booking Terms & Conditions
Casa Fuzetta is a very special and rather magical place. It has extraordinary potential to help you find balance and joy. We want everyone here whether friend, guest or member of staff to share in and contribute to the magic. If for any reason, we feel the house and you are not an appropriate fit, we reserve the right to decline your booking.
We ask for a 50% non-refundable deposit to secure the dates (unless the booking is 12months or more before the intended arrival date in which case the initial deposit will reduce to 25% with a further 25% due no later than nine months before arrival) and the balance of the rental fee to be paid 8 weeks before arrival.
All deposits and other payments relating to rental of the house will be expected by euro bank transfer (net of bank charges and/or other transfer fees) and will be non-refundable in any circumstances, including without limitation in the event of travel to or within Portugal and/or access to Casa Fuzetta being restricted because of COVID19 or any other pandemic or other cause out of our control. Any variations to these terms will be at the discretion of the Owner. If you fail to honour the payment terms agreed and to make payment by the due payment date(s), we reserve the right to cancel your booking and/or to charge interest of 3% above the Bank of England overnight lending rate for the period in question.
The price per night (quoted separately) includes local sales tax at 6%. Prices may need to be revised in the event of a change to the local sales tax rate. Formal receipts will be shared as a matter of course.
Please note our prices EXCLUDE any local tourism tax. This will be payable by you separately. As at 1.10.2025 - Olhao’s tourism tax is 1€ per person per night in “winter”(1Nov to 31April) and 2€ per person per night in “summer” (1 May to 31 October) for a maximum of five nights. This may increase for 2026/27.
Because of different approaches between groups and regular questions about appropriate tips / gratuities for the houseteam, we propose to experiment with adding a standard gratuity/service charge of 25€ per person staying at Casa Fuzetta from 1.1.2026 onwards. This will be invoiced at the time that we invoice the tourism tax and all monies received will be distributed amongst the members of our houseteam. Please note that tips for chefs, massage therapists and/or other service providers should be addressed by you separately. Should you feel that the service provided by our houseteam does not merit this gratuity, please inform the Owner who will cancel the charge in full or in part, as you decide.
All bookings are on a NON-CANCELLATION basis save by the Owner for rentals taking place from 1.1.2026 onwards in the exceptional event that the Bank of Portugal's forecast rate of consumer price inflation for 2026 and/or 2027 rises to above 10% per annum. In such circumstances, the Owner reserves the right to ask you to agree to a proportionate increase in the rental fee for your booking. Should you decide not agree to this and/or we do not reach agreement on a revised price, the Owner reserves the right to cancel your booking, subject to the proviso that this right will be exercised no later than nine months prior to the anticipated arrival day for your booking, so that you have time to find an alternative venue. Of course, in such exceptional circumstances, the Owner will offer you a full and immediate refund of any deposit monies previously received from you for this cancelled booking. Such payment will be in full and final settlement of any claim you may have in connection with the cancellation.
In view of the above, please remember not to book flights earlier than nine months before the first day of your rental and similarly advise your guests.
We shall not be responsible for any losses or costs you or your guests may incur in relation to your booking and/or in relation to travel to Olhao that may have to be cancelled or postponed, or indeed extended because of Covid or any other Event Outside of Our Control - which may include any act or event beyond our reasonable control, including without limitation, strikes or other industrial action by third parties, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack, war (whether declared or not) or threat or preparation for war, fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, subsidence, epidemic or other natural disaster, or failure of public or private telecommunications networks, power networks or water supplies, local building works or roadworks, transport interruptions, delays or cancellations.
We strongly encourage you to check the terms of your business and travel insurance and to encourage your guests to ensure they have renewed their travel insurance.
We will have no liability for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity, and in no event, will our liability to you and/or your guests collectively exceed an amount equal to the sums received by us from you for the booking in question.
We will endeavour to keep you apprised of public health rules and contingency solutions in case anyone contracts Covid or any other illness during your stay with us. We will also endeavour to keep you apprised of any Event Outside of Our Control that may impact on your booking.
We reserve the right to require a security deposit against potential damage equal to 20% of the rental fee to be provided 1 week before arrival. **please note Weddings and Events may require different terms
In most circumstances we will require payment of the rental fee by euro bank transfer and the security deposit to be provided by bank transfer or in cash. We will advise you by email within 5 working days of your departure if we consider we should call upon the security deposit (in full or in part). Of course, we would hope that any issues could be resolved before your departure.
The person making the booking will be responsible for the behaviour of their guests, team members, chefs and other suppliers (whether or not introduced or recommended by the Owner), ensuring their compliance with these House Rules, any damage they may cause and any Extras they may incur (including for example, honesty bar tabs, additional laundry expenses…)
Extras should be settled locally before departure, in most cases directly with the suppliers. (Please note that few will have credit card facilities and therefore will prefer payment in cash.)
We reserve the right to ask you to leave straight away (without refund) if we consider any of the House Rules (see below) have been disrespected.
We will not be liable to any guest for any loss damage or injury suffered by them or their property howsoever caused, save in respect of death or personal injury caused by our negligence or that of our staff. This is not intended to affect any mandatory rights you have under local law that we cannot legally restrict or exclude.
House Rules
We try to keep rules to a minimum. We trust that those invited into our home will respect that it is just that – and will look after it as their own. Should anyone prove disrespectful to the house or the house staff, we reserve the right to ask you to leave straight away (without refund).
Because there are spaces around the house which could be dangerous for young children, we will not accept a booking for guests wishing to bring children under 8 years old. Babies that have not yet started walking or crawling by the time of their stay are welcome. Please note however that we only have one cot and high chair.
We would also advise that the house isn’t suitable for guests with mobility issues. The house has a great many stairs!
Well behaved pets may be welcome but only by prior agreement.
The house has 11 +1 bedrooms accommodating a maximum of 22 people. We do not accept or have capacity for additional beds. The Host should not allow others to stay overnight at the house and/or to exceed the capacity of guests agreed at the time of booking unless expressly agreed in writing first with the Owner.
We are required under Portuguese law to check and register the passport details for each person sleeping at the house and the dates of their stay at the house. This information will be held and handled by the Owner and the housemanager of Casa Fuzetta only for the purpose of review and submission with the relevant registry(ies) and authorities. The Host should collate the relevant information from their team and their guests and secure their consent to share this information with us for these purposes. By the Host’s act of supplying us with the relevant information, the Host confirms that such consent has been secured from each individual.
Portuguese law requires us to enforce a rule of no smoking anywhere in the house (including on the terraces).
In respect to our neighbours, we ask that no one uses the pool or the pool terrace after 10pm and that no one jumps into the pool at any time. Wet neighbours are unhappy neighbours!
And with an eye on health & safety, please do not to take glasses up to the terrace. There are good quality melamine glasses available in the pool bar and jugs available in the kitchen.
Also, whilst guests are welcome to take glasses, mugs and plates to their rooms, please return them to the kitchen and pop them in the dishwasher**. Otherwise, the allocation of house team time will all go on clearing dirty dishes and there will be no time for anything else! And no one wants an infestation of ants, or worse… **Please note that some of the glasses are antique and need to be washed by hand. We would also be grateful if you would use the coasters available, to help protect the antique furniture.
The house has been wired to provide wifi throughout. You are welcome to use it liberally in your rooms but in keeping with the idea that this is a place to be inspired through conversation, creativity and new experiences, we would ask you not to use phones and laptops on the terraces or in the other common areas. And in the hope we can encourage you to a full digital detox, please note that there are no televisions. (On request, we can set up a home cinema in the library for special movie night! You bring the ipad and download your choice of movie…)
Because we are located in the heart of the old town, noise is a delicate issue and the local police strictly enforce a curfew on loud music after 10pm. We ask you to be mindful of the noise being made both within the house and when arriving and leaving, particularly if late at night. We also ask you to ensure that no one uses the pool or the pool terrace after 10pm and that there is no loud music played anywhere in the house after 10pm. The house is not suitable for stag or hen parties. If you wish to host an event at the house or to undertake a photo shoot, please get in touch so that we can discuss arrangements and agree specific terms & conditions.
We assume you will agree with your guests what images or other recording of your stay at the house may be taken and shared on social media (or otherwise). Our staff have been asked to adhere to the strictest confidentiality standards. Please note that we do NOT encourage or condone posing on the high walls or balustrades of Casa Fuzetta for photographs or other social media content. This is highly dangerous.
If you are coming at a time of year when the nights may be chilly, lighting the fireplace on the kitchen terrace and snuggling up in the blankets we have available may be enough to help stretch the season... Please let the house team if you would like to use the bbq and/or one of the fireplaces. They will be happy to lay the fires for you. Please note that for the fireplaces you should start with a small amount of wood and build up slowly and that for the bbq, only charcoal should be used. The house team can help you. Both the bbq and the fireplaces will need the extractors to be turned on and kept on until the fire is fully extinguished. Failure to do so may lead to the smoke alarms going off in the middle of the night. Please ensure no fires or candles are left unattended - for obvious reasons!
For the warm sunny days, when sun-cream is essential, please shower before going in the pool and if using P20, please be careful as it stains terribly (microcement bathroom vanities and bed/bath linens in particular).
The rental of the house includes a change of bath towels on day 4 if staying for 7 nights, and on day 3 if staying for 5 nights. One beach towel per person for 7 nights is also included. The bed linen will be fresh on arrival. If you are staying for more than 7 nights, the bed linen will be changed on day 7. You are very welcome to use the LaEva organic skincare products made available in your bathrooms. Please do not take the bottles with you - they're pretty heavy! We have avoided putting locks on cupboards, because we prefer a relationship of trust. However, we reserve the right to charge additional fees if people help themselves …
Check-in is usually between 16:00 and 18;00 and Check out by 11:00. We will do our best to accommodate other requests and/or to offer a space in which to store your bags, but please understand that this cannot be guaranteed.
Please note that if guests are likely to arrive at different times, it is anticipated that the house-team’s responsibilities will be limited to welcoming the lead guest / host of the group, and that the host / retreat team will wish to then take over to welcome their guests, show them the house and to their rooms. If you would like the team to offer support in welcoming guests, showing them to their rooms and/or helping with bags, this may be possible (for a further fee, payable locally), if you let us know at least 30 days before arrival.
If you are making a booking for a retreat (yoga/creative or other) and anticipate engaging a chef to cater a significant number of meals in-house, please ensure you budget for a car (to transport supplies) and consider what additional dedicated assistance in the kitchen may be needed to help with shopping, prep, set-up, clearing and cleaning. Subject to availability and advance notice, our lovely local houseteam will be delighted to help for an additional fee payable locally.
We will ensure some initial provisions in the fridge and the pantry for the host or retreat leaders…. (Generally this will include: coffee capsules (two per guest), tea, sugar, fresh bread, selection of fruit and veg, fresh local cheese, butter, milk, eggs, olive oil & vinegar, salt & pepper) Subject to availability and advance notice, our house-team will be happy to help with an initial shop for further supplies.
Our lovely local house manager or one of her deputies will be available to meet and greet you at the house, show you how everything works, share recommendations and local knowledge. She will create a whatsapp group to facilitate smooth communication between the host/retreat team, your chef and key members of our houseteam. Other than in the case of emergencies, communication via this group should be limited to the hours between 8am and 8pm.
Please understand that whilst we and our team are very happy to share recommendations. We are not a hotel and do not have the capacity to offer a concierge service, nor a porter service. With advance notice (at least 14days) we will do our best to organise additional team support if you wish to offer your guests help with their bags to their rooms on arrival (and/or on departure). This will be subject to an additional fee dependent on the number of hours and guests for which this service is required.
The subject of Air Conditioning is a challenging issue. We take our commitment to reducing our impact on the environment seriously, whilst acknowledging that on occasion, the summer temperatures in southern Portugal can run high. In an effort to balance the conflicting demands of minimal impact and guest comfort, air conditioning in bedrooms will only be available between 8pm and 6am for a minimum nighttime room temperature of 24c. Please be aware that in the event of a power cut in Olhao (which can be annoyingly frequent, if typically brief, in the summer) the AC units will need to be reset.
No guest should use, ingest, possess or distribute illegal drugs or other substances or engage in other conduct which would bring Casa Fuzetta into disrepute.
We reserve the right to ask you to leave straight away (without refund) if we consider any of these house rules to have been disrespected. The person making the booking will be responsible for the behaviour of their guests and any damage they may cause.
At the end of your stay, please ensure that the house is in the same condition as you found it on arrival and that all items borrowed have been returned to the place from which they were taken; in particular, the kitchen should be left clean and tidy, dishes and glasses cleaned and put away, bins empty, perishable foods thrown out.
Any wet or damp towels should be taken to the laundry on the ground floor and not left on beds!
Extras should be settled locally before departure, in most cases directly with the suppliers. (Please note that few will have credit card facilities and therefore will prefer payment in cash.)
We will not be liable to any guest for any loss damage or injury suffered by them or their property howsoever caused, save in respect of death or personal injury caused by our negligence or that of our staff. This is not intended to affect any mandatory rights you have under local law that we cannot legally restrict or exclude.
COMPLAINTS
Should you have any complaints about your experience at Casa Fuzetta or about this Site, please email casafuzetta@gmail.com. You will also find a formal complaints book ”Livro de reclamações” at the house in which you can log your complaint in writing or you can access the digital ”Livro de reclamações” by following this link. We will endeavour to respond and resolve any issues as quickly as possible.
Casa Fuzetta is promoted and rented by Tara Donovan as a personal business activity . Her Portuguese Fiscal Number is 282189173 (registered address: Casa Fuzetta, Travessa Heliodoro Salgado 7, 8700-558 Olhao, Portugal). Alojamento local registration number: 44554/AL
DISPUTES
In the event of any dispute between you and us concerning these Terms, the laws of England and Wales will apply. If you wish to take court proceedings against us, you should do so within England and Wales, except to the extent that applicable law in your country of residence requires mandatory application of another law and/or jurisdiction and/or language and such requirement cannot lawfully be excluded under these Terms in which case such law and/or jurisdiction and/or language shall apply, as far as legally required.