Terms & Conditions for reserving ***** The Emerald Villa.....

These terms and conditions are all aimed at providing you, the guest, with a problem free vacation by protecting the high standards of the accommodation offered for each and every party of guests. We believe there is no finer, better equipped or better maintained villa for your Florida vacation and we aim to keep it that way for all.

The applicant is over 25 years of age and accepts these terms and conditions on behalf of all members of the villa party and is solely responsible for ensuring these are adhered to. By returning a booking / reservation form to us you automatically agree to having read and understood the terms and conditions.

Bookings and Cancellations

The reservation form is to be filled out in full and returned to us either by post to one of the addresses shown below. Only persons included on the form are entitled to enter the property. If persons found to be staying at the villa are not listed on the reservation form or with prior written agreement from us, the owners, the whole party will be removed from the villa instantly, without notice or compensation.

Upon booking a deposit of at least 20% must be paid to reserve your dates within 5 working days. A variety of payment methods is available. Cheques / money orders must be made out to Joanne Witherden. Full payment is required 10 weeks prior to departure. Cancellations prior to 10 weeks will result in loss of the deposit. Cancellations within 10 weeks of departure will be liable for the total cost of their holiday booking. It is your responsibility to make sure that all guests have adequate insurance to cover your costs in case of cancellation through accident, illness or other circumstance. It is also your responsibility to ensure that yourself and those others in the party have valid passports and appropriate visas where necessary. To gain entry to the USA British passports must be valid for 6 months after your departure from the USA.

Your contract with us is made on the terms of this agreement under English law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

Check in / out times

Checking in will be available from 4pm on the day of your arrival and the checking out time is by 10am on the day of your departure (to allow for cleaning to commence before the next guests arrive). If necessary other arrangements may be made prior to arrival provided it is possible and sufficient notice is given.

Cleaning and Maid service

Cleaning will take place prior to your arrival and after your departure as you would expect, but in addition to this a midweek maid service is provided at no cost to you. This is for the purpose of pampering our guests whilst maintaining the villa to the high standards provided. A daily maid service is available during your visit and can be arranged at extra cost - please enquire when you make your reservation.

You must ensure that valuables are locked away in the safes provided and the villa is tidy enough for the midweek clean so that the vacuuming, dusting and linen changes etc can take place without hindrance. Our caretaker will contact you upon arrival to arrange which day this will suit you best.

It is expected that all kitchen utensils will be washed and put back and the property left in an orderly state when you depart.

Maintenance

Maintenance of the villa is extremely important and we reserve the right to carry out maintenance to repair damaged items or faulty equipment during your stay. We will always try not to disturb guests and to carry out maintenance during the end of stay and midweek cleans but where this isn’t possible it will have to be carried out during a guests stay. We can make no guarantees that every single item at the villa will be in working order as things do get broken etc but we do guarantee that any problems will be dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible once reported to our caretaker in order to ensure as little impact on present and future guests as is possible. Because things do get old or broken and replacement isn’t always possible and also because we are constantly upgrading the villa amenities we retain the right to remove or change advertised amenities at the villa and can’t guarantee that everything advertised at the villa will be available for your stay – Example: Removal of video recorders, upgrading DvD to Bluray, Xbox 360’s to Xbox480’s etc. At the time of your reservation however the villa amenities are as advertised on our website.

Entertainment

A large selection of DVDs and PS2 / XBox 360 games are provided at the villa. It is the guests responsibility to ensure that all the listed DVDs are in the racks at the villa on arrival and that they are returned to the racks in number order upon departure for easy inventorying. Should any be missing or found to be damaged please let the caretaker know so that they can be replaced.

The entertainment centre in the family room has full instructions so that you can easily watch or play whatever you wish. Guests are requested not to move any of the components or disconnect or connect them.

Insects

Florida has an abundant number of insects associated with the tropical climate. The villa is treated for insects regularly to ensure no problems occur but on occasion insects inevitably find their way into the property. These insects are best eradicated by spraying with the appropriate product which is available at the villa. Ants are the most common intruder but are easily avoided by not leaving foodstuffs out or sweet wrappers in bedrooms etc.

Internet / Telephone

Full WiFi is available at the villa for guests to use their own laptops and we have provided a laptop for E-mails etc. There are telephone points in each bedroom as well as the main living areas and these are for free use for local, national and international calls within reason.

Licensing

The villa is licensed for sixteen persons plus infants but has only main bedding for fourteen plus two infants. It is possible to have two extra children stay at the villa therefore totaling 16 persons by prior arrangement. Any more than 16 persons is unacceptable and we regret we can not offer accommodation to larger parties. No persons not listed on the booking form may stay at the villa without written consent from us. In the event that guests bring more people than we are informed of the whole party will be removed from the villa and no compensation made available.

Pets

The villa is a clean hypoallergenic environment with furniture and bedding suitable for those that suffer from allergies. Therefore for the comfort and convenience of all our guests the villa is strictly a no pets area. Guests found to have pets at the villa will incur the total loss of their security deposit and will be removed from the villa immediately and without compensation.

Pool

The pool is heated by an electric heater and heating is included in the price of your stay. The heater is set at 83 degrees which is the highest it can be under Florida State Law. The heater will heat the pool to a maximum of 35 degrees above air temperature and during rare periods where the temperature drops to the 40s and below it will be necessary to use the thermal pool blanket provided overnight to keep the pool temperature comfortable. The pool is chemically treated on a weekly basis for health and safety reasons as dictated by Florida State Law. For safety reasons there is a child safety fence in place that can be dismantled at the guests own risk and the patio doors are alarmed. It is your responsibility to ensure that the patio door alarms are turned on and working and that children are accompanied by an adult at all times. If any of the door alarms aren’t working for any reason you are duty bound to inform the caretaker straight away for maintenance. We accept no responsibility for death or accident in or around the pool area. We ask that the unbreakable correlline tableware is used outside in this area but should a glass become broken near the pool it is your duty to let the caretaker know so the pool guy can sweep the pool to avoid future accident. You will not be charged for this, safety comes first.

Problems

Whilst we take every care to ensure that everything is perfect for your stay at the villa we can’t prepare for unforeseen circumstances. In the event of any problems or need of assistance in any way no matter how small our caretaker is available 24 hours a day to ensure that these can be dealt with quickly and efficiently without the enjoyment of your stay at the villa becoming tarnished. If there is reason for complaint then these must be forwarded to our caretaker within 24 hours in writing (contact details are made available at the villa) or to myself via E-mail. Unless there is a valid reason we will not be responsible for any complaint that is not registered with our caretaker or myself and any financial reimbursement will not be possible. Financial reimbursement is given at our discretion only. Everything we do is aimed at making sure you have the best vacation experience possible and based on historical fact we doubt that you will experience any problems.

Your Responsibilities

The villa and all its contents are the sole property of ourselves and we expect them to be treated with respect. Any breakage’s, loss or damage will be made good by the guest at our discretion and we reserve the right to withhold any moneys from the security deposit or recharge the applicants for extra cleaning or other related services where necessary. Damage should be reported instantly to the caretaker so that it may be rectified quickly and efficiently before the next guests arrive. We are not concerned with small things like a broken glass but larger accidents such as a spilt drink on the pool table need to be reported. We will meet our guests some way on the payment for replacement or repair of damage providing it is reported immediately. Damage discovered after guests depart will be charged in full plus any administration costs. It is our intention that each and every guest arrives to perfection as if they were the first guests ever to stay at the villa and dealing with damage as it arises is the only way for us to ensure this. It is also your responsibility to lock your valuables and money in the safes provided at the villa. We do not accept liability for losses of money and valuables during your stay at the villa.

Safety

The pool has a fitted safety screen to ensure children’s safety which can be removed at your own risk. Children must be supervised at all times around the pool area by a responsible adult and we do not accept responsibility for any loss or injury in the pool or around the pool area. Crockery and glass must not be taken into the pool or surrounding patio area for obvious reasons. An alarm system is fitted at the villa and it is possible to turn this on so that the villa can be inhabited but the doors alarmed so that children cannot go outside without it sounding.

Security Deposits

A refundable Security deposit of £500 or $750 is required 2 - 4 weeks prior to the holiday start date and is refundable (see responsibilities above) as soon as possible after your departure providing all is well.

Smoking

For the comfort and convenience of all our guests the villa is a no smoking area. Smoking is permitted outside by the pool deck area and guests are welcome to smoke there. Smoking within the villa will result in the total loss of your security deposit and if discovered before your departure your party will be removed without compensation.