General information
We don't want our guests to suffer a rude surprise when arriving or during their stay.
That's why there are some things we would like to inform you about.
Every landlord is committed in a different way and thus the equipment of the houses,
terraces and properties is quite varying.
Air conditioner
In some of the accommodations the air conditioner is controlled via a remote control.
At your arrival you will be asked, whether you want to use the air conditioner or not. If the remote control
has been handed over to you, you must pay the cost
that is stated in the detailed description of the accommodation, no matter if you have really used the air conditioner or not.
Arrival and departure
You can move into the holiday accommodation, if not stated differently in the detailed
description of the property, on the arrival day between 4 pm and 8 pm. You are not entitled to a key
delivery on the arrival day if you arrive later. In case of a late arrival due to a flight delay or the like,
please inform immediately the land lord/administrator.
The departure must take place before 10 am, in order to guarantee enough time for the final cleaning
before the next guests arrive.
Booking
You can directly book the house on our website. Of course you can also send us an informal
booking via e-mail (info@nonsolocasa.de) or call us at +49 4321 852608.
Therefore we need the following information: name of the holiday accommodation, period, name and invoice address,
number and names of fellow travellers, telephone number, confirmation that you accept our general terms and conditions.
When booking online you will first receive an automatic e-mail confirming your booking.
The booking becomes binding only, when you receive a booking confirmation via e-mail.
This confirmation is sent to you together with the invoice in a letter by post, too.
Building activity
Unfortunately in holiday areas, too, building activities or other public works can occur.
Please understand that neither we nor the landlord can influence building activities near your accommodation
that have been scheduled on a short notice. Of course we do inform you about such works, if we learn about them
before your arrival. Should the construction site that has become known recently turn out to be an actual disturbance,
we are always willing to find an acceptable
solution for you. Either through an alternative accommodation or a possible free of charge cancellation of the contract.
Deposit/additional costs
Most of the accommodations require a deposit in cash at the key delivery.
The deposit will be refunded before your departure, p.r.n. minus the damages caused and/or
extra costs (e.g. heating costs or air conditioning, if not included in the price; see the detailed description of the respective accommodation).
In case of a very early departure the deposit will be refunded the evening before or will be transferred by the landlord.
Final cleaning
Whether the final cleaning is already included in the price or to be paid on the spot is stated in
the particular description. Independently, the holiday accommodation must be left broom-clean when leaving.
The dishes must be washed, the fridge emptied and the waste disposed.
Furnishing/equipment of the houses
Italian holiday homes often are furnished in a simpler way than you might be used to.
So please don't expect the comfort and quality you have at home. The term "villa" doesn't require a
certain furnishing standard and in an upscale house there are not necessarily the newest domestic appliances available.
An American-style coffee machine, wine glasses or egg cups are things that you sometimes might be searching for
in vain in your accommodation. If in the description there is TV mentioned, it means that only Italian stations are received.
If there is a satellite decoder, there is no guarantee that there will be a TV-station in your language, save it is
stated explicitly in the description of the accommodation. Likewise some broadcasts - especially of big sport events -
are only available on pay-TV. The beds customary in Italy usually consist of a frame where a metal rack is put into.
The mattresses usually are 1,90 m long and from 0,80 m to 0,90 m broad. Like everywhere there a hard and soft mattresses,
depending on your perception. If you have special needs because of medical reasons or a special size don't hesitate to ask us.
Sheets and towels (often just one big, one medium-sized and one small towel per person) are changed weekly
(if not stated differently in the description). The provided towels generally do not include beach towels or kitchen towels.
Normally there is no dishwashing liquid or all-purpose cleaner provided. Italians often understand by "outdoor shower"
a water hose in the garden.
The indicated distances and the position of the accommodations base on information received from the landlords. They are approximate indications.
Garbage
The garbage disposal differs from region to region.
It is often usual to throw the garbage in a container that you will find along the road/street.
Garden maintenance
Lots of the holiday accommodations have a garden.
The landlord or administrator comes to water and maintain the plants of the property.
Heating/gas heater/fireplace
If you want to spend your holidays in southern Italy from October to April,
so take into consideration that there, too, it can get quite cold in the winter and spring months,
especially in the evening. In houses or apartments, that have no heating, p.r.n. there are air conditioners,
small ovens (electric or gas) or a fireplace to heat the rooms (see also the details of the respective accommodation).
But that way an equal distribution of the heat is not guaranteed! Consider also that the holiday accommodations,
that are not inhabited the whole winter, can be totally chilled when you arrive.
Important: From May to October the fireplace is not supposed to be used, that is why the landlords shut
them down for that period. Assume that there will be no fire wood waiting for you when you arrive.
It can be ordered from the landlord, but often you have to buy a quite big amount.
Keep in mind: Depending on the region the law regulates the times, when heating can be used.
From November 1st until April 1st heating can be used for 6 to 10 hours (depending on the region),
between 5 am and 11 pm. The heating costs (electricity consumption, gas or wood) are generally not
included in the total price and therefore to be paid on the spot (see also the details of the respective accommodation).
Should the heating costs not be indicated, you can expect a cost of € 10 to € 20/day
(depending on the size of your accommodation and duration of heating).
Italians therefore generally have their heating on only few hours during the day and switch it off at night.
Inquiry
You can send us an inquiry via the "genera inquiry", the "inquiry about this accommodation" on
every detail description site or directly via e-mail (info@nonsolocasa.de). Please indicate which region you prefer.
Further criteria such as the number of bedrooms, maximum distance fro the sea and a price limit help us to send you a suitable offer.
Insects and other small animals
For people from northern countries it's always very fascinating to watch all those tiny animals and insects,
that are to be found in Southern Europe. But don't expect them to stop in front of your holiday home's terrace and therefore
it is not excludable that you'll find lizards, geckos or insects in the accommodations and their gardens.
There are plug-in mosquito repellents, which you can buy at home or on the spot in Italian supermarkets at a price of about 4 Euro.
Language
Even though lots of coastal towns live on tourism, get prepared for the fact that you will rarely be able to communicate in English.
Most of the landlords/administrators speak Italian only. So don't forget your Italian dictionary.
Mobile phone and internet
In the accommodations, that are a outlying or between hills, there is partly no mobile reception.
Since the mobile reception changes constantly, we cannot make any binding promise for the reachability via mobile phone.
Off-peak season
In the months out of peak-season many restaurants, bars and ice-cream parlours in tourist areas are closed.
Beach promenades are like a morgue. During our visits in March and November we had a hard time finding an open
and moreover a heated restaurant for lunch in beach resorts, that live on summer tourism.
In places that don't live exclusively on tourism, however, you will always find an open restaurant because the locals like to eat out.
Opening times
In the big cities lots of the shops are open continuously; but in small towns and villages, the banks,
supermarkets etc. break off for lunch from 1 pm till 4 pm (both in summer and winter). In return they are open
until 8 or 9 pm in the summer. On Sundays you will always find at least one supermarket or small grocery,
that's open for at least a couple of hours. Please remember that even the petrol stations (save those on the motorways) break off for lunch and
then - if possible at all - you can only refuel at petrol stations with self-service by cash and sometimes credit cards.
Peak season
Please bear in mind that July and August are the Italians' holiday months. In these months,
especially around August 15th, all Italy is on the road. It can be noisy in the holiday resorts, towns and beaches are busy,
lots of concerts, festivities and events take place in the evenings. Please consider this when planning your vacation.
Pool
The swimming pools of the accommodations get cleaned regularly. The person in charge will try to
invade your privacy as little as possible. Nevertheless insects or leaves in or on the water may occur.
The pools are generally not heated. Even if the pool is open until the end of October, the water temperature
is not necessarily inviting. The opening period of the pool is stated
in the detailed description of the respective holiday accommodation. Most of the pools are not fenced so take care of your kids.
Road conditions
The access roads to outlying holiday homes are not always paved and often have no lighting.
Telephone
In Italy the "0" of the city code must always be dialled, even if you dialled the country code 0039.
Traffic
In Italy, too, practically the same traffic regulations apply as in other countries.
Unfortunately only few drivers abide by it. Expect a more hectic traffic with more honking and less consideration.
Many drivers don't indicate, so be extra careful. The signposting, too, sometimes is very irritating or simply non-existent.
As a pedestrian you must assume that at a zebra-crossing no one will stop for you (even though it's compulsory in Italy, too).
So if you keep in mind these little
Italian peculiarities and take care of yourself a bit you will be fine. In return you can sound your horn, too.
Water and electricity
Especially in the summer months July and August southern areas can run short of water.
Neither we nor the landlords can influence this. Hot water in the accommodations is generally generated
by a boiler, that has a limited capacity and therefore needs to warm up again and again. So don't be
surprised if not everyone of your travel companions can take a hot shower in a row. Don't throw sanitary pads, tampons and diapers/napkins into the toilet!
Many Italian houses have a weaker power supply than you probably have at home.
Therefore there can be power cuts if several electrical appliances are running at the same time,
especially when using the air conditioner. During a storm the main switch can trip.
At some accommodations the actual electricity consumption is to be paid on the spot.
The costs we state in the descriptions are average figures, incurred by a normal use of the electric appliances.
A constant use of e.g. the air conditioner and the outside lighting increase the specified costs.
You can expect a higher consumption and therefore higher cost for a house with pool (pumps operating),
air conditioner and big garden (outside lighting) than for a small apartment.
La dolce vita!
Sure there are many reasons why we love Italy and of course the Italians, too.
It's not only the sun and the sea that fascinate us, but also the Italian mentality and their savoir vivre.
They know how to be cool with many things, take each day as it comes and rarely plan ahead. An enviable
easiness that we can rarely apply to our everyday life. But that's exactly what you can do in your vacation,
don't be a stickler for details, turn a blind eye. Remember that not everything can be done overnight, haste makes waste.
We are sure that with a bit of patience and a lot of humour you will enjoy your holidays in Italy to the fullest.