Terms and Conditions 2011

Many thanks for your interest in joining a course here at the Almassera Vella. Here-under our terms and conditions:

Booking

Initial bookings can be made via e-mail (preferred), telephone or in writing. We need your full name, passport number, fixed address and contact telephone number(s) – this will reserve you a place for two weeks pending receipt of a deposit. In 2011 the course deposit is ₤175 unless indicated otherwise.

There are no discounts for part-week attendance.

Payments.

We are able to accept payment in Sterling, Euros or Dollars. In the case of the latter two, please contact us for the exchange rate calculation. We will usually charge the prevailing rate on the date of reservation or the date of transfer, which ever is higher. For reference on rates we refer to www.xe.com.

For payments in Sterling, dollars or Euros we can accept cheques (made out to ‘Pemberton North SL’) sent to this address. We can accept bank transfer or credit card via PayPal. In the case of Paypal, there is a 5% supplement to cover the additional costs of using the Paypal system etc. If you wish to pay by transfer or credit card please contact us and we will forward the necessary information or request. Dollar transfers must be made in dollars to our London dollar account.

Course Cancellation

Up to six week prior
Should you have to cancel your course up to six week before the start of the course we will return your deposit less a ₤25 pound administration charge. We can also hold the deposit pending reservation of another course, for which there is no charge.

Less than six week prior
If you cancel within six weeks of the course commencing then the deposit balance is returned only if we succeed in replacing your reservation.

Should we need to cancel the course through insufficient participants or illness of the tutor etc. then all deposits are returned in full.

We will consider cancelling a course if we have less than four participants. This decision is made six weeks before the course is due to begin. We cannot be responsible for travel costs incurred in the event of cancellation. Before booking any flights etc. we recommend you seek confirmation from us that the course is to run. We recommend that you take out cancellation insurance (see below).

We are obviously always reluctant to cancel a course, but in the event we will always offer a retreat stay to all those who have booked.

Room allocations

Our accommodation divides into three: 1) the Almassera main house, 2) “Mare de Deu” cottage, and 3) “Mare de Deu” studio apartment. On our frequent full courses we rent additional accommodation in the village. Our policy is to provide each student with a private room, although do note that all except one of our rooms can take partner couples.

We are happy to reserve individual rooms subject to availability.

Please note that all room allocations are wholly at the discretion of the course managers. We will always do our best to accommodate individual requests – particularly if they relate to health issues. We generally work on a first come, first served principle.

Room supplements/discount

The two valley view rooms in the Main house (‘Kate’ double with en suite and ‘Barnaby’ with twin beds) have a ₤60 supplement (₤40 per person if the room is shared).

The double room with en suite shower in the main house (‘Luke’) has a ₤40 supplement.

Two course participants sharing a room will receive 5% discount each.

Non Participating Partners

Non-participating partners are always welcome although they are expected to join the group at meal times and where appropriate in social activity. There is a 10% discount provided they are sharing a room. Please note that for courses our charges are per person. The 10% discount does not apply to any supplements.

Insurance

It is the responsibility of the participants to take out accident, health and cancellation insurance. We may request a sight of the insurance documents in relation to health and accident. All visitors from the UK should bring the appropriate European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) obtainable from their GP.

It is very important to notify us of any health issues well before course commencement. We are quite happy to accommodate dietary needs and can make separate refrigerators available etc. if required. If you have mobility problems please let us know with full details. Unfortunately we do not have realistic wheelchair access; all our accommodation involves using stairs. The village has a modern Pharmacy – but bear in mind the emergency services are half an hour away.

Transport

On the opening and closing days of the course we arrange transport at two specific times of the day from Alicante airport or RENFE railway station (generally 13.00 and 17.00 arrivals and 09.00 and 12.00 departures). We can arrange for transport outside these times but an additional charge will be made. Please ask for a quote as the charge may vary according to the time of day.

Programme

The day to day programme is set by the course tutor and will be subject of a separate correspondence. Unless otherwise indicated, the week’s course begins at 7.30 pm on the opening day of the course and closes after breakfast on the last day.

All residential courses have a mid week ‘free day’ in which the kitchen closes after breakfast and the course tutor is off duty. Participants are expected to make their own arrangements in respect of meals – though guidance will be given by the course managers. There are shops, bars and restaurants in the village, and two fully equipped annexe kitchens.