Terms and conditions
These booking conditions set out the terms and conditions which will apply to the contract. LUXURY COUNTRY VILLAS acting as booking agents for specified property owners/managers.

1. Your Booking/Reservation Contract
When you make your booking, you will receive from Luxury Country Villas:
a) A letter of Confirmation of Reservation confirming the property you have reserved (including of any additional in house services required), containing full details of your booking, lead name and additional users, date of arrival, check in/check out details.
b) Confirmation of receipt of deposit payment (also confirmed by email within 24 hours of cleared funds)
c) Payment Plan Sheet clearly showing payments received, clear instructions on when final payment is due and full details of the property owners/ managers bank and contact details.
d) Details of transfer options confirmed by LCV on your behalf (payment for travel services to be paid direct to the specified supplier on the due date).

On receiving these details, and by paying your reservation deposit, you warrant that you have the authority to accept, and are accepting on behalf of all your party, these conditions. A contract will exist as soon as we issue our Letter of Confirmation of Reservation which will specify the name of the principal supplier (property owner/property manager)
Where LCV act as a principal, the contract between us is governed by English Law and both parties agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English Courts at all times.

2. Contracts not including air travel
In making these contracts we act as the retail agent for the specified suppliers and accept no liability whatsoever for any death, personal injury, loss or damage of any kind, unless caused by our own negligence. You will be bound by the booking conditions of the relevant supplier, a copy of which will be made available to you on request.

3. Your Reservation Costs
When you confirm your reservation, you must pay a non-refundable deposit of 50% of the total Property Reservation Fee.
The balance of the property reservation fee (including additional requirement payments and deposits due prior to arrival) must be paid at least 6 weeks (42 days) before commencement of your property reservation. If the deposit and/or balance is not paid by the due date. LCV reserve the right to cancel your rental arrangement. If the balance is not paid in time we shall retain your 50% deposit.
The full amount of your Property Reservation Fee is subject only to surcharges for increases by Government action such as increases in VAT or any other Government imposed increases (including European Governments). Even in this case, we will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the price of your property rental arrangement. Only amounts in excess of this 2% will be surcharged.
The cost of your property rental and any additional services are calculated in Euros, all payments to LCV and the property owners/managers or third parties should be paid in Euro on the date due. No allowance will be made by any party for the fluctuation of the exchange rate therefore the sum due will be the euro amount printed on the Confirmation of Reservation.

4. If You Change Your Booking
If, after our letter of Confirmation of Reservation has been issued, you wish to change your reservation in any way, for example your chosen departure date or accommodation, we will do our utmost to make these changes, provided that written notification from the lead name on the booking is received at least 12 weeks before your departure date. This must be accompanied by a payment of £25 per person named on the booking to cover our administration costs.

If you reduce your reservation duration then this will be treated as a cancellation of your accommodation and you will have to re-book your reservation with the relevant cancellation charges. If you wish to change your arrangements within 12 weeks of departure, this will be treated as a cancellation of the original booking and you will have to pay the applicable cancellation charges set out in that section below. (NOTE: The 50% deposit paid on reservation is non-refundable in any event)

5. If You Cancel Your Holiday
You, or any member of your party, may cancel the travel arrangements at any time, but the cancellation will be effective only on the date on which written notification signed by the person who made the booking is received at our UK office. Since we incur administrative costs in cancelling your reservation arrangements, you will have to pay the applicable cancellation charges up to the maximum shown below:
Period before departure shown within which written cancellation is received Amount of cancellation charge as a percentage of the price for the travel arrangements
84 days or more Loss of Deposit
42-83 days 60%
29-42 days 80%
0-28 days 100%
Note: If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.

6. If We Change Your Holiday Arrangements
It is unlikely that we will make any changes but we do plan the arrangements many months in advance and we reserve the right to make changes. We distinguish between minor changes, in respect of which no compensation is due, and major changes. A change of property or reduction in the standard of your accommodation is deemed a major change and you will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, accepting an offer of alternative accommodation from us if available, or cancelling your accommodation and receiving a full refund of all monies paid, relevant in all cases except where the change arises due to reasons of force majeure.
Force Majeure: Compensation will not be payable if we are forced to cancel or change your property reservation arrangements in any way for reasons of war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions or any other circumstances amounting to force majeure.

7. If We Cancel Your Holiday
We reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your property reservation arrangements (including additional services). However, we will not cancel your property reservation arrangements less than 12 weeks before your departure date, except for reasons of force majeure (see Clause 7) or failure by you to pay the final balance. If we are unable to provide the booked property, you will be offered alternative accommodation arrangements of comparable standard from us or higher standard, if available. If it is necessary to cancel your holiday arrangements, compensation will be payable in accordance with Clause 7.
8. If You Have A Complaint
In the unlikely event that you have a complaint about the property, facility or services provided (including a lack of / breakdown of an advertised appliance) whilst you are temporarily resident in the property, please inform the property owner or their representative as soon as possible. He or she is there to help you and may well be able to solve the problem on the spot. Should the property owner or their representative be unable to resolve the complaint and you wish to take the matter further upon your return, detail your complaint in writing to to us (LCV) within twenty eight days of the completion of your property reservation. The property owner will not accept any complaints or any responsibility after this date is passed nor will we consider any complaint that has not been reported to the property owner or representative at the property and not been resolved satisfactorily.

9. What Happens To Complaints
It is unlikely that you will have a complaint that cannot be settled amicably between us. However, disputes arising out of, or in connection with this contract which cannot be settled amicably, may (if you wish) be referred to Arbitration under a special scheme which, though devised by arrangement with the Association of British Travel Agents, is administered quite independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The scheme provides for a simple and inexpensive method of Arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on you in respect of costs. The scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £5,000 per person or £25,500 per booking form. Nor does it apply to claims, which are solely or mainly in respect of physical injury or illness or the consequences of such injury or illness. If you elect to seek redress under this scheme, written notice of Arbitration must be received by the Association within 9 months after your scheduled date of return. Full details of the scheme are available from the Association of British Travel Agents at 68-71 Newman Street, London, W1P 4AH.

10. Disclaimer / Limitation of Liability
We accept responsibility for ensuring that your property arrangements are supplied as described in our online property portfolio (or printed material) and that the services offered reach a reasonable standard. If any part of your accommodation is not provided as promised, we will liase with the property owner or manager on your behalf, however, we cannot accept responsibility for the acts or omissions of our property owner, their managers, staff or suppliers. We do not under any circumstances accept responsibility for their acts or omissions which lead to death, injury or illness

11. Termination And Indemnity.
You must accept responsibility for the proper conduct of yourself and any members of your party whilst renting the named property. In cases of serious misconduct, we reserve the right to terminate your reservation or that of any member of your party. This includes threatening behaviour, physical and serious verbal assault behaviour to owners, managers, staff and third parties. If we do so, we shall have no further responsibility or liability to you. If you or any member of your party wilfully, recklessly or negligently causes any damage to any accommodation, property or person, you agree to indemnify us against any loss suffered by us (including legal costs), arising from such damage. Failure to pay for serious damage that you or your party has inflicted on a property can result in the local authorities called to intervene.

12. Insurance
We consider travel insurance to be so essential, that it is a condition of booking a property with Luxury Country Villas that you have comprehensive insurance cover. You must ensure that you obtain suitable insurance for all eventualities whilst travelling or residing abroad. You must also provide us with evidence that you have done so to our satisfaction, preferably at the time of booking or, if not, as soon as possible afterwards. If by 12 weeks before departure date you have failed to do this, we may cancel your booking and refund all sums you have paid us, less cancellation charges. Luxury Country Villas property owners or their representatives accept no responsibility if you do not have a full comprehensive insurance cover and still travel on your holiday and make use of the reserved property.

13. Breakages
All breakages must be reported to a member of staff, property owner or manager immediately and these must be paid for locally before vacating. We also reserve the right to charge for any serious damage or breakages not reported and found after your departure.

14. Natural Environment / Unwelcome Guests
Luxury Country Villas, the property owner or their representatives cannot be held responsible for any discomfort or inconvenience caused by the climate, the particular flora and fauna, insects (flies and ants), barking dogs, goats, donkeys, chickens or sheep bells or anything else reasonably expected to exist in the natural environment in which many of the properties are situated. We recommend particularly in the summer months when European/Mediterranean drought conditions cause an influx in ants etc. for you to buy mosquito/ant spray and to keep any food items in the fridges and to clean any food leftovers away immediately.

15. Building works
Building works and the resulting noise from the site can take place at any time during the year on an adjoining or nearby property and land. If this work is affecting your holiday please report this to the property owner or representative immediately. Obviously this is beyond the control of our owners or their representatives, or ourselves, but we will make an effort to have the work stopped if possible. Unfortunately we do not receive advance notice of when building works will begin as they are carried out by third parties over which we have no control. Whilst we can assure you we will do our best to minimise any inconvenience or interruption to your holiday, we regret that this is a "force majuere" and we do not accept any liability or will pay any compensation.

16. Additional services
Additional services promoted by the property owner/manager for guests using a specified supplier (ie: Tours, cookery courses, wine tasting events, beauty therapy, air balloon trips, helicopter flights, light aircraft sightseeing trips etc) should be independently booked and paid for by the lead name or accompanying guests and are therefore the responsibility of the organiser. LCV recommend sight of the companies conditions of trading and 3rd party insurance liability which in all cases should be available on request. We accept no liability in this respect.