Reservation Policies
Payment for your booking will be charged to your card in full & the reservation will be confirmed once this booking has been accepted by the Russell Retreat, and you will be notified of acceptance by email. By making a reservation, you agree to take responsibility for the due care of the Retreat by all members of your party. During your stay we request that any breakages, damage or any issues at all are notified to us before you check out so that we may have the opportunity of assessing / correcting anything in our power. Any damage will be charged to you at replacement & reinstatement cost.
Check in time for the Retreat is after 3pm on the commencement date. Check out time is 11am latest.
Linen - sheets, pillowcases, towels, bath mats, hot tub dressing gowns, dish cloths are all included in the daily rate.
Cleaning is an additional cost per stay. However, this is a limited cleaning allowance so guests are expected to leave the Retreat as they find it, with dishes cleaned (or clean in the dishwasher) & all rubbish put in the appropriate bins in the garage. If extra cleaning is required then you will be charged, at cost, for the extra time taken.
The Retreat has a strict no smoking, no vaping, no drugs policy, both in the house & outside; nowhere within the property's boundaries are they allowed.
Pets are not allowed at the Retreat. This is mainly to ensure protection of the local kiwi & other wildlife.
Children are welcome at the Retreat, but it is set up primarily as an adult environment & the grounds are very steep & the decks very high and could be dangerous for young children. If there are children in your party, you must take responsibility to supervise them at all times. You must also satisfy yourself that they do not have access to age inappropriate content on the TV or iPad as no restrictions have been placed on them. Also please ensure the cover to the Hot Tub is locked with the key provided to ensure no access by children.
You have to provide us with the name, and age if under 18, of every guest on the reservation. The beds will be made up in priority order as x1 Queen bed in Bedroom 1 for an individual or couple; x1 Queen bed in Bedroom 2 for another individual or couple; x1 Super King bed for a further individual or couple. Should you wish the Super King to be divided into x2 King Single beds, please do inform us at least 7 days prior to the reservation commencement date to allow time for the linen to be organised.
Against every guest's name that you wish to allow door and/or gate access, you have to provide us with their mobile number & preferred 4-digit PIN code, at least 3 days prior to the reservation commencement date to allow time for programming.
The Russell Retreat is in a residential neighbourhood & you agree to keep noise levels to an acceptable level, not to host any parties or allow anyone not on the booking to enter the property.
Like all properties in Russell, the Retreat is on tank water & rain can be very scarce, so we do ask you to be prudent & not to waste any water while you are there. There is a monitor on the tank which alerts us to any unusual or excessive use & if we receive such a notification, we will contact you to ensure there is no leak or problem & to discuss useage.
The Hot Tub doesn't use any nasty chemicals. We simply use colloidal silver, a natural disinfectant. This makes the water very 'people friendly' but also means you have to be careful to always shower & wash (indoors or using the outdoor shower by the tub) before stepping into it. Sunscreen, insect repellant, makeup or indeed any foreign contaminant will necessitate a water change which is both costly & time consuming. We will inspect the Hot Tub & have to charge you if necessary, so please take care.
No glass should be taken outside, as any breakages can be very dangerous in & around the Hot Tub especially. Plastic glasses are provided (bottom drawer in the far corner of the kitchen) should you wish to take your favourite beverage outside with you, please do use these.
We reserve the right to enter the property at any time for inspection should there be any complaints or if we have any suspicion that any reservation policies have been breached.
We reserve the right to evict you & your party from the Retreat at any point in your stay, without refund, should any part of this agreement be broken or if there is unruly or overly loud behaviour.
By making a reservation directly with the Retreat & observing the reservation policies, you become part of the Retreat Club & you will be offered discounts or deals on possible future reservations as we love to encourage repeat cusomers. We won't inundate you, promise; but just let us know if you don't want any future offers.
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Cancellation Policies
You may cancel your reservation by telephone or email. In response you will receive a confirmation email. Your cancellation has not been accepted unless you receive the confirmation email, so please ensure you are in receipt of the email which will detail your refund entitlement.
Any refund will be processed as quickly as possible & will either be credited on the card you used for booking, or we might request a New Zealand bank account to deposit the refund into.
You may cancel your reservation at any time up to 60 days prior to the commencement date & receive a full refund, or you can choose to move the booking to alternative available dates. You can move your booking twice within this timeframe.
You may cancel your reservation up to 30 days prior to the commencement date & receive a full refund minus a $50 processing fee, or you can choose to move the booking to alternative available dates with no loss. You can move your booking twice within this timeframe.
If you cancel your reservation between 29 & 14 days prior to the commencement date, you will receive an 80% refund of the total booking amount, or you can choose to move the booking to alternative available dates with no loss. You can move your booking twice within this timeframe.
If you cancel your reservation between 13 & 5 days prior to the commencement date, you will receive a 50% refund of the total booking amount with no option to move dates.
Any cancellation less than 5 days prior to the commencement date will not receive any refund, nor will be able to move dates.
If there are extenuating circumstances - global pandemic or bereavement for example, please do make contact to discuss. We are happy to do everything we can to change dates or refund if your plans are thrown awry due to forces beyond your control.