Coronavirus / Covid19
We are a small family business offering a cancellation policy in our Terms & Conditions, but unlike larger holiday and travel companies, airlines or booking platforms with industry-wide insurance cover, Government support or substantial funding of their own, we sincerely regret that we are not able to offer a refund or changes of date for any reason outside of our control (such as this virus and its consequences) - unless we are able to re-book the dates.
We have therefore always strongly recommended that guests take out their own comprehensive travel insurance at the time of booking, to cover for all eventualities that may occur either before or during their holiday - which will cover the coronavirus, if the policy was taken out before the 12 March 2020.
(Please note for new policies taken out after the 12 March 2020, these are still valid for future holidays but insurance companies will likely have adjusted their Terms & Conditions to include restrictions on the coronavirus.)
Cancellation & Change of Dates
As we offer self-contained units in a rural area working with a professional cleaning and laundry company, we remain open -
- so if we can re-booked any cancelled dates, then either a refund or change of dates will then be offered accordingly
(depending on the amount received, as per our Terms & Conditions.)
Like many others similar businesses we are reliant on the seasonal holiday income between April to October to sustain us for the entire year, as well as pay staff and dependent third parties. Therefore, we hope to be able to welcome all of our booked guests later this Summer and Autumn from Spain, the EU and further afield wherever possible
By moving existing bookings forward even when still several months away, particularly to popular Summer and school holiday weeks next year, we will then lose income from new bookings which will greatly impact our future income too. We greatly appreciate your understanding that it is not financially possible to do this, or offer a refund in the circumstances - unless we can first re-book the original dates.
We can offer our guests a choice to continue with their current booking, cancellation or a first refusal option - so please do contact us for further details. (Please note that the first refusal option will not apply to new bookings made after the 1 April 2020.) If you wish to make a claim against your travel insurance at any point, we have also provided some information below which we hope will be helpful.
Insurance Claims - general information
Travel insurance companies are doing their very best to reduce their exposure or push any costs and losses onto others including airlines, travel agents, booking platforms and accommodation, rather than pay out what is already (or will be) covered under valid policies – so we appreciate that travellers are being asked if refund or change of dates can be given by any providers before making any claim, or not make balance payments, even with full cover was already taken out and in place before the 12 March 2020.
Based on the advice we have been given and read, we hope these general points below may be useful regarding insurance claims for cancellation of a holiday including accommodation due to the coronavirus and the date that the claim is made. However, restrictions and travel advice itself is changing daily and therefore will likely not yet include dates several weeks or months in advance, so always check with your own Government/FCO website for the latest information and dates - as well as your own travel insurance provider for any terms & conditions specific to your policy:
* Travel insurance will normally cover cancellation for both pandemic and force majeure as long as you took out your policy (single or annual) and booked a trip before a pandemic is declared (either in that location or worldwide), or your Government/FCO has subsequently advised against all but essential travel to your destination and
that this Government advice is still in place (usually) 28 days before your departure date.
* If a holiday, airline or travel provider cannot arrange a refund or exchange/postpone your trip to suitable dates (eg during a school holiday if you have children) under Terms & Conditions you already agreed to at the time of booking, you can then contact your travel insurer for 'unrecovered' costs - subject to your policy's particular Terms and Conditions.
* If you choose to cancel a holiday that is due to start after
any current official Government/FCO advice or dates (currently late April 2020 within the EU) and/or
it is more than 28 days to the start of your holiday, your travel insurance policy will likely view this as your ‘disinclination to travel’ and so you will then not be able to claim any refund – even if flights are already cancelled, or currently grounded. Therefore, we advise check with the insurance company's Terms & Conditions before any cancellation or change is formally requested.
* For future travel/holiday dates not covered by existing Government/FCO advice or more than 28 days ahead, travellers are therefore being are advised to continue with existing arrangements including payments with an intention to travel
– otherwise insurance companies will view this as a breaking of agreed terms and conditions and/or disinclination to travel, so may refuse a claim. However, if travellers are then unable to travel at the time of the holiday due to Government/FCO advice, cancellation of flights etc (although this may only be a few days before travel in some instances eg flight cancellation), an insurance claim will then become applicable.
Note:
"If you buy an annual policy, the start date needs to be the date you booked the holiday (or as soon as possible afterwards) in order to cover you for claims before your holiday starts, such as cancellations. But if you take out a single-trip policy, you just need to provide the holiday’s start date and duration when taking out the policy, and you’ll be covered from the day you take out the insurance to the day you return home from holiday." which.co.uk
Coronavirus & Insurance - experts
ABTA Travel update: At this time the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently advises against all non-essential overseas travel for British nationals.
However this travel restriction can be removed at any time. (Please note that this point is applicable to any country , so do check your Government's webpages for the latest information too.)
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