Guest FAQs

COVID-19

Updated: 28 April 2020


Dear Valued Guests,

We understand that these are incredibly troubling and uncertain times for all. Never have the phrases ‘hope you are well’ and ‘take care’ taken on such depth and meaning than they do now.  We sincerely hope you and your family are well.

We have created this information page to provide clarity regarding our contract together; to answer your questions and to share with you the measures we have put in place to guide and support you during this time.

Cyprus Villa Retreats is an independent, Cyprus based villa rental company

Cyprus Villa Retreats is officially registered and based in Cyprus with Cyprus Company Registration No.: HE354565 and Cyprus VAT No.: CY10354565U. As an independent, Cyprus based, villa rental company, we do not fall under the category of ‘tour operator’ or ‘travel agent’ as we do not provide inclusive travel packages.

Cyprus authorities have not issued any laws, or obligations requiring us to deviate from the terms and conditions agreed when guests booked with us. And the Cyprus Government, nor any other travel organisation, is consequently offering any kind of financial support. We are therefore not legally bound to provide refunds or credit vouchers to guests that are unable to take up their booking with us. Any credit offered is at the sole discretion of the owners of the specific villas managed by Cyprus Villa Retreats.

We are fully operational and our villas are ready and available to be used by our guests, thereby adhering to our part of the agreement. We feel it important to clarify this now to avoid any misunderstandings in our future communications together.

Insurance – your first step

If you need to cancel your booking with us the first step is to make a claim on your travel insurance policy. Within our Booking Terms & Conditions we advise our guests to take out adequate travel and health insurance. Travel insurance is there to limit the risk to you and to recoup any losses for the insured item i.e. your villa booking. To request documentation to support you with your insurance claim, please write to us at [email protected]

 

Q: Am I entitled to a refund if I cannot take up my villa booking with you?

A: If you are being prevented from traveling to Cyprus because official government bodies have advised against ‘all but essential travel’, or your airline has canceled your flights, you are not entitled to a refund, as the reason for the holiday not continuing is outside the control of Cyprus Villa Retreats. We are open for business and ready to host you; therefore our Standard Booking Terms & Conditions apply and you should claim any compensation on your travel insurance.

Q: Need to apply for credit? Guests with bookings immediately impacted by Cyprus border closures (up to 28 May 2020) and do not have travel insurance.

If you are affected by the Cypriot Government’s decision to close its borders to non-residents until May 16th and you did not take out travel insurance for your booking with us, some of our villa owners may be willing to offer you credit for a part of your booking value. If your villa booking is eligible for credit, you can use this towards a new booking with us for any villa and for any date, within the 12 months from your original booking.  Please write to us at [email protected] detailing your situation and we will share this with our owners. We will come back to you as quickly as possible.

If you are granted credit, we will do our best to accommodate your preferred new dates, but ask you to please respect our need to work within our owners’ booking calendars to minimise gaps between arrivals. COVID-19 is having a major impact on them especially as they invested heavily to ensure that their villa meets our very high standards.

The credit must be used for a new booking made within 12 months of the original booking end date. For example: your booking was 1-8 April 2020, you have until 8 April 2021 to complete your villa stay under this option.

If you need more flexibility (i.e. want to make a booking that exceeds the 12-month booking term) we can negotiate on your behalf with the owners. From experience, this is likely to be a lower percentage credit value for providing a longer time frame. For example: your booking was 1-8 April 2020 and you decide to transfer to a date after 9th April 2021, then this offer applies.

 

Credit Offer Terms & Conditions: 

if the value of your new dates booked with ‘granted’ credit is lower than your original booking, you are not entitled to a refund; 

if your preferred new dates and villa price are more than your original booking, then you agree to pay the difference. We recommend checking availability and pricing at www.cyprusvillaretreats.com prior to contacting our reservation agents to avoid any misunderstandings;

our granted credit offer is available for one new booking.  Should you need to cancel the new booking, for whatever reason, you are not entitled to a refund or to use the credit towards a second new booking;

the balance for your new booking is due 90 days prior to new arrival date;

the cancellation policy linked to your original booking remains in place for your new booking which means that any new bookings made with the granted credit remains as non-refundable and cannot be moved nor canceled without losing the total booking value. 

the credit offer for a new booking is not transferable to any other party or guest;

if you are unsure of planning your next holiday right now we will be happy to keep the credit offer open to you for 6 months from the start date of your original booking; thereafter the credit offer will  automatically expire;

credit support requests must be given in writing to [email protected]. We recognise the value of human contact, so once we receive your instructions by email, our reservation agents will contact you.

If you booked with us via a portal i.e. AirBnB, Booking.com, Holiday Lettings or HomeAway and are not insured for your booking with us, we will be happy to see if you are eligible for any credit as our terms above minus the portal booking fee, as this is retained by the portal. Please contact our reservations team directly via [email protected].

 

Q: My booking is MORE THAN 90 days away from today’s date or the date I reached out to Cyprus Villa Retreats to discuss my options, I am concerned I might not be able to travel;

A: Most people spend a lot of time choosing their specific dates and dream villa so we advise you to wait until official guidelines are given closer to your booking date, as this can change from day to day. Under our standard Terms & Conditions you will lose 25% of your booking value should you decide to cancel your booking, at any time, between the date you booked with us and up to 90 days prior to your arrival date. If you choose to cancel your booking within 90 days to your arrival date, you will lose 100% of your booking fee.

To give you more time to make a final decision, we are offering flexibility within our current cancellation terms. This means that you will lose 25% of the booking value at any time between the date you booked with us and up to 30 days (instead of 90 days) prior to your arrival date, and you will lose 100% of your booking value if you cancel within 30 days of your arrival date (instead of 90 days).

Important: this option is only applicable if you reach out to us 90 days or more prior to your arrival date, by email at [email protected].  If you reach out to us within 90 days prior to your arrival date, this option is unfortunately no longer available to you, and we will refer you to the options at the top of this page.

And is there any flexibility in paying the remaining balance of my booking?

We are also offering you the option to pay your remaining balance 30 days prior to your arrival date, instead of the standard 90 days of the arrival date – please ignore any automated payment reminders if you decide to make use of this option.

In summary, we are offering you an additional 60 days, without losing your current rights to make your decision, which we hope will help you at this time!

Should you decide to cancel at this point instead, you will lose your deposit and any other payments made, as per our standard Terms & Conditions.

Important: If you do not pay your balance at 30 days prior to your arrival date, and you have not informed us of your intentions by email to [email protected] your booking is at risk. 

*If you booked via a portal i.e. AirBnB, Booking.com, HomeAway the terms & conditions of these portals supersede the terms above.

 

Q: I have booked your villas via a portal such as Airbnb, Booking.com, HomeAway etc, what are my options?

A: Please reach out to us directly to discuss all options with one of our reservation agents by email at [email protected].

 

Q: The Cypriot Government has instructed hotels and tourist accommodation to shut down operations by 21 March and remain closed until 30 April 2020. Does this include Villas?

A: Villas are classed in the same way as private homes with private spaces. Our owners are therefore still hosting and receiving guests in their villas.

 

Q: Under your ‘Book With Confidence’ Terms and Conditions, advertised on your website, you are offering guests who booked after 02 March 2020, a full refund or full credit, should they wish to cancel more than 28 days prior to arrival. Why are we not entitled to this?

A: In March, when COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic, Cyprus Villa Retreats took out additional insurance to cover bookings made directly with Cyprus Villa Retreats after 02 March 2020 to protect its guests and are in a position to offer more flexible terms for 2020.

 

Updated at 28 April 2020