Booking cancelled and no refund
My experience with Novasol resembles an absurd Kafka novel.
I made a reservation on their website, paid the deposit, received a confirmation, and was even wished a pleasant stay. The next day, they canceled the reservation without any comment. I contacted the client service and they confirmed the cancellation, as well as informed - big surprise - that they would not refund the deposit!
The reason? I had indicated my parents’ home address in Russia when making the reservation (so they could use the booking confirmation for a visa application — something I’ve done many times without issue on other platforms). Novasol claimed they do not accept reservations from people living in Russia, referring to some non-existent EU sanctions.
Just for clarity: EU sanctions apply to certain payment methods and banks, not to individuals booking holiday rentals. And in this case, the payment was made using a French bank card by a French citizen.
At no point during the booking process was this discriminatory internal policy mentioned. Moreover, their own Terms and Conditions state that if Novasol cancels a booking, the deposit must be fully refunded. Their refusal is therefore not only unethical — it's legally questionable.
After several attemps to contact Novasol by chat/phone/email and "Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do." replies, I finally managed to get the money back. So just want to warn people residing in Russia: no matter what nationality you are, you are not welcome at Novasol, only your money are.