DATE UPDATED: 01/01/2021
Please read these Terms & Conditions carefully as these are legally binding and within the province of the agreement between FIRST ACCESS and yourself, as the contractor, determining the rights as well as the obligations of each contracting party.
A COVID – 19 Emergency Cancellation
Policy Reservations made for the 2021 summer season and with booking date from 01/01/2021 and thereafter.
In these uncertain times, we understand the concerns of our clients regarding payment and cancellation terms. So far, during this year and until now, we have gone one step further and made sure that all our clients wouldn’t lose their holidays due to a setback of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are determined and continue to provide better terms than those indicated within our Booking Conditions and none of our future clients will lose their holidays due to a travel setback of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the comprehensive financial insurance protection that we already offer and can secure your holidays, we are here to help you overcome any setback that may occur before travelling to your holiday destination. We will work closely with you, and can amend your travel dates, at any point before the final balance payment stage at many villas in our portfolio.
Don’t hesitate to contact us, as we will be delighted to discuss with you your concerns and find best solution for you, so that not miss out on your holidays with us.
1. BOOKING
1.1 Our Booking Terms and Conditions and your Booking Form contain all provisions of your booking with FIRST ACCESS. This applies equally to the Contractor and all guests included in the Booking Form as ‘Occupants’.
1.2 Your receipt of this Booking Form constitutes our conditional offer for the rental of the Property and for any additional services that you have requested. This offer is subject to our receipt of the Booking Form, duly completed and signed by you within 48 hours from the e-mail or fax transmission of the Booking Documents to you. If we do not receive the completed and signed Booking Form within the above deadline, our conditional offer will expire and your provisional booking will be cancelled.
1.3 Your booking pertains to accommodation in a furnished luxury property with cleaning and any catering or other auxiliary services that you have requested, as mentioned in the ‘Included in your booking” section on Page
2. THE PARTIES
Please note that FIRST ACCESS is acting solely as a Booking Agent in the name and on behalf of the Property Owner (or any authorized agent for the Property), for the rental of the property, as well as for the Service Provider (any independent provider of services such as catering, chauffeur, etc.) for the services requested. The Booking Document contains all details you agreed to, that is to say:
i) The Short-Term Lease Agreement for the Property with the Owner and
ii) The services provided by the Service Providers
3. THE PROPERTY
We visit and check each property regularly. The information about each property on our website is accurate to the best of our knowledge. We will inform you as soon as possible of any major changes to the property that may render accommodation substantially different to what you have booked. We cannot be held liable for any modifications made to the property without our prior knowledge. Please be aware that we use a fictional name for most of the properties in our portfolio for marketing purposes.
4. PAYMENTS
In order for this offer to become a firm booking, we ask that you follow the Payment Schedule on page 1 of this document, according to which: The Initial Payment of 30% of the Total Amount Payable must be in our Bank Account within 2 working days of confirmation of receipt of the duly completed and signed Booking Form by FIRST ACCESS. The balance must be paid eight (8) weeks before the first day of the Rental Period. The Security Deposit must be paid two (2) weeks before the first day of the Rental Period. If your reservation is made within eight (8) weeks before the first day of the Rental Period, payment of the Total Amount Payable must take place within two (2) days of confirmation of receipt of the duly completed and signed Booking Form by FIRST ACCESS Payment must be made through a remittance to our Bank Account. Please take into account that it may take up to two working days for the money transfer to be processed and deposited. If payments, as specified in the Payment Schedule, are not received by their respective due dates, or you do not adhere to any other provision in all Booking Documents, the Villa Owner and/or FIRST ACCESS reserve the right to immediately terminate this agreement and cancel your booking. You shall be refused access to the Property. In this event, the cancellation policy as per article 7 of this document shall apply.
5. BOOKING CONFIRMATION DETAILS
Once we have received the Total Amount Payable according to the Payment Schedule, you shall receive a Booking Confirmation from FIRST ACCESS by e-mail or fax. Please read this confirmation carefully and contact FIRST ACCESS immediately if the information contained therein is incorrect or incomplete. FIRST ACCESS shall not be obliged to rectify any errors or omissions that are reported more than 24 hours after transmitting the confirmation.
6. REPRESENTATION
You hereby authorise and appoint any company belonging to FIRST ACCESS to act on your behalf and in your name in order to prepare and sign the Short-Term Lease Agreement for the Property with the Owner under the terms included herein and you undertake to hold harmless and indemnify such companies and any officers and/or employees of such companies signing the Short-Term Lease Agreement for the Property with the Owner from any claim arising out of or in connection with the signing of such Short-Term Lease Agreement for the Property.
7. CHANGES & CANCELATION BY YOU
7.1 If you wish to make any changes to your confirmed booking, you must notify us in writing as soon as possible and we will try to adjust to the proposed changes, without charging additional charges, if that is feasible, however, we cannot guarantee that such requests will be fulfilled. If the above-mentioned changes result in additional cost, you will be informed in writing on the changes and the cost which will be included in our agreement, while article 4 of the present will apply concerning the payment of the additional cost.
7.2 If you wish to cancel your booking, you must inform us immediately in writing. The following cancellation policy shall apply if a replacement booking does not materialize: Cancellation by You: Security Deposits and Food Budget will be refunded in full More than 8 weeks before the first day of the Rental Period: Down payment of 30% shall not be refunded Less than 8 weeks before the first day of the Rental Period: No refund will be made
7.3 In all cases of cancellation, the security deposit shall be refunded in full.
8. CANCELLATION OR CHANGES BY FIRST ACCESS
In the exceptional circumstance where we can no longer provide you with the Property you have booked, you will have a choice between one of the following options for the same Rental Period:
i)Accept an alternate property of equivalent or superior rating for the same Rental Period, or
ii)Accept an alternative property of lower rating for the same Rental Period and receive a credit note for the difference in the Overall Cost between the original and the substitute property.
iii) If neither option above is possible or if you do not wish to accept an alternative property, we will cancel the booking and refund all money paid to us. We shall not be held liable and shall not pay any further compensation/ damages nor shall we accept any other claims derived from the cancellation.
9. CHECK-IN / CHECK OUT
Please observe the check-in and check-out times listed on page 1. We will try to accommodate requests for early check-in and late check-outs, but cannot guarantee the feasibility.
10. WORKING HOURS OF STAFF (STAFFED BOOKINGS ONLY)
Employed professional staff (chefs, butlers, hosts, chauffeurs, etc) are available for work for a total of 8-10 hours per day unless otherwise agreed between you and FIRST ACCESS. If their services are required for additional hours per day there will be a surcharge for overtime.
11. USE OF PROPERTY
11.1 Only those persons stipulated on page 2 of this document may occupy the Property. The number of guests staying overnight in the Property may not exceed the Maximum Occupancy indicated on Page 1. In the event the number of guests exceeds the Maximum Occupancy, we reserve the right to ask all guests to vacate the Property immediately.
11.2 You shall use the Property only for the purpose for which it has been let to you (personal lodging). It is forbidden to use the premises for any kind of commercial use during the rental (photoshoots, seminars), and/or to hold parties for entertainment or a function involving a large number of invitees unless expressly agreed upon in writing by FIRST ACCESS or the Owner. Should you make unauthorised use of the Property as indicated, we reserve the right to ask all guests to vacate the Property immediately. You shall not sublet the Property under any circumstance whatsoever. Photographs taken at the Property cannot be used for publication or sold for profit without written authorisation by FIRST ACCESS and the Owner.
12. GUEST INJURY DISCLAIMER
FIRST ACCESS cannot be held liable towards you, the occupants or your guests for any accident or injury that occurred during your stay under any circumstance whatsoever, except in case the accident or injury was caused by gross negligence on the part of FIRST ACCESS.
13. SAFETY
FIRST ACCESS can not be held liable towards you, the occupants or your guests for any loss or misplacement of valuables left in the Property during your stay, except in case the loss or misplacement of valuables is caused by gross negligence of FIRST ACCESS.
14. CHILDREN
FIRST ACCESS will strive to inform you of the suitability of the Property for children. Please note that the supervision, safety and behaviour of your children is your sole responsibility.
15. PETS
Only some of our property owners accept pets. If you wish to bring one, you must ask FIRST ACCESS for written approval. An additional Security Deposit shall be requested. The amount may vary depending on the chosen property but will not be higher than your Security Deposit.
16. BEHAVIOUR
If in the educated opinion of FIRST ACCESS, the Owner, or any other person in authority you, or a member of your party, behaves in a manner which causes or is likely to cause danger, excessive disturbance (i.e. to neighbours) or damage to the Property, or acts in breach of any provision in the Booking Documents, this Agreement may be terminated effective immediately and you shall all be requested to vacate the Property. In this event, you shall not receive any refund and you shall be held liable for any expenses incurred as a result of your behaviour or the behaviour of persons in your party.
17. DAMAGES / SECURITY DEPOSIT
17.1 The Property shall be checked by the Owner and/or FIRST ACCESS before and after the Rental Period. You shall be held liable for any proven damages or losses caused to the Property and its contents. We recommend that you ensure that your insurance policy covers accidental damage to the Property and its contents.
17.2 You shall be liable for all costs related to the loss of any keys provided to you on the first day of the Rental Period.
17.3 Your Security Deposit shall be returned to you at the latest within 15 days from the end of the Rental Period. Potential proven damages or losses as per paragraph 16.1 will be deducted from your Security Deposit. In the exceptional case where the cost of repairing/replacing any proven damages exceeds the Security Deposit, you accept to cover the additional cost within 7 days of your notification.
18. COMPLAINTS AND PROBLEMS DURING YOUR STAY
18.1 While both FIRST ACCESS and the Owner will do everything in their power to provide you with a trouble-free stay, a villa may present malfunctions like any other house. Our aim to mend any problem that arises within 24 hours may not always be feasible because of the time of day or day of the week, the location of the villa, the unavailability of technicians, etc. If you are dissatisfied with the Property or the service of a Supplier, please contact us immediately. It is a precondition for any compensation that you inform FIRST ACCESS in writing of all complaints as soon as possible and in any event not after the end of your Rental Period.
18.2 Please note that some of our properties are located on small islands with severe problems of drought. We kindly ask you to use water sparingly, especially during the summer months. Electricity and water shortages may, and do, occur in some areas and while we will do everything in our power to reestablish supply or remedy the situation, we cannot be held responsible for the inconvenience such shortages may create.
19. FORCE MAJEURE
FIRST ACCESS shall not bear any responsibility if the execution of this agreement is no longer possible because of force majeure. All of the following shall be considered force majeure: the threat of war, an act of terrorism, industrial action, dangerous weather conditions, fire, flood, drought, unexpected shutting down of an airport or harbour, unforeseen changes to transport time schedules or any other event which is beyond the control of FIRST ACCESS.
20. ADVERTISING & INTERNET INFORMATION
FIRST ACCESS truly believes that the information and statements in the content of its website are accurate. Every possible effort is made to fully and precisely describe each Property and services offered. Moreover, every possible effort is made to provide the services described on our website. FIRST ACCESS reserves the right to change published information, prices and itineraries mentioned on its website. On condition that such changes are communicated to you before the submission of the booking form, or after its submission but before the reservation is confirmed by FIRST ACCESS, those changes are binding for both parties. FIRST ACCESS is not responsible for content, policies and services which are connected/linked to or accessible through its website.
21. INSURANCES
You are responsible for your third-party liability, health and medical repatriation insurances. FIRST ACCESS is not a travel agent, does not o er such insurances and shall not be held liable for the absence of such insurances.
22. PARTIAL CANCELLATION
Partial cancellation of the provisions of the Booking Documents according to an agreement between the parties or to the decision of a judicial authority shall not affect the validity of the Booking Documents in its entirety.
23. APPLICABLE LAW-JURISDICTION
All disputes arising between you and/or your party on the one hand and FIRST ACCESS and/or any of its directors, officers, or employees on the other from or in connection with the Booking Documents and/or your stay at the Property in general shall be settled by the Courts of Athens, Greece by application of Greek Law.
24. PERSONAL DATA
FIRST ACCESS shall act in compliance with legislation about personal data protection and specifically with the GDPR. All data are provided to us by you and enable us to process your final booking and the services you request. Security measures are in place to ensure that our guests’ database is not accessible to any unauthorised company or individual. FIRST ACCESS does need to disclose some personal data to its Service Providers as well as to its Financial Administrator but shall not make the above-mentioned information available to these third parties without your explicit consent, provided in a special authorization form. By sending an inquiry or proceeding booking with to “FIRST ACCESS” you and the all the guest participating on the trip automatically agree all the above terms. Please note that if you do not wish your data to be stored anymore, other than for our financial administration, or if you wish to remove your consent, you may notify us at any time by e-mail at [email protected]