Covid – 19 guidelines
At Sicily à la carte we would like to reassure you and let you know that we appreciate your patience during this time as we follow very closely the latest developments from official governments and health bodies. We are sitting tight and preparing to be as flexible as we can during the coming weeks until time is right for travel again.
- If you have a booking which you want to cancel or reschedule, read on for our guidelines.
- If you are making a new booking, check our Special Flexible Booking Policy below. This is designed to give you some peace of mind in case your travel insurance does not cover you or if you would like to secure a future booking knowing that you can reschedule with ease.
- Travel from and to the UK
- Travel to and from Italy
- Travel in Italy, Sicily: Covid-19 health and safety measures
- Villa Accommodation / Boutique Hotels: Covid-19 health and safety measures
Linked travel arrangements
Sicily a la carte provides some linked travel arrangement in the form of accommodation and services in Sicily.
Sicily a la carte is a non-ABTA member.
The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 do not apply to accommodation only bookings.
If you have booked your travel arrangements separately (ege.g – a flight directly with an airline and a hotel or villa accommodation, or a service through us), you might have certain protection for the individual services in other ways – through travel insurance or through booking with your debit or credit card – but you should check with your providers as levels of protection vary.
If you have not spoken to us yet to discuss your upcoming trip, please get in touch with Annamaria or Kaushalia as soon as possible.
Call us on +39 320 966 9209, or +44 (0) 7983852334
Our bookings guidelines
Deposits
Deposits are non-refundable as per our standard policy. See our standard T & Cs.
From June 2020, our covid-19 flexible policy will request 20% ONLY non-refundable deposits instead of the standard 30%.
From June 2020, any booking deposits paid through Sicily a la Carte in 2020 can be made transferable to any future date (where available) or transferred but not sold to 3rd parties of your choice should you have to cancel your trip due to the FCO advising against travel as a result of Covid-19.
Third parties could be a friend, family member or a person of your choice.
You will have to notify us in time for this to be validated as the valid period in which to use the non-refundable deposit towards your holidays will end as of : 01 October 2021.
In other words, you can now reserve your holiday accommodation safe in the knowledge that, if you need to cancel at any time due to coronavirus, your 20% only deposit is safe. However, please do check the information and clarifications below, before you decide to cancel your trip.
Flexible policy
Amidst the ever changing news and updates regarding COVID-19 and the Coronavirus, rest assured that your planned holiday, whether already booked with us or if planning to book a travel since news of the outbreak, will either go ahead safely as planned, or you will receive the choice of alternative holiday options (where available), a credit against a future holiday with us or a refund.
Our flexible 20% deposit policy is only valid during periods when travel is restricted due to covid-19 related issues worldwide, in Italy and when the FCO advises British people against all non- essential travel worldwide.
Our flexible 20% deposit policy allows any booking deposits paid through Sicily a la Carte in 2020 to be made transferable to any future date according to availability or 3rd parties of your choice, should you or anyone in your party have to cancel your trip due to covid-19 related travel restrictions issued by the FCO.
Third parties could be a friend, family member or a person of your choice.
Proof of any covid-19 health related issues shall be required to apply the flexible policy to your booking.
Our flexible policy allows the balance due to be paid up to 4 weeks prior to departure.
For cancellations and rescheduling
Unfortunately, except for certain Linked Travel Arrangements, we are unable to offer refunds for Coronavirus-related cancellations, and our normal cancellation charges as per our standard T & Cs will apply. In this situation, we would recommend you first contact your travel insurance provider.
Please see our standard T & Cs.
Please see our Covid-19 Flexible Policy valid from June 2020.
For any new booking
Please see our standard T & Cs.
Please see our Covid-19 Flexible Policy valid from June 2020.
For bookings departing in July and August 2020
If you have a booking with us in July and August, please get in touch with us as to discuss your options soon as you can as the situation is evolving quickly.
While it looks like travel to our destinations will be possible from many EU countries, travels bans in other countries seem set to remain in place for the foreseeable future. If you are from one of these later countries, we would like to discuss the following options with you as soon as possible, especially since some of our villas are starting to fill up for 2021:
- you may wish to wait and see how the situation evolves, but please do let us know about your plans at least 4 weeks before your booking is scheduled to start (your balance payment due date).
- alternatively, you may prefer to move your booking to 2021 (or to receive a voucher* that can be used against a future booking at the same villa). We are happy to do this straight away, so please do contact us at your earliest convenience.
Call us or email info@sicilyalacarte.com
Before confirming anything with us, please first check with your travel insurance provider to ascertain what effect, if any, a change of dates using a voucher might have on the coverage of your policy.
*If, for whatever reason, you are unable to use your voucher to reschedule your holiday and would like to pass your voucher on to friends or family members, we will happily change the name of the lead booker.
Insurance policy
We require that you and all members of your party take out adequate travel insurance prior to booking with us. What is adequate will depend on your particular needs but we generally recommend that as a minimum such a policy should include cover for medical expenses, personal accident, repatriation in the event emergency, illness or accident, loss, theft, or damage to/of personal possessions or money, cancellation (including any cancellation charges), and your liability for any sums (including legal costs) which you may become liable to pay in case of loss or damage to your booked property or its contents during your stay.
Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday. We do not check insurance policies and it is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is especially adequate for your needs during and after the covid-19 pandemic.
Our travel guidelines
For travel from and to the United Kingdom
Please check the FCO website prior to booking and travel.
Travel advice from the UK government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
Guidance for Air Travel through the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis
For travel to and from Italy and Sicily
As of 3rd June 2020, Italy’s borders have re-opened to EU / Schengen citizens and movement within the country will be unrestricted. Persons entering or re-entering Italy from these countries will not be submitted to health checks nor to 14-day quarantines unless they have visited other countries than those stated above 14 days or less prior to reaching Italy.
https://www.esteri.it/mae/en/ministero/normativaonline
Travel in Italy, Sicily: Covid-19 health and safety measures
Protective masks
Protective masks are compulsory in any situation where it is impossible to keep the necessary distance of 1 – 2 meters from others. Wearing a mask is not necessary on a solitary road, but it is on a trafficked road. It is not compulsory for children under the age of 7.
Bars / Restaurants / Shops
The rules are listed in the Ministerial Decree dated 17 May 2020 (All. 11) and include: Social distancing, cleaning, and sanitization at least twice a day, depending on opening hours.
Anti-contagion rules such as entering one at the time, the use of masks and gloves for staff, antibacterial gel, and disposable gloves for visitors at supermarkets to be found by tills and entrance. Where possible separate entrance and exit are required.
Shows / Concerts
From June 15 2020, all shows with pre-assigned seats in keeping with the security measures of masks and social distancing of 1 – 2 meters between persons (spectators and staff alike) for a maximum of 1000 spectators in the open air and 200 spectators in an enclosed environment are allowed unless differently stated in future due to new COVID developments. Each Italian Region can make independent decisions regarding this.
Until 15 June, all the above as well as discos, open air dancing, fairs, conferences, local feats, and cultural events remain closed / suspended.
Museums, historical archives, libraries, open-air archeological parks, and areas are open to the public since 25 May 2020.
Cleaning and sanitization
Normal detergents can be used in all businesses. For the disinfection of worktops sodium hypochlorite at 0,1% – 0,5%, ethanol at 62% – 71% reduce COVID infectivity within one minute.
In case of a person with COVID indoors the diffusion of hydrogen peroxide at 0,5%.
Circolare n.5543 del 22 febbraio 2020
Our Villa Accommodation & Boutique Hotels
health and safety measures
We are following all the recommendations and best practice guidelines issued by governments, health authorities and international agencies, and we are taking all possible precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of our guests.
Travellers must comply with all Italian Covid requirements when visiting the country.
DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS, 26 April 2020 – For Hotels:
- To ensure that there is disinfecting gel by the entrance, by each communal room (corridor, landing, lift) of each floor and in bathrooms with a sign to disinfect hands before and after access.
- To display adequate and clear information understandable to all relevant nationalities and disabilities.
- Where possible, masks and disposable gloves to those who request them.
- The client is to wear a mask in the presence of staff and whenever social distancing is impossible.
- Staff is to wear masks and disposable gloves within the structure.
- Cleaning: Rooms will be cleaned as usual. On departure days the rooms will be sanitized. Cleaning and sanitization include all surfaces that the clients have come into contact with. Dirty laundry will be placed in a separate container to the one with clean laundry. To remove all elements that cannot stand regular cleaning.
- Cleaning material should be disposable.
- Objects for the clients’ use should be disinfected before and after clients’ arrival / departure.
- Frequent and regular cleaning of all surfaces that are touched regularly such as handles and railings.
- To air the rooms frequently regularly.
Villa Accommodation:
- Our Local Contacts are fully briefed and are collaborating with the owners of our villas on all Coronavirus-related issues.
- Extra deep cleaning – above and beyond our already stringent hygiene standards – is being organized for each villa before every check-in. Wherever possible, this will involve professional sanitization carried out between bookings by government-certified companies using specialist equipment and eco-friendly products.
- A rigorous daily cleaning procedure with certified cleaning products, as well as daily disinfection of higher risk areas.
- Staff working in our villas have all been issued with Coronavirus hygiene guidelines.
- We are equipping all our villas with special health and hygiene advice sheets, including the numbers and addresses of the closest specialized health centres.
- Each villa has been provided with a good supply of hand sanitizer and other relevant products.
- Our guests can contact our Local Contact 24 h for advice, reassurance, and practical help. They are hands-on and have the know-how and the contacts to deal with all kinds of situations.
- All villa staff and caretakers are being trained on our new stringent health and hygiene procedures. However, we recognize that some clients, for understandable reasons of social distancing, will prefer to limit to a minimum or completely exclude the presence of staff during their stay. We will be delighted to discuss special requests such as this, as well as any others you might have. Please contact us.