General Conditions
1. – Accommodation
1.1 – The customer is required to notify Solemar of their arrival time in advance, to facilitate the delivery of the keys.
1.2 – Upon arrival, all customers who will be staying in our accommodation must provide a copy of an identity document which will then be sent to the local authorities for the mandatory anti-terrorism checks. Check-in, unless a specific agreement has been made to the contrary, cannot take place before 16:00.
1.3 – For check-ins made after 20.00, a surcharge of € 30.00 is applied.
1.4 – Upon receipt of the keys, the customer is obliged to settle any outstanding balance on their account and to provide the deposit indicated in the confirmation.
1.5 – The security deposit will be returned on the last day. Any additional costs (for example electricity costs, where previously agreed upon) and costs related to possible damages caused by the customer may be deducted from the security deposit.
1.6 – Check-out, unless a specific agreement has been made to the contrary, cannot take place after 11:00 am.
1.7 – Guests are obliged to respect the rules of the house and the surrounding structures at the entrance of each apartment.
2. – How to Book an Italian Course
2.1 – To book an Italian course, students may send a request at any time via the form on the website or by contacting the School at the e-mail address info@solemarsicilia.com. They will then receive a detailed offer with the price of the chosen course and of accommodation, if required.
2.2 – Once the offer is accepted, Solemar Sicilia will send the student a confirmation letter with the information necessary for payment. By requesting confirmation and paying the deposit, the student accepts these General Conditions, briefly reported in the confirmation letter.
2.3 – To definitively confirm the reservation, the student will have to pay the indicated deposit into the company account within 7 days.
2.4 – Bank commissions are always paid by the student.
2.5 – The amount of the deposit is at the discretion of the school but usually corresponds to 30% of the total reservation (the percentage may be higher for bookings in high season). The balance can be paid before arrival (by bank transfer to the company’s account or by credit card) or on the first day of the course at the school office.
2.6 – Students booking at the last minute are required to pay the full amount of the reservation, unless otherwise agreed.
2.7 – If the deposit is not paid in due time, Solemar Sicilia may consider the booking cancelled and may also charge a portion of the same to cover administrative costs.
3. – Description and Details of Italian Courses
3.1 – All our courses are comprised of units which constitute a 45-minute lesson.
3.2 – The prices of the courses are shown on the website and are updated for the current year.
3.3 – The school can apply, at its discretion, special discounts during limited periods of the year. Discounts are not retroactive or applicable to previous bookings.
3.4 – Group courses are offered from March to December and start every Monday. Classes are always held from Monday to Friday.
3.5 – The school is closed for the following holidays: Easter Monday; Labour Day (May 1); Ferragosto (August 15th); Christmas (December 24 and 25) December; New Years Eve (December 31 and January 1).
3.6 – Possible lesson units lost on days when the school is closed are recovered in the remaining days of the same week.
3.7 – The start time of the standard courses is scheduled for 9.00.
3.8 – There is a break after the first two lesson units which lasts 15 minutes.
3.9 – The private hours of the combined courses and group hours of the business courses take place immediately after the end of the standard courses, after a short 10-minute break.
3.10 – Individual courses can also start at a different time if agreed in advance with the school’s secretarial staff.
3.11 – In the event that all the classrooms are occupied for activities of the standard courses in the first lesson period, any individual lessons will be scheduled during the second period, ie. at the end of group lessons. The school will communicate as soon as possible the start time of these private lessons to any interested students.
3.12 – Students receive the link to the placement test via e-mail approximately one week before their arrival. On Monday mornings, all new students are required to go to school at 8.30 to complete their registration. Upon arrival, they will be greeted with a small breakfast and will receive a welcome kit and their Solemar card.
3.13 – Immediately after registration, the new students are called to have a short conversation with the teachers to allow them to better assess their level of knowledge of Italian, following which the groups are divided.
3.14 – Teaching material is selected by teachers on a week by week basis dependent on the level of students. Every Monday afternoon, immediately after the first lesson, each teacher prepares a syllabus for the week containing adapted texts, songs, exercises and activities which will be used during the lessons. The teacher establishes the program of the courses and can, if they deem it necessary, make variations during the program to consolidate or supplement the curriculum.
3.15 – In standard classes, if a quorum of at least 4 students are not present, the daily lesson units are reduced to:
• 2-3 students = 3 units per day
• 1 student = 2 units per day
3.16 – The CLUB+ Programs are confirmed with a minimum of 6 participants. The school reserves the right to communicate any changes and / or cancellation of the program within 4 weeks of the start date. The calendar of activities may change due to force majeure. Students who have not booked the program in its entirety can also participate in the activities included in the program.
4. – Cancellation of Booking
4.1 – In the event of the cancellation of a reservation it is necessary to send a written communication to Solemar Sicilia. A cancellation made up to 11 weeks before arrival will incur a penalty of 15% of the total amount agreed. A cancellation made between 8 and 10 weeks prior to arrival will incur a 30% cancellation fee. Between 4 and 7 weeks before arrival a 50% cancellation fee will be applied. A cancellation of less than 4 weeks prior to arrival will incur a 95% cancellation fee. Solemar Sicilia reserves the right to apply, in special cases, different penalties.
4.2 – Solemar Sicilia advises guests to take out travel insurance which may protect you, in addition, against these costs.
4.3 – Once the registration for an Italian course has been completed, it is not possible to convert the course into a shorter one.
4.4 – If a student is absent from classes, or shortens their course after starting it, they have no right to recovery of the missed lessons.
5. – Insurance
5.1 – Solemar Sicilia is covered by an insurance policy for third party civil liability. In no event will Solemar Sicilia be held responsible for any theft and / or damage caused to third parties on due to circumstances within their control.
5.2 – Solemar Sicilia advises its customers to take out supplementary insurance policies which cover any costs arising from delays, cancellations and / or cancellations of flights. In addition, customers are advised to take out tourist insurance policies to reimburse costs deriving from any last minute cancellations.
6. – Acceptance of the Rules
6.1 – All registrations are subject to these General Conditions. These come into force automatically upon the sending of the confirmation letter, and payment of the deposit.
7. – COVID-19
7.1 – Article 88 of the decreto legge italiano n.18 del 2020 [Italian legal decree no. 18 of 2020] extends to residential contracts, in cases of where travel becomes impossible due to supervening impossibility as defined by Article 28 of the decreto legge italiano n.9 del 2020 [Italian legal decree no. 9 of 2020], the possibility of issuing a Voucher as an alternative to financial reimbursement. This Voucher shall have a duration of one year. This period will be calculated from the expected arrival date of the stay which was booked and subsequently cancelled.
7.2 – Persons eligible for the Voucher are:
- those who are obliged to undergo quarantine due to Covid-19,
- those who are in an area which it is not possible to leave as a result of a Covid-19 related travel ban,
- those who are positive for Covid-19,
- those who have booked accommodation in an area which it is not possible to enter as a result of a Covid-19 related travel ban,
- those who have booked a stay which was linked to a particular event which is subsequently cancelled due to Covid-19.