As soon as we dispatch your holiday confirmation invoice, but not before, your contract with Serenity Retreat takes effect. Once the contract is made, we are responsible to you to provide the holiday you have booked and you are responsible to us to pay for it as outlined on the website.
Please note it is important to check carefully the written confirmation of your booking when you receive it, or if booking late, that all the details are exactly as requested at the time of booking. Our responsibility is to provide you with the holiday you have booked as described on the website and as confirmed to you. If you wish to cancel or change your booking you may have to pay cancellation or amendment charges. With parties of two or more people, the person who makes the booking accepts responsibility for making payment to Serenity Retreat for all members of the party. We will send all documents and other information to that person who will, in turn, be responsible for ensuring that the other members of the party are kept fully informed.
All prices on the website are in pounds sterling per person and are based on one person in a twin or double room.
Payment for your holiday is as follows – a) if you book more than 8 weeks before your holiday departure date you are required to pay a deposit. The balance is payable 8 weeks before departure. B) if you book less than 8 weeks before departure you must pay the full price of your holiday at the time of making the booking. We reserve the right to cancel your holiday if you fail to make payment on time. In this case, you would then owe Serenity Retreat the cancellation charges as set out below.
We start to incur costs for your holiday from the time we confirm your booking. Should you cancel, the closer your departure date is, the less likely we will be able to re-sell the holiday. It follows, therefore, that if you cancel your holiday there will be a cancellation charge, and the later the cancellation, the higher the charge will be. If you wish to cancel your holiday, the cancellation must be in writing and authorised by the person in whose name the booking is invoiced. These written instructions should be sent immediately to us. All cancellations should be sent by recorded delivery or by email.
Cancellation takes effect from the moment we receive your letter or email. Cancellation charges will be calculated as set out below and will be notified in writing (please note that these charges apply if you fail to make payment on time and, as a result, we cancel your holiday).
Please note that if you cancel your holiday for a reason covered by your insurance policy you will be able to reclaim your cancellation charges subject to any excess payable.
The cancellation charge covers:
** please note** We have yet to find another holiday company that has such a low cancellation charge. Most companies retain the entire deposit. We have never done that and don’t have any intention of doing so. We have always retained a reasonable amount to cover our actual costs.
Please see here for further details regarding the government's guidance on refunds and cancellation charges related to coronavirus.
If any material changes occur before you book, we will tell you at the time of booking. It may be necessary, even after we have confirmed your booking, to amend your holiday arrangements. Most changes will be of a minor nature (eg changing to accommodation of the same or higher category or changing a course facilitator in the event of illness or other unforeseen circumstance) and will have little effect on your holiday. If possible, we will inform you as soon as possible before your departure but will have no other liability to you.
This means if we have to cancel or change your travel arrangements in any way because of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. These can include, for example, war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequence, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions.
If you have a special request which does not form part of the holiday as described on the website please let us know. We will always try to provide such requests but cannot guarantee to do so. Under no circumstances will such requests be accepted by us to form part of our contractual obligations and there will be no liability on our part if the special request cannot be provided.
It is a condition of booking that you take out holiday insurance which adequately covers you especially for sickness abroad. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is suitable and adequate for your particular needs. Remember to bring your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card - replacing the old E111), many insurance policies are invalid if you don’t have your EHIC with you.
For those who participate in sports water sports whilst on holiday it is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain the relevant insurance cover.
Should you wish to change any of the details of your booking once the booking is confirmed by us, we will do our best to help. However, we have no obligation to make any change other than to allow you or any member of your party who is prevented from travelling to cancel the booking. Any changes must be confirmed in writing by the person who made the booking. All correspondence should be sent by email or recorded delivery.
If you wish to make any change whilst on holiday (eg changing your accommodation) all requests are subject to availability and normal booking conditions will apply. There will be an amendment charge of £100 should this be the case.
Changes We May Need to Make to Your Booking
In very unusual circumstances we may have to change your accommodation. Should this happen we will make sure that the accommodation is to the same standard of the accommodation booked and that you are notified as soon as is practical. Our course timetable is put together in good faith. Should one of our facilitators fall ill or be unable to run the course as described, we will do our best to put on a comparable course or the Mindfulness and Meditation for Wellbeing course.
Our Liability To You
We accept full liability for the proper performance of our obligations under our agreement with you for the provision of your holiday. If you or any member of your party suffers damage by our failure to perform or our improper performance of our agreement with you for the provision of your holiday, we accept liability except in the following circumstances:
If you have a complaint while you are on holiday you must inform the local representative immediately. They will do their best to resolve the problem to your satisfaction. If you wish to pursue the complaint further, please email kim(at)serenityretreat.co.uk
We regret we cannot accept any complaint received more than 28 days after your return to the UK.
Please note that compensation and/or refunds, where applicable, will be paid to the person in whose name the booking was made.
Serenity Retreat is a company committed to customer satisfaction and consumer financial protection. We are therefore pleased to announce that, at no extra cost to you, and in accordance with '' The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018'' all passengers booking with Serenity Retreat are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form. The policy will also include repatriation if required, arising from the cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Serenity Retreat. This insurance has been arranged by Towergate Travel through Zurich Insurance PLC. Claims In the unlikely event of Insolvency, you must Inform Towergate Travel immediately on +44 (0) 1932 334140 or by email at tcs(at)towergate.co.uk. Please ensure you retain the booking confirmation as evidence of cover and value. Policy exclusions: This policy will not cover any monies paid for Travel Insurance or any claim relating to Air Flights. If you have booked flights as part of your travel, you should ensure that the company with which you booked the flights has the appropriate CAA/ATOL bonds in place.
In the unlikely event of Insolvency, you must Inform Towergate Travel immediately on +44 (0) 1932 334140 or by email at tcs@towergate.co.uk . Please ensure you retain the booking confirmation as evidence of cover and value.
Policy exclusions: This policy will not cover any monies paid for Travel Insurance or any claim relating to Air Flights. If you have booked flights as part of your travel, you should ensure that the company with which you booked the flights has the appropriate CAA/ATOL bonds in place.