Marco B.
The part that still bothers me is how Expedia handled it. After our stay was refused, they said they would arrange a refund, then later told us Villa Laura's policy meant they couldn't return our money. We had booked and paid in good faith, and were left without a place to stay in the rain. I won't use Expedia again either, they clearly didn't care about our travel experience. We'd booked through Expedia back in February 2023 for two nights, April 3 to 5, while visiting family in Sicily. The visit meant a lot to me: my father was born in the same village, very near the resort, a hundred years ago. We got there around 9 pm after traveling most of the day from Salzburg, and found the gates shut. When we called, staff said the resort was closed until the following week. They insisted our booking couldn't be right, even after we showed them the Expedia reservation and payment receipt. The conversation went in circles, and they told us to find somewhere else to stay. They didn't offer help, just said to contact Expedia the next day if we could prove we'd paid. It was pouring and nearly 10 pm, with nowhere obvious to stay in a sleepy Sicilian village. Fortunately, some friends found us motel-style lodging in a small town about 10 km away. Expedia initially promised to sort things out within a few days, but the refund never came. Based on what happened, I'd warn people to be careful about booking Villa Laura.
