Terms and Conditions of Weekend a La Carte Italian Short Breaks

 The following booking conditions and other details within this website form the basis of your contract with us. They map out our obligations to you, your obligations to us, and both of our respective rights.

For clarity ‘You’ means all parties included within a booking. We /Us refers to Weekend a la Carte Ltd – trading as Italian Short Breaks.

          MAKING A BOOKING AND PAYMENT

1. The holidays advertised in this web site and any accompanying literature are offered subject to availability at time of booking.
2. Once you complete and send us an online booking form, and we have received your deposit, you have accepted our offer and a contract exists between both parties. You are authorising us to book the relevant services related to your holiday and any changes or cancellation after this will incur additional costs. This contract is subject to English Law and we both agree that any dispute or claim which arises in connection with this contract will be dealt with by the Courts of England and Wales.To make a booking you must be at least 18 years old, complete the booking procedure on the phone or via e mail with one of our consultants, and make the deposit. The person making the booking is responsible for all payments to us, accepts our terms and conditions on behalf of all travellers on their booking, and takes responsibility for all party members. This includes anyone who is added or substituted at a later date. (However we would also recommend that all travelling party members check the details of the correspondence between you and us, and contact us immediately if there is any variation as it may not be possible to change things at a later date.) On receipt of the booking confirmation invoice it is important that you check the details and if there is any inaccuracy we must be notified in writing/email immediately. It may not be possible to make changes or corrections later, or additional costs may be incurred which we would have to pass onto you.
3. Our terms of travel are that we take a 50% deposit at time of booking, and the final payment is due 70 days before travel. (There are a few exceptions where we need to take a higher deposit but we will advise you at time of enquiry)
4. Your final payment is due 70 days before departure. If your final payment is received less than 70 days prior to departure we reserve the right to charge interest or to cancel your booking, at which point you will lose your first payment and be liable to any outstanding amounts we have committed to on your behalf.

We accept debit card and credit card payment as well as a bank transfer. We do not accept any Amex credit card or corporate credit cards whether issued inside or outside of the UK. Please note if paying by bank transfer we will need to receive the total amount invoiced. (Any Bank Fees need to be covered as additional by you)

          TRAVEL INSURANCE

1. All travellers with Weekend a la Carte Ltd are required to have adequate travel insurance in place. Due to the nature of many of our trips you will need to check any existing policies to make sure you are covered for all activities. If you are already covered, or wish to make new arrangements, then you will need to provide us the details of your policies.
2. For all of our UK Clients we will send you details of our carefully selected travel partner, TAG connect at the time of booking . For our American clients we can recommend how to go about organising travel insurance.
3. We consider adequate and appropriate travel insurance to be a pre-requisite to booking. You and your belongings are at all times solely at your own risk. You must ensure that you have personal travel insurance with protection for the full duration of the trip in respect of at least medical expenses, injury, death, repatriation, cancellation and curtailment, with adequate and appropriate cover including medical emergency repatriation.
4. Please ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting or excluding protection for the type of activities included in your trip. You must ensure that all travel insurance purchased meets your particular requirements and you should arrange supplementary insurance if need be.

Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance you purchase provides adequate cover. We do not check insurance policies and cannot be liable for any expenses incurred as a result of you not having adequate, appropriate or valid insurance cover.

      PASSPORTS, VISAS, HEALTH & SAFETY

1. You must ensure that all members of your party have a valid acceptable passport, have all visas, inoculations and health certificates for all countries to be visited. Please consult your doctor well in advance of departure.
2. We will advise where necessary to help you obtain visas for those destinations where this is required, but we are not responsible for any application declined by the issuing authority, or for any costs incurred in having to cancel your holiday.
3. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months following your arrival in a foreign destination

For foreign office advice on any destination please visit www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo or call the ABTA  information line on Tel 0901 2015050 ( there is a charge for this service)

     THE COST OF YOUR HOLIDAY

1. The prices quoted in our web site are our nearest estimates based on 2 people travelling, applicable at the time for the break advertised. (Single supplements will be quoted and are dependent on the break and time of travel). Due to the tailor made nature of our service the final cost will not be advised until we have worked with you to create the exact holiday you require. All prices are quoted in Sterling.
2. All advertised prices or prices quoted by our staff before booking confirmation are for guidance only and may be subject to change prior to the booking being confirmed.
3. Under package holiday regulations we have the right to charge a surcharge of up to 8% due to changes in exchange rates, fuel costs, taxes or fees after a customer has booked. We will try hard not to pass on any surcharge costs, but reserve the right to do so if necessary. For clarity if a surcharge is applied it does not give you the right to cancel your booking penalty-free.
4. Please note that we have had to resort to our force majeure policy with regards to flights due to COVID 19 as airlines have had to constantly change flights and prices. We will advise of any cost implications on flights as soon as we are made aware
5. Single supplements are payable for sole occupancy of a room. A single room does not guarantee the provision of a double or a twin room, and in some cases the room may be smaller. A “double” bed is often two single beds pushed together, with either double bed linen or two single duvets.

      CHANGES TO YOUR HOLIDAY
      Changes by us

1. We promise to ensure that that the holiday arrangements you entrust with us both match your expectation and your contractual rights. However from time to time situations may arise which require us to make changes to your holiday booking. Holidays to remote and in some cases underdeveloped parts of the world carry the risk that parts of the holiday may be subject to alterations beyond our control, sometimes at short notice. Whilst we always endeavour to avoid changes and cancellations we must reserve the right to do so.
2. Most changes are minor and include change of airline, flight time change of less than 12 hours, change of London airport or local airports, changes to excursions or accommodation to another at the same standard. Please note this list is not exhaustive. We would not be liable for compensation for these changes, and these changes do not entitle you to cancel or change other arrangements without paying normal change fees in these MINOR situations.
3. In the very unlikely event that we need to make a MAJOR change, (exception being a force majeure situation – see definition below) or indeed cancel or postpone your holiday we will offer you the following options:
   1. Accepting the changed arrangements or
   2. Purchasing an alternative holiday from us, of a similar value to that originally booked if available (If less expensive we will refund the difference and if more expensive we would ask you to pay the difference) or
   3. Cancelling in which case you will receive a full refund of all monies when we in turn receive payment from relevant suppliers.
4. If during your holiday an activity is cancelled or changed due to unforeseen circumstances resulting in you not being able to undertake the activity then we will offer you an alternative programme of similar value. If you accept this then we will not be in a position to make a refund. If you choose instead to have a refund upon your return then the cost of the activity, less any administration charges, will be repaid within 7 days of your return to the United Kingdom.
5. We may very occasionally be forced by circumstances beyond our control to change or terminate your holiday after you have started it. We regret we will be unable to make any refunds,( unless we obtain them from our suppliers), pay you compensation or cover any costs you incur as a result.
6. It is not possible to guarantee sightings of wildlife or natural phenomena.
7. To avoid unnecessary risk to our customers, our colleagues providing the services on your holiday, reserve the right to modify the holiday of any participant who they believe could pose a threat to either themselves, or to others if allowed to undertake the activity in question.

          Changes by you

1. Should you wish to make a change to your booking we should be notified in writing/e-mail as soon as possible by the party leader. While we can offer no guarantees of being able to make any changes we will endeavour to assist. Where we can change it for you, an amendment fee of £50 per person will be applied, in addition to any cost changes brought about by the change to your booking.
2. If you cut short your holiday having already started your holiday we are unable to offer you a refund for any part of the holiday not completed. We would  strongly recommend you have adequate insurance in place to cover this eventuality.

Postponing due to Covid 19 

Until the second payment you can change your Opera holiday at no cost* if health concerns are resulting in lockdown by local authorities in the end destination you are visiting. You need to be flying with BA for us to offer you this. For clarity Palio/VSOE/Carnival are not included in this.

*Please note with all postponements due to health concerns resulting in lockdown by local authorities in the end destination we would move your holiday to agreed new dates within 12 months of your original departure date, provided the cost is equivalent. (So you can’t change from June to New Year for example). Please note if you change your travel date for any other reason then our normal terms and conditions apply.

Please note there are a very few breaks that are exceptions to these terms above and we will advise you at time of enquiry

          Cancellation

• If you cancel after the first payment you will likely forfeit your deposit. If the cancellation charge exceeds these payments you will be required to pay us any additional amount due.
• If you cancel after the final payment you will likely forfeit your deposit and possibly your final payment too.  Charges for cancellation after the balance due date will vary due to the complex nature of our travel itineraries. Please ask for confirmation of the amount of any cancellation charge before cancellation.
• Please note that if the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim some or all of the cancellation charges. You will need to check with your insurers in this instance. In all cases, where cancellation results in a refund payment, such payment will be made to you as the lead and contracting member of your party, or any substitute lead and contracting member of the party (see above). This will be the case regardless of which member(s) of the party make(s) the deposit and/or balance payments for the booked experience arrangements. These terms remain the same if you decide to cancel due to Covid-19 
• Flight costs are not refundable and non- transferable unless at the time of booking you wish to pay the premium for a flexible ticket, if available for the route in question. If you would like to make a payment when booking to allow for possible changes to flights, then please advise at time of booking.

         EVENTS AND EVENT TICKETS

1. When you book a holiday with us that includes tickets to an event we, in good faith, buy the tickets at the time of your booking to ensure our commitment to you.
2. If an event is subsequently cancelled or postponed we accept no responsibility to refund or compensate where changes to an event are made for reasons beyond our control. Every effort will be made to offer alternative arrangements and in the unlikely event of cancellation any refund obtained will be passed on to you. If the event issues vouchers for a future performance we will forward these to you for use. However we do not accept any liability for any extra expenses incurred as a result of the event being cancelled, and the rest of your holiday will continue as per your itinerary.
3. On public holidays or at local festivities local tourist sites,transport routes or services may be closed. As these dates vary we may not be able to pre-warn you of these dates, and we do not accept any responsibility for any disruption that this may cause.

        FLIGHTS, DELAYS, AIRPORT SECURITY

Flight Schedule times are subject to change by the airline which we have no control over. The flight timings shown in our proposals and detailed on your confirmation booking receipt are for guidance only and subject to alteration. Should the airline advise us of any changes to their schedule time beforehand we will let you know. Any flight delays on the day will be advised at the airport by the airline. When you check in online please cross check the flights times are as per the e ticket and Travel Plan we will have sent you. Sometimes airlines change flight schedules without notifying us and it’s a good last minute check to ensure your break goes smoothly. Please note it is your responsibility to check flight times at on-line check in as we are not held liable for flight time changes. Any change in the identity of the carrier, flight timings will not entitle you to cancel or change to other arrangements without paying our normal change charge.

1. The choice of airlines and destinations has eased the cost and increased the convenience for travellers. We offer all our customers the opportunity to buy their own flight tickets to accompany any combination of ground arrangements made through us.
2. If we book the flights for you then please be aware that timings are for general guidance only. The actual flight times will be those printed on your tickets. It is possible that flight times could be changed after a ticket is issued and it your responsibility at check in that you are aware of all of the flight times (Both outward and return). If you book your own flights then you assume liability to ensure that you are able to reach the destination of your holiday booked through us. Unfortunately we will not be able to offer a refund for ground arrangements made with us and not used due to you forgetting or making an error in your flight booking.
3. Our recommended insurance policy provides some cover in the event of delays in any of your flights.
4. Please be aware that all airlines will automatically cancel a return flight if you do not use the outward bound flight. Unfortunately even if we pre-advise them that the outward flight is not going to be used they will still cancel the return flight and you will not be able to use it. They will also not give you a refund.
5. Please note that it is very likely that the new Airport security checks for flights to America will also be randomly used for all destinations. Therefore you must ensure that all your electronic devices are fully charged and able to be powered up to show they work, otherwise you will not be allowed to take them on board the flight.
6. Some Flights from the Middle East now do not allow any electronic devices in the cabin. With increasing airport security it is your responsibility to ensure you know and follow the aircraft guidelines
7. Flight Schedule times are subject to change by the airline which we have no control over. Should they make any changes to their schedule time beforehand we will let you know. Any flight delays on the day will be advised at the airport by the airline.
8. If your flight is cancelled or delayed, your flight ticket is downgraded, or boarding is denied by your airline in circumstances which would entitle you to claim compensation against the airline under EC Regulation No 261/2004 – the Denied Boarding Regulations 2004, you must pursue the airline for the compensation due to you. We are not an air carrier and will have no liability to you in relation to the above regulation. All sums you receive or are entitled to receive from the airline concerned by virtue of these Regulations represent the full amount of your entitlement to compensation or any other payment arising from such cancellation, delay, downgrading or denied boarding. This includes any disappointment, distress, inconvenience or effect on any other arrangements. The fact a cancellation before departure or a delay whilst travelling does not entitle you to cancel any other arrangements even where those arrangements have been made in conjunction with your flight. If your airline does not comply with these rules you may use the CAA Passenger Advice and Complaints Service. See www.caa.co.uk – Resolving Travel Problems for further details.
9. In accordance with EU Regulation 2111/2005 we are required to advise you of the actual carrier operating your flight/connecting flight/transfer; this information will be provided at the time of booking. Any changes to the actual airline after you have booked your holiday will be notified to you as soon as possible. Such a change is deemed to be a minor change. Other examples of minor changes include alteration of your outward/return flights by less than 12 hours, changes to aircraft type, and in some cases departure airport if we cover any reasonable additional costs to you associated with this change
10. Where long flight delays result in lost holiday time we are unable to offer any refunds for unused accommodation or other services not used. We strongly recommend you have adequate insurance in place to fully cover such eventualities.

          OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU

1. We take care to ensure that we use all reasonable skill and care in our selection of the parties involved in the preparation and supply of your experiences. Please remember that the appropriate standards, will be those prevalent in your experience destination and not those of the UK or your home country. Any resulting complaint will be judged against the holiday destinations laws and regulations. If the specific service which gave rise to a claim complies with local laws and regulations applicable to those services at the time then the services will be treated as being properly provided. Please bear in mind that standards of safety, hygiene and quality may differ to the stringent standards you expect in the UK or your home country. We accept responsibility for ensuring all parts of the inclusive holiday you have booked with us are supplied to you as described and performed with reasonable skill and care. This means that subject to these booking conditions we will accept responsibility if your contracted holiday arrangements are not provided as promised as a result of failure by our employees, agents or suppliers. Please note that it is your responsibility to show that insufficient skill or care has been made by us. In addition we will only be responsible for what our suppliers did/didn’t do in relation to when they were acting within the terms of the work we have asked them to do, and not if you book an extra activity direct with them or outside the agreed activities.
2. We are not able to accept responsibility for non contracted 3rd Parties and force majeure as described below.
3. Where excursions and/or activities are booked and paid for in advance, and detailed on our confirmation invoice, these will form part of the experience package.  We undertake to use all reasonable skill and care in our selection of excursion and activity suppliers.  Any excursions and/or activities purchased in the experience destination will not form part of the experience package and your contract for such excursions/activities will be made with the relevant supplier, even where the excursion/activity is booked via, and/or payment is made to, our representatives or local agency staff. We are not liable or responsible for any elements of your holiday which are self arranged and not included in our holiday.
4. If any part of your holiday is not provided as advertised we will pay you appropriate compensation as long as you have taken reasonable steps to inform us, or the supplier locally, and given us/ them the opportunity to mitigate your loss. This clause is subject to force majeure
5. Our maximum liability for any claim (excluding personal injury, illness or death) will be limited to twice the cost of your holiday.

The promises we make to you about the services we have agreed to provide, or as part of our contract, and the laws and regulations of the country in which your complaint occurred, will be the basis for deciding whether the service in question had been properly provided.

In all cases, and where appropriate, our liability to you and your party is limited in accordance with, and as if we were a hotel, airline or other transportation   
provider governed by various international conventions.  This limitation of liability applies to claims for, but not limited to, death, injury, illness, and loss, 
damage, delay in the transportation of luggage and personal belongings.  Copies of applicable conventions will be provided upon request.  Some of those that  apply are:
a)    The 1929 Warsaw Convention (as amended by the 1955 Hague Protocol and 1975 Montreal Protocol of 1975),
b)    The 1999 Montreal Convention,
c)    The 1961 Berne Convention,
d)    The 1973 Geneva Convention,
e)    The 1974 Athens Convention,
f)    The 1962 Paris Convention.
In all cases our liability will be limited also in accordance with the relevant supplier’s conditions of carriage, copies of which will be provided upon request.

            FORCE MAJEURE  

Very rarely we may be forced to change or terminate your holiday before or during your holiday due to unforeseen circumstances. We will work with you to find suitable alternatives. We regret that we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by Force Majeure. Force Majeure means any event which we, or the supplier of the services in question, could not even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural disaster, pandemic, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events outside our control. This list is not exhaustive

              YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO US

           Whilst on holiday you will inform us immediately by calling our main line 01722 744695 during office hours or 07766 772059 outside of office hours if:

1. 1. A tour or service is not delivered or does not meet with your expectation. This will allow us to rectify matters that we will not be in a position to do upon your return.
   2. If, whilst on your holiday, you have any accident requiring medical attention, whether the accident was your fault or not. This will allow us to advise you as to the best course of action. We reserve the right to advise you to return home or seek medical assistance locally.
   3. It is essential that you do this to enable us to put matters right immediately, where possible. Failure to do this may mean that any claim for compensation will be affected.

          SPECIAL REQUESTS AND MEDICAL CONDITIONS / DISABILITIES

1. If you have any special request you must advise us at the time of booking. Although we will endeavour to pass on any reasonable request to the relevant supplier we regret we cannot guarantee it will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not constitute a breach of contract on our part
2. If you, or any of your party, has any medical conditions or disability which may affect your holiday or has any special requirements as a result of any medical condition or disability, please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can assist you in considering the suitability of the arrangements.
3. You must also promptly advise us if any medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday develops after your booking has been confirmed

It is a condition of participation in our holidays that you agree to accept the authority and decisions of our local partners. If in their opinion your health or conduct appears likely to endanger the safe or happy progress of the holiday you may be excluded from all or part of the tour, and we may terminate your holiday. Any additional costs incurred by you as a result of such exclusion will be your responsibility.

         BREXIT IMPLICATIONS

• Please note that certain travel arrangements may be affected as a result of the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union. This could include unavailability of certain flight routes, access to certain ports and airports and changes to the visa requirements of British citizens travelling to, within or through the EU. Please rest assured that this is something we will continue to monitor and will advise our customers as soon as possible if we become aware of any confirmed bookings that will be affected. However, since this is something which is completely unprecedented and outside our control, we would treat any such changes as Force Majeure, and whilst we will endeavour to provide suitable alternative arrangements or refunds where possible, we will not be liable to pay you any compensation

         COMPLAINTS

• If you have any complaint or problem whilst away, you must inform us, our representatives or the relevant supplier as soon as possible to give us the maximum opportunity to rectify it.  Any unresolved complaints must be notified to us in writing within 30 days of your return.  If you do not notify your complaint at the earliest opportunity and/or formalise your complaint in writing within 30 days of your return, our ability to investigate your complaint will be affected and your right to compensation may be reduced or lost.

          If a complaint cannot be amicably settled, it may be referred to the arbitration scheme devised for the travel industry by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

        FINANCIAL SECURITY

 The air holiday packages shown are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation authority. Weekend a la Carte’s  ATOL number is 6578.“We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).”Many of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate

• “If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise)for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.”
• When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.”

“We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).”

“If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise)for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.”

Many of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate

          BROCHURE AND WEBSITE

• Whilst we make every effort to ensure that the information on our website is accurate and not misleading, it is published many months before your experience takes place and may be subject to change. We reserve the right to make changes to the website and any information it contains at any time.  Where material changes are made to website content after your experience has been booked, every effort will be made to inform you of such changes prior to travel.

        DATA

• We will store and use the personal data supplied by you as part of your booking form for the purposes of fulfilling the contract between us. We will never pass on your information to third parties other than to fulfil the contract between us. We will use the information provided to keep you informed of services and special offers that we feel might be of interest to you. Please inform us at the time of booking if you do not wish us to use your information in such ways.

        JURISDICTION

• This contract is governed by English Law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

       REGISTERED OFFICE

Weekend à Carte Ltd – Registered in the United Kingdom Co Number: 4976338

Dated: July 2020