not got a link.

How is the price calculated:

We charge a baseprice based on the start date and length of stay. We operate two system - A flexi-book scheme which is a fixed standard charge plus a daily rate, and a fixed Monday - Friday - Monday swap over. To the baseprice we add 5% per person if more than two staying, and extra for dogs. If you have a discount voucher it is a percentage in respect of the baseprice. If you later change the number of guests we will adjust the price, however there is no refund after payment of your final balance.

Can I call or email someone:

Yes you can contact us but our lines are often busy and we work limited hours - typically weekday mornings only. If you already have a booking we strongly recommend that you add a comment to your booking. Access your booking and choose the green "SELF SERVIVE" button, and pop your message in the text box and click "Add this note to your account". These messages are shared with our owners and also suspend any automatic cancellation we might apply for non payment.

If you want to change your sleeping setup then enter it in the "room setup" section as this information is directly accessed by our housekeepers. They print this a week or so in advance so they know which accommodation needs cleaning, how to set it up and when.

When will you send me arrival instructions:

We will send you detailed arrival instructions around 14 days before your holiday. They are also available online from the moment you pay your final balance, just look at the booking confirmation page straight after you have paid or follow the link we send to confirm receipt of a cheque payment.

Can I arrive earier than the stated check in time, or leave later that the stated check out time:

We have set our check-in/check-out times to reflect the amount of time and working schedule for our housekeeping staff to service the property between guests. These times are specific to each property. Please do not plan to arrive before the stated check-in time, but if you are a few minutes early you will typically find the hosuekeeper is finished. If not you may like to enjoy the garden or local village and are welcome to leave your car. We cannot guarantee you an early check-in.

Please ensure you have fully vacated the property by the check-out time. If you are still in the accommodation when the housekeeper arrives we reserve the right to charge you for their time.

How can I pay:

You can pay by Visa, Visa Debit, Meastro, Master Card, Solo, Visa Electron. You must provide your full and correct billing address and the security number from the back of your card. If you have registered with Verified by Visa or MasterCard Secure then you will also need to enter your security password. We use SagePay to handle your card transactions which is much more secure for you as they spend all their time ensuring the system is secure rather than out cleaning cottages and talking to guests about where the best restraunt is.

A 2% surcharge is appicable for use of a Visa Credit or MasterCard. We will automatically add this charge to your account and ask you to pay a further fee if you state that you will pay by Debit Card or Cheque but later use a Credit Card. This is becuase credit cards cost us 2.2% - 3% of the value which Under teh Thatch pays in full out of our agancy fees.

We also accept cheques but are trying to phase these out so if you can pay by card we much appreciate it, and believe it is far more secure for both you and us.

Can I change my holiday:

Yes you can change your completely holiday up to 6 weeks prior to arrival including moving to any other accommodation, simply cancel it and we'll give you a rebooking code. You can make adjustments such as slipping or extending your holiday, changing the number of guests, pets and extras at any time up to a few days before arrival. See our cancellation policy and terms and condition for details.

I want to cancel and get a refund:

Refunds are subject to our terms and conditions, typically once you have paid an amount it becomes non refundable. We will allow you to comepletely change your booking up to 6 weeks prior to your holiday so if you want to simply move your booking to next year then please do so. Please cancel on-line in your account so that the you can be sure it's recorded at the earliest opportunity and then use the rebooking code provided up to 6 weeks before your holiday was due to start.

General

Do you provide a printed brochure:

No - we are an internet business and do not believe in wasting the worlds resources on printing.

How do I print your site and get the pictures:

Internet Explorer: Select Menu: Tools - Options, Advanced Tab, Scroll to the Printing Section, and tick"Print Background Colours and Images".
Firefox: Select Menu: File - Page Setup, Format and Options Tab, tick" Print Background Colours and Images".