2020 was a challenging year for holiday rentals to say the least and 2021 has started off in the same way!

• First Wave of COVID 2020: When the lockdown/confinement was in place in France and the UK we moved many reservations from Spring/Summer 2020 to Spring/Summer 2021 - all at no cost to the holiday maker.
• Second Wave of COVID: The UK reinstated its 14 day quarantine period for travellers returning to the UK - this was reduced this to 5 days if you pay for a private Covid Test upon your return.
• Third Wave of COVID 2021: The UK was in lockdown until April, and France entered a 4 week lockdown period for the whole of April, with a plan to start a phased re-opening of restaurant terraces and outdoor venues and attractions by mid-May.
• The FCO is now saying that travel is possible to France as the UK Government has put France back on the Amber list, rather than the Amber Plus list. This means that there will be no quarantine required for fully vaccinated people on their return to the UK from France.
• For up to date information, click onto this link: UK Government Website
• 2021 - Travel from the UK to France - French Requirements:
• Proof of vaccination (digital or paper version)
• Only vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency are accepted.
• A sworn declaration stating that you have no symptoms and that to your knowledge you have not been in contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19 in the 14 days prior to your journey.
• There is NO requirement to have a PCR test to enter France if you are fully vaccinated.
• If not fully vaccinated, you can only travel to France for a 'Pressing Reason' (This does not include a holiday!)
• For more information click here: France International Travel Requirements

OUR COVID CANCELLATION POLICY
If you have already booked a summer holiday with Vendée Holiday Cottages and will be travelling from the UK, here is the policy that we are using for guests who have a current booking with us:

• If travel is permitted, then your booking should go ahead as planned.

• If you decide not to travel (when travel is permitted, even if quarantine is required), then our normal terms and conditions will apply and we can open your dates up to others, but we will only be able to refund your payment if we are able to rebook your dates.

• If travel is not permitted from the UK, but France has no restrictions, then we can either move your holiday to a future date, issue a voucher to the value of your deposit to be used for a future holiday with Vendée Holiday Cottages or open the dates to local guests and refund your deposit if it is re-booked.

• If France has a lockdown situation, then we can move your holiday to a future date, issue a voucher to the value of your deposit or offer a refund if the French Government sanctions this.

• If you have booked for 2021, but would feel more comfortable moving to 2022, then we can also move your holiday to 2022 now or even 2023 and open up the 2021 dates for local travellers. We have opened our calendars for 2022 & 2023 early as we realise that many guests may feel happier moving to next year when travel should be back to ‘normal’.

We are also advising all guests to take out an insurance policy that will cover against cancellation, medical and transport problems. As a business, we cannot become your insurance policy and you need to take some responsibility for booking a foreign holiday during an ongoing pandemic.

If you are based in France and book a holiday with us, then we will respect the local laws with regards to lockdowns and any regional restrictions that may be in place. We can offer to move your holiday to a future date, issue a voucher or if we are all in a lockdown situation, then offer a refund.

We would like to assure all of our guests that all of the properties on this website will be following a more rigorous cleaning protocol during the pandemic and details will be available in your holiday cottage.

Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Annette