Looking forward to a holiday in Spain?

For those who are looking forward to a holiday to Spain over Easter and may be thinking about booking something other than a hotel, be careful there are some pitfalls that you need to be aware of.

If you are looking for accommodation its quite tempting to respond to the many online and newspaper ads offering rooms, be careful as some may not only be fake but others will also not be legal.

So what should you look out for?

Well the first is you should make sure the establishment is legal, all tourist facilities are required to have a licence and to display this. If it isn’t shown in the ad, ask the question because if anything goes wrong the authorities won’t help you.

Owners of holiday accommodation are obliged to notify the Guardia Civil (police) of any tenant over the age of 12, and if they aren’t licensed or fail to do this the venue could be shut down. If that happens you are likely to lose what you paid and certainly you will find the authorities unwilling to listen to your story.

You also really need to do your homework. Most venues are exactly what they say they are but it’s worth checking, with there being no end of sob stories that the accommodation wasn’t what you expected or the place was being renovated and so many of the facilities were closed. Spain has also had some bad weather over the last month, so check to make sure the venue hasn’t been damaged and that the area hasn’t been adversely affected.

Checking is relatively easy, you can always ask the venue but check online to see the latest reviews – google, tripadvisor etc.

Finally check what and how you are being asked to pay, with an upfront transfer of the full amount to a bank account can be a sure sign that there could be a problem. To make sure get the individual and or the establishments DNI or NIE number, this is there formal registration and ID number which everyone is required to have. If you do experience any problems and you have this number to hand, it will make investigating and dealing with the problem much easier for the authorities.

So if you are looking to come to Spain for Easter, Spain looks forward to your arrival and your enjoyment of a very pleasant holiday.

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