Despite spring sunshine, the storm is almost upon us. This page outlines our current planning for the coronavirus outbreak, and will be updated as appropriate. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
Staying At Wheatland Farm Eco Lodges In The Coming Weeks
The government has just extended its coronavirus restrictions, making it abundantly clear that the time for holidaying is over – for now at least. We had already stopped taking new bookings. Most of you have cancelled or rearranged your stays – thank you for working with us on this. Those few who still hoped to come – we’re sorry, but it’s going to have to be another time.
However, if you are local to this part of Devon, and you need accommodation to cope with corona virus, please get in touch. Are you a medic who doesn’t want to risk taking the virus home? Are you in a household with someone vulnerable, but without enough space to properly self isolate? Do you have to be here to help care for someone who is especially vulnerable? Wheatland Farm has semi-isolated self contained accommodation, and we’d like to see it put to use to serve the community. Please get in touch via email info@wheatlandfarm.co.uk.
Planning A Much Needed Future Holiday…
This outbreak will peak, and we’ll all need a holiday! But when? Amidst the uncertainty, we will be changing our cancellation policies for all forward bookings.
In setting these conditions, our aim is to balance out the financial risks, with us carrying most, but not all of it. Our underlying cancellation principle remains in place – we do not seek to profit from guests misfortunes. (We never ‘double sell’ a holiday and keep two sets of payments.)
Arriving Before Mid July
We don’t yet know when we will re-open for new bookings in the next few months. We suspect there will probably be another round of cancelling existing bookings before this blows over, and we’ve already been in touch with some of you. But for most guests booked for May and June, we’ll wait a while and see how things pan out. Meanwhile, if you have a query about your stay, get in touch.
Summer Holidays In Devon
For the main summer holidays, from mid July until the end of August, we are currently assuming we’ll be open. You can book these dates for a 10% deposit (usually 20%), with the balance due 4 weeks (down from 6) before arrival*. If you cancel and if we can resell, we will refund all your money, including the deposit (which is normally retained), but less any associated marketing costs, such as last minute discounts. The delayed balance timing and strengthened refund policy will also apply to existing bookings arriving 18th July to end of August. Or, if you’ve stayed here before, and want to go on a last minute flexible list, let us know.
*Until we adjust our admin system, just opt to pay by BACS/cheque and halve the 20% deposit. We’ll sort out the details behind the scenes.
Holidays Into The Autumn
Surely, oh surely, things will be clearer by then! At present, our standard terms and conditions apply. Of course, we’ll be keeping this under review.
Keeping You Safe At Wheatland Farm
Just as with any other infection, like norovirus or even standard flu, our priority is to keep you safe at Wheatland Farm, so you have a lovely holiday. Some of the following is already standard practice, some is changed in the light of corona virus. We willl:
- Thoroughly ventilate the lodges before you arrive.
- Thoroughly clean all work surfaces, all door handles, light switches, sink surrounds and touch points etc. This means using more detergents/bleach/steam cleaning than we normally would.
- Change all the bedding (of course!) including pillow and mattress protectors – current advice for similar settings is that routine washing is all that’s required.
- Rewash the cups and cutlery between guests. (Obviously we still expect departing guests to do their own washing up!)
- Follow evolving PHE /tourism sector advice on deep cleaning after any suspected cases of corona virus at Wheatland Farm.
- Discuss specific concerns you may have – please do get in touch.
We ask you to please:
- Bear with us if cleaning takes longer than usual
- Bear with us if we are short staffed because of corona virus
- Immediately return to your own home to self isolate your household if you develop symptoms of corona virus during your stay – just as you would be required to do in your normal setting. Be aware that you cannot stay longer than your booked stay, even if you get ill.
- Tell us – so we can manage cleaning and subsequent bookings.
- Accept that we may unavoidably have to cancel your stay at Wheatland Farm, potentially at very short notice.
- Make sure we have a last minute contact number for you in these fast changing times.
- When you make a new booking, ensure you read the current terms and conditions!
This post replaces our statement of 19 March