✉ We hired a car at Malaga airport in October. The agent was DoYouSpain and the car was provided by Delpaso. At the desk we were asked if we wanted to purchase excess insurance and we declined. Then we were told that we couldn’t hire the car without Delpaso full insurance because all non-EU driving licence holders have to have an international driving permit (IDP) and we did not. We asked what difference insurance made if that indeed was the law. The only answer we could get was that some car companies will make an exception if you take out their insurance. Could you clarify this? Is it true that we need an IDP? Everything I have read seems to indicate that the answer is no, not yet (but I think we will get them anyway).
Janet Hextall
It’s dispiriting to hear that Delpaso car hire at Malaga airport is still making this egregious demand (another reader suffered the same problem last summer and there are many angry reviews online on the subject). As the government website gov.uk confirms, you don’t need an IDP to drive in the EU, Switzerland, Iceland or Liechtenstein. (You might need an IDP to drive in some EU countries and Norway if you have a paper driving licence.) So there’s no legal basis for the company insisting you take its insurance, but apparently the requirement is buried in the rental contract small print. You could try to claim the money back via your credit card company or lodge a complaint with the UK International Consumer Centre (ukecc.net). Delpaso didn’t respond to a request for comment.
✉ I booked a five-night stay in Indonesia through booking.com; it originally cost me £175, due to be paid at the end of the stay. However, hackers broke into the hotel’s booking.com account and sent me an email asking me to update my card details or the booking would be cancelled. Because the message came through the booking.com website, I believed it. So I re-entered my card details and money started being taken from my account, first £204 then another £204. I realised what was happening and blocked the card but when I contacted my card company Revolut, it told me it was too late and nothing could be done. Booking.com asked for more information but is now not responding to me so I’ve lost £408. I know that booking.com has had issues with its security in the past and if you check its reviews on TrustPilot, it has 1.2 stars from more than 50,000 people. How does it keep letting this happen?
Amber Marchant
After booking.com reviewed your case, it quickly confirmed that you’d been targeted by a phishing scam, apologised and refunded you. Which is great, but as you say, this problem has been going on for far too long. A booking.com spokesperson said it has dedicated teams that use high-standard personalised technical tools to monitor, detect and block suspicious activities. “We also provide regular guidance and updates with our partners about how to keep their accounts secure via proactive email campaigns, and have been continuously updating and expanding the cybersecurity section of our partner hub to include even more information on malware and phishing so that our partners are as up to date as possible on the latest trends that we are seeing.” If a hotel asks for a payment that isn’t described in its payment policy, or asks for a payment outside the booking.com platform, customers shouldn’t pay but should contact its customer service team.
Wayag Island, Indonesia
ALAMY
✉ I’d like to go on a walking holiday on gentle snow-covered slopes either in the French or Italian Alps in February or March. Ideally I’d be part of a group with a leader from the UK, we’d stay in one hotel rather than move around, and we’d travel without too many changes. What can you suggest?
Colin Rayne
Trentino, between the Dolomites and the plains of the Po Valley, is a brilliant spot for winter walking and Ramble Worldwide has a seven-night group trip graded “moderate” and accompanied by a tour leader that could suit you. There’s a mixture of walking, through meadows and forests on well-trodden snow-covered paths (wearing boots or snowshoes depending on the conditions), exploring First World War trenches and battle sites en route. You’d stay in Folgaria, the main town in the area, at the Club Hotel Alpino, whose sauna and pool are likely to be highly attractive after a day on the trails. It costs from £1,449pp half-board in a single room in February, including flights to Verona and a 90-minute transfer (rambleworldwide.co.uk).
✉ My mother and I are looking to visit New York next autumn. We’ve never been to America and both of us have dietary issues (allergies to olive oil and lactose). We’d like a centrally located hotel and the option to be able to dine there; a spa would be a bonus. Is it possible to see Niagara Falls as a day trip or is it better travelling from Toronto? What can you suggest?
Ruth Organ
New York hotels are used to dealing with exacting dietary requirements so I don’t think you’ll have any problems as long as you explain your needs to the waiting staff. Try the sleek new Grayson Hotel in midtown, close to Times Square, the theatre district, the Highline and the Rockefeller Center. Rooms are industrial chic in style, there’s a brasserie and tapas bar as well as rooftop cocktails with a direct view of the Empire State Building, plus a gym but no spa (take a taxi to the Metamorphosis Day Spa on East 56th Street instead — sampler package £119pp; metspa.com). Room-only doubles start from about £360 in October next year (hyatt.com). It is theoretically possible to do Niagara Falls in a day but it’s a 4am start and about eight hours in a coach each way, so only for the truly determined. Don’t worry, you won’t be bored in Manhattan.
West 14th Street, New York City
ALAMY
✉ I’d like to celebrate my 85th birthday in June with my son, daughter and son-in-law and three grandchildren (aged 18, 20 and 22) by taking us all for a weekend break to a nice hotel where we can have some history-inspired trips but also countryside walks (I am still fit — touch wood). I haven’t specified a budget because, in a way, I’ll be spending their inheritance! I don’t want excessive luxury but do you have any suggestions?
Sue Marriage
Well, your family can hardly complain because they’ll be sharing the treat. Old Downton Lodge, 15 minutes’ drive from history-soaked Ludlow in Shropshire and far away from light pollution, ticks all your boxes. Fashioned out of medieval and Georgian farm buildings, with flagstone floors and exposed beams, it has nine bedrooms, some with four-poster beds, set around the prettiest of courtyards. The food is fantastic and there’s a cosy sitting room with a log-burner as well as plenty of circular walks direct from the door. B&B doubles start at £215 (olddowntonlodge.com).
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