Orchid Lodge
Vendée, France
The Good Life in France
- Our low price promise from £65 p/n
-
Tent
Sleeps 2
- Double bed
Overview
Meet Steve and Jane, aka Tom and Barbara, who really are living the Good Life, although in a decidedly more idyllic setting than their South London-based inspiration. They’ve set up a peaceful smallholding with an orchard, soft fruit and vines among the lakes and shady wooded areas of their corner of French countryside. Not only do they grow their own vegetables and keep chickens and bees for eggs and honey, but they even make their own sausages, bacon and ham. They’re more than happy to run courses showing you how to do any of these things.
Orchid Lodge is closest to the shared kitchen and shower block, while Peony Lodge is further away from the facilities but closer to the car park. Orchid Lodge is furnished with an eclectic mix of vintage fabrics, wicker arm chairs and storage hamper, and a cast iron dining table and chairs. Outside there is a large fire bowl to sit round in the evening. The kitchen is furnished in similar style, but with the addition of an extensive collection of French kitchen paraphernalia - don’t worry, you don’t have to use all of it! Or if you’d prefer not to use any of it, there are some fantastic restaurants in the area, and Steve and Jane are happy to cook for you if you give them some notice.
It’s a beautiful spot, with plenty to see and do. The coast is nearby, and within an hour’s drive are the fishing port of La Rochelle and the popular Ile de Ré (famous for its oysters, and less known for its donkeys in gingham pyjamas).
Essentials
The important stuff
- Check in is from 4pm
- Check out is before 11am
- If you’re coming in May or early June you might like to bring some ear plugs - the frogs can get very noisy!
Sleeping arrangements
- Double bed
Cooking
- Fully-equipped communal kitchen with full size 4 ring gas cooker. The kitchen is 20m from Orchid Lodge and 80m from Peony Lodge.
- Small individual BBQs or larger one if cooking for more than 2 – charcoal and lighter also provided
- Toaster, kettle, cafetiere, chopping boards, knives, crockery, cutlery and under counter fridge with freezer compartment all in lodge
Washing
- Shared shower block with two shower cabins, flushing toilet and urinal - 100m from Orchid Lodge and 180m from Peony Lodge
Heating, lighting & bedding
- Electric lighting
- Tea lights
- Lanterns
- All bedding and towels provided
- Plug sockets
Entertainment
- Cards, board games, books and boules provided in the individual lodges.
- Telescope, artists’ easel, binoculars , flora & fauna guides at the house - just ask!
Getting there
The Good Life In France, Les Soudières, 85210 La Chapelle-Thémer, FRANCE
Main entrance: ///resists.upended.underfunded
By car
As you come out of the péage you come to a large roundabout, continue all the way round until the exit before the autoroute, take this road the D137, signposted to St Hermine drive for approximately 3.7 km crossing 2 roundabouts and turning right at the third, Place Clemenceau (there is a sculpture of Clemenceau and a bar in front of you). Go straight over this roundabout and with the bar on your left continue straight on. Continue along this road (the old high street (D948A)) for approx 1 km until you come to a mini roundabout by the football stadium (on your right), go straight over this roundabout and take the next left signposted to Thiré on the D8. Follow this road until you come into Thiré (about 3km). Continue on this road through Thiré (it’s quite bendy), as you come out of the village, you go over a small bridge over a river and then the road (D8) bears sharp right. Continue for just under 2 Km until you see a turning on your right, with two slate roofed Maison Bourgeoises (La Rochette), signposted to Les Soudieres, take this turning and continue for approx 300m before bearing left and The Good Life is approx 150m down on the right.
Alternatively, come off the autoroute at junction 7.1 following signs to Luçon. Go straight over the roundabout following the D206, after about 1.3km take a left turn the D 148 signposted to La Roche sur Yon/St Hermine. After approximately 13km take the right turn D10 signposted toThiré. Drive for approximately 2 km until you come into Thiré and come to a T junction with a bar (the Roma) on your left. Turn right here D8 and as you come out of the village, you go over a small bridge over a river and then the road (D8) bears sharp right. Continue for just under 2km until you see a turning on your right, with two slate roofed Maison Bourgeoises (La Rochette), signposted to Les Soudières, take this turning and continue for approx 300m before bearing left and The Good Life is approx 150m down on the right.
Food & Drink
At The Good Life in France
When you arrive you'll be provided with a welcome hamper containing local wine, a basket of home grown vegetables, home-made jam, coffee, milk, sugar, orange juice, bread and Steve and Jane's own eggs when available. If you need more vegetables during your stay, just ask!
The communal kitchen is supplied with oil, pepper, sea salt, fresh and dried herbs and a selection of dry BBQ marinades and rubs.
Shops
There is a supermarket in St Hermine about 6km away, it is open on Sunday morning (unlike most French shops, so stock up!).
Pubs & Restaurants
La Morliere, Lac de Rochereau (30 mins) - this is a must, but try and save it for a warm evening, as sitting outside on the terrace overlooking the lake is definitely the best way to enjoy your meal here. Menus from €19.
Le Saint Georges, St Juire-Champgillion (10 mins) - beautifully presented haute cuisine - the chef regularly beats Michelin starred chefs in the annual Vendee cooking competition! Menus around €28-€60
Auberge du Donjon, Bazoges (15 mins) - nicely decorated restaurant with good, reasonably priced food (€18 for 2 courses - €33 for 5 courses)
Activities
At The Good Life in France
There are several secluded spots to relax around the property, with hammocks, shady benches, sun loungers for the daytime and a fire bowl in the evening.
You are welcome to fish the lake which is stocked with various coarse fish including carp, but no keep nets or barbed hooks please.
If you would like to learn smallholding skills such as sausage making, curing, home brewing, bread making, home dairying, preserves, soap and cosmetic making etc. Steve and Jane are happy to set up a half or one day course, season and time permitting. Get in touch with them as soon as possible after booking to arrange this! Costs vary, but as an example, a half day sausage making course to cost €75 for the first person and €25 for each additional person, including a cooked lunch or dinner.
Steve and Jane keep bees, chickens, rabbits and grow most of their own vegetables. If you're interested, they'll be happy to talk to you about what they're doing and why, and if you want to help, you're more than welcome!
Places to Visit
Puy du Fou - The premier attraction in the Vendée is about 30 minutes drive away. It combines a daytime historical theme park which manages to be both tasteful and great fun for all ages. We have yet to meet someone who has been and didn't enjoy it!
Les Sables d'Olonne - This is a major port and seaside resort and hosts the Vendee Globe round the world yacht race. - (Remember Pete Goss and Ellen McArthur?). The food halls are well worth a visit and there is a long promenade with many restaurants and cafes to watch the world go by whilst soaking up the sun. It has some of the best restaurants on the west coast as well as a fantastic beach. About 50 minutes drive.
La Rochelle - Superbly picturesque old fishing port with a large selection of bars and restaurants, museums and a wonderful waterfront. Described as "the most attractive and unspoilt seaside town in France" due mainly to its charming old town. It also has the largest marina on the Atlantic coast, and an extremely impressive aquarium. Approximately 50 hours drive.
Ile de Ré - Beautiful small island just off the La Rochelle peninsula, this isle is reached by toll bridge and boasts calm seas ideal for bathing on the eastern side with more boisterous waters to the west, reputedly good for surfing. A selection of bars and restaurants to enjoy in the sun as well as many stylish boutiques - so be prepared for a shopping spree! The whole area is famous for its oysters and you can see how they are harvested as well as sampling the local produce. Remarkable too are the donkeys in their gingham pyjamas, which protect them from mosquitoes in the summer. Approximately 1 hours drive.
Fontenay le Comte - A charming country town that used to be the centre of the area. The river Vendée runs through its medieval centre, a Saturday market full of local delicacies and a variety of restaurants including Moroccan and Chinese. Approximately 20 minutes drive.
Marais Poitevin (Green Venice). Paddle or punt (or hire a boatman) through a maze of tree-lined canals from Coulon, Maillezais, Damvix, Maille or Le Mazeau. Now, this is the life. Don't forget the picnic and a bottle or two to cool in the lazy water. Approximately 30 minutes drive.
Outdoor & Active
The area is particularly good for walking and cycling with marked routes of different lengths and difficulty. Steve and Jane have plenty of books and maps they can lend you.
Go Go bike hire is about 10km away, run by an English couple and comes highly recommended.
If sea fishing or golf are your thing, your hosts are happy to point you in the right direction. There are just too many things to do in the area to list them all so if you have a particular interest, just ask!
Meet your hosts
From owners Steve and Jane:
"Our friends call us Tom and Barbara, but we are actually Steve and Jane! Since moving to France in 2003 we have become 90% self sufficient in fruit and vegetables; we make our own sausages, bacon, salami and air dried ham; brew beer and generally do all things 'Good Life'. We keep chickens for eggs but the next logical step for us was to start keeping animals for meat. This meant we needed to move and in 2012 we found Les Soudieres. The previous owners had installed Camping Lodges and so we thought why not share our little corner of
paradise and The Good Life In France was born.
Wildlife & Environment
The property is a haven for wildlife. We cut paths between the lodges, car park etc. but leave the grass on either side to form wildflower meadow land. As well as the lakes we have shady wooded areas, orchard, soft fruit, vines, vegetables, shrubs, flowers and lots of weeds or flowers in the wrong place as I like to think of them.
We keep chickens and rabbits but we also have a lot of wild animals and birds – ducks, moorhens, herons and coypu on and in the lakes plus numerous other birds. We regularly see Hen harriers, little owls, barn owls, woodpeckers, hoopoes. I could go on but lets just say lots of birds, butterflies, moths and insects that are rarely seen in the UK are quite common here."
Reviews
Lovely retreat. Very relaxing space to be in and very private. Lots of wildlife to see (I even saw an otter). Hosts provide lots of lovely homemade and homegrown food. The lodge was very comfortable and all of the little extras thought about (e.g picnic equipment, comfortable outside seating etc), very easy cooking in the kitchen lodge. Lovely to fall asleep listening to the owls!
09/09/2023Tina
wonderful location in a site of great ambience
21/09/2019john
Wonderful family holiday full of ‘r & r’
02/08/2019Vicki
Beautiful area with a quiet and relaxing environment providing peace and tranquillity. The hosts are very helpful and provided a great welcome pack. The en famille meals are amazing and provided great company.
29/07/2019Karen
We stayed at the Orchid Lodge at the beginning of our trip along the French and Spanish Atlantic Coast and couldn't have wished for a better start of our vacation: a great welcome upon arrival with a basket of vegetables from the garden, fresh eggs, tasty bread and bottle of rosé wine in the fridge. With birds, frogs and an occasional cat (on a hunt for mice) this is indeed 'The Good Life in France'.
26/07/2019Lucas & Marlies
Booking Terms
Canopy & Stars low price promise
Book with us in confidence knowing you won’t find that place cheaper elsewhere. All of the prices we display are set and matched by our Owners. (In this world of foreign currency, we do have to say 'subject to exchange rates' for some of our European places.)
What does ‘from price’ mean?
Our ‘from price’ is based on a four night stay in low season and designed to help you to compare different prices across our collection. Some of our Owners vary their nightly rates and check in days throughout the year, so it may differ from the rate quoted below the calendar. It is quite common (although by no means universal) for places to charge a little more in peak season or for shorter stays, to cover changeover costs. Consider booking longer stays during the cooler months if you’re looking for the lowest nightly rates.
Agency Terms & Conditions
Except where otherwise specified, we Sawday’s Canopy & Stars Ltd (Company No 09088366) of Merchants House, Wapping Road, Bristol, BS1 4RW act only as an Agent in respect of all bookings we take and/or make on your behalf. As an Agent we act as an intermediary between you and the owner (‘’Owner’’) of the holiday accommodation (‘’Property’’) you will be staying in. We help to arrange reservations and bookings between you and the Owner and take payments from you on behalf of the Owner.
We are only arranging a contract between you and the Owner for hire of the Property and for any other services or arrangement you purchase from the Owner (the “Booking”). This means the legal contract for the Booking is between you and the Owner despite the fact that a payment for the Booking has been made to the Agent. Your contract for the Booking is not with Sawday’s Canopy & Stars Ltd (Canopy & Stars).
Canopy & Stars is part of the Sawday’s family of companies, a majority employee owned business, 24% owned by a charitable trust and a B Corp. We accept no liability in relation to any contract you enter into in relation to Bookings or for the acts or omissions of any supplier(s) or other person(s) or party(ies) connected with any Booking.
When making your Booking we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with the Owner, as detailed in clause 1.2 below. Your Booking is subject to these Agency Terms & Conditions and any other specific booking conditions of the relevant Owner(s) you contract with. The Owner’s booking conditions may limit and/or exclude the Owner’s liability to you.
You may decide to make more than one Booking at the same time. The price charged in total for more than one Booking will always equal the prices charged separately for each individual Booking. All Bookings are available to be purchased separately at the same price as they are when more than one Booking is made. This means that any multiple Bookings do not constitute a package as defined in the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992.
By making a booking, you agree that:
- You have read these Agency Terms & Conditions and agree to be bound by them;
- The lead name on the Booking will be the person responsible for the Booking and shall be responsible for paying the deposit and the full price, for making any amendment and cancellation requests and for the payment of any additional charges. The lead name accepts these Terms & Conditions on behalf of all persons in the Booking;
- You consent to our use of your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy;
- You are over 18 years of age and where there may be age restrictions in place, you declare that you and all members of your party are of the appropriate age
The Canopy & Stars online booking system enables Guests to make Bookings 24 hours a day. To confirm your booking, you must pay a 25% deposit (or full payment if booking within 10 weeks of your check in date) and the entire Booking will be subject to the cancellation policy as outlined in clause 2 below. The Canopy & Stars telephone booking line is open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturdays 10am to 2pm. When using the online enquiry form, for those Properties without online booking, please allow 24 working hours for us to contact you by telephone to confirm the Booking. If we are unable to reach you by phone, we will attempt to contact you by email. We will contact you during Canopy & Stars working hours (Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm). Online or email enquiries will be dealt with in the order they are received, but please be aware that we cannot guarantee reservation of your selected dates until the receipt of suitable payment. Therefore, if possible, we do recommend that you book on the Canopy & Stars website using the online booking system.
1. Booking and payments
1.1 In order to confirm your chosen Booking, you must pay a 25% non-refundable deposit as required (or full payment if booking within 10 weeks of the date of your check-in). The deposit is non-refundable as it covers costs incurred and services provided to enable your Booking. These include, but are not limited to, marketing and PR, property inspection fees, Owner management, booking management, credit card fees and customer service.
1.2 Your Booking is confirmed and a contract between you and the Owner will exist when we receive payment of the deposit and send you a booking confirmation on the Owner’s behalf. This Booking confirmation email will be sent within 24 hours and will contain the details of your Booking and of payments made and due. If you have not received your Booking confirmation email within the specified time, please notify us as soon as possible by email (bookings@canopyandstars.co.uk). Please check your confirmation carefully and report any incorrect or incomplete information to us immediately. As we act only as booking Agent, we have no responsibility for any errors in any documentation except where an error is made by us.
1.3 Once the 25% deposit has been paid, the full balance payment will be due 10 weeks in advance of your check in. A reminder to pay your balance will be sent to you one week prior to this 10 week date, where applicable, by email. We automatically take the balance payment using the same card as used to make the deposit payment. It is your responsibility to advise us if we should use a different card and to contact us by telephone (0117 204 7830) to arrange for alternative payment method. If the automated balance payment does not successfully go through as there is a problem with your card, such as it is expiring, then we will contact you to try and take alternative payment. If you do not make any payment due to Canopy & Stars by the due date for payment and at the latest within 5 days of this date, then with regret, we will notify the Owner who will cancel your Booking and terminate their contract with you. In these circumstances, your rights to a refund are set out in clause 2.3 and 2.4 below. Please note that if you have paid in a currency that is different to the original pricing, we will not be able to guarantee the same conversion rate that was used to convert the deposit payment.
1.4 Except where otherwise advised or stated in the booking conditions of the Owner concerned, all monies you pay to us for a Booking will be held on behalf of the Owner(s) concerned.
1.5 Credit Card payments are processed via Elavon who provide merchants services facilities to Sawday’s Canopy & Stars Ltd.
2. Cancellation by You
2.1 If you have to, or want to cancel or amend your Booking, this request must be sent to us by email (bookings@canopyandstars.co.uk) and will be considered and responded to within two working days of receipt. Please ensure that you have received written confirmation of any changes to your Booking prior to travel. Whilst we will always try to help, we cannot guarantee that such requests will be met.
2.2 Cancellation by you at any time will result in your 25% deposit being forfeited. The deposit is always non-refundable as it covers costs incurred and services provided to enable your Booking.
2.3 All bookings are non-amendable and non-refundable within 10 weeks of your check in date. If you need to cancel your booking within 10 weeks, the total cost of the accommodation including the deposit will be forfeited. Cancellation should always be in writing to bookings@canopyandstars.co.uk.
2.4 If you need to cancel your booking at a date 10 weeks or more in advance of your check in date, the 25% deposit will be forfeited. If the booking has been paid in full the balance will be returned to you, minus the 25% deposit. Refunds will be issued in the same form and ratio as the original payment was made. Therefore, if a Gift Voucher was used to book your stay, the refund will be back onto a new Gift Voucher at the same amount as originally used. Alternatively, if you paid in cash, your refund will be processed in the currency of the booking. Where this is different to the currency of the payment card, this will be converted at the current exchange rate on the day of the refund.
2.5 Cancellations made by you, at any time, may incur a £50 administration fee in addition to us retaining the non-refundable deposit. This represents the administration costs incurred by us on behalf of the Owner to deal with such requests.
2.6 If extreme weather prevents you from reaching your holiday, taking, or finishing your holiday, you are still subject to these cancellation terms as outlined in clause 2.3 above. We strongly recommend that you take out a travel insurance policy which covers this eventuality. In the event of the property becoming unavailable (such as due to fire or flooding), Canopy & Stars will endeavour to provide the Guest with suitable alternative accommodation, starting with any other accommodation that may be available with the same Owner of your Booking, or will refund all monies paid, or a proportion in the case of curtailment. The Agency cannot, however, pay any compensation or expenses as a consequence of such an event.
2.7 Cancellation insurance is available to purchase from many providers, but will be a third-party arrangement and not involve Canopy & Stars or the Owner in any way. You are strongly recommended to take out personal travel insurance for all members of your party for UK holidays and you must take out personal travel insurance for international holidays, including for illness and cancellation due to Covid-19. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover is adequate for your needs, including cancellation and curtailment.
2.8 If you fail to check-in on your date of arrival your Booking will be cancelled and no refund will be due.
3. Amendments to your booking, requested by you
3.1 Amendments to your Booking can only be made more than 10 weeks prior to the check in date, after which time amendments may be treated as cancellation and our refund policy as detailed in clause 2.3 above may apply. All amendments are subject to availability and may incur a £50 admin fee detailed in clause 2.5 above.
3.2 If we can fulfil your request to amend your booking, any differences in price as a result of the amendment, will be paid by you in the case of an increase and refunded to you in the case of a decrease in price, e.g. amending your booking from low season to high season.
3.3 In the event that a date swap is offered, this will normally be agreed with a set timeframe to rebook and sometimes a credit against a future stay will be offered. The credit can only apply to a stay at the same space as originally booked.
3.3.1 If a date swap is offered, then the Agency Booking Terms and Conditions applied at the time of your original booking will still apply. Therefore, if your date was swapped within 10 weeks of the original check in date, the 10 week cancellation policy set out in clause 2.3 applies to your new stay, even if the new check in date is beyond 10 weeks.
4. Refunds
If a refund is issued it will be in the same form and ratio as the original payment was made. Therefore, if a Gift Voucher was used to purchase the original stay, the refund will be back onto a new Gift Voucher at the same amount as originally used.
5. Insurance
You are strongly recommended to take out personal travel insurance for all members of your party for your holiday, including holidays in the UK. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover is adequate for your needs, including cancellation and curtailment for any reason. Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday.
6. Changes and Cancellations by the Owner
We will inform you as soon as reasonably possible if the Owner needs to make a significant change to your confirmed Booking or to cancel your Booking. We will also liaise between you and the Owner to try and organise an alternative Booking offered by the Owner, or a refund but we will have no further liability to you.
7. Cancellations due to events outside of Owner’s control
An Owner may have to cancel a booking due to events outside of their reasonable control (see clause 22). In such circumstances, we will liaise between you and the Owner to try and organise an any alternative Booking offered by the Owner, or a refund but we will have no further liability to you.
8. Complaints & Procedure
We always aim to provide the best possible holiday experience, however, if you have any complaint or problems during your stay, please immediately notify the Owner during the stay itself, so that the Owner has the opportunity to resolve the problem at the time. If you do not follow this procedure, there will be less opportunity for the Owner to investigate and resolve your complaint and to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Delays may also mean that the amount of compensation you may be entitled to, may be reduced or negated.
Whether or not your complaint is dealt with satisfactorily, please also let us know of the problem as soon as possible by emailing info@canopyandstars.co.uk. We will aim to respond within 1 working day to acknowledge your email. We will then review your feedback and investigate the complaint. This may involve discussing your concerns with the owner, revising the website listing for inaccuracies, and reviewing previous guest feedback and internal inspection notes. This process can take time to complete, so please allow approx. 7 working days for a final response.
We also welcome you to fill in our feedback survey which will be sent to you via email the day after you check out. It is important for us to gather as much information as possible about the experiences our guests are having. This is what helps us support our Owner in fulfilling their potential and identifying if anything could be improved.
9. Our Responsibility for your Booking
Your contract is with the Owner and its booking conditions apply. As Agent, we accept no responsibility for the actual provision of the Booking. Our responsibilities are limited to making the Booking in accordance with your instructions and acting properly in accordance with our legal duties as an Agent. We accept no responsibility for any information about the Booking that we pass on to you in good faith. However, in the event that we are found liable to you on any basis whatsoever, our maximum liability to you is limited to twice the cost of your Booking (or the appropriate proportion of this if not everyone on the Booking is affected). We do not exclude or limit any liability for death or personal injury that arises as a result of our negligence or that of any of our employees whilst acting in the course of their employment.
10. Your Responsibilities
10.1 Please note that you have a contract with the Owner of the property. As such you are under a responsibility to behave in a proper, appropriate and legal manner whilst staying at the property with due respect to the Owner, the Property and other guests and their Property.
10.2 You are responsible for informing the Owner of any losses or damage to the property as soon as possible. Please note that you will be liable to pay the Owner for any losses or damage to the property caused by you or a member of your party (except reasonable wear and tear). Some Owners may also require a damage deposit. If so, this information will be provided on the website place page under ‘essentials’.
10.3 You must also leave the property by the check-out time specified on your Booking. If any guest behaves inappropriately or improperly (of which the Owner will be the final judge on their Property), or illegally, the Owner reserves the right to ask the guest and their party (at their discretion) to leave the Property before the end of the holiday period and/or refuse any future bookings from you. Please note that this would be without the right to any refund.
11. Pets
11.1 Not all properties accept pets. If you wish to take your pet on holiday, please advise us before booking and we can check whether pets are accepted at the property. You must obtain the prior consent of the Owner before taking any pets to the property. If you take a pet to a place that doesn’t allow pets, or you exceed the number of pets allowed at a place, the Owner has the right to refuse you to stay at the Property, and/or they may ask you to leave the Property before the end of the holiday period. Please note that this would be without the right to any refund.
11.2 A nightly charge may be made by the Owner for each pet and additional terms may apply, you will be notified of this at point of Booking. Please check these terms carefully before booking and arriving.
11.3 Please do not leave your pets alone or unsupervised in the property at any time during your stay. For the safety and comfort of your pet we request that Owners exercise due diligence at all times, especially where the property is located near a road/livestock. Canopy & Stars nor the Owner can accept responsibility for the safety of your pet.
11.4 If any guest has an allergy to pets, please be aware that Owners (and we) cannot guarantee that a pet has not stayed in a particular Property. We and Owners cannot accept responsibility for any suffering which may occur as a result of such animals having been present in a property.
11.5 We ask that all owners of pets keep their pet under control at all times and to be responsible for ensuring that they do not damage the Property, livestock or vegetation during the stay. You will be liable for any damage caused by your pet. Any damage is to be reported to the Owner immediately. Any additional cleaning required, that may incur an additional charge, will be at the Owner's discretion.
12. Special requests
If you have any special requests (for example dietary requirements, allergy, cots or room location), please let us know at the time of booking. We will pass on all such requests to the Owner, but unfortunately, we can't guarantee that they will be met and we will have no liability to you if they are not.
13. Maximum Numbers
Please note that except by prior arrangement confirmed in writing, only the number of persons specified on a booking confirmation may occupy a property. Most owners reserve the right to refuse admittance or revoke a Booking if this condition is not observed and you are unlikely to receive any refund.
13.1 The Owner reserves the right to sue the guest for any loss, damage or injury caused to the Owner, the Property or to other guests and/or their property. As Agent, we will have no liability to you in these circumstances.
13.2 The Owner only supplies the Property for domestic and private use. You agree not to use the Property for any commercial, business or re-sale purpose, and the Owner has no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity. If you do wish to use the Property for a commercial purpose, you must contact Canopy & Stars prior to confirming your booking.
14. Group Bookings
Not all Owners accept Bookings for a single sex group (for example, a stag or hen party). Guests wanting to make such a Booking should check with us beforehand to enable us to check whether the Owner is prepared to accept the Booking. We will then advise you accordingly. In event that an Owner does not accept this type of Booking then it is with regret, that the Booking may be cancelled, and cancellation fees may apply. It is the Guest’s responsibility to enquire with Canopy & Stars and/or check on our website beforehand to make sure that this type of Booking is permitted.
15. Pricing
15.1 Canopy & Stars reserve the right to amend advertised prices at any time on behalf of the Owner. We also reserve the right to correct errors in both advertised and confirmed prices. Special note: changes and errors sometimes occur.
15.2 Rates are set per place in the currency specified by the Owner. Where this has been converted into the currency of your preference, until the payment stage this will be an estimation only, based on a recent exchange rate. The original rate will be displayed before you confirm your payment and you will be given the option of paying in your own currency at our guaranteed rate, or paying in your own currency and leaving the conversion and any associated fees to your card provider.
16. Information & Accuracy
The information and prices shown on this website are varied from time to time and may change between the time you first view a property and make a Booking. You should check that all the details are as you expect prior to making a Booking. It is always possible that, despite our best efforts, some of the properties (including the features and extras available) may be incorrectly described and/or priced. If we discover this is the case after you have made a Booking, we reserve the right to contact you with details of the correct information and/or pricing and will give you the option to:
(1) proceed with the Booking based on the correct information and/or pricing, which may require the payment of an additional amount by you
OR
(2) subject to availability, change your booking dates to dates when the pricing can be honoured and so no additional charge to you. In the event that a lower price can be offered for alternative dates then the difference would be refunded
OR
(3) cancel the Booking. If we do not receive your instructions within 5 days of contacting you, we reserve the right to cancel your Booking without liability to you.
17. VAT
Many of the Owners of properties in the Canopy & Stars portfolio are not registered for VAT in which case no tax is payable. Where VAT is payable, the tax is included in the advertised holiday rental price. If the rate of VAT changes between the date of the Booking and the date of the stay, Canopy & Stars may adjust the rate of VAT that you pay, unless you have already paid for the Booking in full before the change in the rate of VAT takes effect.
18. Visa, passport and health requirements
Unless you tell us otherwise, we assume that all members of your party are British citizens who hold or will hold full British passports valid for the entire duration of the international Booking. Information on visa, passport and health requirements, where given and applicable, is so given on this basis. Requirements may change and you are therefore strongly recommended to check the up to date position with the Owner of the Booking, Passport Office, appropriate embassy or consulate or your doctor as applicable in good time before the commencement of your holiday. Prior to international travel it is your responsibility to check whether it is safe to travel by visiting the FCO website www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
19. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These terms and conditions have been drafted in accordance with and are governed by English law and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction in relation to any and all disputes arising out of these Agency Terms & Conditions.
20. Discrepancies
In case of a discrepancy between these Agency Terms & Conditions and any other Canopy & Stars literature, these Agency Terms & Conditions shall prevail.
21. Validity clause
In the event that a court finds that a condition in these Agency Terms & Conditions is illegal or void, the illegal or void provision will be severed from the remainder of the Agency Terms & Conditions, which will continue to be valid and have full force and effect.
22. Events beyond an Owner or Agency’s control
If an Owner or Canopy & Stars is prevented or delayed from complying with any of their respective obligations under these Agency Terms & Conditions or a contract for a Booking due to events or circumstances beyond their reasonable control, the inability or delay in performing those obligations will not be treated as a breach of these Agency Terms & Conditions or a contract for a Booking. Examples of such events or circumstances include fire, flood and other acts of God, strikes, trade disputes, lock outs, restrictions of imports or exports, riot, accident, disruption to energy supplies, civil commotion, acts of terrorism or war, pandemic (including Covid-19), any national/local/regional government restrictions.
Thank you for wading through all the very boring, but very important stuff above.
Now the outdoors is calling, so go and get wild in nature!
Lovely retreat. Very relaxing space to be in and very private. Lots of wildlife to see (I even saw an otter). Hosts provide lots of lovely homemade and homegrown food. The lodge was very comfortable and all of the little extras thought about (e.g picnic equipment, comfortable outside seating etc), very easy cooking in the kitchen lodge. Lovely to fall asleep listening to the owls!
09/09/2023