About us

Pure Crete Ltd

Pure Crete is an independent company which for 20 years has provided holidays from April to October in houses & farms in Cretan villages.Pure Crete specialises in all-inclusive self-catering holidays in Crete. The houses and villas described on this website are in Cretan villages set in the foothills of the White Mountains overlooking the sea.

Many have been restored from dereliction by Pure Crete in co-operation with local families using traditional building methods. Therefore, your stay contributes to the livelihood of the local community and supports the local culture. We also support the protection of endangered species in Crete. So, through our service we help to ensure that the natural and physical environment benefits from your custom.

OUR SERVICE

We provide exceptional accommodation for rental on a weekly basis at a per person price inclusive of air fare, or accommodation only as required. We also provide car hire and insurance.

Our accommodation is well equipped, in excellent condition and the price includes twice -weekly maid service and a twice - weekly linen change. Our team at Pure Crete has an in-depth knowledge of each of our properties to help you make the best choice for your stay.

With your tickets you will be sent the Pure Crete Booklet which gives detailed information to help you make the most of your time in Crete. This is in addition to the house book in Crete which provides local advice and suggestions.

When you arrive at Chania airport you will be greeted by one of our Cretan team. A welcome pack of food and wine will be waiting for you when you reach the house. A local representative will visist you the day after you arrive and will be available at other times to give you any help and advice you may need. If you have very young children we can arrange cots and babysitting facilities.

All of our representatives team live permanently in Crete and so have an intimate knowledge of the area. This is a key part of Pure Crete as our commitment to help sustain and enhance the local culture and environment is built upon close relationships and co-operation with local communities.

GREENER

At Pure Crete we take the environment seriously. For 18 years we have specialised in providing holidays to traditional village houses and villas with in Western Crete. We have sponsored a loggerhead turtle hatchery and supported the preservation of the Cretan Bearded Vulture – the Lammergeier – and help to promote a donkey sanctuary. Most recently we have introduced a £3.30 carbon offset levy that our clients may choose to offset their flight carbon. Details of all these schemes are on www.purecrete.com. In the UK we use electricity from renewable sources, recycled materials and practice energy efficiency. This means you can both have an enjoyable holiday and give something back to the environment.

SAFER

We also take your financial protection seriously. Our Civil Aviation Authority ATOL licence 2754 means that your flight payments are protected. Our membership of the Association of Independent Tour Operators means your accommodation costs have Travel Organiser Failure Cover and our registration as an independent UK company means you are protected by UK package holiday regulations 1992. In contrast, non UK registered or non ATOL holiday organisations offering flights or accommodation put you at risk of losing your holiday or being stranded abroad without recourse.

FAIRER

We help to restore locally owned village houses and villas, many from dereliction, with the support of local people. This means the impact of your holiday is to help to improve the natural and physical environment where you stay and that the economic benefits are spread across communities. We also support recycling and solar panels in the houses we rent. Pure Crete has been awarded Star Status for Responsible Tourism by AITO.

HOLIDAYS

This is all thanks to people like you who come to enjoy a rich and varied holiday in Crete. Many return to enjoy the food, wine and hospitality and the empty beaches and warm sunshine from April to November. Others come back to appreciate the historic and archaeological treasures of Crete or the natural environment of flowers, mountains, gorges and coastline or simply to relax in the comfort of your own Cretan house. Whatever your passion, we’re here to make your holiday an experience you’ll want to repeat and recommend. And it’s always a special pleasure to welcome friends and family of existing customers to Crete.

Booking Conditions

All bookings made with Pure Crete are subject to the following conditions

1. Booking Procedure

Provisional bookings should be made by telephone to ensure that the accommodation and aircraft seats are available on the date required. Such bookings will be held for three working days pending the receipt of a completed booking form and the deposit £150 per person plus insurance premiums and £60 per car hire week. The booking will then be confirmed in writing and an account issued showing the balance due. This must be paid in full not less than 11 weeks before departure. If the balance is not paid by the due date the company reserves the right to cancel the booking and levy cancellation charges in accordance with paragraph 5. For bookings made within 11 weeks of departure, full payment must accompany the booking form. The prices shown are discounted for payment by cheque or debit card whereas an additional 1.6% is payable for payments by visa and mastercard (and 2.5% for American Express).

2. Travel Insurance

Pure Crete requests and requires that clients provide their own personal insurance proof of which will be made available to Pure Crete on request.  

3. Changes by you

If you wish to change your booking in any way icluding name changes after the confirmation invoice has been issued, you should write to us to inform us and we will charge you £10 per booking form. Changes of dates will incur cancellation charges as shown below.

4. Material Alteration

In the unlikely event of Pure Crete having to make a material alteration to your holiday, you will be advised of the change as soon as is reasonably possible. The company reserves the right in any circumstances to alter or cancel a flight. A material alteration is considered to be a change in airport or resort area or change of flight times by more than 12 hours. Should a material alteration or cancellation become necessary, you will have the choice of (a) Accepting the alternative arrangements (b) Choosing another available holiday from our programme or (c) Cancelling with a full refund. Should you accept any of these alternatives, no other claims for compensation or expenses will be considered unless we notify you of material alterations/cancellations within 8 weeks of departure. In this case we will pay compensation of £10 per person. No compensation or claims will be considered in the event of alteration/cancellation due to force majeure events (see condition 9).

5. Cancellation

In the event of cancellation Pure Crete must be notified in writing and the following cancellation charges will apply from the time your written instructions are received by us:
a) More than 11 weeks before departure Loss of deposit and insurance premiums
b) 9 - 11 weeks before departure 30% of total cost
c) 6-9 weeks before departure 50% of total cost
d) 3-6 weeks before departure 70% of total cost
e) less than 3 weeks before departure 100% of total cost.
Notification of cancellation of the holiday must be given in writing to Pure Crete immediately the circumstances giving rise to the claim occur - failure to do so may prejudice your entitlement to claim the full charges made.

6. Late arrivals

Flight timings will be confirmed on flight tickets. Pure Crete cannot accept responsibility for clients missing aircraft or ferries due to late arrival of connecting aircraft or late check-in at airport or port. Clients should check in no later than 2 hours before departure for both flights.

7. Prices

Prices are based upon known fuel costs and exchange rates. Surcharges may become applicable due to currency fluctuations, general increase in aviation fuel costs, government levies, security charges and insurance costs. Any such surcharges (any surcharges up to 2% of the value of your holiday will be absorbed by us) may be passed on directly to our clients without profit to Pure Crete. In practice no such surcharges have been passed on in our thirteen years of operation. All prices in this brochure are based on the exchange rate of Sterling as published in the Financial Times in the third week of July of the year prior to travel. A 1.6% handling charge is levied on payments by visa and mastercard (a 2.5% handling fee is levied on payments by American Express).

8. Accommodation

Description and Use
Pure Crete makes every effort to ensure that descriptions of accommodation and amenities are accurate but it shall not be liable in the event that any aspect of the holiday fails for reasons outside Pure Crete's control. The accommodation is only for the use of the passengers shown on the booking form. Sub-letting, assignment, or sharing is prohibited. Clients are responsible for leaving their accommodation in the same condition as at the start of their holiday. Any breakages should be reported to our representative and paid for. The client is liable for charges incurred from damage or abuse of property overseas.

9. Liability

Pure Crete shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising in connection with a holiday caused by any matter outside the reasonable control of Pure Crete. This includes, but is not limited to, Acts of God, civil disturbance, strikes or industrial action, acts of government, failure of public supplies (e.g. water or electricity), failure of local transport to convey clients to their departure / destination airports, failure of mechanical equipment e.g. air conditioning and boilers. However Pure Crete will make all reasonable efforts to remedy such equipment failures. The conditions imposed by all carriers shall be deemed to be accepted by the client and are available on request.

10. Complaints

In the unlikely event of a complaint please notify us in writing no later than 28 days after the completion of your holiday. No complaints will be considered after this time. In the unlikely event that a dispute between an AITO member and a customer cannot be settled amicably, AITO’s low-cost Independent Dispute Settlement Service may be called upon by either side to bring the matter to a speedy and acceptable conclusion.

11. Consumer Protection & ATOL

The air holidays and flights in this brochure are ATOL protected, since we hold an Air Travel Organisers License granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 2757. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for advance booking. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk

Non air holidays on this website are protected by TOFC 'Travel Organiser Failure Cover', in compliance with the UK PackageTravel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 an insurance policy has been arranged with Travel & General Insurance Plc to protect the monies paid in respect of the travel arrangements offfered on this websiteand to cater, when necessary (and subject to the terms of the insurance policy), for a refund of such monies and/or your repatriation to the UK in the unlikely event of our financial failure.

12. Green Globe & the environment

Pure Crete was a founder member of Green Flag International, (now known as Green Globe) - an organisation set up to promote environmentally sustainable tourism within the travel industry. Pure Crete has finance a Loggerhead Turtle hatchery and supported the protection of the Cretan Bearded Vulture.

13. AITO

Pure Crete is a member of AITO, The Association of Independent Tour Operators. AITO was established in 1976 to promote the wide range of holidays available from the best of Britain's specialist companies. Well established, and fully bonded, AITO companies offer particular types of holiday, geographical areas and special interests worldwide.

AITO Quality Statement

Pure Crete Ltd is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators. The Association represents Britain’s leading independent tour operators and encourages high standards of quality and service. Pure Crete Ltd abides by the Association’s Code of Conduct and adheres to the AITO Quality Charter which can be viewed on www.aito.co.uk. Visit the website to find out more about the Association or call 020 8744 9280.

14. Pure Crete

Pure Crete was founded in 1989. Company number 03741135. VAT number GB 574 3887 93. Registered office: 3 Mulgrave Road, Croydon CR0 1BL. Your contract is with Pure Crete Ltd. All post and enquiries should be sent to our business address: Bolney Place, Cowfold Road, Bolney, West Sussex, RH17 5QT. Tel: 0845 070 1571, email: info@purecrete.com This contract is made on the terms of these booking conditions. This contract is subject to British Law. 

To make a booking or enquire about availability please contact the office by:

Telephone  0845 070 1571  

Email   info@purecrete.com