Frequently Asked Questions

Belvilla, at home in holiday homes since 1980, is an international tour operator offering holidays in a wide assortment of characteristic, quality, high value holiday homes in Europe. From castles to manor houses, from farms to windmills, from villas to chalets.

You will find the General Terms and Conditions (a.k.a. the rental conditions) in the Information & Service section.

You will find this information under Contact Us.

You have a complaint about Belvilla services or about your stay? You can express your complaint via the e-mail form on our Contact page. Choose ‘Other’ as the subject of your message and specify with ‘I have a complaint’. If you have a complaint on the spot, we’ll do our best to solve it during your stay. You can read more about our full complaints procedure in our General Terms and Conditions.

My Belvilla is your personal secure account at Belvilla. Here you can view your bookings and short reservations, turn your reservations into bookings or cancel them, pay for your bookings, manage your details and sign up for the Belvilla newsletter or cancel your newsletter subscription.

On the My Belvilla home page you can sign up on the right-hand side. In order to do so you will need to enter an e-mail address and password once. You will need to enter a valid e-mail address, because we will then send you an activation link via e-mail. Once you have clicked on the link in this e-mail, your account will be activated. It's always advisable to change your online passwords regularly. 

On the My Belvilla start page you can click on 'Forgot password?' on the bottom left-hand side. You will now be asked to enter the e-mail address which you used to register on the site or make a booking with. We will send you a confirmation link to that e-mail address. After clicking on this link, you can enter a new password.  Choose a secure password and make sure to change it regularly. As soon as you save your new password, you can use it to log in.

You can change your password under ‘My details’ after you have logged in to My Belvilla. For security reasons, you will then need to enter your old password again. Have you forgotten your old password and can't log in? Then take a look at 'I can't log in anymore'. Have you successfully changed your password? Please remember that it is a good idea to change it regularly.

It is possible that the e-mail, which was sent to you automatically when you set up an account or reset your password, did not arrive in your mailbox. Still haven’t received an e-mail after ten minutes? Then try again. Do take the following into account:

• Make sure you enter a valid e-mail address in My Belvilla. The e-mail will be sent to this address.
• Because it's very busy on the Internet, sometimes it takes a few minutes before the e-mail gets to you.
• Despite the fact that Belvilla does everything it can in order not to have its e-mails classified as spam, the e-mail may still end up in the spam folder.
• If necessary, add the following e-mail address to the list of trusted e-mail addresses in your mailbox: [email protected]

In order to delete your account you first need to log in to My Belvilla. After you have logged in, you can inform us that you want to delete your account under 'My details'. You will then need to enter your password once again. Once you have clicked on 'Save', you will automatically be logged out and your account will be deleted.

If you have made a booking with Belvilla and you haven't set a password yet, you can enter your booking number once under 'Password'. You can then log in and you will immediately be asked to change your password to a personal password. Choose a secure password that no one else knows about, and remember to change it regularly.

When you set up an account, we check our system to see if you have already made a booking with us using the same e-mail address. If this is the case, we automatically link these details to your account. If these details are no longer correct, you can change them under 'My details'.

If you have already made a booking with us, but you have not yet filled in the IBAN number and BIC code for your bank account in My Belvilla, you will be asked to do so after you log in. We need these numbers in order to return the deposit for your accommodation to you after your stay.

You don’t need to create an account beforehand in order to book with Belvilla. By booking with us, you actually set up an account automatically, because you will need to make the payment via My Belvilla. The account is then registered at the e-mail address you used to make the booking. If you have already booked with us once, you will indeed have a Belvilla account. If you book with us again and log in with your existing account, your details will automatically be filled in during the booking process.

If you pay online, the payment will be processed by our payment provider Ogone. As soon as the payment is processed, the payment confirmation is passed on to our system. Once this notification is processed, it will be visible in My Belvilla. This process will take a few minutes to complete. After you have made the payment in My Belvilla, an 'Update overview' link will appear in the booking overview. When you click on it after a few minutes, or log in to My Belvilla again, your payment status will be updated.

In our reservation process, you may opt to make a short reservation instead of a definite booking. By making a reservation, we save the stay for you for 48 hours, free of charge. If your stay commences within six weeks, you can only make a reservation for 24 hours. You then have time to make a decision with the assurance that the house will be held for you. In My Belvilla, you can cancel the reservation or change it into a definite booking. If you do nothing, your reservation expires automatically in the amount of time indicated. You can make up to two reservations simultaneously.

Online:
Choose an available period on the house description page and click 'Book now'.

1. Check the cost overview, choose the insurance you want and click 'Next' to enter the 'Personal information' section.
2. Fill in your information and click 'Next' to enter the 'Review and confirm' section.
3. Check whether all the information is correct. Click 'Definite Booking' to confirm your booking.

Your booking will be confirmed online and via e-mail.

Via telephone:
You make a reservation over the phone by calling the Customer Contact Center.

When you are searching online, only available holiday homes are displayed. Specify a month and/or length of stay of your choice in order to see the available accomodations for that period.

After you have booked online or over the phone, you will receive a confirmation online and through e-mail. This Booking confirmation tells you when you need to make the first payment. You can make a payment via My Belvilla. After your payment is received in full by Belvilla, you will receive your accomodation ticket with the address information of the holiday residence through e-mail.

After booking you will receive a booking confirmation via e-mail right away. This booking confirmation contains the costs that need to be paid and the terms that apply. After you’ve made full payment, you’ll receive your accommodation ticket. This ticket provides the accommodation’s address information, information concerning the key handover and the emergency phone number.

You will find all of the information about your booking and payment under My Belvilla. Go to “Bookings” and select the correct booking. Here you will find all data on your holiday home and the status of your payment.

As soon as you click on 'Definite booking' in step 3 of the booking process, you will receive an e-mail confirmation. Your booking number is listed on this. We advise you to print this page and to retain it. If you do not receive a confirmation from us, please contact the Customer Contact Center.

Several small adjustments, like the number of accompanying persons or pets (up to the permitted maximum), can be made easily and free of charge in My Belvilla. If the desired adjustment is not listed in My Belvilla, please contact the Customer Contact Center.  You may be charged €27 for significant changes. In case you wish to adjust the period of stay or change the accommodation, cancellation costs may apply. The Customer Contact Center can inform you about these costs.

The period section on the bottom of the house description page exclusively shows prices for periods that are available. 

You can always book online, even in case of a short term departure. In case of a last minute booking (departure within six weeks) your booking is confirmed in the form of a provisional application. We will then check the availability by contacting the homeowner, who will personally agree or disagree within 48 hours. Please note: A provisional application is considered a binding reservation. Cancelling before agreement of the owner can only be done according to the standard cancellation policy.

As soon as you have made full payment, you will receive the accommodation ticket for the house you have booked. The exact address of the holiday home is listed on the ticket. Due to legal restrictions, we are not allowed to provide the address before a booking is made.

It is possible to visit a holiday home in advance. Contact the Customer Contact Center, with your schedule in order to make an appointment with the home owner. You will get a confirmation of the appointment with the address information of the holiday home sent to you via e-mail.

A number of our holiday parks offer a 50+ discount. If applicable, you can find this discount in the description of the holiday park.

The calendar on the accommodation page shows exactly when the holiday home can be booked. Most holiday homes can be booked for both the current and the subsequent year. In exceptional cases, a holiday home can be booked on the day of departure, provided payment is received immediately.

You can turn your reservation into a definite booking in My Belvilla.

Belvilla offers information about the accessibility of its holiday homes as specific as possible. Down the advanced search options you can select specific features, such as an adapted toilet, broadened passages or an elevator. On the accommodation page these features are described in more detail. This way, you can judge for yourself whether a holiday home is suitable for you and your travel companions.

Our website exhibits our entire offer of holiday accommodations including full description, layout, prices and availability. Because the internet is more complete and timelier than a brochure can ever be, we no longer provide paper brochures. Should you need help finding a suitable holiday home on the website, feel free to contact us by telephone.

A baby counts as a travelling person. The maximum number of people for your accommodation is listed in the search result and on the accommodation page. This is the total number of adults and children allowed. In some cases, this number may be exceeded by 1 or 2 babies from 0 to 2 years old. If so, this is stated on the first step of the booking process. However, you cannot assume extra inventory, like a baby bed, is present. Therefore, if you exceed the number of guests with a baby up to 2 years old, you need to bring a baby bed yourself.

*The 5% discount is valid on all bookings placed between 19^th February and 29^th February 2020, for all stays happening between 20^th February 2020 and 20^th February 2021, excluding holiday parks. The coupon code can only be used once by a unique user. 180 codes available across all countries. If the 180 coupons are used before the end date of this promotion, the offer will expire.

*The 5% discount is valid on all bookings placed between 19th February and 29th February 2020, for all stays happening between 20th February 2020 and 20th February 2021, excluding holiday parks. The discount only applies to the basic rental price (not on additional costs/fees to pay at the property). The coupon code can only be used once by a unique user. 180 codes available across all countries. If the 180 coupons are used before the end date of this promotion, the offer will expire.

You can pay by creditcard, PayPal or by bank transfer.

You pay a (minimum) of 30% of the total rental price plus optional cancellation insurance immediately after making your booking. The rest of the rental price must be paid six weeks before departure at the latest. If you pay in two instalments, then you will receive a reminder via e-mail one week before the second payment is due. If you are departing within six weeks, the payment must be made in one instalment. For a departure within fourteen days, the payment must be made in one instalment and via credit card.

Directly after booking you have access to My Belvilla. This is where you make your payment. You will find a link to this page on the upper right of the website and in the e-mails regarding your booking.

You will find our account numbers under Contact Us.

Payments done via My Belvilla should, under normal circumstances, be processed in our system, and as such be visible in My Belvilla, within 10 minutes after payment was made. If you do not pay via My Belvilla, payment processing time depends on the bank. As a result, your payment may not be received in time, in which case your booking will be cancelled. Therefore we advise you to pay via My Belvilla. In the unlikely event that you still exceed the payment deadline, please contact the Customer Contact Center immediately. If your payment is not received, Belvilla has the right to unilaterally cancel your booking and you will be charged cancellation costs. If Belvilla unilaterally cancels your booking, you will be notified via e-mail or telephone.

The payment deadlines are stated on your booking confirmation. You will find all the information on your booking and payments in My Belvilla.

No, the rental price must be paid in advance. Upon arrival you will pay, if indicated on your booking confirmation and accomodation ticket, a deposit and the on site costs.

You will find all the information on your booking and payment status in My Belvilla. Here you can check which payments have been received and which amounts you still owe or which are on their way.

Log in to My Belvilla. Go to “My Bookings” and select the correct booking. Click under “To be paid” on “Pay now with credit card”. You are now in a secure payment system.

If you have also paid the first instalment with a credit card, you will receive an e-mail a week before the second payment is due with a link to My Belvilla for the credit card payment.

If you get a reminder even though you’ve already paid, it’s possible the payment and the notice have crossed. In that case, please ignore the notice. You can find the actual status of your payment in My Belvilla at all times. Please keep in mind the duration of the payment process. Credit card payments are normally processed, and visible in My Belvilla, within approximately 10 minutes. For bank transfers, payment processing time depends on the bank, and may take longer than usual.

If you have paid via bank transfer and your payment confirmation is not visible in My Belvilla after the usual processing time of (international) bank transfers has expired, it is likely incorrect data (such as the booking number) has been passed with the payment, as a result of which we’ve been unable to process your payment properly. If you are convinced that you’ve made payment, you can send us a valid proof of payment. Visit our contact page and choose ‘My booking/reservation or stay’ as the subject of your message. You can now add the receipt as an attachment to your message. Your receipt will normally be processed within 24 hours and must include the correct amount and bank account details, as well as a confirmation from the bank. We’ll notify you in case your receipt fails to meet these requirements. If payment is still not received within 5 days after receiving the proof of payment, the validity of your receipt will expire.

No, it is not possible to pay in multiple installments.

If for whatever reason you have paid more than stated on your booking confirmation, or a complaint, discount or rebooking caused a payment discrepancy in your favor, you need to contact the Customer Contact Center. If it appears that we indeed received too much money (Note: This only applies if the overpayment is actually received on our account!) we will make sure the overpayment is reversed within approximately one week after notification. If you provide our Contact Center department with your IBAN/BIC data, the financial department will take care of the payment.

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it. Please view our Privacy Policy to find out more on how we deal with personal and technical data.

After the full rental price has been paid, you will receive an accomodation ticket. The exact address and the coordinates of the holiday home are listed there. In My Belvilla you will find a link to Google Maps, where you can track the exact location of the holiday home, as well as the way there.

The manner in which your arrival is managed is listed on your accomodation ticket. There are two options:

1. The home owner/manager will bring the key to the accommodation and meet you on site.

2. On your accomodation ticket you will find the address of the home owner/manager where you can pick up the key.

The same applies to departure, unless you have made different agreements on site. On your accommodation ticket you may find a request to call the home owner/manager before arrival, to guarantee a smooth key transfer.

On your accomodation ticket you will find the contact information of the home owner/manager and the arrival times. Call the home owner/manager if they are not present within the listed arrival times. If that does not work, then call our emergency line. The phone number is listed on your accomodation ticket.

Because you must often pay a number of costs on site (ancillary costs on site and possible damage), you pay a security deposit as a guarantee when you arrive. When you cause damage above € 25 in or around the residence, this is usually covered by the mandatory damage insurance which is included in the rental price.

On your accommodation ticket you will find how the on-site costs are settled. 

On your booking confirmation and ticket you will find when the repayment of the deposit will be done. In order to accomplish the repayment, you need to fill in your bank account number as well as your IBAN and BIC codes in My Belvilla. You will find these codes on your bank statement. Your IBAN and BIC code make sure the reposit will be paid to the correct bank account.

After you have returned from your stay in a Belvilla accommodation, you can fill in a short questionnaire in My Belvilla and let us know what you thought about your holiday. After you log in, the system will immediately ask you to do this. You can also go to 'My bookings' and select the relevant booking. At the bottom of the page you will have the opportunity to fill in our questionnaire.

Arrival or departure at a different date or time is only possible after agreement with the homeowner or location manager. In some cases, you may be charged additional costs. A request to arrive or depart at a different time may be submitted to the Customer Contact Center before booking, or after booking but before receipt of the accommodation ticket. In case you have already received said ticket, and have the homeowner’s contact details, you may contact them directly and discuss other arrangements.

As tenant, you are liable for any damage caused to the property. Any damage should be reported to the homeowner or location manager immediately. Damage over €25 is often covered by the insurance that is automatically taken out with your booking, anything below that amount is on your own account. Whether the damage will be covered or not is determined by the insurance, based on the prevailing conditions. Damage resulting from reckless or negligent behavior is not covered.

When travelling through Europe with your dog or cat, you are required to carry their pet passport. This passport should at least contain proof of rabies vaccination. In addition, your pet should be provided with identification such as a subcutaneous chip or a tattoo. Both the passport and the identification can be obtained from your vet.

The presence of bed linen and bath towels varies per accommodation, and may or may not be subject to extra costs. This information can be found under ‘Costs on site’ on the accommodation page, on the booking page and also in My Belvilla after booking.

Unless indicated otherwise, you do not need to clean the accommodation. Obviously you should always leave the accommodation in a decent condition (“broom swept”). In addition, it differs per accommodation whether or not the cleaning costs are included in the rental price. This information can be found under ‘Costs on site’ on the house description page, on the booking page and also in My Belvilla after booking.

If tourist taxes are required, these are either already included in the rental price, or paid on site. The ‘Costs on site’ overview – which can be found on the accommodation page, in the booking process and in My Belvilla – will tell you which situation applies to your accommodation.

If you need to cancel your booking for circumstantial reasons, contact our Customer Contact Center via telephone or e-mail. Keep your booking number and customer number handy.

There are costs associated with cancellation. If you have cancellation insurance with Belvilla, and the booking is cancelled for a reason covered by the insurance, you may be able to file an insurance claim for said costs. You will find the conditions of the cancellation insurance under Insurance. The cancellation conditions will be sent to you direcly after booking via e-mail. 

If you cancel your booking, there will be a charge to cover our costs incurred in preparing for your stay. The charge increases, the closer to your arrival date that you cancel. Please refer to the terms of cancellation on the property page or the booking voucher at the time of booking.

If you have a cancellation insurance with us, and the booking is cancelled for a reason covered by the insurance, we will calculate the refund on the travel sum. If applicable to your booking, you will also be refunded your travel insurance costs. Booking fees and the premium for the cancellation insurance cannot be refunded. 

In case you have booked a holiday home through a website of one of our partners, it is possible that the cancellation conditions of this partner apply. If this is the case, this will be stated at your booking. (ANVR Terms 9.4)

We process cancellations during business days. If a cancellation reaches us after the end of a business day, we process the cancellation the next business day. The next business day determines the cancellation costs. (ANVR Terms 1.3, 9.1, 9.8 and Belvilla Terms)

To avoid unforeseen costs, it is always wise to take out cancellation insurance. You can choose between two types of cancellation insurance which refund cancellation costs if circumstances force you to cancel your holiday or terminate it prematurely. The exact costs are precalculated for you during the booking process. You will find the insurance conditions and an overview of the premiums under Insurance.

It is possible to take out a cancellation insurance within seven days after booking, if there is no reason for cancellation known yet. To arrange this, contact the Customer Contact Center by phone.