Cookie policy

Strictly necessary cookies may be used for the functioning of the site and of the services requested. Optional cookies (functional, analytics or marketing) are activated only after the user has made a choice, where the law requires consent. Preferences can be changed at any time from “Cookie settings”.

This Cookie Policy explains how Hidden Hills uses cookies and similar technologies on the website, including in connection with the availability and booking functionality. It should be read together with the Privacy Policy, which describes how personal data is processed and the rights of data subjects.

Cookies are small files or technical identifiers stored on, or accessed from, the user's device (computer, phone, tablet or other internet-connected device) when they visit a website. They may enable the site to function correctly and securely, keep certain preferences, maintain a session or, where the user gives consent when consent is required, measure the use of the site or the effectiveness of promotional campaigns.

In this policy, the term “cookies” also includes, as applicable, similar technologies such as local storage, session storage, tags, pixels, SDKs or other identifiers that store or access information on the device.

The use of cookies on the site is organised in accordance with the framework applicable to electronic communications and data protection, including Law no. 506/2004 and Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), in so far as the information associated with cookies constitutes personal data.

• optional cookies and technologies are not activated before consent, where consent is required;
• consent is requested through a clear, affirmative action, not through silence, continued browsing or pre-selected options;
• the refusal of optional cookies is offered in a clear and accessible way;
• the user can change or withdraw their choice later through “Cookie settings”;
• cookies are not classified as “strictly necessary” merely for technical or commercial convenience; that category is reserved for operations that genuinely fall within the applicable exemptions.

Strictly necessary cookies are used only in so far as they are indispensable to transmitting a communication or to providing a function or a service expressly requested by the user. Depending on the technical configuration of the site, they may support security, session management, error prevention, storing consent choices and the functioning of the essential steps of a booking.

These cookies are not used for advertising profiling. Blocking them directly in the browser may prevent certain functions from operating correctly.

If the site includes optional functionality, analytics tools or marketing technologies, these are loaded only according to the user's choice and only after consent, where consent is required. Optional categories are not activated by default and are not pre-selected in favour of acceptance.

If a category is not used in the site's current configuration, it must not be presented as active in the preferences panel.

Hidden Hills uses Smoobu to administer availability and bookings. When a Smoobu component is loaded in the user's browser — for example a booking engine, a calendar, a form or an iframe/link integration — cookies or similar technologies necessary for that component to function may be used.

Simply using Smoobu as a back-office administration tool does not in itself mean that Smoobu places cookies on the visitor's device. What is relevant for this policy are the technologies actually loaded in the browser on the website or in the booking flow.

Smoobu cookies or technologies must not be classified automatically as “strictly necessary”. They are classified according to their actual purpose. Any optional technology requiring consent is blocked until the user has made a choice.

Information about Smoobu: Smoobu Privacy Policy • Smoobu Cookie Policy

The actual, up-to-date list of cookies and similar technologies identified in the site's current configuration is available in the “Cookie settings” panel. It shows, in so far as the information is applicable and available for the technology concerned:

• the name of the cookie or technology;
• the provider / domain that sets it;
• its purpose;
• its category;
• its duration or expiry criterion;
• whether it is first-party or third-party;
• where applicable, a link to the provider's privacy or cookie information.

The list must reflect the site's actual implementation. Hidden Hills does not fictitiously assign names, purposes or durations to cookies that have not been identified technically.

On a first visit, where the site uses optional cookies, a consent mechanism is displayed that allows a genuine choice before they are activated. The first level of the banner includes clear options for:

• “Accept all” — activates all available categories;
• “Reject optional” — keeps only the strictly necessary technologies;
• “Customise” — allows the optional categories to be selected separately.

In the customisation panel, the user confirms their choices through “Save preferences”. Refusing optional cookies does not prevent access to the main content of the site. Simply closing the banner, continuing to browse or taking no action is not interpreted as acceptance of optional cookies.

Preferences can be changed at any time through the permanent “Cookie settings” link, available in the site footer. Withdrawing consent stops the subsequent activation of the corresponding technologies, without affecting the lawfulness of the use carried out before the withdrawal.

The cookie or the mechanism through which the user's choice is stored may be kept as a strictly necessary item, in order to respect the preference expressed and, where applicable, to keep a record of consent.

Most browsers allow cookies and site data to be viewed, deleted or blocked. The options are usually found in sections such as Privacy, Privacy & Security, Cookies, Site Data or Website Data.

• deleting existing cookies;
• blocking all cookies;
• blocking third-party cookies;
• deleting automatically when the browser is closed;
• allowing or blocking cookies for particular websites.

Blocking all cookies directly in the browser may also catch the strictly necessary technologies. In that case, certain functions may become unavailable or unstable — for example maintaining a session, storing preferences, or certain steps in checking availability and booking. Refusing only the optional cookies through the banner should not disable functions that do not depend on them.

First-party cookies are set directly by the domain being visited. Third-party cookies are associated with an external provider whose services are loaded on the site — for example a booking engine, a payment provider, a map, an analytics tool or a marketing platform.

Third-party providers may process the information collected through their own technologies in accordance with their own policies. Where a third-party technology requires consent, it is not activated by Hidden Hills before the corresponding consent has been given. Information about recipients and any international data transfers is set out, where relevant, in the Privacy Policy.

Some cookies are session cookies and normally expire at the end of the session or after a short period. Others are persistent and remain on the device until the configured period expires or until the user deletes them. The exact duration identified for each technology is indicated in the “Cookie settings” panel, where it can be determined.

Hidden Hills may update this Cookie Policy when the legislation, the structure of the website, the consent mechanism or the technical services used change. The version published on the site will indicate the date of the last update. If a new use requiring consent is introduced, consent will be requested before that technology is activated.

For questions about cookies, privacy preferences or how Hidden Hills processes personal data, you can contact us using the details available on the “Contact” page of the website. Full information about the controller, the legal bases for processing, the recipients of the data and the rights of data subjects is available in the Privacy Policy.