CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) GUIDANCE

For all customers due to pay their balances, our Travel Team will be emailing you to discuss your booking arrangements. We are working in departure date order and currently working on bookings due to depart up to the 24th October.

Our dedicated Travel Team are handling a huge volume of bookings and devoting more resources towards helping customers in departure date order with booking queries and amendment requests and are doing our absolute best help during these difficult times. Please kindly refrain from calling us until we have emailed you.

TRAVEL CAN RESUME

We were pleased to hear that travel abroad could resume from the 17th May 2021. Therefore, please be prepared to travel for your long-awaited, very-much deserved villa holiday.

TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM

The Government introduced a travel traffic light system, informing what criteria needs to be met in order to travel safely. This is to be reviewed every 3 weeks, so movement between green, amber and red status is to be expected.

Following the Government announcement on the 8th July 2021, their recommendation against travel to Amber List countries will be lifted from the 19th July 2021. Travellers who have been fully vaccinated returning from an Amber country will no longer need to quarantine on return to the UK.

For further information, please visit:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england#changes-to-international-travel-rules-for-amber-list-countries

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

• https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/travelling-during-coronavirus/government-travel
• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england

A Green “Watch List” has also been introduced by the Government where Covid-19 infection rates in each country will be monitored closely.

For updates on the traffic light system country reviews, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-travel-update-malta-added-to-green-list-and-green-watchlist-extended-as-plans-for-quarantine-free-travel-for-fully-vaccinated-passengers-from-ambe

Please note: The FCDO will continue to update advice for specific destinations and testing requirements can still be expected along with proof of vaccination status across most destinations.

VILLA PLUS COMMUNICATIONS

Our dedicated Travel team is devoting more resource towards contacting customers in departure date order when paying their balance to discuss the options available to them.

Please note that we do not receive any prior notices on guidelines from the Government, only what is currently in the public domain. 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 refrain from calling as we will be in contact with you. Thank you for your patience.

FCDO GUIDANCE & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

We expect that entry regulations will remain in place throughout 2021 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

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.

·         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, 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. 

N.B. Continue to visit this page for further updates

We continue to devote resource to contacting affected customers in departure date order upon balance due date, using our expertise to help customers rearrange holidays. Where possible and subject to airlines, terms and conditions, this will be done without fee, only any difference in air fares and / or villa prices will be payable, however, there may be some exceptions.

Subject to developments around the impact of Covid-19 and / or further destination changes made by the FCDO, we reserve the right to amend our published information at short notice.

Our dedicated teams are working tirelessly to contact and coordinate booking arrangements for customers up to 5 days before departure date.

Please do not contact us if you have a booking due to depart more than 5 days before departure, as it is simply not possible to definitively advise about your holiday as Government and FCDO advice remain fast moving and complex.

Please continue to visit the this page for regular updates and we will contact you individually as soon as possible to advise further about your holiday.

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.

Please read our Coronavirus FAQ's below for 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. UK residents will also need to complete a Passenger Locator form before your return to the UK and comply with the Government's published procedures for any PCR testing and any hotel quarantine or other requirements.

PCR TEST REQUIREMENTS 2021: Please ensure that you read our FAQ guidance below on the regulatory requirement for members of the travelling party to obtain positive PCR test certification prior to departure, as failure to have valid certifications with you, may impact your travel arrangements.

We continue to work long hours to help our customers get away on holiday, working very much in departure date order only. We will be liaising with customers by phone and/or email.

Please note that a limited number of phone lines will be open from 9 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday, until further notice.

1 ) What are my options if I’m due to pay my holiday balance?

Customers due to pay the final balance of their holiday will be contacted in departure date order by our Travel Team to discuss options via phone and/or email. Please be patient if you have a holiday booked, but are not yet due to pay your balance - we will contact you beforehand.

2) 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 currently restricted or 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 2021 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.

3) 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. You should contact your travel insurer to check if your policy cover. To check what rules apply in devolved regions, please refer to the FCDO advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

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

If your original holiday plans remain unchanged then we will either email your travel documents to you, or give you access to these via our online portal. * IMPORTANT NOTICE Due to the 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.

5) 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, ABTA has temprarily relaxed some of its Code of Conduct rules and provided guidance for the public on its website: https://www.abta.com/about-us/code-of-conduct

6) 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.

7) 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.

8) 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.

9) 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.

10) 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 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 Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (PTRs) will not apply.

Information updated: 25th June 2021

IMPORTANT NOTE: All customers are recommended to have appropriate travel insurance in place, from the time of booking their holiday and you are required to either take out our travel insurance or to arrange a 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.

• At the time that the balance on your holiday is due, a member of our Travel Team will contact you to offer all options available to you, including an amendment.
• Prior to paying your balance, you can request to move your villa only booking to a later date, subject to availability, and currently we have availability up to the end of March 2022. No amendment fees will be levied in this instance, but any difference in villa only price will be payable and we may ask for an additional, non-refundable deposit payment at the time of making any amendment.
• Bookings can be moved within 11 weeks of departure however in this instance amendment fees as well as the difference in villa price will be applicable as we are then contractually obliged to make payments to villa owners
• Subject to developments around the impact of Covid-19 and / or further destination changes made by the FCDO, we reserve the right to amend our published information at short notice.
• Should you choose to cancel your booking with us, cancellation terms will apply. These charges will apply even if your booking is affected by Covid-19. Please ensure that you purchase comprehensive travel insurance at the time of any holiday booking and that you check policy details very carefully, as many will not protect against travel restrictions.
• Villa Plus are members of ABTA, our membership number is Y6093 and we abide by the ABTA Codes of Conduct