Terms & Conditions
What's this??
A big drag is what it is. Through 2022 we just welcomed guests, handed them keys, communicated their details to the authorities (as required by law) and then worked to make their stay as delightful as possible. We welcomed pets including large dogs. We arranged for extra beds to squeeze one more person in. But in 2023, this good faith became unsustainable. Over €1200 of items were stolen from our lodgings. Some broken items we had to discover on our own, often with no time to repair or replace them for the next guests' check-in. Dog hair appeared in the pool and clogged our cleaning crews' vacuums. Most guests were great and very respectful, but a few completely ignored our curbside trash collection regimen, checking out with multiple bags of trash left in the lodging. It was all too much. So here we are. We will ask for a signature on a PDF (download) of these Terms & Conditions before confirming your booking.
Minimum Age
A group or family leader must be at least 30 years old to book a stay. We will ask for proof of age.
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Deposits & Payments
Deposits wired to us to confirm a booking are 100% refundable up to 3 months prior to the date of your arrival and 50% refundable up to 3 weeks prior to your arrival date. We ask that you inform us as soon as possible should you decide to cancel your booking.
The balance due for a booking is billed and due the week before you arrive. Deposits and balance due payments may be made via Visa or Mastercard in your local currency or via bank wire in euro. We promptly issue receipts or invoices for any payments received.
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Pets
Except for a few dogs we know well from our early years, we kindly ask guests to leave their beloved dogs, cats and other pets at home.
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Waste management
We ask all guests to abide by local waste management guidelines (download) which require all residents, including temporary residents, to separate their trash and bring it street-side in bins provided by the authorities. Before you confirm your reservation, we will ask you to attest that you have read, understand, and agree to comply with said guidelines.
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Non-smoking
Our lodgings are strictly non-smoking. Smoking is permitted only outdoors.
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Pool & Safety
Our swimming pool has no lifeguard and is about 160cm deep at its deepest point. That is more than deep enough to drown in. We strongly advise ALL guests to use the pool with another adult present. Young children are NOT to be left unattended in or near the swimming pool. By signing our Terms and Conditions, you attest that you understand the risks associated with using our swimming pool and that you are responsible for the safety of your children (if any) in and around our pool.
Well-equipped kitchens, a rural setting and wildlife bring with them the risk of injury (burns, knife cuts, wasp and hornet stings, possible encounters with wild boar or, very rarely, wolves). Although we make every effort to inform guests of risks to their health and safety, maintain and check our equipment for good function, maintain a robust perimeter fence, and deploy insecticides and bug repellents throughout the area around our lodgings, mishaps can occur. By signing our Terms and Conditions you agree to hold Poggiosole, its owner and staff harmless for any accidental injury or death on our grounds or in our lodgings.
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Security Deposit
Poggiosole’s lodgings are exceptionally well-appointed. When you arrive, we will ask you to review a list of items that are installed in the lodging you are checking into. We will charge a €1500 security deposit (€1000 for our smaller lodging, Begonia) to your credit card and ask you to sign your lodging’s inventory the evening of your arrival, acknowledging that all items checked and marked as “present” are indeed present. The inventory will have been conducted, signed and date-stamped after cleaning crews have departed and less than four hours before your arrival, after which the lodging will have been kept locked up to the moment of your check-in.
At departure, you may elect to be present or not for our inventory control. If you elect to be present, check-out must be between the hours of 9:30 AM and noon and all of your luggage and belongings must be in your vehicle during the inventory control, which normally takes about 20 minutes. Items damaged or broken during your stay (except drinking glasses) will be charged to your security deposit for the cost to repair or replace them, as appropriate. Items MISSING from your lodging at the time of your check-out will be charged at a MULTIPLE of their replacement value (3X for items with replacement values of up to €100, 2X for items with replacement values of €200 or more, an intermediate multiple for values in-between). We strongly suggest that each family or group leader have liability insurance that covers accidental breakage, since our security deposits do not limit your liability with respect to damage and are far from adequate as coverage in the event multiple items are broken or stolen.
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We also kindly ask you to please notify us as soon as possible of any accidental breakage or damage to any item, or any malfunctioning item, including appliances, so that we may try to put the situation right during your stay or, if this is not possible, in time for the next guests’ check-in.
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Cleaning Fee (refundable)
Upon arrival, we will charge a €200 cleaning fee to your credit card. This cleaning fee will be refunded if your lodging is left in good order, all waste management guidelines complied with, dishes and glassware either in a running dishwasher or put away clean, all food removed from kitchen cupboards and refrigerator (along with all soaps, detergents, and other personal supplies you brought into the lodging) and all towels left either on the bathroom floors or outdoor drying racks (NOT on beds or wooden or upholstered furniture). To the extent that cleaning staff need to put in extraordinary effort to put your lodging in order, bed linens or towels are heavily stained, or you or one of your group have smoked in the lodging, the cleaning fee will be retained in part or in full.
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Security deposits and cleaning fees will be refunded to your card within 48 hours of your departure. In case a portion of these is retained, a written explanation will be sent to you via email.
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