Terms & Conditions

Lifestyle Vacations is referred to the below Terms & Conditions as “LSV”.

PAYMENTS
1. Cooking Vacations, Culinary & Cultural Tours
A non-refundable 50% deposit is required to secure a journey reservation. This is applied for bookings registered in advance. The balance is due 60 days before the tour starts. LSV process the payment once your booking form is completed, signed, and emailed. Payments are accepted in all currencies through Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal. If you make your initial reservation less than 90 days before your date of travel, the full payment is required.
2. One-day Classes and Tours
Full payment is required to secure the reservation of a one-day activity. In case of cancellation from your part, this payment cannot be refund, but a cooking class, a wine tasting course or a gourmet tour can be scheduled, if LSV gets your cancellation at least two weeks in advance. When your payment is completed, you receive a voucher that confirms your reservation and full payment. This document is forwarded by email. Please check you Spam folder in case you do not receive this confirmation.
3. Retainer Fee applied on a Tailor-made Travel Itinerary
This fee is used to guarantee the planning time for a tailor-made travel itinerary but does not usually represent all the fees for the entire travel itinerary. A retainer fee does not ensure a successful final output unless the client reserves with a complete reservation form and payment.

LATE BOOKINGS
Lifestyle Vacations do not apply any extra fees for late bookings. Reservations cannot be guaranteed to last minute enquiries.

CANCELLATIONS
Deposits and final payments are non-refundable. LSV strongly recommends the customer to subscribe a travel insurance in his or her country. This insurance must cover cancellations due to medical reasons, default or airline strike, and weather conditions. For a cooking vacation, a cancellation cannot be applied to another departure. In case a participant will not use a portion of a tour or a class, no refund nor deduction can be applied.
LSV full-day classes and tours are non-refundable. LSV accepts however to reschedule a tour or class if the cancellation is specified in writing at least two weeks before the class or the tour starts. In this case, the customer will receive a voucher which is valid one year from the date of application. LSV refunds in full in case the company has to cancel a tour, a class or a journey.

GROUND TRANSFERS & EXTRA EXCURSIONS
Most of exclusive LSV culinary journeys include airport or train station transfers. It is the responsibility of each participant to be on time at the meeting point. LSV do not cover missed transfers, and do not refund it. Excursions or visits which are required, and which are not included in the initial itinerary and program are subject to an extra cost, and must be paid cash or by credit card before you return to your country.

TOUR PRICES
All prices are per person, and in US dollars. Culinary tours prices are based on double occupancy. A supplement is applied to solo travelers who require a single hotel accommodation. Some hotels, guest houses or villas offer suites which are large enough to welcome 2 adults and 1 child together. Please ask us at the reservation if you need it. Prices mentioned on Lifestyle Vacations Web site are subject to change according to the €/$ currency rate.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
It is the responsibility of each tour participant to obtain and carry a valid passport, visa(s), and any other travel documents required by applicable government regulations. Non-US residents may require special travel visas/documents available at their Embassy or Consulate.

HEALTH CERTIFICATE
In enrolling a culinary journey and a cooking vacation, the customer certifies that he or she does not have any disability or condition that would create a hazard for other travelers of the same group. The traveler understands that health care standards, facilities and services in France and in Portugal may be different or inadequate for treatment of certain health conditions. LSV makes no warranties, and the company disclaims any made regarding special accommodations or handicap accessibility on any program. LSV reserves the right to decline accepting any traveler whose health or actions trouble the operation of a trip.

WESTERN EUROPE TRAVELING RULES
The customer is on the way to book a tour in Western Europe including France, and Portugal, and to stay in one of these countries. The customer has to understand cultural differences that can include: late dinners, long lunches, smoking rules, driving speed limits, men or women walking arm in arm, opinions on politics, complimentary aperitif offered by a restaurant before lunch or dinner. At restaurants, a 15% service is already included in the bill, and there is no reason to leave a big tip, except if you have been granted an exceptional service from the waiter. Shops, banks, and other boutiques may close during the lunch break, from 12:30pm to 2:30pm and up. Except for brasseries, restaurants and bistros are usually closed between 2:30pm and 7:30pm. When the customer travels abroad, he or she has take care of his or her personal belongings at all times. The customer never leaves them in a parked vehicle. In any big cities, the customer must be more vigilant about people around him or her, especially in train stations, airports, bus stops and in crowd. The customer has to be careful with pick pockets as it is recommend to zip hand bags, and to keep cash and credit card in a flat purse that the customer will have under his or her coat or jacket.
French and Portuguese people can be friendly. They can kiss each other to say “hi” but don’t hug. Do not be offended by someone who can touch your arm when speaking to you. Hotel rooms, especially in charming small hotels in Paris, Lisbon or Porto located in the historic quarters, are smaller in size than in your country. It’s the same for bathrooms. LSV recommends to book deluxe hotel rooms or suites, not standard ones. Also, on entering a religious monument (church, cathedral) the customer must dress properly with a long dress or skirt, or a pant, and a top that covers your shoulders. It’s also required for museums and chateaux.

RESPONSIBILITY
LSV does not own or operate any of the locations, hotels, guest houses, and villas, restaurants, cooking schools, suppliers of services or accommodations for your trip. As a result, LSV is not responsible for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such supplier or of any third party. LSV and its representatives act only in the capacity of a tour operator, and the company will not be liable for any jury, loss, accident, allergic reaction, delay, damage, irregularity, injury, or expense to person or property due to any act of default of hotel, guest houses, land transporter, restaurant, cooking school or other contractor rending or providing services.
On completing a booking form, the customer has to mention his/her food allergies that LSV and its partners and suppliers will consider. It is also the customer’s duty to ask additional information about the accommodation and its surrounding.
Each property or hotel that LSV recommends or includes in a program has been carefully visited and inspected, and it is of a high quality level. Suppliers that LSV works with, are Corinne Preteur long term business partners. All programs – except “Cooking at the Farm” – you will find in LSV Web site are original, designed by Corinne Preteur personally.
LSV and its representatives are not responsible for any expense or liability resulting from labor disputes, war, acts of terrorism, government restraints, weather conditions, airline and airport cancellations, sickness, pilferage or any other cause beyond their control. LSV and its representatives reserve the right to accept, or to retain or refuse any person as a participant of any tour or to cancel any program of a tour if circumstances demand. LSV reserves the right to change an itinerary but will inform the participants after they book, and before they arrive in Europe. It can be due to weather conditions, uncontrollable strike, and labor walk out.

COMPLAINTS
LSV is very picky with its partners and suppliers, and Corinne Preteur always offers a high-quality service as she personally escorts the tours. If the customer has something to report, and consider that what he or she signed for is not what he or she expected, the complaint must be reported immediately in writing to the supplier and to LSV by email. A complaint that is received after the tour, and when the traveler is back home, cannot be resolved nor refunded.

PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT RELEASE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RISK WAIVER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY
In consideration of LSV providing services to enable the customer to participate in one of its tour or journey, the customer fully understands and acknowledges that culinary and travel activities have inherent risks, dangers and hazards and such exists in his or her participation in LSV sponsored activities. The customer fully understands and acknowledges that his or her participation in such activities may result in injury, illness, allergic reactions or personal dissatisfaction. These risks and dangers may be caused by the negligence of LSV owner, employees, officers or agents, and the negligence of other participants, the negligence of others, accidents, breaches of contract, the forces of nature or other causes. The customer hereby assumes all risks and all responsibility for any losses and/or damages, whether caused in whole or in part by the negligence or other conduct of the owners, agents, officers, or employees of LSV or by any other person.
The customer, on behalf of him- or herself, his or her personal representatives and heirs hereby voluntarily agree to release, waive, discharge, hold harmless, defend and indemnify LSV and its agents, officers and employees from any and all claims, actions or losses for bodily injury, property damage, wrongful death, loss of services or otherwise which may arise out of my participation in LSV’s activities. The venue of any dispute between the parties that may arise out of this agreement or otherwise shall be in disputed in Paris, France court of law. Any legal fees incurred from a dispute will be the responsibility of the client.
The customer understands that LSV reserves the right to take photographic material of any of its programs, and I hereby agree that LSV may use any such photographic material for promotional and/or commercial purposes. In booking a LSV culinary journey, the customer hereby accept the Terms & Conditions contained herein.

Cooking Vacations in France