Terms & Conditions
These terms and conditions, as may be amended from time to time, apply to all our services directly or indirectly (through distributors) made available online, through any mobile device, by email or by telephone. By accessing, browsing and using our website or any of our applications through whatever platform (hereafter collectively referred to as the “website”) and/or by completing a reservation, you acknowledge and agree to have read, understood and agreed to the terms and conditions set out below (including the privacy statement).
These pages, the content and infrastructure of these pages, and through the website (the “service”) are owned, operated and provided by www.sophiasbest.com (“www.sophiasbest.com”, “us”, “we” or “our”) and are provided for your personal, non-commercial use only, subject to the terms and conditions set out below.
1. Scope of our Service
Through the website we (SophiasBest.com and its affiliate (distribution) partners) provide
An online platform through which we offer cultural experiential educational programs (guided or not), with particular organized and scheduled itineraries, through which, products and services offer their products and services for reservation and/or purchase, and through which visitors to the website can make such reservations and/or purchases.
By making a reservation and/or purchase through www.sophiasbest.com , you enter into a direct (legally binding) contractual relationship with the supplier of these products and services at which you reserve and/or purchase. From the point at which you make your reservation and/or purchase, we act solely as an intermediary between you and the supplier, transmitting the details of your reservation and/or purchase to the relevant supplier and sending you a confirmation email for and on behalf of the supplier.
When rendering our services, the information that we disclose is based on the information provided to us by the suppliers of products and services. As such, the suppliers are fully responsible for updating all rates, availability, prices and other information which is displayed on our website.
Although we will use reasonable skill and care in performing our services we will not verify if, and cannot guarantee that, all information is accurate, complete or correct, nor can we be held responsible for any errors (including manifest and typographical errors), any interruptions (whether due to any (temporary and/or partial) breakdown, repair, upgrade or maintenance of our website or otherwise), inaccurate, misleading or untrue information or non-delivery of information. Each supplier of products, services, remains responsible at all times for the accuracy, completeness and correctness of the (descriptive) information (including the rates, prices and availability) displayed on our website. Our website does not constitute and should not be regarded as a recommendation or endorsement of the quality, service level or rating of any products and services made available.
Our services are made available for personal and non-commercial use only. Therefore, you are not allowed to re-sell, deep-link, use, copy, monitor (e.g. spider, scrape), display, download or reproduce any content or information, software, products or services available on our website for any commercial or competitive activity or purpose.
2. Prices and Best Price Guarantee
The prices on our site are highly competitive. All prices on the SophiasBest.com website when referring to products and services are per item and are displayed including VAT and all other taxes (subject to change of such taxes), unless stated differently on our website or the confirmation email.
Sometimes cheaper rates/prices are available at our website for a specific product or service however, these rates/prices made by suppliers of products and services may carry special restrictions and conditions, so please check the details thoroughly for any such conditions prior to making your reservation and/or purchase.
The currency converter is for information purposes only and should not be relied upon as accurate and real time; actual rates may vary. i.e. https://www.google.com/finance/converter or http://www.xe.com/currencyconvert or https://currency-api.appspot.com/
3. Privacy Policy
For purposes of the policy, references to “we,” “our,” and “us” mean Sophia’s Best.
Sophia’s Best owns and operates the website at www.sophiasbest.com . Our site provides a wide range of information to our Site’s visitors. Like many web sites, we also collect information from our visitors, including personally identifiable information, such as your full name, e-mail address, contact address, phone number, details of any group members you are travelling with that you tell us about, and other information that you may provide to us, and non-personally identifiable information (e.g., aggregate statistics about what parts of our Site are most popular).
We also deal with customers by email, over the phone, face to face, via social media, and via travel agents which may contact us on your behalf. We will collect personally identifiable information from you such as your full name, email address, contact address, details of any group members you are travelling with that you tell us about, and other information that you may provide to us. We will also collect information about your travel arrangements such as reservation numbers, flight and accommodation details, and any special requirements you may request.
This privacy policy is designed to tell you about our information collection practices – that is, the ways we collect information; what kinds of information we collect; why we collect information; how we use information we collect; with whom we share information we collect; how you can access, amend, and delete information we collect from you; and what kinds of security we use to protect information you provide.
Before using this site or communicating with us – and particularly before providing personally identifiable information to us – you should read this entire policy. Use of this site or communicating with us constitutes your agreement to the terms of this policy. If the terms of this policy are not acceptable to you, do not provide any personally identifiable information to us. You can also contact us here.
Scope of policy
Please be aware that this policy applies to information which we process about you. It does not apply to information which you provide via any other web sites.
Within our site you may see links or references to other web sites which are not covered by this policy and are likely to have different information practices. We therefore encourage you to read the privacy policy of each web site you visit. We provide these references and links for your convenience; they should not be construed as an endorsement of such sites, their content, or their information practices. You are solely responsible for any interactions you may have with such web sites.
If you make a request or a reservation with Sophia’s Best, we will share your information with third parties who will fulfil your travel requirements. We try to ensure that your information remains secure and is processed in accordance with relevant data protection requirements, but those third parties may have different information practices, which will be governed by their privacy policies which we recommend you read.
If you have been referred to us from another site or by any other third party, your information that you provide to them will also be governed by their privacy policy, which we recommend you read.
How we collect your information
1. How we collect your information via our site
This site collects information from its visitors in two ways: actively and passively. Active information collection refers to instances in which we gather information from you when you fill it in and send it to us, such as by completing a registration form, signing up for an electronic newsletter, entering a competition, or sending us a message via an e-mail reply mechanism provided by this site. Active information collection can include both personally identifiable information (e.g., your full name or information that is unique to you) and non-personally identifiable information (e.g., if we were to ask for a list of the top three things you like about our site). Passive information collection refers to instances in which we collect information from you that you have not actively provided (please see the next section of this policy for a summary of our passive information collection practices).
Active information collection
(a) Registration Information
If you are interested in receiving electronic updates, alerts, and other information from us regarding this site and our products and services, you must provide us with an e-mail address. In completing your registration, we may also ask for optional information, such as how you found us, to help us better serve you in the future.
(b) Feedback Information
We welcome your comments and feedback regarding this Site and our products, services and programs. This Site provides an e-mail address that permits you to send us your own e-mail address, comments, and any other information you choose to include. E-mail is not secure. As a result, you should carefully consider what information you wish to send to us via e-mail.
Passive information collection
We may use special technologies to passively collect information while you are visiting www.sophiasbest.com (that is, you do not actively provide this information). These technologies allow us to collect certain kinds of non-personally identifiable information, including your Internet domain name, the type of web browser you use, the operating system you use, the date and time of your visit www. sophiasbest.com, the specific pages you visit, and the address of the web site you visited prior to entering www. sophaisbest.com. We may link this passively collected non-personally identifiable information with personally identifiable information you have actively provided elsewhere on this site.
Below we have summarized the primary means of passive information collection at our Site.
(a) Cookies
This site uses cookies, which are small text files that store non-personally identifiable information about you, either temporarily in connection with your Internet Protocol (IP) address (known as a temporary or session cookie and deleted once you close your browser window) or more permanently on the hard drive of your computer (known as a permanent or persistent cookie). This Site uses session cookies so that you do not have to fill in the same information from page to page within www.sophiasbest.com . If you elect not to receive cookies, you may be able to view some, but not all, of the content on this Site.
(b) Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses
This site uses Internet protocol (IP) addresses. IP addresses are unique identifiers automatically assigned to each computer when logging onto the Internet. IP addresses allow us to collect much of the same information we collect through cookies, including browser type, what pages you visit, and how long you stay on the site. In general, IP addresses allow us to identify problems with our servers, prepare aggregate demographic information and other information regarding this use of this site, and improve the functions of this site.
2. How we collect information through other channels
We collect information from you when you call us, when you send emails or other messages to us, when we meet with you in person, when you communicate with us via social media, and if you have asked another travel agent to make an enquiry on your behalf.
3. Information about other people
If you provide information to us about any person other than yourself, such as people you are requesting or making a reservation on behalf of, people you are travelling with, you must ensure that they understand how their information will be used and that they have given their permission for you to disclose it to us and for you to allow us, and our service providers, to use it.
4. Sensitive personal data
Unless we make it clear otherwise, our policy is not to ask for any sensitive personal data from you (that is information about you, or anyone you are requesting or reservation on behalf of) about, for example, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, physical or mental health, or sexual life. We, our service providers, and third parties which are providing a quote or fulfilling your travel arrangements may, however, require certain sensitive personal data to provide services which you have requested, or to deal with your enquiries. For example, if you ask us to book an easy access room due to a disability, or one of your party has special health requirements).
If you choose to provide this sensitive personal data to us as part of a particular service (where such information has been requested and the reasons for that discussed with you) or for any other reason, this will mean that you have given (and we accept) your explicit consent for us, our outsourced service providers, and third parties which are providing a quote or fulfilling your travel arrangements to use that information for the reasons described in this policy, or as explained at the time you provide that information to us.
What do we do with your information
The personally identifiable information we process about you, and anyone that you are requesting or reservation on behalf of, will only be used and disclosed in accordance with this policy or as specifically disclosed to you at the time you provide the information.
The personally identifiable information that we process may be used in the following ways:
(a) To respond to your requests, it will be accessed by our staff, service providers which act on our behalf, and carefully selected third parties in the course of providing quotes that you request for our products and services, and fulfilling your travel reservations (e.g. for quotes, customer travel documents, airlines, accommodation providers, and destination management companies for operational purposes.)
(b) It will be used to send you our newsletter and offers. We will send you these if you have opted in to receive them, or if you have previously asked us for a quote or made a reservation with us. You can unsubscribe any time – see Unsubscribing for more information.
(c) It may also be used to personalise and tailor your experience by using your previous requests for quotes, previous purchases, communications with Sophia’s Best staff and providers which have fulfilled part of your Sophia’s Best travel reservations, your browsing activity, and other publicly available information (such as demographic data provided by an external provider), to make recommendations and special offers to you about products and services we think may be of interest to you. If you do not want us to process your information in this way, please s Contact Information for further information.
(d) We and/or our authorised service providers (such as our marketing agencies, and data analytics providers) may also use your personally identifiable information to review your dealings with us including your purchasing and preferences; to review, develop and improve our products and services, to improve our customers’ experience, and for internal market research, strategic development, and statistical analysis.
We reserve the right to sell, lease, transfer, or otherwise share without restriction aggregated, anonymised and other non-personally identifiable information regarding site usage, sales patterns, traffic patterns, demographics, and other statistics about our site and our products and services.
We reserve the right to use or disclose personal information which we process about you and other people which you provide information about, as necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, and law enforcement inquiries, as required by litigation, to take precautions against liability, and protect the security and integrity of the site and the safety of our customers and site users.
Subscribers to our newsletters and emails
Should you subscribe to the Sophia’s Best newsletter and offers, either directly through the Sophia’s Best website or by filling in the Sophia’s Best request form, you will receive our newsletter from info@sophiasbest.com , as well as promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided.
If you make a request or a reservation, we will also send you our newsletter and offers to the email address you provide to us.
Unsubscribing
We do not seek to collect personally identifiable information from you that you do not want collected. Toward that end, we indicate at all active information collection points whether requested information is required or optional. We also attempt to tell you at the point of collection and in this policy what the consequences will be (e.g., inability to access important functions of the site, less tailoring of information to match your interests, etc.) if you do not provide the required or optional information. When you submit personally identifiable information to us, whether such information is required or optional, that information will be subject to this privacy policy.
Should you wish to unsubscribe from marketing communications via email, you may opt out by clicking on the clearly marked ‘unsubscribe’ button at the bottom of any Sophia’s Best newsletter or marketing email. Should you wish to unsubscribe from marketing communications via mail, you can contact us by e-mail at info@sophiasbest.com (please write “unsubscribe” in the subject line and provide each email address you would like us to remove), by post at Sophia’s Best, 35 Diovouniotou Str. Athens 117.41 Greece.
Information access
We take reasonable steps to ensure that personally identifiable information that you send us is accurate, current, and complete. Toward that end, we provide you with reasonable access to your personal information to correct errors or delete the information you have provided. If you wish to correct or delete your personally identifiable information, please contact our Data Protection Officer by e-mail at info@sophiasbest.com or by post at Sophia’s Best, 35 Diovouniotou Str. Athens 117.41 Greece.
To respond to your request or inquiry, we may require follow-up or contact information to allow us to verify that you are the person authorized to view the information you are requesting. We may, at our discretion, refuse to allow you access to certain information if, in our view, to provide such access would jeopardize another person’s privacy; would violate any applicable federal, state, or foreign law, regulation, or directive; or would unreasonably burden this site.
Data security
Although we take reasonable steps to protect the personally identifiable information that you provide via this site, no system is 100% secure or error-free. Therefore, we do not, and cannot, guarantee the security or accuracy of the information we gather.
One way we protect your personally identifiable information is through usernames and passwords. This safety measure is only effective if you protect the secrecy of both your username and password. If you ever suspect your username or password may have been compromised or subject to unauthorized use, contact us immediately at contacting us by e-mail at info@sophiasbest.com .
This site is not intended for use by children
This site is not directed to and does not seek to collect personally identifiable information from, children under the age of 13. Nevertheless, if we are informed that we have collected information from someone in this age category, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information.
Changes to this policy
We reserve the right to change this Policy at any time and in our sole discretion, for example to take account of new data protection legislation, and to reflect our current business practices. If we do change the Policy, the new Policy will be posted here, along with its revision date. We encourage you to check this Policy periodically and – at a minimum – before each instance in which you provide personally identifiable information to us.
Contact Information
Sophia’s Best are at 35 Diovounioti Str. Athens 117.41 Greece. Please contact us by email at info@sophiasbest.com or by telephone on +30 210 7295 540. Opening hours are Monday – Friday 0900 – 1700.
Use of and with Google
We use Remarketing with Google Analytics to advertise online.
Third-party vendors, including Google, may show you ads on sites across the Internet.
We and third-party vendors, including Google, use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) and third-party cookies together to inform, optimise and serve ads based on your past visits to this website.
We and third-party vendors, including Google, use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) and third-party cookies together to report how your ad impressions, other uses of ad services and interactions with these ad impressions and ad services are related to visits to our site.
We will use data from Google’s Interest-based advertising or 3rd-party audience data (such as age, gender and interests) with Google Analytics to optimise how we show you ads across the internet.
If you would like to opt out of receiving google analytics cookies: see currently available opt outs for the web.
Using the Ads Settings, you can opt out of Google Analytics for Display Advertising and customise Google Display Network ads.
This policy was last revised on 9 May 2018
4. Further correspondence
By completing a reservation, you agree to receive
- an email which we may send you shortly prior to your arrival date, giving you information on your destination and providing you with certain information relevant to your booking and destination, and
- an email which we may send to you promptly after completion of a cultural experiential educational program or purchase of a product inviting you to complete a review form. Other than the email confirmation providing for the confirmation of the reservation, the review invitation, we shall not send you any further (solicited or unsolicited) notices, emails or correspondence, unless you specifically agree otherwise.
5.1 Charges
We pertain a commission on the amount charged for the product and service you have reserved and/or purchased and forward the balance amount directly to the supplier of your product or service.
5.2 Transfers
Where transfers are included, there are scheduled group transfers for arrivals and departures at a designated times and places. It is the responsibility of the program participant to be at the transfer points at the designated times. Private transfers can be arranged for an additional fee. Please be advised that if you are arriving and/or departing on the dates of the program, a late arrival or very early departure may necessitate a special transfer at an additional fee. We would be happy to confirm transfers with you before you finalize your program arrangements. Neither Sophia’s Best nor its providers are responsible for late arrivals due to flight delays or any other reason. If you are delayed, we will do our best to transfer you to the program whenever you arrive, but please be prepared to pay an additional fee in Euros direct to the driver.
5.3 Refunds and Adjustments
There will be no refunds for any unused portion of a program or refund reapplication toward future programs.
5.4 Program Prices
All prices are per person and based upon occupancy. Price is subject to change without notice as a result of adverse economic changes or currency fluctuations that may affect land transportation, or other related service providers.
5.5 Late Bookings
There will be a Euros 100 late fee if the program start date is 30 days or less from the date the reservation form is submitted. There will be a Euros 200 late fee if the program start date is 14 days or less from the date the reservation form is submitted.
5.6 Deposit
A non-refundable deposit of 30% of a programs value per person is required to secure a reservation of a program. Reservations will be confirmed upon receipt of a deposit. If you make the initial reservations less than 30 days before the date of program commencement, full payment is due.
If you do not receive the e-mail, please check your Spam folder. It is the sole responsibility of the program participant to contact us at least 30 days in advance if you do not have your program instructions. Once we confirm the program, there is no refund.
Sophia’s Best guarantees programs of very high quality for small numbers of participants. The only way to ensure this and to have a continuum of quality, is to guarantee payment to all of the varied people involved in the running of a program; i.e. chefs, drivers, guides, translators, etc. Therefore, it is not possible to refund, or even reapply a payment, as we still must run the program for those reserved and honor our payments to our suppliers. We strongly recommend the purchase of travel insurance.
5.7 Deposit & Final Payment
Deposit & Final payment for programs is due by credit card payment 30 days prior to the first day of a program, to the credit card that was supplied for the deposit or by swift payment to SophiasBest.com bank account.
If final payment is not paid (or postmarked) within 7 days of the due date, you will be subject to a Euros 250 penalty fee per person per reservation. Late payment may result in the cancellation of the program and forfeiture of your deposit.
By agreeing to the Terms and Conditions, international clients are authorizing this charge. If a client wishes to make alternate arrangements for final payment or to provide an alternate credit card, the client must contact Sophia’s Best at least two weeks before final payment is due.
6. Credit, Debit & Pre-Paid Cards
Sophia’s Best accepts Credit cards, Debit cards & Pre-Paid Cards. Suppliers of products and services require credit, debit & pre-paid card details in order to guarantee your reservation and /or purchase. In order to safeguard and encrypt your credit, debit & pre-paid card information when in transit to us, the use the “Secure Socket Layer (SSL)” technology is applied for all types of payment, by the Bank that we cooperate with.
For certain rates or special offers, please note that your credit card may be pre-authorised or charged (sometimes without any option for refund) upon reservation and confirmation of the booking. Please check the details thoroughly for any such conditions prior to making your reservation.
In the event of credit card fraud or unauthorised use of your credit card by third parties, most banks and credit card companies bear the risk and cover all the charges resulting from such fraud or misuse, which may sometimes be subject to a deductible (usually set at EUR 50 (or the equivalent in your local currency)). In the event that your credit card company or bank charges the deductible from you because of unauthorised transactions resulting from a reservation made on our website, we will pay you this deductible, up to an aggregate amount of EUR 50 (or the equivalent in your local currency). In order to indemnify you, please make sure that you report this fraud to your credit card provider (in accordance with its reporting rules and procedures) and contact us immediately by email (info@SophiasBest.com). Please state ‘credit card fraud’ in the subject line of your email and provide us with evidence of the charged deductible (e.g. policy of the credit card company). This indemnification only applies to credit card reservations made using SophiasBest.com’s secure server and the unauthorised use of your credit card resulted through our default or negligence and through no fault of your own while using the secure server.
7. Cancellation
By making a reservation with SophiasBest.com, you accept and agree to the relevant cancellation and no-show policy of that particular organized and scheduled program itinerary, through which products and services were offered for reservation and/or purchase.
7.1. Cancellation and no-show policy for a Cultural Experiential Educational Program
You have the right to cancel without providing reason within three (3) days from the date that you placed your reservation. You will need to inform us in a clear statement via email reservations@sophiasbest.com
The general cancellation and no-show policy is made available under Terms and Conditions on our website, during the reservation procedure and in the confirmation email. Please note that certain rates or special offers are not eligible for cancellation or change. Please check thoroughly for any such conditions prior to making your reservation.
If you wish to review, adjust or cancel your reservation, please revert to the confirmation email and follow the instructions therein. Please note that you may be charged for your cancellation in accordance.
Deposit and final payment are nonrefundable and cannot be applied to another program. The purchase of travel insurance, which covers cancellation due to medical reasons, default and/or airline strike, weather, etc. (please see policy for details), is strongly advised. Full refunds will be made if Sophia’s Best cancels a program. Sophia’s Best may cancel any program at any time before departure for any reason, including insufficient participants to operate the program. Sophia’s Best will make every effort to follow any published itinerary, but variances may occur due to availability and factors beyond the control of said operator. Sophia’s Best may in its sole discretion substitute a service or good of similar quality for any stated in any itinerary. If a program is cancelled, Sophia’s Best will make every effort to find a suitable replacement, but its liability is limited to a full refund of payment rendered.
7.2 Details on Product Order and Acceptance, Order Changes, Returns, and Right of Product Order Cancellation
i. Product Order and Acceptance
After receiving your order, we will check that the relevant products are in stock. Our contract will only be concluded and SophiasBest.com only be deemed to have accepted your order (or any part of your order) once the requested merchandise has been shipped and we have sent a shipment confirmation email to you confirming that all or part of the merchandise ordered is still available and has been shipped. The contract will only relate to that part of the order of merchandise which has actually been shipped and no contract will have been created in respect of any merchandise which you may have ordered which we were unable to ship. The contract will be entered into in the following languages: English.
ii. Order Changes, Returns and Exchanges
To make a change to your order before it processes, to request a return or exchange, to inform us of any complaints you can email us at reservations@sophiasbest.com. Returns and exchanges can be sent to Sophia’s Best. For more details on the return and exchange policy please see the Sale Terms.
iii. Right of Product Order Cancellation
You have the right to cancel without providing reason within three (3) days from the date that you placed the order. You will need to inform us in a clear statement via email (reservations@sophiasbest.com)
If you contact us to exercise your right to cancel we will communicate to you an acknowledgement of the request, typically by email.
If you provide cancellation notice we will refund without undue delay, and not more than 14 days from when you informed us of your decision to cancel, all payments received from you for the merchandise being returned. This includes the amount of the item(s) purchased and the original shipping and handling charges, but you will be responsible for the return shipping costs. If you requested expedited delivery, we will only refund shipping and handling for general delivery costs. You cannot seek payment of the refund until either we have received the merchandise, or you provide proof that you have shipped the merchandise back to us – whichever is earliest. If you have used the items other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the items, then you are only liable for the diminished value and we may reduce the amount of the refund accordingly. We will make the refund to the same payment type you used for the initial order, unless we have provided another option and you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such refund.
7.3 Risk of Loss, Returns, Refunds and Title
Risk of Loss
All items purchased from www.sophiasbest.com are made pursuant to a shipment contract. This means that the risk of loss and title for such items pass to you upon our delivery to the carrier.
Returns, Refunds and Title
SophiasBest.com does not take title to returned items until the item arrives at our fulfillment center. At our discretion, a refund may be issued without requiring a return. In this situation, SophiasBest.com does not take title to the refunded item.
8. Disclaimer
Subject to the limitations set out in these terms and conditions and to the extent permitted by law, we shall only be liable for direct damages actually suffered, paid or incurred by you due to an attributable shortcoming of our obligations in respect to our services, up to an aggregate amount of the aggregate cost of your reservation as set out in the confirmation email (whether for one event or series of connected events).
However and to the extent permitted by law, neither we nor any of our officers, directors, employees, representatives, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, distributors, affiliate (distribution) partners, licensees, agents or others involved in creating, sponsoring, promoting, or otherwise making available the site and its contents shall be liable for (i) any punitive, special, indirect or consequential loss or damages, any loss of production, loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of contract, loss of or damage to goodwill or reputation, loss of claim, (ii) any inaccuracy relating to the (descriptive) information (including rates, availability and ratings) of a hotel suggested on our website, (iii) the services rendered or the products offered by the hotel, (iv) any (direct, indirect, consequential or punitive) damages, losses or costs suffered, incurred or paid by you, pursuant to, arising out of or in connection with the use, inability to use or delay of our website, or (v) for any (personal) injury, death, property damage, or other (direct, indirect, special, consequential or punitive) damages, losses or costs suffered, incurred or paid by you, whether due to (legal) acts, errors, breaches, (gross) negligence, willful misconduct, omissions, non-performance, misrepresentations, tort or strict liability by or (wholly or partly) attributable to the hotel (its employees, directors, officers, agents, representatives or affiliated companies), including any (partial) cancellation, overbooking, strike, force majeure or any other event beyond our control.
9. Miscellaneous
Unless stated otherwise, the software required for our services or available at or used by our website and the intellectual property rights (including the copyrights) of the contents and information of and material on our website are owned by www.sophiasbest.com.
To the extent permitted by law, these terms and conditions and the provision of our services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with laws of Greece and in the event of any dispute or claim associated with these terms and conditions, that dispute or claim shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Greek courts. The original English version of these terms and conditions may have been translated into other languages. The translated version is a courtesy and office translation only and you cannot derive any rights from the translated version. In the event of a dispute about the contents or interpretation of these terms and conditions or inconsistency or discrepancy between the English version and any other language version of these terms and conditions, the English language version to the extent permitted by law shall apply, prevail and be conclusive. The English version is available on our website (by selecting the English language) or shall be sent to you upon your written request.
If any provision of these terms and conditions is or becomes invalid, unenforceable or non-binding, you shall remain bound by all other provisions hereof. In such event, such invalid provision shall nonetheless be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and you will at least agree to accept a similar effect as the invalid, unenforceable or non-binding provision, given the contents and purpose of these terms and conditions.
10. Responsibility
Sophia’s Best does not own or operate any of the suppliers of services or accommodations for your program. As a result, it is not responsible for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such supplier or of any third party over whom Sophia’s Best has no control. Sophia’s Best and its representatives act only in the capacity of an agent of all land transportation, sightseeing, program operators which provide services included in the specified program. The individual program participant agrees that Sophia’s Best and its representatives shall not be liable for any injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity, liability or expense to person or property due to any act of default of hotel and accommodations, land transportation carrier, restaurant supplier or other contractor rendering or providing services. Sophia’s Best and its representatives shall not be responsible for any expense or liability resulting from labor disputes, war, acts of terrorism, government restraints, weather conditions, sickness, pilferage or any other cause beyond their control. Sophia’s Best and its representatives reserve the right to accept, or to retain or refuse any person as a participant of any program or to cancel any program if circumstances so demand. Sophia’s Best and its representatives reserve the right to cancel any program prior to departure for any reason (including insufficient number of participants) or to change itineraries and/or substitute services of equal quality without prior notification.
Travel Documents
It is the responsibility of each program participant to obtain and carry a valid passport, visa(s), and any other documents required by applicable government regulations. Non EU residents may require special travel documents. Check with your local embassy or consulate.
Travel Insurance
WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO PURCHASE TRAVEL INSURANCE when participating in our programs, to protect your trip investment and yourself while traveling. Cancellations due to medical reasons can only be covered by your travel insurance carrier. We are happy to assist with any necessary documentation to make your claim.
In waiving a purchase of travel insurance when participating in our programs, you indicate that you understand that all payments are non-refundable, non-transferable, and cannot be re-applied, even in the event of an emergency, catastrophe, or unexpected illness, accident, or death.
Certification of Health:
By making payment, program participant certifies that he or she does not have any condition or disability that would create a hazard or hardship for other participants participating in the program and the participant understands that health care standards, facilities and services in Europe may be different or inadequate for treatment of certain health conditions. Sophia’s Best makes no representations or warranties and disclaims any made regarding special accommodations or handicap accessibility on any program. Sophia’s Best reserves the right to decline accepting or retaining any participant whose health or actions in Sophia’s Best’s sole judgment impede the operation of a program or the welfare or enjoyment of fellow participants.
Sophia’s Best cannot accommodate any allergies, dietary needs or restrictions. It is the sole responsibility of the participant to take care of their own dietary needs.
Meals included in the program are not “a la carte” and will be a carefully selected fixed menu reflecting the food of the region. If you have a food allergy, please advise, although we cannot make any guarantees for changes or modifications to meals to accommodate allergies or dislikes. There is always an abundance of food, so it is generally never a problem to avoid the foods that may cause an allergic reaction or that you do not like.
Participant Agreement Release and Acknowledgment of Risk
Waiver and Release of Liability
In consideration of Sophia’s Best furnishing services to enable me to participate in one of its programs, I agree as follows:
I fully understand and acknowledge that culinary and program activities have: (a) inherent risks, dangers and hazards and such exists in my participation in Sophia’s Best sponsored activities; (b) my participation in such activities may result in injury or illness; (c) these risks and dangers may be caused by the negligence of the owners, employees, officers or agents of Sophia’s Best, the negligence of the participants, the negligence of others, accidents, breaches of contract, the forces of nature or other causes; and (d) by my participation in these activities, I hereby assume all risks and dangers and all responsibility for any losses and/or damages, whether caused in whole or in part by the negligence or other conduct of the owners, agents, officers, or employees of Sophia’s Best or by any other person.
I, on behalf of myself, my personal representatives and my heirs hereby voluntarily agree to release, waive, discharge, hold harmless, defend and indemnify Sophia’s Best and its agents, officers and employees from any and all claims, actions or losses for bodily injury, property damage, wrongful death, loss of services or otherwise which may arise out of my participation in Sophia’s Best activities. Participants further agree that they will indemnify and hold Sophia’s Best harmless in respect of any claims arising in connection with the program made by: a) third parties, which arise from the misconduct of the participants; b) the participant’s family members, dependants of heirs, c) third parties, which the participant, their estate, their family member, dependants of heirs have sued, if damages are recovered from such third parties, to the extent the third party obtains any indemnification from Sophia’s Best; except where the loss, injury, death or damage is caused by the reckless or fraudulent conduct on the part of Sophia’s Best, or their employees, guides, shareholders, officers or directors.
I understand that Sophia’s Best reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any of its programs, and hereby agree that Sophia’s Best may use any such photographic or film records for promotional and/or commercial purposes without any remuneration to the participant. The participant agrees to assign all right, title and interest they may have in or to any media in which their name or likeness might be used to Sophia’s Best.
Intellectual Property
The Sophia’s Best Site and Content are protected by copyright laws and intellectual property laws. You may download and print extracts from the Sophia’s Best Content for your own personal and non-commercial use only, provided you maintain and abide by any author’s attribution, copyright or trademark notice or restriction in any material that you download or print.
When you submit content to us, you agree and represent that you have created that content, or you have received permission from, or are authorised by, the owner of any part of the content you submitted to Sophia’s Best Web Site.
The Author of an Article, Post or Comment hereby grants to Sophia’s Best the irrevocable, nonexclusive, and royalty-free rights as follows:
1. Sophia’s Best may publish an Article, Post or Comment in any format, including electronic and print media. Specifically, this grant includes the right to reproduce, publicly distribute and display, and transmit an Article, Post or Comment or portions thereof in any manner, through any medium now in existence or developed in the future, including but not limited to print, electronic, and digital media, computerized retrieval systems, and other formats.
2. Sophia’s Best may prepare translations and abstracts and other similar adaptations of an Article, Post or Comment in furtherance of its publication of an Article, Post or Comment.
3. Sophia’s Best may use the Author’s name, likeness, and institutional affiliation in connection with any use of an Article, Post or Comment and in promoting an Article, Post or Comment.
4. Sophia’s Best may exercise these rights directly or by means of third parties. Sophia’s Best may authorize third-party publishers, aggregators, and printers to publish an Article, Post or Comment or to include an Article, Post or Comment in databases or other services.
5. Sophia’s Best may without further permission from the Author transfer, assign, or sub grant the rights that Sophia’s Best has pursuant to this Agreement.
6. In order to foster wider access to an Article, Post or Comment, especially for the benefit of the nonprofit community, the Author hereby grants to Sophia’s Best the authority to publish an Article, Post or Comment with a Creative Commons “Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives” grant.
7. This grant of rights to Sophia’s Best shall take effect immediately. To the extent that moral rights may apply to an Article, Post or Comment, this agreement does not affect the moral rights of the Author in or to an Article, Post or Comment.
8. In case the Author wishes to withdraw his/her content, an e-mail should be sent to Sophia’s Best info@sophiasbest.com and content will be removed as soon as possible.
You acknowledge and agree that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, regardless of the form of action, whether in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise, in no event will Sophia’s Best or its affiliates, including, without limitation, their respective officers, directors, employees, successors and assigns, be liable to you or any other party for any direct or indirect loss, damage, cost, expense or liability of any kind (“loss”) arising in any way out of or in connection with the availability, use, reliance on, or inability to use the Sophia’s Best site, including (without limitation): (i) damages for business interruption, loss of business and other profits, , cost of replacing equipment or software , loss of information or data, of use of data, of programs, of revenue, of goodwill, of customers, damage to reputation, downtime costs, loss under or in relation to any other contract, of anticipated savings or benefits, of capital; (ii) any indirect, special, exemplary, punitive, incidental or consequential loss; or (iii) any loss attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies in the Sophia’s Best site.
Please note that we may change these Terms and Conditions from time to time at our sole discretion and we reserve the right to do without your consent.