Terms and Conditions of Essentially Alpine
Please read the following terms and conditions carefully before booking your holiday with us. These conditions form the basis of your contract with us and state the respective rights and obligations of both parties. Hereafter the terms ‘you’ or ‘your’ means all persons named on the booking form and ‘we’ and ‘us’ means Essentially Alpine Limited.
Bookings and Deposits
To make a booking, please complete the online booking form and return it to us with the required initial deposit of £150 per person or full payment if the booking is made within 10 weeks of departure. On receipt we will forward a confirmation of the booking, an invoice and a note of the arrangements which have been agreed. A binding contract between us comes into existence when we dispatch our confirmation letter and invoice to the first named person on the booking form. This contract and all matters arising out of it are governed by English Law. It is essential that you read through the confirmation letter and invoice carefully as we cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies which are not communicated to us in writing within 10 days of issue.
The first named person on the booking form must be over 18 years of age and must agree that they will be guaranteeing the booking on behalf of all persons named on the booking form. The first named person is therefore liable for any outstanding payments due from any persons named on the booking form.
Deposits are non-refundable except where we are unable to accept your booking.
Payments
The balance of the payment on all bookings must be received no later than 10 weeks before the start of your holiday. If your payment has not been received at this point, we reserve the right to cancel the arrangements and you will be subject to our cancellation charges.
If you book your holiday within the 10 week period the full amount of the holiday is required on returning the booking form.
Prices
Whilst we endeavour to ensure that our website and prices are current and up to date, we reserve the right to make any changes or correct any mistakes at anytime before your booking is accepted.
Once your booking is accepted we guarantee not to make any change and no surcharges will be added unless you amend your booking. We reserve the right to increase the agreed price after acceptance as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care.
Changes by you
Should you wish to make any changes to your confirmed holiday, you must notify us in writing as soon as possible. Whilst we will endeavour to assist, we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet such requests. Where we can, a minimum administration fee of £5 per person will be payable together with any costs incurred by ourselves. If we are able to accommodate your request, at our sole discretion, we will inform you in writing of the new arrangements. Changes involving the reduction in the number of people on the booking or a reduction in the amount payable on the booking will be treated as a cancellation by those persons if made within 10 weeks of your planned arrival at the chalet.
Changes to the names of persons within a group will be possible subject to the appropriate conditions of insurance being met and the payment of a £5 administration fee.
Changes to the outward or return dates of a holiday will be treated as a cancellation and the cancellation charges will apply.
If the changes are not possible and you cancel your booking the cancellation charges will apply.
Cancellation by you
If you or any member of your party needs to cancel the whole or their part of your chosen holiday, the first named person must inform us immediately in writing by post or email. Your notice of cancellation will only be effective when it is received by us in writing at our offices. It is therefore your responsibility to ensure that we receive the cancellation as soon as possible.
As we incur costs from the time we confirm your booking, the following cancellation charges will be payable. Where the cancellation charge is shown as a percentage, this is calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by the person(s) cancelling excluding amendment charges. Amendment charges are not refundable in the event of the person(s) to whom they apply cancelling.
| Period prior to departure | Cancellation charge shown as % of total booking cost |
| More than 10 Weeks | Loss of Deposit (£150pp) |
| 6-10 Weeks | 50% |
| 4-6 Weeks | 75% |
| Less than 4 weeks | 100% |
Cancellation by us
We reserve the right to cancel or make substantial changes to your holiday. In the unlikely event of this happening, in circumstances other than your failure to pay the final balance before the due date, we will offer you the choice of the following options:
(a) accepting the changed arrangements; or
(b) accepting the cancellation in which case you will receive a full refund of all monies you have paid to us.
This does not include circumstances arising under force majeure.
Force Majeure
We regret we cannot accept any liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations are prevented or affected by or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss as a result of ‘force majeure’. ‘Force majeure’ in this contract means any event which we could not even with all due care have foreseen or avoided. Such events may include war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity or actual threatened terrorist activity, industrial dispute, closure or congestion of airport, road blockages, natural or nuclear disaster, epidemic or disease, any adverse weather, fire and all similar events which are outside of our control.
Insurance
We consider travel insurance to be essential and it is your responsibility to acquire the appropriate insurance. We require evidence of your insurance on arriving at the chalet however, it is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is suitable and adequate for your particular needs.
Our liability to you
We promise to make sure that all parts of your holiday we have agreed to arrange, perform or provide as part of our contract with you are arranged, performed or provided with reasonable skill and care.
We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (for example, loss of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim which results from the following:
- the fault of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of their party; or
- the fault of a third party not connected with the provision of your holiday; or
- an event or circumstance we could not have predicted or avoided even after taking reasonable care; or
- the fault of anyone who is not carrying out work for us (generally or in particular) at the time
We will also not be responsible where you do not enjoy your holiday or suffer problems because of a reason you did not tell us about when you booked your holiday or where any problems you suffer did not result from any breach of our contract or other fault of ourselves.
Please note that we cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract with you.
Nothing in this agreement removes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or for any liability which cannot be limited or excluded by applicable law. As a consumer the terms of this agreement will not affect any of your statutory rights.
Complaints and problems
In the unlikely event that a problem occurs or you become dissatisfied during your holiday, a complaint must be made to us immediately so we may rectify the problem. Until we know about a problem or complaint, we cannot begin to resolve it. If, however, on returning home you feel that the problem was not satisfactorily resolved then you must inform us in writing within 21 days of your return date. The address to complain to us Essentially Alpine Limited 4 Broomspring Close, Sheffield, S3 7XA.
If you fail to follow this complaints procedure, your right to claim compensation you may have otherwise been entitled to may be affected or lost as a result.
Damage and Behaviour by clients
When you book with us you accept responsibility for any damage or loss caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for such damage or loss must be made prior to departing to the third party concerned or ourselves. If you fail to do so, you will be responsible for meeting any claims subsequently made against us (together with our own and the other party’s legal costs) as a result of your actions.
We reserve the right to terminate, without compensation or further obligation, the holiday of a client where it is deemed their behaviour is unsociable, abusive or in anyway unacceptable to ourselves or other guests.
Families must accept responsibility for the welfare of their children during the holiday.
Smoking is strictly prohibited within the chalet as is the use of outside footwear.
Security
All personal items, including baggage and skis are at all times and circumstances at the owners risk and we are at no time responsible for any loss, damage or delay to such items.
You will be given keys to the chalet and it is your responsibility to ensure the exits are secure. We will not be liable should any property be taken due to the negligence of your or any member of your party. If any key supplied is lost there will be a charge of £20 to supply a new one.
Excursions, Activities, brochures
We do not provide any excursions or activities however we do possess literature detailing the local providers. Any excursion or activity booked with our assistance or by the use of any literature stocked by us will be subject to the terms and conditions of the provider and any grievance must be raised with them. Our assistance or stocking of literature does not constitute our approval of the particular provider or of the particular activity or excursion.
Passports and Health requirements
It is the responsibility of the first named person to ensure that all members of the party are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. All costs incurred in obtaining such documents must be incurred by you. We cannot accept liability if you are refused entry into the country due to failure on your part to carry the correct documentation. If failure to have any necessary travel or other documents results in fines, surcharges or other financial penalty being imposed on us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly.
Special requests or medical problems
If you have any special request, you must advise us at the time of booking. Although we will endeavour to achieve the request, we regret we cannot guarantee any request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract.
If any member of the party has any medical problem or disability which may effect your holiday please tell us before you confirm your booking. In any event you must give us full details in writing at the time of the booking. If we feel we cannot accommodate the particular medical problem or disability then we must reserve the right to decline the reservation.
Arrivals, Departures and Delays
Our check-in time is from 4pm. Departure time is 10am.
Where clients have a late afternoon departure, and wish to leave luggage at the Chalet, we will endeavour to accommodate this provided we are advised at the time of booking. However, you must still be packed, keys returned and still vacate the Chalet by 10am in order that we can prepare for arriving guests.
We appreciate that options on flights may mean that guests will arrive at the chalet late at night. We cannot guarantee a full dinner but will endeavour to provide you with some provision.
Morning arrivals are strictly subject to prior arrangement and availability. This must be requested at the time of booking. We will confirm at the time of booking whether such a request can be accommodated however, we reserve the right to decline early arrival or to make a surcharge.
No refunds will be issued for any unused accommodation or missed meals.
We regret that we are not in a position to assist you in the event of delay at your outward or homeward point of departure.