Terms and Conditions for the Art Retreats in Andalucía
ART RETREAT POLICY
Registration for your desired art retreat is based on availability and registration is on a first-come-first-serve basis.
The art retreats include arrival and departure days and painting days in either Granada or Ronda, excursions to nearby white villages, and breakfasts and lunches at our accommodations. As lunch is generally the main meal of the day in Spain, evening meals are much lighter and consist of either tapas or eating out at local cafes, ( eating out at cafes and during excursions is not included in the art retreat fee). The Alhambra Art Retreat includes a General admission ticket to the Alhambra Palaces and Generalife and excursions as specified on the art retreat itinerary.
It is the responsibility of the participant to be fully aware of the art retreat policies and to ask any questions about anything which may not be fully understood. Your registration for the art retreat includes acceptance of these terms.
ART RETREAT FEES
An invoice will be sent to you after we have confirmed your booking and you register, including payment information, and the itinerary. Payment of the deposit confirms your reservation and is applied to the total cost of your chosen art retreat.
Participants are not guaranteed a place on the art retreats without paying a deposit as per the amount and date specified on the invoice. Payment of your deposit will be taken as acceptance of these terms and conditions and will constitute a contract between yourself and Sol y Sombra Tours Ltd. The full balance of the art retreat fee is due by the date specified on your invoice after booking. Please familiarise yourself with all the terms and policies about the art retreats listed below.
We request the balance of fees to be made to Sol y Sombra Tours Ltd by the date specified when booking.
Payment can be made through our secure booking system or by IMT to our ANZ bank account or through our ‘Wise’ account in Euros ( We prefer payment to be made in Euros to our Wise account if possible and have found their foreign exchange transfer fees very reasonable.)
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE ART RETREATS
Airline tickets. ( These must be arranged from your country of origin. ) Comprehensive Travel Insurance is a mandatory requirement. Lost or stolen luggage or other costs due to travel during the tour or airline disruptions. Visa entry requirements are the sole responsibility of each participant. (Please note: you may need to register online for the new ETIAS prior to travelling to Spain.) Other entry tickets for museums and other events you choose to visit that are not specified on the art retreat itinerary. Taxi fares to and from the point of arrival and departure for the art retreats. Communication or business charges in hotels or villas. Hotel minibars; you are welcome to avail yourself of these, however, you must pay for this at the hotel and notify us if you are using the mini-bar service as this is not included in your room rate. ( All our accommodation has free Wi-Fi ) Breakfasts, lunches or specified catered meals are included during some of the art retreats, ( please refer to each art retreat’s terms and conditions ), however, when we eat out at restaurants and cafes, these are not included. Laundry services e.g. dry cleaning.
Please note: It is every participant’s responsibility to arrange transportation of their completed work home after the retreat.
DEPOSITS AND EARLY BIRD FEES
Participants are not guaranteed a spot in the art retreat without a paid deposit. Payment of your deposit will be taken as your acceptance of these terms and conditions and will constitute a contract between yourself and Sol y Sombra Tours Ltd. NB * For early bird and special prices: registration and payment of your deposit must be received by the date specified on your invoice. The full balance of the Art Retreat fee is due by the date specified on your invoice at the time of booking. Please familiarize yourself with all the terms and policies about the retreat which are listed below.
CANCELLATION REFUNDS:
Deposits are non-refundable* (except for our guarantee ) However, if payment has been made in full, 50% of payments made towards your retreat will be refunded for cancellations prior to 6 months before the commencement of the art retreat. Because of numerous early payments, to reserve accommodation, tickets for the Alhambra and transportation, payments made within 6 months of the commencement of your art retreat, are non-refundable.
OUR GUARANTEE
Should Sol y Sombra Tours not proceed with the art retreat before arrival in Spain, deposits and payments made to Sol y Sombra Tours towards the art retreat will be refunded in full to participants upon cancellation - (except force majeure as described below). The amount refunded will be refunded at the exchange rate on the day we return your payment. ( This may vary depending on the currency exchange rate at the time, which is why we prefer to refund through our ‘Wise’ account in your own currency whenever possible. Our liability to you is limited to a full refund of your art retreat payment. Your acceptance of these terms indemnifies us of any further liability.
Sometimes it’s necessary to make changes due to circumstances beyond our control. We like to be flexible and reserve the right to make changes to the itinerary schedule if necessary. For example, If there are weather changes, the days may be interchanged to enable us to enjoy everything as specified during your retreat. *Where certain accommodation or transportation is unavailable we will endeavour to provide alternate accommodation or transport of equal quality.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TIMES
Please Note: For the Artists Retreat in Granada we provide transportation to and from either Granada train station to our accommodation on arrival and then from Ronda on departure day, this is included in the art retreat fee. We reserve the right to adjust transport according to the size of the groups to provide as comfortable an experience as possible. For all the art retreats we send you the address details and liaise with you to assist with transport to the venues.
PASSPORTS, VISAS
It is the sole responsibility of participants to obtain travel documents (passports, visas, etc.) and any other mandatory entrance requirements to Spain that are necessary to attend this art retreat.
INSURANCE
Because of numerous early payments, to reserve accommodation, tickets for the Alhambra and transportation, down payments and retreat fees cannot be refunded after the 1st March of the year in which your art retreat takes place. It is the sole responsibility of the retreat participants to obtain comprehensive travel and health insurance as soon as they enrol in the art retreat. This is highly recommended in the event that you have to cancel participation for some unforeseen circumstance.
MISCELLANEOUS
Fine wines are generously served as well as tapas, but this is not free-flowing. Moderate consumption of wine is a wonderful part of the experience but excessive drinking during this retreat is not allowed because of the risk of accidents, etc. Should the weather prevent us from being able to paint in any outdoor locations we will not be held responsible as this is unfortunately beyond our control.
SMOKING
We have a non-smoking policy.
LIABILITY
In the unlikely event that Sol y Sombra Tours cancels an art retreat, our liability to you is limited to a full refund of the payment made to us for your retreat. Please ensure your travel insurance policy covers you for any loss e.g. airfares or other travel expenses you may have booked. Neither Sol y Sombra Tours Ltd, Alexandra Heyes nor Grant Kenny shall be personally liable for any loss, damage, or injury suffered by any art retreat participants. Sol y Sombra Tours Ltd assumes no liability for any loss, damage, expense, injury, cancellation or inconvenience by reason of any defects in the structure of the property, plumbing, electrical systems, gas, water or failures in the supply of utilities for either the studio facilities or accommodation. For any loss or damage to the accommodation and its contents or grounds of the accommodation caused by retreat participants, the cost of repair or replacement will be paid by the participant to Sol y Sombra Tours Ltd which will then be paid to the accommodation owners.
FORCE MAJEURE
Refunds do not apply when your retreat is cancelled as a result of the risk of war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, pandemic, terrorist activity, natural disaster, fire or adverse weather conditions and similar events beyond our control.
MISADVENTURE
We will take all care to ensure your trip is safe, however, we accept no responsibility for any loss or damage you may suffer during the period of your retreat due to any accident, illness, bodily injury, loss of equipment, belongings or any other cause.
REMOVAL
Sol y Sombra Tours directors reserve the right to remove any disruptive participant from the retreat and/or accommodation without a refund.
DATES, DEADLINE AND NOTIFICATION
Payments can be made either by direct deposit IMT or through Wise transfer. ( We recommend payment through Wise as the fees are much lower than bank fees. It is also a great card to use when travelling to save on cash withdrawal fees.)
Registration for specific art retreats may be extended based on availability.
Final Payment Deadline – As per your invoice after registering.
Notifications will be made as soon as possible in the event of any necessary changes to the art retreat.
It is the responsibility of the participant to be fully aware of the art retreat policies and other information on the website and to ask any questions about anything which may not be fully understood.