Frequently Asked Questions - Bookings

Please also see other FAQ pages at the bottoms of many of the main menu options.

Can we temporarily reserve with you while we are looking for airfare and checking with the others in our party? Generally yes. What we will do is mark you in the calendar as a possible reservation. If anyone else then inquires and wants to reserve the same time slot, we will give you first refusal for 24 hours. Once we have a booking deposit ($150) from you, then of course your place is held.

Do you rent by the night? We don't rent for individual nights. Our minimum booking period is five nights, though we can sometimes be negotiable on that in high season. The reason for this is that if we rent for less than five nights then our costs to clean the house before and after your visit are more than we take in rent. If you want to stay on the island for only a night or two, we'd suggest you might be better off booking into guesthouses such as Tradewinds or Banana's who are better set up for short term stays. (Both of these guest houses are within three-five minutes walk of our house).

Do we have to rent for exactly a week? No, so long as you stay for at least our minimum of five nights, and so long as we have availability, we are happy to fit you in with an odd number of nights. Rental rates are simply the weekly rates prorated for the number of nights you stay.

Do you have a refund/cancellation policy? Yes. Our cancellation policy is as follows, all dates from the start of your stay at Casa Violeta:

• Bookings require a $150 deposit to confirm your booking. Booking is not confirmed until we receive your deposit.
• The balance of your payment is due one month before the start of your stay at Casa Violeta.
• Cancellation more than 60 days before start of stay: full refund.
• Cancellation 30-60 days before start of stay: refund less $150 deposit.
• Cancellation 30 or less days before start of stay: no refund.
  

We are sorry that we cannot offer you a full refund if you have to cancel, and we understand that sometimes last minute emergencies force a cancellation. However, we cannot let your misfortune become our misforture. We recommend travel insurance to handle these kinds of emergencies.

Do you ask for a deposit? Yes, $150 when you make your reservation. Until we receive the deposit your time slot is up for grabs by other folks!

Is midweek check-in & check-out a problem? No. In fact, many of our guests like to check in and out midweek because air fares from the US mainland are usually cheaper than they are for a weekend flight.

Where do we send the deposit check/rent check? Please make checks payable to Terradigm, Inc (our management company), and send to PO Box 1087, Frankfort MI 49635.

Can we pay by credit card? Yes. To be honest we are not really set up to do this easily since we are too small an operation to warrant our own credit card processing facilities. However, we can accept credit cards through an arrangement with a sister company. If you want to do this, we ask you to download our credit card payment form, and fill it out and fax it back to us. We can't just take a credit card number over the phone as we need a copy of your signature.

Are there any other taxes/surcharges etc. Only the 7% room tax imposed by the government of Puerto Rico on holiday rentals like ours, which we had already mentioned.

Can we bring our pets? Pets are acceptable if they stay outside, but bear in mind that you will have to fly here with them and it is likely to be a pain! Also you need to check check current USDA for any current applicable quarantine regulations affecting movement of animals between Puerto Rico and the US mainland. In particular, regulations regarding movement of cats and dogs is regulated by the Center for Disease Control who can be contacted on (404) 639-8107.

What are Check In and Check out Times on our Travel Days?

Check In

We will endeavor to have the house ready for you by 3pm on your day of arrival. However, on occasion, and especially if another party is checking out the same day, our cleaners will still be in the house when you arrive. If you arrive early, or if the cleaners are running late and have not finished by 3pm, then we ask your patience. You are welcome to leave your bags at the house while the cleaners are working and head off to the beach or a bar to wait. The cleaners will usually be able to give you an idea when they can finish the work.

Check Out

We ask that you leave the house by 10.30 am on your day of departure, in order for us to have enough time to get the house clean before the next guests arrive. If your flights or ferries are not until later in the afternoon, then you are welcome to leave your packed bags at the house for a few extra hours while you go to the beach or a bar to wait. However, we ask you to respect the fact that the cleaners will need to be in the house, and also the possibility that the next guests may arrive early. Please get your luggage as travel ready as possible and leave it in the laundry room where it will largely be out of the way of the cleaners, and please leave remove your luggage altogether by 3pm in order to let the new guests move in.

If Casa Violeta is not available, could you possibly suggest other accommodations? Yes, try Casa Companeros, which belongs to our in-laws and is about five minutes walk from Casa Violeta on the edge of Esperanza. If that does not work, send us an e-mail and we may be able to put you in touch with some of our other neighbors.