The following booking conditions form the basis of your contract with Singing Holidays Ltd. When you make a booking, we are entitled to assume that you have read and agree to these booking conditions.
Understanding the terms
Except where otherwise stated, these booking conditions only apply to holiday arrangements which you book with us which we agree to make, provide or perform (as applicable) as part of our contract with you. All references in these booking conditions to “holiday”, “booking” or “arrangements” mean such holiday arrangements unless otherwise stated.
In these booking conditions, “you” and “your” means all persons named on the booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date) or any of them, as the context requires. “We”, “us” and “our” means Singing Holidays Ltd. If you’d like more information regarding our terms and conditions, then do contact us.
1. Make your booking
The first named person on the booking (“party leader”) must be authorised to make the booking based on these booking conditions by all persons named on the booking and by their parent or guardian for all party members who are under 18 when the booking is made. By making a booking, the party leader confirms that he/she is so authorised. The party leader is responsible for making all payments due to us. The party leader must be at least 18 when the booking is made.
Subject to the availability of your chosen arrangements, we will confirm your holiday by issuing a confirmation invoice. This invoice will be sent to the party leader. Please check this invoice carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact us immediately if any information which appears on the confirmation or any other document seems to be incorrect or incomplete, as it may not be possible to make changes later. We regret we cannot accept any liability if we are not notified of any inaccuracies (for which we are responsible) in any document within 10-days of our sending it out. We will do our best to rectify any mistake notified to us outside this time limit, but you must meet any costs involved in doing so. If we are unable to accept your booking, we will return any payment made to us.
If you wish to, you may contact us by e-mail for any of the reasons mentioned in these booking conditions (for example, to request an amendment) providing you do so to [email protected]
2. Payment
To confirm your chosen holiday, a deposit of the amount advised must be paid within 7 days of booking.
50% of the remaining balance of the holiday cost must be received 7 days after holiday confirmation. The final remaining balance (the final 50% of the outstanding) must be received 8 weeks before departure. If we do not receive all payments due (including any surcharge where applicable) in full and on time, we are entitled to assume that you wish to cancel your booking. In this case, we will be entitled to keep all deposits and other payments paid or due at that date. If we do not cancel straight away because you have promised to make payment, you must pay the cancellation charges shown in clause 7 depending on the date we reasonably treat your booking as cancelled.
3. Your contract
A binding contract between us comes into existence when we despatch our confirmation invoice to the party leader. We both agree that English law (and no other) will apply to your contract and to any dispute, claim or other matter of any description which arises between us.
5. Special requests and medical conditions/disabilities.
If you have any special request, you must advise us at the time of booking. Although we will endeavour to pass any reasonable requests on to the relevant supplier, we regret we cannot guarantee any request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part. Confirmation that a special request has been noted or passed on to the supplier or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation is not confirmation that the request will be met. Unless and until specifically confirmed, all special requests are subject to availability. For your protection, you should obtain confirmation in writing that a special request will be applied (where it is possible to give this) where it is important to you.
We regret we cannot accept any conditional bookings, i.e., any booking which is specified to be conditional on the fulfilment of a particular request. All such bookings will be treated as “standard” bookings, subject to the above provisions on special requests.
If you have any medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday or any special requirements as a result of any medical condition or disability (including any which affect the booking process), please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can assist you in considering the suitability of the arrangements and/or making the booking. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking and whenever any change in the condition or disability occurs. You must also promptly advise us if any medical condition or disability, which may impact your holiday, develops after your booking has been confirmed.
4. The cost of your holiday
Please note, changes and errors occasionally occur. You must check the price of your chosen holiday at the time of booking.
The prices shown on our website (singingholidays.com) were calculated on 01 Oct 2021 based on an exchange rate of £1 to €1.19 as shown on www.xe.com
We reserve the right to increase/decrease and correct errors in advertised prices at any time before your holiday is confirmed. We will advise you of any error of which we are aware and of the then applicable price at the time of booking.
The price of your chosen holiday is confirmed once you have received holiday confirmation from us via email, then subject to the correction of errors, we will only increase the price in the following circumstances : A surcharge may be payable, subject to the conditions set out in this clause, in the event of any change in the exchange rates which have been used to calculate the cost of your holiday.
Even in the above cases, only if the amount of any increase in our costs exceeds 5% of the total cost of your holiday (excluding any amendment charges) will we levy a surcharge. If any surcharge is greater than 10% of the cost of your holiday (excluding any amendment charges), you will be entitled to cancel your booking and receive a full refund of all monies you have paid to us (except for any amendment charges) or alternatively purchase another holiday from us.
Where applicable, you have 14 days from the issue date printed on the surcharge invoice to tell us if you want to choose option (b) or (c) as set out in clause 8. If you do not tell us that you wish to choose either of these options within this period of time, we are entitled to assume that you do not wish to do so and will pay the surcharge. Any surcharge must be paid with the balance of the cost of the holiday or within 14 days of the issue date printed on the surcharge invoice, whichever is the latter.
Please note that arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your holiday due to contractual and other protection in place.
We promise not to levy a surcharge within 30 days of departure.
5. Applied discounts
Any discount on any Singing Holidays Limited event is offered at the discretion of the company (Singing Holidays Limited). Discounts applied will be deducted from the advertised basic price of each event. All room supplements, room upgrades and any unforeseen costs sustained by the company on behalf of the client are not subject to discount or reduced rate.
6. Changes by you
Should you wish to make any changes to your confirmed holiday, you must notify us in writing as soon as possible. While we will endeavour to assist, we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet any such requests.
If you are prevented from travelling, the person(s) concerned may transfer their place to someone else (introduced by you) providing we are notified not less than 21 days before departure. Where a transfer to a person of your choice can be made, all costs and charges incurred by us and/or incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers as a result, together with an amendment fee as advised when you make your request, must be paid before the transfer can be effected. Any overdue balance payment must also be received.
7. Cancellation by you
Should you need to cancel your holiday once it has been confirmed, the party leader must immediately advise us in writing. Your notice of cancellation will only be effective when it is received in writing by us via email ([email protected]). As we incur costs from the time we confirm your booking, the following cancellation charges will be payable. Where the cancellation charge is shown as a percentage, this is calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by the person(s) cancelling, excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges. Insurance premiums and amendment charges are not refundable in the event of cancellation.
Cancellation charges for short-haul holidays:
- Cancellations made more than 50 days before departure: deposits forfeited.
- 50-43 days: 30% of the holiday cost or deposit forfeited (whichever is the greater).
- 42-22 days: 50% of the holiday cost forfeited.
- 21-8 days: 80% of the holiday cost forfeited.
- Within 7 days of the departure, on the departure date or after the holiday has commenced: all holiday costs forfeited.
- Any client choosing to leave their hotel earlier than scheduled will receive no refund for unused accommodation.
Cancellation charges for long-haul holidays:
- Cancellations made more than 84 days before departure: deposits forfeited.
- 84-56 days: 30% of the holiday cost or deposit forfeited (whichever is the greater).
- 55-29 days: 50% of the holiday cost forfeited.
- 28-15 days: 80% of the holiday cost forfeited.
- Within 14 days of the departure, on the departure date or after the holiday has commenced: all holiday costs forfeited.
- Any client deciding to leave their hotel earlier than scheduled will receive no refund for unused accommodation.
Cancellation charges relating solely to singing retreat 7-night holidays:
- Cancellations made 7 days after deposit payment: deposit forfeited.
- Cancellation made post holiday confirmation email: 50% of holiday cost forfeited.
- 60-15 days: 80% of the holiday cost forfeited.
- Within 14 days of the departure, on the departure date or after the holiday has commenced: all holiday costs forfeited.
- Any client choosing to leave earlier than scheduled will receive no refund for unused accommodation.
In the unlikely event that a hotel or transfer pick-up point is altered, we shall advise clients immediately. Such an alteration will not be accepted as grounds for cancelling a holiday unless the amendment is of a material nature.
Depending on the reason for cancellation, you may be able to reclaim these cancellation charges (less any applicable excess) under the terms of your insurance policy. Claims must be made directly to the insurance company concerned.
Where any cancellation reduces the number of full paying party members below the number on which the price and/or any discount or concessions agreed for your booking were based, we will recalculate these items and re-invoice you accordingly.
8. Changes and cancellation by us
We start planning the holidays we offer many months in advance. Occasionally, we have to introduce changes to printed or online material, both before and after bookings have been confirmed. While we always endeavour to avoid changes and cancellations, we must reserve the right to do so. However, we promise we will not cancel your confirmed booking less than 8-weeks before departure, unless we are forced to do so as a result of circumstances outside our control.
Please note, some of our holidays require a minimum number of participants to enable us to operate them. Where applicable, if the minimum number of bookings required for a particular holiday has not been received, we are entitled to cancel it. We will notify you of cancellation for this reason not less than 8-weeks before departure.
Most changes are minor. Occasionally, we have to make a “significant change”. A significant change is a change made before departure which, taking account of the information you give us at the time of booking and which we can reasonably be expected to know as a tour operator, we can reasonably expect to have a significant effect on your holiday. A “minor change” is any other change. Significant changes are likely to include the following when made before departure: a change of accommodation to that of a lower official classification or standard for the whole or a major part of the time you are away; a change of accommodation area for the whole or a major part of the time you are away, a change of arrival time at the designated airport pickup point and a significant change of itinerary missing out one or more major destinations substantially or altogether.
Many of our holidays include guest artist(s)/tutor(s). Occasionally, due to illness or other, an employed guest artist(s)/tutor(s) will be unable to attend a holiday for part of or the entire duration. In this event, we will find an alternative artist(s)/tutor(s) for the duration of the holiday. We (Singing Holidays Limited) will not be liable for any changes to the advertised artist(s)/tutor(s) due to circumstances beyond our control. Changes to the guest artist(s)/tutor(s) are not considered a “significant change” to the fundamental logistics of the holiday. No compensation will be payable due to any changes relating to the advertised artist(s)/tutor(s).
If we have to make a significant change or cancel, we will tell you as soon as possible. If there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the choice of the following options:-
(a) (for significant changes) accepting the changed arrangements; or
(b) purchasing an alternative holiday from us, of a similar standard to that originally booked, if available. We will offer you at least one alternative holiday of equivalent or higher standard. If this holiday is, in fact, cheaper than the original one, we will refund the price difference. If you do not wish to accept the holiday we specifically offer you, you may choose any of our other than available holidays. You must pay the applicable price of any such holiday. This will mean your paying more if it is more expensive or receiving a refund if it is cheaper; or (c) cancelling or accepting the cancellation, in which case you will receive a full and quick refund of all monies you have paid to us.
If we have to make a significant change or cancel we will, where appropriate, pay you reasonable compensation depending on the circumstances and when the significant change or cancellation is notified to you, subject to the following exceptions. Compensation will not be payable, and no liability beyond offering the above-mentioned choices can be accepted where (1) we are forced to make a change or cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care or (2) we have to cancel because the minimum number of bookings necessary for us to operate your holiday has not been reached (see above). No compensation will be payable, and the above options will not be available if we cancel as a result of your failure to comply with any requirement of these booking conditions entitling us to cancel (such as paying on time) or where a change is minor.
Very rarely, we may be forced by “force majeure” (see clause 10) to change or terminate your holiday after departure but before the scheduled end of your time away. This is extremely unlikely, but if this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to make any refunds (unless we obtain any refunds from our suppliers), pay you any compensation or meet any costs or expenses you incur as a result.
9. Insurance
We consider adequate and appropriate travel insurance to be essential. Please ensure you purchase this at the time of, or as soon as possible after, booking, so you are protected against the risk of having to cancel for reasons outside your control.
Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is suitable and adequate for your particular needs.
10. Force Majeure
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability, or pay any compensation, where the performance or prompt performance of our obligations under our contract with you is prevented or affected by, or you otherwise suffer any damage, loss or expense of any nature as a result of “force majeure”. In these booking conditions, “force majeure” means any event which the supplier of the service(s) in question, or we could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include actual or threatened war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events outside our control.
11. Our liability to you
(1) We promise to make sure that the holiday arrangements we have agreed to make, perform or provide as applicable as part of our contract with you are made, performed or provided with reasonable skill and care. This means that subject to these booking conditions, we will accept responsibility if, for example, you suffer death or personal injury or your contracted holiday arrangements are not provided as promised or prove deficient as a result of the failure of ourselves, our employees, agents or suppliers to use reasonable skill and care in making, performing or providing, as applicable, your contracted holiday arrangements. Please note, it is your responsibility to show that reasonable skill and care has not been used if you wish to make a claim against us. In addition, we will only be responsible for what our employees, agents and suppliers do or do not do if they were at the time acting within the course of their employment (for employees) or carrying out work we had asked them to do (for agents and suppliers).
(2) We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (for example loss of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim of any description whatsoever which results from any of the following: –
- the act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of their party or
- the act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party not connected with the provision of your holiday and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable or
- ‘Force Majeure’ as defined in clause 10 above
(3) Please note, we cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional services or facilities which your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide for you where the services or facilities are not advertised by us, and we have not agreed to arrange them as part of our contract and any excursion you purchase in resort. Please also see clause 16 “Excursions, activities and general area information”. In addition, regardless of any wording used by us on our website, in any advertising material or elsewhere, we only promise to use reasonable skill and care as set out above, and we do not have any greater or different liability to you.
(4) The promises we make to you about the services we have agreed to provide or arrange as part of our contract – and the laws and regulations of the country in which your claim or complaint occurred – will be used as the basis for deciding whether the services in question had been properly provided. If the particular services which gave rise to the claim or complaint complied with local laws and regulations applicable to those services at the time, the services will be treated as having been properly provided. This will be the case even if the services did not comply with the laws and regulations of the UK, which would have applied had those services been provided in the UK. The exception to this is where the claim or complaint concerns the absence of a safety feature which might lead a reasonable holidaymaker to refuse to take the holiday in question. Please note, however, our obligation is to exercise reasonable skill and care as referred to in clause 11(1). We do not make any representation or commitment that all services will comply with applicable local laws and regulations, and failure to comply does not automatically mean we have not exercised reasonable skill and care.
(5) As set out in these booking conditions, we limit the maximum amount we may have to pay you for any claims you may make against us.
We do not accept liability for loss of and/or damage to any luggage or personal possessions (including money). You must ensure you have appropriate travel insurance to protect your personal belongings.
For all other claims which do not involve death or personal injury, if we are found liable to you on any basis the maximum amount we will have to pay you is £1000 (excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges) paid by or on behalf of the person(s) affected in total unless a lower limitation applies to your claim under clause 11(6) below. This maximum amount will only be payable where everything has gone wrong, and you have not received any benefit at all from your holiday.
(6) Where any claim or part of a claim (including those involving death or personal injury) concerns or is based on any transport arrangements included in your holiday (including the process of getting on and/or off the transport concerned) provided by any air, sea, rail or road carrier to which any international convention or regulation applies, the maximum amount of compensation we will have to pay you will be limited. The most we will have to pay you for that claim or that part of a claim if we are found liable to you on any basis is the most the carrier concerned would have to pay under the international convention or regulation which applies to the travel arrangements in question (for example, the Warsaw Convention as amended or unamended and the Montreal Convention for international travel by air and/or for airlines with an operating licence granted by an EU country, the EC Regulation on Air Carrier Liability No 889/2002 for national and international travel by air, the Athens Convention for international travel by sea (as amended by the 2002 protocol where applicable) and COTIF, the Convention on International Travel by Rail). Where a carrier would not be obliged to make any payment to you under the applicable international convention or regulation in respect of a claim or part of a claim, we similarly are not obliged to make a payment to you for that claim or part of the claim. When making any payment, we are entitled to deduct any money which you have received or are entitled to receive from the carrier for the claim in question. Copies of the applicable international conventions and regulations are available from us on request.
(7) Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss, expense or other sum(s) of any description (1) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you or (2) which did not result from any breach of contract or other faults by ourselves or our employees or, where we are responsible for them, our suppliers. Additionally, we cannot accept liability for any business losses, including self-employed loss of earnings.
12. Complaints and problems
In the unlikely event that you have any reason to complain or experience any problems with your holiday while away, you must immediately inform our local agent (if we have one) and the supplier of the service(s) in question. Any verbal notification must be put in writing and given to our agent and the supplier as soon as possible. If we do not have, or you cannot contact our local agent, and any complaint or problem is not resolved to your satisfaction by the supplier, you must contact us in the UK using the contact details we have provided you with during your holiday, giving us full details and a contact number. Until we know about a complaint or problem, we cannot begin to resolve it. Most problems can be dealt with quickly. If you remain dissatisfied, however, you must write to us within 28 days of your return to the UK giving your booking reference and full details of your complaint. Only the party leader should write to us. If you fail to follow this simple complaint’s procedure, your right to claim any compensation you may otherwise have been entitled to may be affected or even lost as a result.
13. Behaviour and damage
When you book with us, you accept responsibility for any damage or loss caused by you or anyone you invite into the accommodation in which you are staying. Full payment for any such damage or loss (reasonably estimated if not precisely known) must be made direct to the accommodation owner or manager or other supplier or to us, as soon as possible. If the actual cost of the loss or damage exceeds the amount paid (where estimated), you must pay the difference once known. If the actual cost is less than the amount paid, the difference will be refunded. You will also be responsible for meeting any claims subsequently made against us and all costs incurred by us (including our own and the other party’s full legal costs) as a result of your actions. You should ensure you have appropriate travel insurance to protect you if this situation arises.
We expect all clients to have consideration for other people. If in our reasonable opinion or in the reasonable opinion of any other person in authority, you behave in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party or damage to property, we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate the holiday of the person(s) concerned. In this situation, the person(s) concerned will be required to leave the accommodation or other services. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s) including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made, and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.
14. Conditions of suppliers
Many of the services which make up your holiday are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their terms and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier’s liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable international conventions (see clause 11(4)). Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions and of the international conventions are available on request from ourselves or the supplier concerned.
15. Included in your holiday
Unless otherwise stated, our holiday packages include airport transfers, accommodation, tuition and excursions. All meals are also included unless otherwise stated within the holiday description. Wine is also included with dinner, up to a maximum of three glasses per person.
Included airport transfers are provided by Singing Holidays Limited only from the designated pickup point and at the predetermined time highlighted in the holiday confirmation details. Transfers from any other location and time will be solely the responsibility of the client.
Any drinks purchased by Singing Holidays Limited outside mealtimes on the client’s behalf will be billed to the client on the final day of the holiday or event.
16. Excursions, activities and general area information
We may provide you with information (before departure and/or when you are on holiday) about activities and excursions which are available in the area you are visiting. We have no involvement in any such activities or excursions which are neither run, supervised nor controlled in any way by us. They are provided by local operators or other third parties who are entirely independent of us. They do not form any part of your contract with us, even where we suggest particular operators/other third parties and/or assist you in booking such activities or excursions in any way. Your contract will be with the local operator or other third party and will be subject to their applicable terms and conditions. We cannot accept any liability on any basis in relation to such activities or excursions or for the acts or omissions of the operator or other third party or for any of their employees, agents or suppliers. The acceptance of liability contained in clause 11(1) above will not apply to them. We do not, however, exclude liability for the negligence of ourselves or our employees resulting in your death or personal injury.
We cannot guarantee accuracy at all times of information given in relation to such activities or excursions or about the area you are visiting generally or that any particular excursion or activity which does not form part of our contract will take place, as these services are not under our control. If you feel that any of the activities or excursions referred to in our brochure, on our website and/or in our other advertising material which are not part of our contract are vital to the enjoyment of your holiday, tell us before you book, and we will tell you the latest known situation.
17. Health requirements
For holidays in the EU / EEA, you should obtain a GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) prior to departure from services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk. A GHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance. Health requirements and recommendations may change, and you must check the up-to-date position in good time before departure.
It is your responsibility to ensure that all members of your party are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. All costs incurred in obtaining such documentation must be paid by you. We regret we cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to carry all required documentation. If failure to have any necessary travel or other documents results in fines, surcharges or other financial penalty being imposed on us or costs being incurred by us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly.
18. Foreign Office Advice
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office publishes regularly updated travel information on its website, www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo, which you are recommended to consult before booking and in good time before departure.
19. Brochure / website / advertising material accuracy
The information contained in our brochure, on our website and in our other advertising material is believed correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of printing or publication. However, errors may occasionally occur and information may subsequently change. You must, therefore, ensure you check all details of your chosen holiday (including the price) with us or your travel agent at the time of booking.
20. Safety standards
Please note, it is the requirements and standards of the country in which any services which make up your holiday are provided which apply to those services and not those of the UK. As a general rule, these requirements and standards will not be the same as the UK and may sometimes be lower.
21. Data Protection
For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, we are a data controller. Please be assured that we have measures in place to protect personal data held by us. This information will be passed to the relevant suppliers of your holiday arrangements. The information may also be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them and to other third parties who need it to enable us to provide your holiday (such as credit card companies and banks), or as required by law. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies. Other than in relation to government / public authorities (over whom we have no control), we will take appropriate steps which are intended to ensure that anyone to whom we pass your personal data for any reason agrees to keep it secure and only uses it for the purposes of providing their services. If we cannot pass personal data to the relevant suppliers or any other third party as applicable, whether in the EEA or not, we will be unable to fulfil your booking. In making your booking, you consent to personal data being passed on to the relevant suppliers and other third parties. When travelling outside the European Economic Area, controls on data protection may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We would also like to store and use your personal data for future marketing purposes (for example, sending you a brochure or other marketing material) unless you have told us that you do not wish us to do so.
