Half term holiday house booking, group trip

[Sharkyfan]

Any thoughts on how this might go?
Must be lots of people in the same position
We had a group holiday planned with close extended family - 12 of us all together including adults and kids, to celebrate various big birthdays and anniversaries.
My parents have paid a lot of money for a large cottage in Devon.
My mum contacted the owner as he was between agencies at the time so she booked direct. He has not yet allowed her to cancel and get money back, or to move booking to next May as he is now with a new booking company and those dates aren’t released yet.
My parents have insurance with first direct but they have a recorded message saying I think that they’re only dealing with claims relating to the next couple of weeks or something and you have to first go to the holiday provider.

I’m worried that we will technically be able to travel but not mix.

What do we think the situation will be about holiday cottages and group holidays at end of May?
I’d imagine communities in places like Devon and Cornwall might have mixed feelings as I know there were concerns about overwhelming health services but surely they need tourism to come back sometime?

If social distancing is going to be implemented for at least a year then I don't think it will be happening.

I had a family member's hen party that week and she's changed it to next year.

Communities have no choice. It is down to government advice, the same as it is with any other sector.Keeping communities safe is the priority. Everything is closed so pointless you coming. Aside from that you’d be going against gov instructions regarding travel and putting your own parents at risk. Can you go back to the company with that to insist on a refund.

I predict cottage holidays by end of May will go ahead. As soon as the first restrictions on lock down are lifted, travelling around within the UK will be permissible. However, it's likely there will remain restrictions about mixing households, and shielding the over 70s, and there will be no restaurants/pubs open, and you'll need to adhere to social distancing outside the cottage (masks if specified, 2 metres apart in shops etc) so whether you'd want to take the holiday is another question! But as soon as this lockdown is lifted, people will have the freedom of movement to visit their own second homes, so it is arbitrary not to allow paying guests to do likewise.

But how do we know what the instructions will be at the end of May? Or whether everything will still be closed?

Why on earth would they want mass mixing across the country in 4 or 5 weeks with people from all areas travelling all over the place ?

This wasn’t the message they gave out yesterday.

South West numbers have been low,why oh why would mass numbers from areas such as London with a high infection rate be a good idea? We don’t have the medical facilities here and have an elderly population. It would be madness.

I clean holiday cottages and I really wouldn’t feel safe cleaning after a large group at the moment. All the bookings for the cottages I work at are cancelled for the foreseeable future. I don’t know when I’ll get back to work but I’d rather be claiming universal credit than risking my health doing what I do.

I appreciate what some are saying - if it was next week.
But am interested in thoughts about in a month’s time - end of May.
If the cottage owner would let us cancel and be refunded, we would! Or rebook for next year! But currently he is not offering either option.

I think we will be restricted into May for this reason. They will not want everyone off on Whitsun half term, mixing and causing another rise, otherwise it will have all been for nothing.

I live in Devon, much as we need tourism I would rather we didn’t have a huge influx of visitors as our numbers are still very low.

We are in the same position with a villa bookinfg for July in Spain.The UK agency is demanding the full payment despite most likely not being able to provide the service we contracted too (Spain have advised that British tourists cannot visit till after September). We have emailed several times without reply, asking if we can move it back to next year).

Ryanair have not cancelled our flights but advised by email ‘your flight times have changed’ - yet they haven’t given a new date/time.

Stressful.

Airbnb are allowing anyone with bookings up to May 31st and booked prior to March 14th to cancel with a full refund. They have set up a relief fund to offset some of the loss for hosts.

It's difficult to predict what might be the case at the end of May. At the moment no one can rent out a holiday let unless it is under a scheme to house key workers. As frustrating as it is you may just have to wait and see how things are closer to the time. Have your parents got a copy of the booking contract they made with the owner? What are the cancellation terms?

I’m just worried for my parents losing a lot of money
If it’s made clear that we’re not allowed to go - that’s fine. It will be if there’s a grey area that then the guy will feel he is not obliged to refund us or offer an alternative date, that’s my worry.

I live in Cornwall. Please don't come. Losing money is rubbish, losing life is worse.

I predict cottage holidays by end of May will go ahead

I wouldn't bet on it, even the scummy bastards that are Sykes Holidays are now talking about end of June onwards.

If you're a close extended family then why would any of you leave your parents holding that debt?

The worst case scenario is you all pay your parents your share of the deposit and see what happens after that.

The owner will have to come up with some offer at some point. Money claim online if the don't!

I presume they are waiting until the next lockdown update in 2 weeks like many others are. We have a caravan holiday booked in May half term (self catering, just the 4 of us) and currently the company say it’s still going ahead. I’d rather they just cancelled it and got it over with but it’s clear we will have to wait another 2 weeks for them to decide.