Providing Holidays for People with Disabilities

We enable YOU to have the holiday YOU want by supporting YOU with what YOU need.

Hi,

Supported Holidays was formed in 2002 by Sue Osman. The company provides holidays for people with disabilities on the Costa Del Sol, Spain.
The Mission Statement of the company is;
“To provide the very highest level of care and support to enable guests to experience the best holiday that they can have”.
Sue has worked in the field of care since leaving school 17 years ago, initially as a care assistant and for many years and as both a Registered Care Home Manager and Supported Living Housing Manager within the following registered categories:

o Learning Disabilities
o Physical Disabilities
o Mental Health
o Hearing & Visually Impaired
o Older People
o Challenging Behaviour


The desire to offer something new for holidays was born out of the frustration to book quality holidays for her Service Users. The usual week of a cottage in the Cotswolds or a caravan at Great Yarmouth came with the problems of quality and staffing costs. She has always sought to encourage her service users to achieve and experience the very best they can and the opportunity for foreign travel should be amongst those experiences.

Guests are now flying to Spain from all over the UK. Each holiday booked in the culmination of many hours of discussion. Every guest is different, the emotional and physical requirements of the guest is the primary concern. Activities and trips are discussed and can be as simple as lying by the pool to boat trips to see the dolphins.

The holiday that is provided is one that guests have chosen; there are no restrictions, no must haves, no dos or don’ts, other than health and safety issues.
Care is provided as required, from 1 – 2 hours personal care to 24 hour full support. Individual guests, couples and small groups usually stay in the purpose built accommodation within the family villa. Larger groups can be accommodation in another 5 bed roomed villa less than 100 meters away. Our holidays are usually based upon 3 guests to 1 staff ratio.

We also have a new project under the ‘Supported Holidays.co.uk’ umbrella based in Antequera run by a couple that worked for us in 2007.
Supported Holidays is a unique service, individually tailoring two different types of holiday packages to meet the needs of our guests. The '24-Hour Fully Inclusive Supported Holiday (FISH) and the (FLEXI) Holiday Package'.

The Fully Inclusive Supported Holiday (FISH);

Our accessible user-friendly database allows guests to make decisions about their day, from going on a day trip to where and what they want to eat.

Prices include:

• Return flights from UK airports
• Support at the Airports ~ This is arranged with the airline & the Passenger Handling Dept at time the of booking flights to ensure all your support needs will be met
• Return private air-conditioned transfers ~ A member of our team will greet you at Malaga Airport and to drive you to your accommodation, and again for your return journey.
• Accommodation ~ The private fully wheelchair accessible apartment is in the grounds of our family villa which means you have support at hand when needed. The apartment consists of two twin bedrooms, large wet room, specialised equipment, internal alarm systems, TV video & DVD player , stereo, play-station and drinks making facilities. Outside there are terraces, gardens, fruit trees, laundry room, bar area, swimming pool & BBQ.
We also have many luxury villas and apartments nearby for larger groups.
• Towels, Linen & Bathrobes ~ Bath & Beach towels provided and changed daily.
• On Site Toiletries – A selection of toiletries are available, this includes: shampoo, shower gel, soap, toothpaste, sun lotions, aftersun, etc
• Medication Administration ~ All staff are trained to administer M.A.R.R / Dosset Box medication. We require information regarding medication contraindications and side effects.
• Money Management ~ We support guests with all aspects of money management i.e. budgeting spending money, safe keeping and advice on value for money.
• Welcome Packs ~ Includes typical Spanish & English snacks & a bottle of bubbly!
• Professional Support ~ At hand 24 hours a day
• All Meals ~ including, served breakfast, packed lunches & meals out. We can also provide a packed snack for guests return journey.
• Full Day trips ~ Everyday. Visiting attractions of your choice from our ‘Activities Folder’ i.e. boat trips, horse riding, animal & adventure parks etc. All attractions are audited for suitability. All entrance fee’s are included.
• Evenings Out ~ Every night. Restaurants, bars & shows
• Personalised Photo Album ~ Photos are taken throughout the holiday and an album is presented to you at the end of your holiday so you can take your memories home with you. We may need to post the last day’s photo’s to you.
• Laundry Service ~ Most clothes will be washed ready for you to take home clean with you.
• Cleaning Service ~ The bedrooms and en suite wet room will be freshly prepared daily.
• Shopping Service ~ We go to the shops most days so if you need anything just let us know, or if you want and you’ve got time you can always come with us.
• 24 hour on-call service ~ A pre-programmed mobile phone is provided.
• Communication ~ All guests can be contacted on either the villa’s landline or on the On-Call Managers mobile.
• Daily Reports ~ For those guests that require a written daily report
• Snacks & Drinks ~ Freely available at the villa
• FREE Bar ~ at the villa
• Phone Calls ~ Guests are welcome to use the villa telephone to call their families and carers (within reason of course!)
• Supported Holidays Souvenir
• Destination Souvenir
• Public Liability Insurance
• Returned Forgotten Items (within reason)
• Christmas Card & Gift
• Birthday Card

What’s NOT Included:

• Travel & Medical Insurance
• Extra drinks when out
• Transport to and from UK departure airport
• Any invasive treatment that is needed, however we do provide escort, advice and translations of medical services
• Any spending money for gifts, postcards & other personal items

2009 Prices;

Our 2009 prices are based upon guests confirming their holidays dates during 2008.The total cost for the above package is £999 per person per week; any additional weeks are at a discounted rate of £899.

Holidays booked in 2009 are £999 plus flight costs to Malaga. If booked in advance flights can cost as little as £50 return, short notice flights may cost up to £200 return plus.

During 2009 we are also offering the following packages (please contact us for further details):

• Winter Sun Packages: Jan, Feb & March 2009 (Includes skiing)
• Portugal: 7 – 14 April 2009
• 4 day mini-cruise to Amsterdam: 15 – 18 May 2009
• 5 day Mediterranean cruise: Dates to be confirmed
• Christmas 2009 in Tenerife

Our other project are specialising in holiday for families with children with disabilities. Further information available upon request.
If you, a family member, a friend or service user would like to experience Spain and all that it offers review the website, read the testimonials but most importantly call or email to let Sue know.
Please advise us on your preferred holiday dates ASAP to avoid disappointment as we are getting booked up already for 2009 with repeat bookings from our regular guests.
FREE no obligation booking forms are available upon request.
We look forward to hearing from you,



Sue Osman
Supported Holidays ©