Frequent Questions

We know travellers are concerned about financial pressures on all travel providers. That’s why we have changed our payment terms so we only request up to 30% deposit and the balance only 45 days before travel. For UK holidaymakers, all our flight holidays are ATOL protected.

Trust, expertise and value is at the heart of everything we do. We offer independent, knowledgeable and efficient advice to devise the holiday that you need at a competitive price. Our flexible approach gives you the holiday you want and our Operations support and fair Booking Conditions protect you if things go wrong. Our caring and efficient approach has won consistent praise.

The sales and operations teams for our company are based in Colombo. This enables us to offer up-to-the-minute advice and highly-competitive prices, as well as supporting the local economy. We can deal effectively with enquiries from anywhere in the world and recommend phone or video link-up. Whenever you need to discuss your holiday with a consultant, either fill in the Contact Us form or simply give us a call, either on our international sales number (standard international call rates apply),Australia line (normal Australia call rates apply) or our UK hotline (usual UK call charges apply):

• International: +94 117 895 810
• Australia: +61 361 275 111
• U.K.: +44 1937 22 88 44

The more we know about your likes and dislikes and what most interests you, the more we can help. All the pre-planning you do is to your advantage as it helps us provide the exact holiday you need. However, if you have no ideas at all, we will help to guide you to your perfect trip.

Information provided in our payment centre is protected by the secure systems of Paysafe Group Limited and Stripe. We have a strict and clearly-stated anti-fraud policy (outlined below),and we shred documents holding personal information. We advise you never to email us your credit card details. We will never spam you and in the event that we will need to pass on information to third parties, it will be in line with our Privacy Policy. We shall only send you occasional information, such as a free monthly emailed newsletter, and requests to be removed from this list will immediately be respected.

Our holiday brochure is our unrivalled and frequently-updated Internet site. We believe that use of the Internet allows us to respond flexibly to changing circumstances, such as price cuts and last-minute offers, and offer a wider range of accommodation and specialist tours. Please take time to surf around; you will be surprised by the extensive information on offer.

Consider late June and early July, perhaps using the East coast rather than the deep South. October to early December offers good value for the West and South: the monsoon rains occur largely in the late afternoon and at night. Avoid Christmas, Easter and school summer holidays.

We value independently-minded customers. We believe that by buying flights, accommodation and transfers from us you receive many advantages. But we are happy to provide as little as a few nights of accommodation in your ideal villa. Just tell us what you need.

Our company offers total flexibility and can respond to all requests to adjust itineraries. We will advise whether we believe the adjustments to be realistic. On occasions, these adjustments will involve a change in price. We do not levy a charge to tailor-make holidays.

Travel industry regulations state that you receive a Confirmation of Travel document once your holiday has been agreed and booked: this confirms your holiday. You will also receive other useful information. You should then arrange payment as laid down in our booking conditions (see next question). Until then, there is no contract between you and our company.

We offer payment by the following methods.

By Credit Card or Debit Card: We accept all major credit cards. Please use the following link to access our secure online payment gateway. https://reddottours.com/payment-centre

By Bank Transfer:

Payments in GBP:
Bank name: Barclays Bank Plc, South London 3, Leicester, Leicestershire, England LE87 2BB
Name of Account: Red Dot Tours Limited
Acct no: 00510203
Sort-code: 20-29-63
BIC Code: BARCGB2113U
IBAN: GB36 BARC 20296300510203
CHAPS BIC Code: BARCGB22XXX

Payments in USD:
Bank name: Barclays Bank Plc, South London 3, Leicester, Leicestershire, England LE87 2BB
Name of Account: Red Dot Tours Limited.
Acct no: 69222666
Sort-code: 20-29-63
BIC Code: BARCGB2113U
IBAN: GB85 BARC 20296369222666
CHAPS BIC Code: BARCGB22XXX

Payments in EURO:
Bank name: Barclays Bank Plc, South London 3, Leicester, Leicestershire, England LE87 2BB
Name of Account: Red Dot Tours Limited.
Acct no: 74859011
Sort-code: 20-29-63
BIC Code: BARCGB2113U
IBAN: GB33 BARC 20296374859011
CHAPS BIC Code: BARCGB22XXX

Notes:

• Customer should pay all bank charges for bank transfers. Failure to do so may lead to you being rebilled.
• Customer should advice [email protected] when bank transfer is sent.
• Your name and Travel Voucher reference number must be included on bank transfer details.

In common with other travel companies, we advise our clients not to undertake self-drive car hire unless they are highly experienced in driving conditions in this part of the world. However, we offer competitive self-drive car hire with a reputable company in specific circumstances.

Uniquely, our drivers are in possession of a strict Drivers Code, in which your safety and satisfaction are the priority. The driver knows your itinerary and is expected to follow it. How much he also acts as a guide depends upon your individual wishes. He may offer additional excursions or shopping visits, but will immediately respect your decision to say `no.’ We recommend that you contact our Colombo office if you have problems in this regard. Additional excursions may require an extra charge. Read the customer feedback for comments about our drivers.

We retained enormous faith in holidays in Sri Lanka long before the end of the terrorist conflict in 2009. Since then, Sri Lanka tourism has prospered, but still offers wonderful value as well as infinite variety. Violent crime is extremely rare. Hygiene standards are good. Tourists are warmly welcomed.

Whilst most of the hotels and villas have indoor bathrooms, some properties in Sri Lanka will have open-air showers or toilets, where either a section of the wall or the roof is removed. If this is an issue, please let your travel consultant know so that we can avoid booking you into this type of accommodation. You can also check whether the bathroom in your accommodation is open-air by visiting our frequently updated website www.reddottours.com, which has detailed profiles of each property.

Local currency is Sri Lankan Rupees. Currency can only be exchanged in Sri Lanka, so you would be best to bring US Dollars, British Pounds or Euros. The bank booths in the airport arrivals hall generally offer the most competitive rates and quick service. Debit cards and credit cards can be used in most restaurants and shops. We advise against Traveller’s cheques, which are rarely accepted. ATM machines are widely available in major cities. Beware credit-card frauds whenever you pay direct. We offer a strict anti-fraud policy for your maximum protection.

All travellers arriving in Sri Lanka must have a visa. Visitors must apply for the official Electronic Travel Authorisation via www.eta.gov.lk. There is a small fee for the visa, and you must have at least six months left on your passport at time of travel in order for the visa to be approved. Citizens from Singapore, The Seychelles and The Maldives are exempt. For more information, see our Visa section.

Our stated policy is to return all recoverable costs, above and beyond the minimum shown in our Booking Conditions. We respond as quickly and fairly as we can. We expect our customers to take their holiday bookings as seriously as we do, but we recognise that holidays are occasionally cancelled for valid reasons. Our Booking Conditions give full details. We operate under EC travel law.

We do not supply individual vouchers to customers before travel. Our operations team has booked the hotels as shown on your Confirmation of Travel Document. All necessary hotel vouchers will be sent directly to the hotels concerned, so showing the Confirmation of Travel Document and passport at check-in is all you need to do.

We provide a contacts sheet with contact details for our team in Sri Lanka. We can also provide a list of hotel phone numbers on request. Leave contact numbers, plus a copy of your itinerary, with appropriate friends or relatives. Mobile phones operate in all major areas and you can buy low-cost pay-as-you-go Sri Lankan SIM cards on arrival, or we can purchase these in advance on your behalf.

We recommend that you contact your doctor, at least a month before departure, and request that full details of your condition are provided in writing. We will then forward this information to the airline, ground agents, or hotels as appropriate.

Our flight etickets are either ticketed by the airline or an agent. These may only arrive about 10 days before travel, especially in peak periods. They are emailed to you. If you require different arrangements, please give us as much notice as possible. If your email details change, please tell us!

If you have booked a holiday, including flights, with Red Dot Tours our ground agents will take care of any flight reconfirmations that may be necessary. If you have arranged your own flights, it is your responsibility to check directly with the airline or flight agent.

If you have booked airport transfers, you will be met by our ground agents at Bandaranaike International Airport. Our ground agents can be found holding a name card just outside the arrivals hall and we provide a mobile phone number for your driver a few days before your holiday. We can also organise a Silk Route service at the airport at an additional cost, where guests relax in a private lounge whilst airport staff fast-track and take care of all usual formalities. We do not arrange airport meet-and-greets in your own country, except in overriding circumstances.

Our Colombo office is willing to respond to requests for changes of hotel or a sudden change of itinerary. We recognise that new discoveries can bring the temptation for a change of plan. In some cases, however, it must be understood that such changes may prove impossible. Others will necessarily accrue a surcharge. Read your departure letter for contact numbers.

Red Dot Tours provides information as part of a general service. But please note that we never officially recommend, or accept commission from, any Sri Lanka outlet and therefore cannot take any responsibility for the quality of goods sold. Any opinions expressed by Red Dot drivers are solely their own views and do not constitute company recommendations. If you make a purchase, you should be aware that you may face unexpected extra costs for tax, handling charges, customs, and delivery fees. In Australia, for example, fumigation certificates may also prove a problem.

For almost all villas, menus are discussed with guests on a daily basis, so fresh ingredients can be purchased by staff for your meal. It is very important that you check the cost of food with the cook and/or houseboy: there have been instances where guests have been unpleasantly surprised with the final food bill. Do keep in mind though that some villas also have menus, in which case there will be fixed prices and service charges.

Some hotels have a complete liquor licence which covers the sale of all types of alcohol, whilst some have partial liquor licence which only permits the sale of beer and wine. There are also some hotels which do not have a licence at all. To find out more details about the liquor policy at the hotel(s) you will be staying at when you travel to Sri Lanka, please contact your travel consultant.

Last updated: 10-21-2024