Terms and Conditions

THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE A LEGALLY BINDING DOCUMENT.  THEY SET OUT THE TERMS ON WHICH WE ARE PREPARED TO HIRE A COTTAGE TO YOU.

Definitions

In these terms and conditions, where the expressions "Arrival Date", Cottage", "Departure Date", "Deposit", "Holiday Period" and "Holiday Price" are used they shall have the meanings given to them in our written Booking Confirmation. Please see section below.

Booking Confirmation

A booking is only confirmed by us when we have sent you a written confirmation of your booking (which may be done by e-mail) and received your Deposit in cleared funds.

Nature Of The Booking

Once we have issued a written booking confirmation and received your Deposit in cleared funds (and in return for you complying with these Terms and Conditions including your payment obligations) you are granted a licence to occupy the Cottage during the Holiday Period for the purpose of a holiday.  The Booking is not intended to create any relationship of landlord and tenant between us.

You are not entitled to any tenancy, or to an assured shorthold tenancy or to any statutory protection under the Housing Act 1988 or to any other statutory security of tenure now or when the licence to occupy ends.

The booking is personal to you.  You must not use the Cottage except for the purposes of a holiday by you and your group during the Holiday Period and not for any other purpose.  

Arrival And Departure

Please call the Cottage Manger before 6pm on the day before the Arrival Date to confirm your arrival time.  This telephone number was sent to you with your 'confirmation' email.  

The Cottage will be ready from 3pm on the Arrival Date.  Please do not arrive after 7.30 pm as we won't be there and you may be locked out!

You must vacate the Cottage by 10.30am on the Departure Date.

Payment

Debit Cards: Debit card payments are accepted free of surcharge.

Credit Card: Credit card payments will incur a 1.9% surcharge.

Cheques: Cheques cannot be accepted.

When you have to pay:

If bookings are made within 4 weeks of the Arrival Date the Holiday Price must paid in full.  

For booking made in excess of 4 weeks from the Arrival Date you must pay a deposit.  The deposit will be £100 per Cottage per week or part week (details of the deposit will be set out in our written Booking Confirmation) and pay the balance of the Holiday Price one month prior to the Arrival Date.

For Bookings across the Christmas and New Year periods the balance payment is due 8 weeks prior to the booking start date.

If the booking is made online the balance payment will automatically be taken from the original card used, on the due date unless the card has expired or payment is refused in which case we will contact you. Once the balance payment has been taken we will send you an email to notify you. If you wish us to use a different card please contact us before the due date.

If the booking is made over the phone we will have to contact you to take the balance payment as we do not keep a record of card details.

Cancellation / Changes To A Booking

There is a £25 booking fee for changing a booking that has already been confirmed. Excluding change of booking dates made within one month prior to arrival, as this is treated as a cancellation.

We cannot guarantee that we will be able to change a confirmed booking and reserve the right to refuse to do so.

Either of us may cancel a booking at least one month before the Arrival Date, in which case all monies will be returned to you.

If you cancel a booking less than one month before the Arrival Date you will lose your Deposit and you may also lose the balance of your Holiday Price.  The balance will only be repaid to the extent that we are able to re-let the Cottage during the Holiday Period.

 We may cancel your booking or cut your holiday short where you breach this agreement or because we have been affected by events beyond our reasonable control. Please see the 'Early Termination' section for further details.

Prices

The price list published on our website is our current price list.

Prices may change, so please refer to the current web price list before making a booking.

Extra Charges

You will have to pay for any coal / wood and home-made produce you may wish to purchase.

You will also have to pay for extra beds and pets (see Pets section below).

If you notify us in advance of your pets/extra beds requirements then they will be included in the Holiday Price in your Booking Confirmation.  If you do not so notify us in advance then these will be charged separately.

An extra charge only applies when extra bedding / towels / welcome pack are supplied due to an extra bed being required and being possible in that Cottage.

There is a 10% surcharge to groups which book all cottages at The Grove Farm (Snow, Rose, Bakery, Dons, Gun, and Orchard Cottages)  - such bookings can only be accepted with prior agreement from The Grove Cottages and are not available between July and September and any Bank Holidays and School holiday periods.

You may also wish to hire a canoe (see canoe section below).

Please leave the Cottages reasonably tidy and clean on departure – cleaning materials are supplied for this.  Alternatively we offer a service for those guests who prefer not to tidy up, which costs £40 per cottage.

You should keep the Cottage and the furnishings, kitchen equipment, crockery, glasses, bedding and towels clean and in good condition. We are sure that you will take care whilst you stay with us, and we acknowledge that accidents sometimes happen. We do however reserve the right to charge for any damage or breakages, which we consider, was deliberately or recklessly caused. You will be notified in writing as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the damage is discovered after you depart. We also reserve the right to charge further sums if we are unable to re-let the room as a consequence of the damage. To this end your booking authorises us to take upto £400 in the unlikely event of damage and £40 for extra cleaning should the cottage not be left tidy and rubbish free on your departure. If reasonably possible, we will discuss with you the extra charges in respect of damage or cleaning before taking the funds.

Please note that the holiday is self catering.

Value Added Tax

The Holiday Price is inclusive of VAT.

When we became liable to pay VAT it was clear that guests would not want to pay an additional amount to the price list.  So, we have paid the VAT due ourselves without passing on the charge to you and therefore any change in the rate of VAT has no effect on the prices because you are not charged it and we have to pay it whether it is 1% or 20%.

Registration

All guests – especially when in groups – must register their names, addresses and email addresses with us – and let us know in which Cottage they are staying, this is a legal and insurance requisite

Groups

No more than the maximum number of persons, as stated in our written Booking Confirmation may occupy the Cottage.  

We may refuse to allow you to occupy the Cottage or require you to vacate the Cottage if group numbers exceed that maximum number and/or the number of guests which you told us would form your party.  

We reserve the right to refuse or revoke any bookings from groups or individuals which in our reasonable opinion are unsuitable for the Cottage.  For example, because taking a child into the particular Cottage would be unsafe or because the group is too large or rowdy.

Babies And Children

Children are not catered for in Mint, Penny and Spadgers Cottages.

Babies are not catered for in Spadgers Cottage.

Babies are catered for but not recommended in Mint & Penny Cottages owing to the steep stairs.

Parents and guardians must ensure that their children are supervised by a responsible adult and are not left unattended.  You must take particular care when children are around animals, farm equipment and water.

Pets

We welcome up to 2 well behaved pets in most cottages (except Penny, Mint , Snow, Rose, The Old Forge and The Old Reading Rooms). The Coach House can only take one small sized well behaved pet.

We charge £25 per pet per week or £15 per pet per shorter break.

Please bring bedding and towels for your pet. Please do not allow your pet on any furniture, or in bedrooms – we thank you for your understanding.

We ask owners not to leave pets alone in the cottages (as they fret and howl) or off the lead in the gardens (re: ducks, bantams, cats, other dogs etc, etc) and not to let them damage or foul any part of the Cottages or gardens – please visit our website for more details on sensible dog rules.

Open Fires

Each Cottage with an open fire is welcome to take a complimentary bucket of coal and big basket of logs from the stock of coal & wood that is held for guests to purchase from.

All Cottages except Snow Cottage, The Old Forge, Holmwood, Cobb's Cottage, The Coach House, have open fires.

All cottages have independent modern central heating and do not depend on the fires for heating.

Amenities

The Cottages are complete homes with TV's DVD's videos, Hifi, CD's, Books, Games, maps, bed-linen, towels, soap, real & instant coffee, tea, sugar, salt, pepper, olive oil, fresh herbs, matches, candles, firelighters and all the items that have qualified for a 4 Star English Tourism Council rating. – in addition at The Grove Farm we often have for sale some local home made jams, eggs and honey that is produced by our own bees.

We try to give an honest impression of what the cottage looks like through our published images but please be aware that items are replaced when broken or damaged and that rooms and gardens might have changed since photography, if you wish to be certain that any specific item is still at the cottage please do check with us first.

Prices

Include towels, soap, linen, heating, a 'Proper English Breakfast' welcome pack, a bucket of coal, basket of logs and packet of firelighter. Also; BBQ and bikes to ride .

Cots and high chairs are available on request.

Bikes

We supply bikes for the use of guests but these are used at the rider's risk and guests are responsible for checking the roadworthiness of the bikes they use and to sign the bicycle book when they take a bike.  Please see additional terms which apply to the use of bikes.

Canoes

Guests borrowing a Canoe from Mark will be asked to contribute to licensing and upkeep at £45 per day of use – guests use these canoes at their own risk and are asked to wear the buoyancy aids supplied and follow the safety instructions.

Guests who cannot swim should not use the Canoe.  By hiring and using a canoe the guest confirms that he or she is a strong swimmer.  

Security, You And Your Property

While the Cottages have locks you are responsible for ensuring the security of your belongings.  

You are responsible for ensuring the safety of yourself, children and vulnerable adults in your group.  You are also responsible for ensuring that your property is not damaged or destroyed. Unless caused by our negligence, we are not responsible for any death, personal injury or damage to your property.

Hay Fever & Allergies

We are in the countryside which means there may be high levels of pollen.  This may affect hay fever suffers.  Those with hay fever should take suitable precautions.  

Our Cottages are non-smoking and pets are not permitted in some Cottages.  However, while we do our best to enforce these rules, we cannot guarantee that no one has smoked in the Cottage or taken a pet in the Cottage.

Your Obligations

No furniture, bedding, plates or cutlery etc should be moved from or between any of the Cottages at The Grove.

You should keep the Cottage and the furnishings, kitchen equipment, crockery, glasses, bedding and towels clean and in good condition. We are sure that you will take care whilst you stay with us, and we acknowledge that accidents sometimes happen. We do however reserve the right to charge for any damage or breakages, which we consider, was deliberately or recklessly caused. You will be notified in writing as soon as is reasonably practicable, if the damage is discovered after you depart. We also reserve the right to charge further sums if we are unable to re-let the room as a consequence of the damage. To this end your booking authorises us to take upto £400 in the unlikely event of damage and £40 for extra cleaning should the cottage not be left tidy and rubbish free on your departure. If reasonably possible, we will discuss with you the extra charges in respect of damage or cleaning before taking the funds.

Please leave the Cottages tidy and clean on departure – cleaning materials are supplied for this.  Alternatively we offer a service for those guests who prefer not to tidy up, which costs £40 per cottage.  If you leave your Cottage in a mess we will levy a £40 cleaning charge.

You may not smoke in any of the Cottages.

You must not cause any damage to walls, doors or windows of the Cottage.

You must not do anything that may reasonably be considered to cause a nuisance or annoyance to us or to any other occupier of neighbouring premises.  We may require you and your group to vacate the Cottage if you are too rowdy.

Flowers and plants are not to be picked or pulled up.

You must not litter the area.

You must also comply with any other regulations which we reasonably make from time to time and notified to you from time to time during the Holiday Period and ensure that they are observed by all members of your group.

Early Termination

 This section sets out when we may cancel your booking less than one month before the Arrival Date (including during the Holiday Period). Please see the 'Cancellation/Changes to a Booking' section above for details of other circumstances in which we or you may cancel your booking before the Arrival Date.

We may terminate your booking less than one month before the Arrival Date or during your Holiday Period by notice to you only if you are in material breach of these terms and conditions or because we are affected by events beyond our reasonable control (such as, but without limitation, flood, fire, adverse weather conditions, act of God, war, terrorist threat, government action or some other catastrophic event of the type covered in a comprehensive insurance policy or the breach or failure of third parties who supply goods, services or property).  In which case, if your holiday has begun, you will have to vacate the Cottage.

Please note that, without limitation, we consider non payment of fees when due, your being rowdy, smoking in the Cottage, exceeding group numbers, exceeding pet numbers, badly behaved animals, wilfully damaging the Cottage or allowing pets or children to be unsupervised a material breach of these terms and conditions.

If, in accordance with these terms, we terminate your booking less than one month before the Arrival Date or during your Holiday Period otherwise than by reason of your breach of these terms and conditions we shall return to you that part of the Booking Costs which relate to the part of the Holiday Period during which you did not occupy the Cottage due to such termination.

Notices

Any notice to be served on you under these terms and conditions may be given during the Holiday Period by delivery through the letter box or putting under the front door of the Cottage and shall be deemed received on delivery.

Terms and Conditions for our Competitions

• Entrants must be 18 or over.
• Guest must not exceed the sleeping capacity.
• Entrants must hold a facebook account to enter.