FAQ

This is because our business, trading and bank are all based in Portugal.  Portuguese law places on us certain requirements as a holiday rental in Portugal and therefore our business function is based in Portugal and not the UK.

Published rates are based on four people for seven nights.  An extra charge per night for one extra guest over 4 is chargeable.  Apart from the period indicated below, the minimum stay 4 nights with arrival and departure any day of the week

Third week of July to the end of August each year

• Minimum 7 night stay
• Arrival and departure on Saturday only

A baby or toddler using a cot stays free of charge.  Swallows has one cot and one high chair available for use

• By credit or debit card through our processing merchant Stripe
• By Paypal

Our minimum stay is 4 nights except for July to the end of August when minimum stay is 7 nights

Our maximum is 28 nights

We do consider long terms rentals over 28 nights, please contact us for more details

• Contact us direct using the form on this site

An advance payment equal to 20% of the rental rate is required upon booking. The advance payment will be applied toward the rent.  The advance payment is not a security deposit. The balance of rent is due forty-two (42) days before your arrival date.  Bookings made less than 42 days prior to the expected arrival date will require full payment at the time of booking

A minimum forty-two (42) day notice is required for cancellation.  Cancellations that are made more than forty-two (42) days prior to the arrival date attract a full refund. Cancellations or changes that result in a shortened stay, that are made within forty-two (42) days of the arrival date, forfeit the reservation deposit only. Early departure does not warrant any refund of rent.

We are aware of media coverage of  holiday rental ‘scams’, so to help you know what to expect from us –

• We will never ask you for full payment at the time of booking unless you are booking less than six weeks before arrival, as per our booking terms and conditions
• We will never send you an unsolicited e-mail or communicaton for a reduction on rental costs for ‘quick’, ‘immmediate’, ‘direct’, or ‘cash’ payment – if you receive any communication purporting to offer that, please contact us separately and immediately.  Please do not ever send your personal details or bank details in e-mail to us.
• We will never ask you to change your preferred method of payment unless you have requested to and wish to discuss it with us beforehand and we are more than happy to speak to you in person to confirm any details about direct payment.
• We will always confirm receipt of any direct payment as soon as it arrives with us
• Confirmation of any transaction having taken place will be further recorded via contact between you and us and you can contact us at any time.
• If you have any concerns at any time before payment just drop us a phone call and speak to one of us direct

Our Housekeepers do not provide a private ‘maid’ service during your stay, they will change linen and towels for you if you stay more than 7 nights, and conduct a general clean but they are not required to wash up or clean up in cases where the Apartment is in a state of general untidiness.

Swallows is looked after by our Housekeepers who will visit once during your stay to change linen and towels if you are staying 10 nights or more.  They will visit at the mid-point of your stay and we will confirm with you which day they will attend when we send all the details to you.

You will be met by the owners on the day of your arrival.  They will hand over keys and give a general guide to the Apartment and complex

For any issues with the Apartment itself, a contact number will be provided in case of any emergency arising

We recommend you hire a car so that you are best able to explore all the attractions of The Algarve.  Lagos is however also the terminal stop on the main Algarve east-west train line and links to most major towns and locations along the Algarve, from Faro, and to Vila Real San Antonio to the east.

Arrival is not before 16:00 and departure by 10:00 please

The team need a clear 5 hours between rentals to be able to get the Apartment ready for you and your family to enjoy.  For that reason we ask you to respect these times please.

Please do not ask for an earlier arrival or later departure time.  In order to safeguard our staff we cannot allow luggage and bags to be dropped off before 16:00 or left after 10:00, pending a later departure time – we hope you can understand our position!