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Already booked for 2021?
Here at Solmar Villas we are working hard to keep you up to date with the latest travel information and how this might affect your upcoming booking.
We appreciate that you will have many questions relating to your booking. The below options are regularly kept up to date and we recommend that you read these before getting in touch with us.
Thank you for your ongoing patience. Please click on the option below that applies to you:
I have taken out the Travel Restrictions Guarantee
If you have added the Travel Restrictions Guarantee to your booking, we will continue to monitor the Government updates and be in contact with you if your destination becomes restricted by either Government advice or local restrictions.
*Destinations currently restricted by FCDO advice or local Government restrictions (Please note this list is taken from the FCDO website and is subject to change. Last updated on 17/09/21)
- Turkey (until 22/09/21)
- Malta
You can find more information about each destination's restrictions and entry requirements here.
What if I haven't taken out the Travel Restrictions Guarantee?
Although the Travel Restrictions Guarantee scheme is available for the majority of our villas, there are a handful where it is unfortunately not available. In these circumstances we therefore recommend you contact your travel insurance provider for any losses incurred as a result of not being able to travel.
Step 1: Travel Insurance Claim
Contact your insurance company to make a claim to recover cancellation losses.
We have received reports that some insurance companies are being less than forthcoming in paying claims. Therefore, we recommend you:
- Ascertain your cover level and options from reading your ORIGINAL policy, sent to you at the time of purchase. As most insurers have recently updated their cover, the policy available to view online may have changed in comparison to that of which you purchased. Therefore, this updated policy may not be relevant as insurance providers are not able to change your agreed cover and exclusions part way through a policy. Please note that insurance providers may advise that they no longer cover this, but if it doesn't state that in the policy document you were provided when you purchased the policy, then please contest this with them.
- Read your policy and establish yourself if you think you are covered - do not make the decision based on advice provided by your insurer's website, by phone etc.
- If you are unable to reach your accommodation, (due to flights being cancelled, borders closed etc.) you are making a claim for not being able to use your accommodation, and not a 'pandemic' claim or due to 'Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Advice'. With this in mind, if your insurance is rejected advising you don't have cover for 'Pandemic, epidemics or changes in travel advice', go back and restate your claim utilising the above guidance.
- Some insurance companies may ask you to ask Solmar Villas for a refund and process a credit card claim first, if they do please advise:
"Due to the current situation, I am unable to occupy my booked accommodation and therefore need to reclaim my losses of the cancellation charges which Solmar Villas have confirmed are non-refundable and irrecoverable.
As the cancellation doesn't constitute a breach of contract, I have no claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act and therefore I wish to reclaim my losses incurred from my insurance policy."
If this isn't sufficient, we can provide you with a letter to confirm to them.
Step 2: Request Additional Goodwill Support
Where you have exhausted all other avenues to cover your losses, we are stretching our resources to provide what we can wherever possible. Cancellation charges are structured in line with business costs as they too increase the closer you get to departure and this structure, used throughout the travel industry, is approved by ATOL, ABTA and has remained unchanged for several years.
Whilst there is therefore no obligation for accommodation owners/suppler to refund us or our clients, we also recognise that if you are left out of pocket this can be very emotive and distressing having lost out on the holiday you have planned and paid for.
With this in mind, if you do have irrecoverable losses, we are inviting you to tell us about your situation and we will approach the accommodation provider to ask them to consider each particular circumstance with a view to offering a gesture of goodwill credit voucher or booking move with reduction in cancellation charges.
With each property having different ownership and payment schedules etc., requests will be assessed on a case by case basis but rest assured we are here to help and do the very best for all our clients. We want to help as many clients as we can, as much as we can, which is why, if you have travel insurance we must insist you pursue that avenue first for a positive outcome as this will then allow us to help even more people at this difficult time
To discuss discretionary support please contact us.
What if I have booked a package holiday?
If you have a package holiday with Solmar Villas, you are covered by the current Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. If we are unable to provide an element of the package you have booked, you have the option to request to defer your holiday or we can offer a refund.
If you are required to quarantine on your return home to the UK, as this has no impact on Solmar’s ability to provide your holiday, this would not provide you with the option to cancel the holiday and receive a refund.
For clients who have booked villa & flights within 24 hours of each other, through Solmar, we have limitations around making changes which are led by the airline booked.
Currently most airlines are allowing people to move their booking. Some are offering free amends but others are charging up to 70% change fees.
If you are considering what to do about your package holiday, we would suggest the first question to answer is Do you want to go – Yes or maybe? Or are you a definite no.
Based on the answer to this question, we have detailed below the possibilities you have that we are able to offer.
"Yes, I want to go!"
Option A
Continue with your booking as planned. If your flight is cancelled, we will try to find a suitable alternative and if none available contact you to discuss a possible alternative nearby airport option or re-book.
If we are unable to find a suitable alternative or a re-book that suits you, you would be entitled to a full refund.
Please note that the airlines are taking up to 90 days to refund for flights.
"I don't want to travel at the moment"
Option A
Cancel your booking and reclaim the cancellation fees through your insurance. You should confirm they will cover this before making this decision.
Option B - Move your holiday
If you are unsure about travelling on your planned date we can look to move your travel dates to an alternative date, and/or destination.
If you choose to do this, we will re-price the holiday for you and advise you of any difference in price (up or down) as well as any amendment fees where appicable.
If the value of your new holiday is less than the original you can use any overpayment towards ancillary extras such as car hire or transfers or keep it towards a future holiday, a refund isn't an option.
Option C
Continue with your booking as planned. If your flight is cancelled, we will try to find a suitable alternative and if none available contact you to discuss a possible alternative nearby airport option or re-book.
If we are unable to find a suitable alternative or a re-book that suits you, you would then be entitled to a full refund. Please note, if there is an alternative flight available, we are not obliged to refund you for your holiday but would discuss the new flight and possible move instead if your flight was cancelled.
There would need to be no alternative flight available for us to be able to offer you a refund. Please also be aware that the airlines are taking up to 90 days to refund for flights.
"I don't want to travel at all"
Option A
Cancel your booking and reclaim the cancellation fees through your insurance. You should confirm they will cover this before making this decision.
Option B
Continue with your booking as planned. If your flight is cancelled, we will try to find a suitable alternative and if none available contact you to discuss a possible alternative nearby airport option or re-book.
If we are unable to find a suitable alternative or a re-book that suits you, you would then be entitled to a full refund. Please note, if there is an alternative flight available, we are not obliged to refund you for your holiday but would discuss the new flight and possible move instead if your flight was cancelled.
There would need to be no alternative flight available for us to be able to offer you a refund. Please also be aware that the airlines are taking up to 90 days to refund for flights.
Unless you wish to make a change to your booking, you do not need to contact us and unless we contact you your booking will go ahead as planned.
We would like to assure all our customers that any monies paid to Solmar Villas are fully financially protected, which in short means that if Solmar Villas ceased trading for any reason, your money would be refunded in full via the CAA/ATOL and repatriated if overseas.
If you choose not to pay your balance on time, standard terms and conditions apply and your booking will be cancelled with loss of monies paid as detailed in our terms and conditions, Section 7. You may be able to reclaim any loss from travel insurance but you should confirm they will cover this before making this decision.