COVID-19 GUIDANCE

Our dedicated teams are coordinating booking arrangements for customers with an imminent departure.

Please note that we do not receive any prior notices on guidelines from the Government, only what is currently in the public domain. If you are not departing imminently, we are unable to confirm what will be required by the Government and for which destinations or countries with regards to tests, passenger locator forms, vaccination certificates, quarantine etc. until closer to your departure date.

Please note it is your responsibility to check the latest requirements for travel on the FCDO links listed below. Failure to comply with these measures may result in you being declined entry to your destination and in any such circumstance, no refund will be given by Villa Plus.

Please read information on Passenger Locator forms, which you will need to complete in the destinations shown, prior to your departure date, along with other entry requirements.

PCR / ANTIGEN TEST REQUIREMENTS 2022: Please read the regulatory requirements for members of the travelling party, if you need to obtain a ANTIGEN or PCR test certification prior to departure, return, and after arrival in your country of residence as failure to have valid certifications with you, may impact your travel arrangements.

Please print off and take with you, copies of your travel documents and villa access codes which are available in MyVillaPlus 14 days prior, once your passport information has been completed.

From 4am on Friday 18 March, UK residents returning to the UK will not need to take any COVID-19 tests, or fill in a passenger locator form (PLF) when travelling to the UK from overseas. These changes apply whether you are fully vaccinated or not.

Villa Plus Communications

Due to the fluidity of the on-going situation, we reserve the right to amend our published information at short notice. Please note, in the few instances where disruption means changes to your holiday are required, a comparable alternative of the same or higher standard will be provided in line with booking conditions and discussed with you at the earliest opportunity.  

From 4am on Friday 18 March, UK residents returning to the UK will not need to take any COVID-19 tests, or fill in a passenger locator form (PLF) when travelling to the UK from overseas. These changes apply whether you are fully vaccinated or not.

N.B Wednesday 5th January 2022

Canary Islands Update

We would like to make you aware of the travel entry requirements to Spain introduced by the Spanish government which are in place until further notice.

 Please note, from 1st December 2021, if you are travelling from the UK to the Canary Islands you will need to show you have been double vaccinated with an EU approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to travel. This applies to anyone aged 12 or over and negative diagnostic tests will not be accepted. Failure to comply will result in denied entry. 

 Please review the entry requirements for devolved nations on the main FCDO link: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements. (Please note that "Comirnaty" on the EU approved list is the Pfizer vaccine). 

 Acceptable proof of vaccinations and helpful links can be found below.

FCDO GUIDANCE

We expect that entry regulations will remain in place throughout 2022 for all European destinations we feature and is likely that each country will have specific health entry requirements for all travellers including proof of Covid Vaccination.

Please see below links to the FCDO guidance for each our destinations:

Croatia - https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/croatia

Cyprus - https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cyprus

France - https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france

Greece - https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece

Italy - https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy

Portugal - https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/portugal

Spain & Canary Islands - https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain

UK - https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control

ACCEPTABLE PROOF OF COVID VACCINATIONS

 England:

·         NHS Covid Pass via NHS App https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/covid-pass/

·         Paper copy - Call 119 at least 5 days before travel to arrange

·         More details for England at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/demonstrating-your-covid-19-status

Wales:

·         NHS Covid Pass via NHS Online

·         Paper copy - call 0300 303 5667

·         More details for Wales at: https://gov.wales/get-nhs-covid-pass-show-your-vaccination-status-travel

Scotland:

·         Printed copy of Covid 19 Vaccination status – call COVID-19 Status Helpline on 0808 196 8565. The helpline is open every day from 10.00am to 6.00pm.

·         More details for Scotland at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine/after-your-vaccine/get-a-record-of-your-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-status

Northern Ireland:

·         A paper Covid-19 passport is expected to be available from week commencing 5th July and a digital version from August

·         More details for Northern Ireland at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/get-covid-19-vaccination-northern-ireland#toc-7

Information on what is required for you to travel can be found here:

HELPFUL LINKS

We would encourage you to read the following and remind you that UK government and/or FCDO restrictions on flying and holidaying overseas remain changeable at short notice.

·         ABTA Travel advice: https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/travelling-during-coronavirus/government-travel.

·         Traffic Light System for Entering England: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england

·         UK quarantine measures: https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control

·         Global Travel Taskforce sets our framework to safely reopen international travel – GOV.UK ( www.gov.uk )

·         COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021 (Summary) – GOV.UK ( www.gov.uk )

·         FCDO/Government/destination advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

·         Passenger Locator Forms (PLF) for customers returning to the UK: https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control/before-you-leave-for-the-uk 

·         Guidance Information: https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk

·         Villa Plus FAQ page: https://www.villaplus.com/faq

·         Masks must be worn at all times in airports, unless eating or drinking.

Please note it is your responsibility to check the latest requirements for travel, failure to comply with these measures may result in your being declined entry. 

1) What are my options if I have a Package booking and there are no restrictions on British nationals for overseas travel, but travel to, or access to the location of my villa is prohibited by local or national authorities to that country or region?

If you've booked a flight inclusive package holiday with us, then you're protected under the current Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. This means we can offer a refund, an alternative destination, or a deferred 2022 travel date. If we are unable to source an alternative destination or defer your travel date, you will be entitled to a full refund of the monies you have paid to us. Please note this does not apply to general health entry requirements which may change.

2) What happens If I have booked villa accommodation only and cannot travel ?

If Villa Plus can still provide the villa in your booked destination, then we would not issue any refund as your legal contract with us can be fulfilled. To check what rules apply in devolved regions, please refer to the FCDO advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

3) How will I know if I can go on holiday?

If your original holiday plans remain unchanged, we will either email your travel documents to you, or give you access to these via our online portal. * IMPORTANT NOTICE Due to logistical considerations around Coronavirus Covid-19, from July 2020, we began manually issuing ticketing information to customers and therefore our stated timescale decreased. Ticketing documents will be sent approximately 3 - 7 days prior to your scheduled departure date.

4) Complaints and Refund Timings for Tour Operators and travel businesses - ABTA Code of Conduct Advice

Due to the impact of Covid-19 on travel businesses, please refer to ABTA's Code of Conduct rules and guidance for the public on its website: https://www.abta.com/about-us/code-of-conduct

5) What if I've booked other elements to my holiday?

If you have made your own arrangements, such as flights, car hire, airport parking, transfers or hotel stop-overs, direct with a company other than Villa Plus, then you will need to speak to the service provider / airlines that you made the booking with. They will have their own policy in regard to how they manage these claims. You should also contact your Travel Insurers to discuss your policy cover if you intend to claim on it.

6) What if I decide I don't want to travel?

Please review our information above for the latest update. If holidays continue to operate, your holiday will be subject to normal booking conditions and cancellation charges will apply. If your party is 'disinclined to travel' or has medical considerations, you should contact your Travel Insurers for their guidance on your policy cover.

7) I have a trip booked but no insurance. Can I buy it now?

Whist you can still purchase Insurance, please note that most major Insurers, including ANY new policy that you purchase through Villa Plus, suspended new policies offering travel disruption cover due to Coronavirus (COVID-19/SARS) & related viral illnesses with immediate effect, from 14th March 2020.

8) If I am unable to travel, am I entitled to compensation?

You won't be entitled to any compensation, as the reason for the holiday not continuing, is outside the control of Villa Plus.

9) Can I make a package holiday booking with Villa Plus?

Villa Plus stopped selling package holidays on 23 October 2020 because our ability to display the widest choice of flights at the best prices to our customers was no longer possible due to airlines and flight providers preventing this through technology. This was as a result of the global pandemic. Therefore, Villa Plus is a curated provider of quality villa holiday accommodation and we ask customers to source flights themselves.

Customers that book a villa and a transfer with Villa Plus will benefit from curated and consistent product and service levels, but these bookings are not classed as a non-flight inclusive package holiday and the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (PTRs) will not apply.

Information updated: 5th January 2022

IMPORTANT NOTE: All customers are recommended to have appropriate travel insurance in place, from the time of booking their holiday - you should either take out travel insurance through our partners, Voyager Travel Services or arrange your own policy that provides similar or greater cover..

Villa Plus are ABTA members and are ATOL protected. ABTA also provides assistance and we abide by their Codes of Conduct. Flight inclusive package holidays booked before 23rd Oct 2020 with Villa Plus are protected under our ATOL licence.

ABTA additionally provides general information and advice to consumers regarding Coronavirus, which can be found on their website: https://www.abta.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak

General queries about your travel arrangements with us can be found in our website FAQ section.

Please note that our phone lines will be open from 9 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday. Saturdays 9 am to 5 pm and Sundays 10 am to 6 pm.