You need to contact the hotel concerned or read the booking T&C's on their website as they all have different booking and cancellation policies.

However, before you book direct with the hotel I would suggest checking the price with some of the bed banks such as Travel Republic and others that are mentioned in the DIY forum. They can often be cheaper than booking direct.

luci

hi luci, thankyou for your prompt reply
The hotel concerned is the rising star in protaras, last year i booked room only with thomas cook and as you have said about price ,it was about £300 cheaper last year,..... they will of course have more bargaining power than me.This year the same hotel does not appear to be bookable, room only on any tour or independent website so i am stuck between waiting for it to become available at a cheaper price and in sterling or going into the unknown with the hotel. I think it comes down to booking with tour operator ABTA backed or sending a cheque over to the hotel and hoping it does not burn down or go out of administration with our cheque or visa already cashed.

We often book our own hotels (and get good offers directly particularly if its a small family hotel). You most often habve to pay upfront a certain % or provide credit card info.