1. BOOKING AND PAYMENT:

a) Online reservations

• The page "Booking" of our website provides a tool allowing you to check room availability at our Guest House for a period of your request and make a pre-confirmed booking. If you wish to book you are required to provide your full name and address as well as a valid credit card (Visa or MasterCard) which is mandatory to guarantee your reservation. The entire processing is handled on the secured server of our partner beds24.com using the latest SSL technology to encrypt and protect your data. Making an online booking implies that you accept our Terms and Conditions stated on this page without reserve and without exception.
  
  
• Once you have pressed the "confirm booking" button, the system will immediately reserve the requested lodging for you and send an automated acknowledgement of that booking to your email-address. However, this is not yet a definite confirmation, which we will email to you in a timely manner after having checked that your request is in line with our regulations. You will then receive a personal booking reference number and, in order to guarantee and secure your reservation, the credit card provided will be pre-authorised for the quoted rent price (up to 30 days prior to arrival). No payment is taken from your card except if you fail to turn up without notice, or cancel a confirmed reservation outside the free cancellation timeframe (see below). FYI: a pre-authorisation is not a debit but a temporary hold placed on the funds, which remain in your account until the final payment of your stay is to be made at check out. At this moment, according to your preference, we convert the pre-authorised amount to a charge or release it, should you wish to use another payment method.
  
  
• We reserve the right to reject any online booking in violation of our terms and conditions (e.g. invalid credit card, disrespect of minimum age of children, minimum stay etc.) and draw your attention to the fact that no contract shall be formed unless and until we have confirmed your reservation through a booking reference number.

b) Offline reservations

• To register a booking we require the following information, which may be provided either by filling out our contact form on this web site or by sending us an email or letter:
  - your full name
  - your home address (street, town, country)
  - your telephone number
  - your arrival and departure date
  - the number of guests to accommodate
  - the number of children and their age (if applicable)
  - the desired accommodation (B&B guest room or self-catering studio).
  
  
• We will get back to you by email notifying you about our availabilities and – if possible – providing an appropriate offer. If that offer meets your expectations you are asked to accept it in writing (preferably by email).
  
  
• That way, you make a pre-reservation (option) which remains non binding for both sides until it is secured and guaranteed by a down payment corresponding to a certain number of nights (equivalent to 25 - 35 % of the total booking amount, with a minimum of 1 night’s room rate). We hold such a pre-reservation for a maximum of 5 days (3 days in the main season), after which it will expire and become void. Please note that we reserve the right to cancel an option should another enquiry for the same lodging and period meanwhile receive confirmation through a down payment.
  
  
• Down payments may be made by bank transfer, PayPal or by giving us your credit card details and the permission to charge the required amount against the provided card. After receipt we will issue you with a definite booking confirmation.
  
  
• With your down payment you are engaged into a firm contractual obligation for the entire agreed period of your stay with us including all booked services.
  
  
• The balance must be settled at the latest upon arrival.
  
  
• All payments are due in Euros (€) and must include transfer and exchange fees (if applicable).

2. CANCELLATION AND CHANGES:

• Please bear in mind that we are a homestay guest house with only a small number of lodgings which will be specifically set aside for guests based on their reservations. Although we understand that plans change for various reasons, cancellations or changes affect us greatly (especially when they occur close to arrival) because it is often difficult for us to rebook a room at short notice. We are therefore constrained to enforce a strict cancellation and no-show policy. Notification of cancellation is to be put in writing and the date of receipt in our mailbox shall be determinative.
  
  
• If it becomes necessary for you to cancel a confirmed booking, we will always endeavour to resell the lodging to other guests, in which case no charge will incur (and a deposit will be refunded in full). In case re-booking is not successful, you may remain liable for the payment of your stay, either in part or in full, depending on the cancellation date:
  - more than 45 days prior to arrival: free cancellation (no charge)
  - between 60 and 31 days prior to arrival: 30% of the rent price (i.e. loss of deposit)
  - between 30 and 21 days: 60% of the rent price
  - between 20 and 8 days: 80% of the rent price
  - 7 days or less, or if you shorten your stay - irrespective of the reasons - or fail to show up, the full rent price as paid or payable to us will stand.
  
  
• Bookings may be amended without penalties up to 6 weeks prior to the initially fixed arrival date; changes within a shorter period will incur a cancellation fee of 50% of the booking amount, which will be added to the cost of the new reservation (except if the cancelled period can be re-sold).
  
  
• FORCE MAJEURE: In the event of an act of nature or an occurrence beyond our control such as, but not limited to, a result of "force majeure", which prevents us from performing our obligations under a valid contract and constrains us to cancel a confirmed booking, all payments received for that booking will be fully reimbursed. Indemnity claims or any other compensation payments however are expressly excluded.
  
  
• Whilst we make every effort to maintain arrangements for reservations as originally booked and confirmed to you, in rare cases reallocations may occur for technical, organizational or housekeeping reasons. We reserve the right to transfer a booking to an alternative room of the same standard, and will notify you as soon as we become aware. Any such adjustment does not give cause for the cancellation of a booking, as all our rooms offer identical space, equipment and comfort.

3. PRICES:

• All our rates include taxes, bed linen and towels, normal consumption of electricity and water, WiFi and Internet, as well as use of common areas such as lounge, terrace, garden and pool.
  
  
• Prices of B&B accommodation also cover a generous continental breakfast, daily maid services and heating in the winter season.
  
  
• Our studios are classed self-catering holiday rentals designed for a stay in full self-dependence. In addition to the rent, a mandatory end-of-stay cleaning fee of 40 EUR is due and in the winter season heating is charged 10 EUR per day. Furthermore we require a damage deposit of 200 EUR which will be refunded to you upon check-out (in case of damages to the house, apartment or equipment you are deemed to be responsible for, restoration charges may be deducted from the deposit).

4. CHECK-IN AND CHECK-OUT:

• As a family run guest house operating without staff we have to restrict check-in times from 5 pm to 9 pm, as quite some time is needed to clean and prepare rooms and house after guests' departure. Early afternoon or late night arrivals must be cleared with us beforehand.
  
  
• You are requested to vacate your lodging by 11.00 am.

5. CHILDREN:

• We aim to offer to all our guests a relaxed and peaceful place and do not accommodate children under 12 years of age.

6. ANIMALS

• Two friendly Jack-Russell Terriers, Foxy & Cannelle, are living with us. They just love meeting people but might defend their territory against other pets, which are therefore not admitted.

7. SWIMMING POOL AND GARDEN / PARK:

• In compliance with French Law our pool is equipped with an approved electronic alarm system. Our responsibility, however, is limited to the control of its correct functioning, and it is the sole responsibility of every guest to use the protection offered according to the instructions given. At no time under whatever circumstances is the electronic alarm system to be deemed a substitute for the lack of supervision of minors or people who can't swim by their parents or guardians. In case of an accident of minors in or at the pool but also in the garden or park around our house arising from a lack of supervision by parents or guardians we strictly reject any liability.

8. LOSS / THEFT:

• We do not accept liability for any loss, damage or theft incurred by you or any member of your party in connection with your stay at our house, whatever the cause. You are requested to take care of your belongings, not to leave valuables in the room and lock your room door when leaving. Valuables may be handed over to us for secure deposit during your stay.

9. DAMAGE / BREAKAGE AND INSURANCE:

• You are responsible and liable for all damage and breakages during your stay, whether accidental or negligent. Proof of your own insurance covering such damage to the rented property and other occupants in our house is therefore mandatory. If you fail to take out insurance, you will be hold personally responsible and liable for any damage or breakages as well as possible consequences from them such as third-party damage and/or personal injury.

10. HOUSE RULES:

• With your booking you agree to respect the rules of our house in order to avoid conflicts with other guests and to ensure a calm and relaxing stay for every resident. Those rules (of conduct), which you will find in a booklet in your room, are founded on common sense, such as refrain from noise in the lodgings after 10 pm.
  
  
• We are a non-smoking guest house. In accordance with French law, smoking is prohibited in all guest rooms, apartments and common places like the dining hall and the lounge. It is however possible to smoke outside on the terrace and in the pool area.
  
  
• We reserve the right to terminate a booking at any time in the case that the behaviour of a guest or members of his/her party should cause annoyance, distress, damage or danger to us, other guests or our house and property. No refunds will be made in this event.

11. CHOICE OF LAW AND PLACE OF JURISDICTON

• The accommodation contract concluded with you and all matters arising out of it are governed by and construed in accordance with French law. Any dispute or claim in connection with that contract or these terms will exclusively be dealt with the Courts of Aix-en-Provence.

12. CONFLICT RESOLUTION / MEDIATION

• In case of a disagreement that may arise between you and us as to your booking or stay with us, you may wish to reach an amicable settlement of the dispute without recourse to litigation. To this purpose, we have appointed the following independent mediator: The Tourism and Travel Mediation (MTV), BP 80303, 75823 Paris Cedex 17. Further information can be found on their website http://www.mtv.travel/en/. As a consumer you can also access the European Commission's online dispute resolution platform here: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.
  
  Please note that mediation is a voluntary, non-binding procedure. This means an arrangement cannot be imposed on the parties, and both sides must agree to accept it.

13. PRIVACY STATEMENT

In accordance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) we explain hereafter how we collect, process and secure your personally identifiable information:

• In order to fulfil our obligations arising from an accommodation contract as well as towards the fiscal and administrative authorities we are required to retrieve and store certain of our guests' personal data. This applies exclusively to confirmed bookings and stays at our Guest House. By accepting an accommodation offer or using our online booking system you authorise us to handle the collected data as described in this statement.
  
  
• The personally identifiable information we gather from you in connection with a binding reservation and that we need to render our accommodation services, is limited to your name, mailing address, phone number(s), e-mail address, arrival and departure dates and, if applicable, credit card details. We keep these data strictly confidential and will not, under any circumstances, disclose, share or sell it to any third party.
  
  
• We store the information collected - with the exception of provided credit card details - in a password protected electronic customer database, which has been submitted to and approved by the competent supervisory authority (CNIL), registered 26-01-2015 under number 1829807 v 0. This file is preserved on a removable flash drive which is kept disconnected from our office computers in order to ensure the confidentiality of your personal information and an effective protection from hacker attacks, abuse and data theft. To simplify future bookings of already registered guests and to allow retrospective statistical analysis we store our customer data base for an unlimited period of time. If you have provided us with your credit card details to secure or pay a reservation, we keep these data only until the corresponding transaction has been successfully processed, and delete them hereafter.
  
  
• In compliance with applicable legal and accounting requirements we issue an electronic invoice for every reservation made at our guest house. Other than the cost and length of the stay, these invoices include the guest's name, mailing address, phone number(s) and e-mail address (if known). They are archived for a minimum of 6 years as per the relevant fiscal regulations.
  
  
• A record of our correspondence with you relating to your booking and stay with us is kept for verification purposes until the end of the current year, and subsequently deleted.
  
  
• In case of general enquiries (not related to a confirmed booking) which we receive through the contact form of our website, by mail, e-mail or phone, we will use the personal information you may submit only to respond to your request. If no reservation results therefrom, all your data will be deleted.
  
  
• In order to help us improve our website's performance and analyse our site visitors' demographics and navigation behaviour, we make use of "Google Analytics" a service provided by Google Inc. USA. The retrieved information serves exclusively the purpose of optimizing our content and tailoring it as close as possible to our guests' needs and interests. Google Analytics collects the data about your use of our website through so-called "cookies" (small text files which are saved within your web browser) and stores it anonymised on servers in the USA. If you are opposed to Google Analytics tracking you may opt out anytime by simply refusing cookies or disabling JavaScript in the settings of your browser. For more information, see Google Analytics privacy information.
  
  
• Your confidential information is accessible only to the owners of "La Bastide des Templiers" Guest House, Harald GOERG and Joël LAURENT, who are solely in charge of and responsible for data processing and privacy.
  
  
• Subject to the relevant legal requirements being met, you have the right of access, rectification and erasure of the personal data we hold about you as well as the right to object to or restrict their processing. You may also withdraw a given consent where relevant. In case you wish to exercise any such rights, please send us a written request using the information set out in the contact section of this website.