Villaparade / Travelopo

[Mark]

Villa Parade have ceased trading today so it says here !!

Failure of Air Parade Ltd, ATOL 5717 14 May 2014 | How to Make an ATOL Claim | ATOL

 

[Sparky]

Sadly this has now been posted on their own website here :- http://www.villaparade.co.uk/.

Air Parade Ltd, trading as Villa Parade and Luxury Villa Escapes has ceased trading with immediate effect.

If you have booked a holiday which includes a flight, then please visit the C.A.A. website: Failure of Air Parade Ltd, ATOL 5717 - 14 May 2014.

If your booking does not involve a flight booked with Villa Parade, then you will need to contact ABTA

 

[roig cat]

I wonder if the staff knew the extent of the problem or were they strung along? I cannot understand why anyone would tweet that website down temporarily when it was known it was final. Only yesterday they were tweeting about Pippa middletons new hair cut ( i was a follower!!) all very odd especially the generic "out of office email"stating "gone for the foreseeable future". Taking the mickey i think.

 

[MAG]

Such a shame. I used them for many years before we bought our own apartment in Puerto Pollensa. Service did decline and villa standard not as good when we last used them. Think they may have tried to grow too much as they expanded away from Pollensa , and out of Mallorca. Hope all get repaid, holiday bookers and villa owners. Have seen the Travelopo shop in Pollensa but never knew what they did etc.

 

[lollipop]

I think as well as expanding, they were discounting way below the price they had agreed to pay owners for the periods.

 

[sullafon]

We have lost our villa for our wedding. 5 weeks to go

 

[pollensa]

This is a tremendous blow now for anybody who has booked with Villa Parade. Unfortunately, I assume that this now affects those whose villas were not on the 'list' as well as those who had accepted an alternative property (with VP).

I'm going to post separately - see http://www.forum.puertopollensa.com/hotels-villas-apartments-pollensa-cala-san-vicente/11260-villa-parade-what-do-if-your-travel-company-fails.html on the various means of getting refunds etc. but this will take time. So if you are affected, I'm afraid that this means finding more cash to fund a replacement.

As we've mentioned before there are quite a few private rentals available here Rent Villas Apartments in Pollensa. I realise that many people prefer to book through a company. All I can say is that although we have not inspected properties or can offer guarantees, PuertoPollensa.com has been running since 2001 and we are are not aware of any scams or non-existent properties during that time. You can always Contact Us for more information. I can tell you how long an advertiser has been with us and if you don't know the area, I can often tell you a bit more about where it is etc.

Otherwise there are several other UK-Based Villa Companies who still have villas available (do pay by Credit Card) but bear in mind that many of these actually use the Local Villa Agents based in the Port or town for their properties, so you can always go direct to them. The majority speak good English.

And finally don't be put off by the request to pay the balance in cash in Euros on arrival if you are dealing direct with a Mallorcan owner. It is a common practice.

Another tip - if you already have flights booked that are not Sat-Sat & are looking for a non-Sat changeover, ASK the owner - they may be flexible. Otherwise consider staying in a hotel for one or two nights at the start or end of your holiday.

Good Luck!

 

[Mark]

If it helps anyone looking for accommodation Villa Plus have sent out an email saying they have added new villas in Majorca. That was quick wasn't it.

 

[Sparky]

I would imagine a lot of owners caught up in this will be contacting Villa Plus and other companies in an attempt to fill lost bookings. As the saying goes "It's an ill wind".

 

[Harters]

Good general advice from Pollensa.

Yes, all of VPs bookings/properties are now affected (apparently something like 1000 across Europe).

Posts on the TripAdvisor thread indicate ABTA is acknowledging claims quickly but a piece on Radio 4 a few minutes back say they take days/weeks to refund, whereas ATOl refunds can take months. The point was made on the programme that other companies might now seek to exploit what will be a shortage of properties in the short term by increasing prices. For UK based folk who have access to the BBC iPlayer, the piece was on "You and Yours", originally broadcast at noon (UK time) - presumably it'll be available for replay later on.

 

[pollensa]

Villa Select (whom we used several years ago) are also saying on their website "Due to the failure of Villa Parade, our office will be open until 8pm this evening to assist with any enquiries and bookings" (They are ABTA/ATOL).

 

[Teen]

Hi everyone,
Our "big ladies " trip of some 25 years standing is in jeopardy because of this debacle.....not easy to find a place big enough for all of us, even more so since we love being in the old town in particular, nice not to have to hire cars, no one has to hold back because they're driving etc. We've been in can Josep for two years running and had booked this year too, but I imagine that's up the swanny! At least, unlike some poor folk, we don't travel till the 4th of October.....time to think.
If any of you know of any villas or appartments either in the old town or the port
...4 bedrooms, well equipped kitchen, not really worried about a pool, but like space to eat and lie outside, please give me a shout. I'm not our organiser but I can pass her ideas.
Half of my flights won't be wasted as I fly from Nice to Newcastle to see my family and then hopefully, it's off with the ladies!

THanks, Teen.

 

[kate1]

Teen, have sent you a PM.

 

[Sparky]

Hi everyone,
Our "big ladies " trip of some 25 years standing is in jeopardy because of this debacle.....not easy to find a place big enough for all of us, even more so since we love being in the old town in particular, nice not to have to hire cars, no one has to hold back because they're driving etc. We've been in can Josep for two years running and had booked this year too, but I imagine that's up the swanny! At least, unlike some poor folk, we don't travel till the 4th of October.....time to think.
If any of you know of any villas or appartments either in the old town or the port
...4 bedrooms, well equipped kitchen, not really worried about a pool, but like space to eat and lie outside, please give me a shout. I'm not our organiser but I can pass her ideas.
Half of my flights won't be wasted as I fly from Nice to Newcastle to see my family and then hopefully, it's off with the ladies!

THanks, Teen.

Teen do have a look here Rent Villas Apartments in Puerto Pollensa (Port de Pollenca), Majorca (Mallorca), just enter your requirements in the search facility. I am sure you will find something, good luck .

 

[clinkham]

Just a little background from the Travelopo website

Travelopo.com - Villa Parade Statement Update - Travelopo.com


.

 

[Sparky]

I would just like to point out that Travelopo are not ABTA bonded.