These Terms and Conditions form the basis of your contract with SutoChâtel. Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these Terms and Conditions 'You' means the first named person on the booking form (who must be at least 18). 'We' means Robert and Stephanie Heathfield trading as SutoChâtel.

MAKING A BOOKING AND PAYMENT

All bookings, including those made by telephone, are subject to these Terms and Conditions. You must submit a completed and signed booking form accepting these conditions on behalf of all party members at the time of booking.

For self-catering holidays a deposit of 25%, or the full holiday cost if booking within 10 weeks of departure is payable.  A security deposit of £345/€500 is also required at the time of booking.  This will be returned in full at the end of your stay subject to the chalet being left in a clean and tidy state and there being no damages.

If payment is not received in full and on time we reserve the right to treat the booking as cancelled by you and to apply the cancellation charges set out under 'Cancellation' below. A binding contract comes into existence between us when your booking is confirmed to you by telephone, e-mail or post. This contract will be governed by French Law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of France. The person making the booking must be at least 18 years of age and guarantee payment to us of the total holiday cost on behalf of, and with the consent of all persons for whom the booking is made.

CURRENCY  

The cost of the holiday is expressed in Sterling.  Payment for your holiday can be made either in Euros or Sterling.  The ruling currency is Sterling and the exchange rate will be that existing on the date of payment.

CANCELLATION

Should you need to cancel your holiday, the first named person on the booking form must inform us in writing immediately. Cancellation charges will be payable as follows.

Period before departure when notification of cancellation is received by us:

 56 days or more in advance: Deposit only

 55-42 days 30 % of holiday cost

41-28 days 65% of holiday cost

27-14 days 80% of holiday cost

13-1 days 100% of holiday cost

Cancellation charges are calculated from the date written notification of cancellation is received by us. We will not cancel your holiday 10 weeks or less before departure unless you fail to make full payment on time or we are forced to do so as a result of 'Force Majeure' as detailed below. Where cancellation becomes necessary, we will inform you as soon as is reasonably possible. Where we have to cancel (except where you default in payment), we will make a full refund of all monies paid to us, and we will in addition pay you compensation in accordance with the compensation scale set out below. 

Period before scheduled departure:

More than 56 days Nil

42‑56 days £20

28‑41 days £30

14‑27 days £45

0‑13 days £70 

FORCE MAJEURE  

Means any event that we could not reasonably, foresee or forestall. Such events may include (by way of example and not by way of limitation) war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial disputes, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions and all similar events. 

VARIATIONS

If you wish to make any changes to your confirmed holiday, we will endeavour to assist, although we cannot of course guarantee that we will be able to meet any particular request. Where we can meet a request, an amendment fee of £40 per booking will be payable together with all costs we incur as a result. 

COMPLAINTS AND ARBITRATION  

In the event of a complaint concerning the holiday you should immediately report it to us .We will naturally do our best to resolve the matter on the spot. If you remain dissatisfied, the complaint in resort should be followed by a written notice of complaint which must be received by us not later than 28 days after the end of your holiday. We will not address any claims which are not notified entirely in accordance with this clause. Disputes which cannot be settled amicably may be referred to such form of dispute resolution procedure as may be agreed between us and in default by the relevant tribunal.

LIABILITY

The following are terms of the agreement between us:

a)      you have adequate insurance covering all reasonably foreseeable risks,

b)      during your holiday you will take all reasonable precautions to avoid loss or injury.

Our liability to you will be limited to the minimum level permitted by the law of France and where complete or partial exclusion of liability is permitted then such liability shall be so excluded or limited by this agreement. 

SPECIAL REQUESTS AND MEDICAL PROBLEMS

If you, or any member of your party has a medical problem or disability which may affect your holiday you must tell us before you book so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen arrangements. In any event, you must give us details in writing at the time of booking. Any special requests must be advised to us at the time of booking and clearly noted on the booking form. Whilst we will endeavour to meet any reasonable requests made after confirmation of booking wherever possible we cannot guarantee that they will be fulfilled and failing to do so will not constitute a breach of contract on our part. 

BREAKAGES AND DAMAGES

You are responsible for any breakages, losses or damages caused during your stay in your accommodation and it is your responsibility to make full payment to us before departure from the resort. 

LOCAL SAFETY STANDARDS AND SUPPLIERS CONDITIONS  

It is the requirements and standards of France which apply to the services which form part of your holiday and not those of the UK. These requirements and standards may not be the same as the UK. Suppliers provide services which make up your holiday in accordance with their own terms and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier's liability to you. The supply of those services is a contract between you and that supplier and form no part of your agreement with us. We accept no responsibility for the supply of those services. 

PASSPORTS AND VISAS

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have all the necessary travel documents. 

INSURANCE

It is a condition of our accepting your booking that you arrange a policy yourself which provides adequate cover for all reasonably foreseeable risks. In the event of any medical or other emergency, should you not have adequate insurance cover, while we will offer all reasonable assistance it must be understood that you will be responsible for any costs involved. 

YOUR STAY WITH US

We will need you to vacate your bedroom by 10am on your day of departure and although early access to your bedroom is sometimes possible we can not always allow access until late afternoon on your day of arrival. However, no matter what time you arrive or depart you are welcome to store your luggage and belongings in the chalet.

BEHAVIOUR

We reserve the right to immediately terminate the holiday of any client who commits a criminal offence under the law of France or UK or, in our opinion, is causing or is likely to cause distress, annoyance or danger to any of our other clients, employees or any third party, or damage to property. In this situation our responsibility for the holiday of the person concerned will immediately cease and we will not be liable to pay any compensation, make any refund or meet any expenses that they may incur as a result. Please note we do not accept animals or pets, and that we do not allow smoking inside the chalet at 'Les Erines'. 

FINANCIAL SECURITY

Your deposit and balance of the holiday cost will be refunded if your holiday does not take place for reason of our insolvency.