We do not refund or allow you to make changes to your reservation. We cannot stress this enough; in agreeing to these terms and proceeding to pay, you assume responsibility to take out a suitable travel insurance policy to cover your trip. We are a small, popular hotel that promises you once we sell one of our rooms to you for your vacation, we won't sell it to anyone else and unlike airlines, we never overbook. If you have to cancel your trip, regardless of the reason (yes, your reason too), we will not offer you a postponement or a refund. Instead, the travel insurance you have taken out to cover your trip to Swell will pay out. If you cannot travel, we will send you a receipt showing what you have paid us and you can use that to claim back your money.
Why do we have this policy? You might think that it doesn't cost us anything to move your dates if something happens, but it does because giving you another room for a later date means that someone else cannot book and pay us for it. If we allow you to move your dates, effectively, you are getting two different dates with one payment and that's not fair on a small place like ours. Also, usually, you have an arrival balance to pay us which we lose when you don't come. Lastly, our costs don't change if you don't make it to Swell: We don't stand down staff because you couldn't come; everybody gets paid, just the same.
Don't agree with our policy? That's absolutely fine if you don't want to take any risk, we get it; don't proceed now but instead, contact us just before you travel to see if we still have space for you. But if you would like us to guarantee you a room by proceeding now, you will also be guaranteeing us your payment.
How do you find travel or trip insurance? Just Google travel or trip insurance in your region and you will get lots of results, often on comparison sites where you can choose the level of cover required. Usually, these policies cost less than $100 USD. It's worth it, not least because apart from covering you for many risks when travelling, were you to need insurance for treatment in a hospital if you were hurt surfing, foiling, kiting, or undertaking any other activity, your insurance will help you. Just like in the US, healthcare is insurance-based and without it, you won't get treatment. Make sure that you choose a policy that either specifically covers, or has no exclusion, for water sports.
Likewise, arrival balances won't change in case of late arrivals and if for any reason you need to extend your stay at Swell additional charges will apply. We will, of course, provide you with a receipt so that you can make a claim on your travel insurance policy.
Our surf coaches will give you instructions at the beach to keep you safe. If you do not follow their guidance, they may refuse to take you to teach you or allow you to use our equipment. Charges will be applied for reckless use or loss of Swell equipment whilst on loan to you.
Swell can cater to people up to 100kg in weight for surf lessons and/or surfboard rentals. If you weigh more than that, our equipment is just not suitable for you, even though we have in our fleet the biggest beginner surfboards available. If you arrive at Swell and we have to rent a specialist board for you (which usually has to be a S.U.P. if you are more than 100kg), those extra charges of $175 USD for a week-long rental, or $25 USD per day, will be passed on to you.
Our kitchen is strictly out of bounds for guests: We know it looks inviting as a lovely open space, but it is for our staff only to use. We located Swell right next to a whole bunch of good, (often cheap) places to get lunch and dinners on the nights we don’t cook.If you ask to cook/warm something up, or try to keep a half-eaten takeaway in the fridge, you will be refused by Swell staff. There is plenty of alternative accommodation available in Cabarete if you want to self-cater.
We will look after you very well; our staff have the best training available in their fields of expertise, but if you hurt yourself doing an activity (surfing/kiting are EXTREME sports), or your stuff gets stolen, we won’t take responsibility for it; your travel insurance policy needs to cover you.
Your 5-day surf course (including an extra day's surfboard rental, if you are staying 7-nights) is discounted and won't be refunded in part or in full if you are not surfing for any reason. Before booking, you can ask us to pay a higher day rate for lessons if you are worried that you won't get along with surfing. That rate is $65 USD per morning, rather than $268 USD (already included in our learn-to-surf package). Please be aware that Saturdays are always a day off from surfing. If you stop surfing, for any missed lessons, we can give you an invoice to claim on your travel insurance policy.
In proceeding to pay, you agree to take out adequate insurance that must protect any belongings you bring with you to Swell. We will not take any responsibility for any loss or damage to your belongings whilst at the camp; we can vouch for our own staff but in shared rooms particularly, we are unable to vouch for fellow guests.
The same applies to any activities undertaken outside of Swell (canyoning for example); these all carry an element of danger and you undertake these excursions at your own risk.
If our terms and conditions don't suit you, please don't proceed to pay
Thank you for reading.
Team Swell
