Forest Edge Terms & Conditions; Trading Conditions

Deposits, payments and cancellation policy:

• 50% deposit required within 12 hours of booking.
• Balance becomes due 10 days prior to arrival, else booking and deposit may be forfeited. If booking is not cancelled by guest 10 days prior to arrival, the full balance becomes a deposit and remains due, even in the event of non-arrival or early departure.
• 100% deposit required on Single-night stays (when allowed at our discretion), Specials, Arrivals within 10 days.
• Deposits are non-refundable; True to the definition of a holding deposit, the Deposit is non-refundable as we held the booking for you and turned other guests away. We regret no exceptions, even for personal emergencies, infrastructural lapses or Acts of God.
• If we, at our discretion, allow a minor change in booking dates/terms/persons, we will levy a R200 admin fee per requested change.
• Pay via Internet Banking or Electronic Transfer to qualify for discretionary free fire wood and chocolates on arrival, as well as to help you qualify for 5% discount if other conditions are also met. Other forms of payment will forfeit these extras and options. Bookings paid by Cheque will NOT be confirmed and may be given to someone else prior to clearance. If you pay via credit card, the booking is only confirmed upon receiving your signed charge-back waiver and copy of ID and credit card, front and back, within 48 hours. You can also pay with your personal VISA or MasterCard via secure internet payment facility MONSTERPAY at R80 admin fee via
  http://www.forestedge.co.za/creditcardpayment.html.
• Deposit due within 12 hours of making the booking, in order to retain the right to it.
• Cottage keys will not be released unless full payment is made.

Other General Terms and Conditions:

• Check-in: strictly 14:00 - 22:00 on day of arrival.
• Check-out by 10:00 on morning of departure.
• We do not guarantee a specific cottage preference.
• Our cottages are non-smoking indoors; smoke on veranda.
• Long Weekends cannot be split and are taken as a unit, and are deemed to start on the evening of the last working day. Minimum stays apply during different periods as per our rates sheet.
• PACKAGE VALIDITY: If you select any package, it will only be valid if all the requirements of the package are met, else the booking may be cancelled or rates reset to full listed rates.
• BREAKAGE DEPOSIT: Currently R0, however cottage keys will not be released unless full upfront payment is made. The guest will be charged for missing/broken items upon/after departure.
• INCLUDED: daily servicing (apart from Sundays and Public holidays); linen and bathing towels are provided. This excludes pet visits and some highly discounted packages as specifically specified.
• SURCHARGES: R200 surcharge on single-night stays (when allowed at our discretion), check-in on Sunday and check-in after 22:00, each. Extra persons will be charged for at listed rates, however, since our cottages are equipped for only 5 persons, the 6th person will incur an additional surcharge of R400 per night. The 7th person and up WILL be turned away, and no refunds of any kind will be considered.
• OTHER POSSIBLE COSTS: Fire wood at R10/bag (if available); bedwetting R100/event; lost keys R400; smoking inside cottage will incur actual restoration fees.
• SINGLE-NIGHT STAYS (ONLY WHEN ALLOWED AT OUR DISCRETION): R200 surcharge, 100% deposit due, no pets and not available on weekends unless specifically waived by us at our discretion.
• PETS: at our discretion by prior arrangement only, at R100 per pet per night surcharge and a R500 breakage deposit and subject to our Pet Policy:
  http://www.forestedge.co.za/petfriendlyaccommodation_knysna_gardenroute_policy.html.
• STANDARD TRADING TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ANY BOOKING:  Subject to
  http://www.forestedge.co.za/terms_conditions_tradingcondition.html including our Forest Edge indemnity (see below). Guests are required to sign this indemnity, as is, on arrival else cottage keys will regrettably not be released in line with our Insurer's instructions. No indemnity = no cottage key and no refund.
• IMPORTANT: we are a tiny resort trying our best to offer great service at affordable rates and we can only do so by having fair conditions in place. Since we hold our guests to these Terms and Conditions, please read them carefully or ask us to help you find a larger hotel or resort.

The below is a standard trading condition of Forest Edge and due to the public availability thereof, it is regarded as having been seen and accepted by any party entering into a booking or other agreement with Forest Edge.

This is a standard trading condition of FOREST EDGE and is a condition of residence/presence.

(party entering into a booking or any other agreement with Forest Edge or wanting to reside or be present on Forest Edge)

Do hereby declare to and in favour of FOREST EDGE and/or each of its associated companies, owners, employees, contractors, sub-contractors, agents, workmen or representatives (hereinafter jointly and severally referred to as "FOREST EDGE") the following:-

• That I/We enter the premises of FOREST EDGE entirely at my/our own risk.
• That I/We acknowledge that I/We am/are aware of the risks involved in any activities, which are or may be offered by FOREST EDGE or embarked upon by me/us whilst upon the premises of FOREST EDGE and/or using equipment belonging to FOREST EDGE and accept such risks.
• That I/We acknowledge that I/We am/are aware of the risks involved in being present on premises bordering a national forest park without animal-proof fencing and with the free reign of animals, insects, birds and reptiles onto the property whilst upon the premises of FOREST EDGE and accept such risks.
• That I/We undertake, when on the premises or involved in any activity at FOREST EDGE, to obey all rules and regulations laid down by FOREST EDGE and to familiarize myself/ourselves with such rules and regulations.
• That I/We hereby agree that it is a condition of my/our presence on the premises and/or participating in any activities that FOREST EDGE shall not be responsible for any accident or bodily injury to any person or loss of or damage to property, whether suffered by me/us or any person brought by me/us upon FOREST EDGE's premises regardless of whether such injury, loss or damage results from the negligence of FOREST EDGE or from any other cause whatsoever.
• I/We undertake to procure that every person accompanying me/us will accept the aforesaid conditions of presence/participation, as well as the terms and conditions of this indemnity and will agree to be bound by it.
• That I/We indemnify (where more than one person, jointly and severally) FOREST EDGE against any claim by and on behalf of a person accompanying me/us or under my/our control (whether a minor or disabled person or otherwise and including such person's heirs, executors, trustees, administrators or assigns) arising from, or in connection with any of the aforesaid activities, or his/her presence on FOREST EDGE's premises, including specifically without being limited thereto, any claims in respect of injury, loss or damage, as aforementioned, and arising from any cause referred to above.
• That I/We hereby bind my/our heirs, executors, administrators or assigns to this declaration and undertaking.
• That I/We are aware of the Forest Edge evacuation procedures, i.e. to leave the cottage speedily through the front door, without pause to take personal effects, and to proceed to the entrance gate on the South Eastern corner of the property, unless it is considered unsafe in which case leave the property to the open farmland on the South.

On arrival, any guest/visitor/worker is required to sign this indemnity in order to stay or be present at Forest Edge and it is a condition of any booking, arrival or agreement.


*** Do you find our Terms & Conditions intimidating? No need if you understand why we have them. In fact, most establishments have them, they are just not as open and up-front about them as we are. Many have even stricter terms (e.g. many places require a 100% up-front deposit). We know that we may even lose bookings because of our prominently displayed Terms and Conditions, but with a micro-business like ours providing consistently good standards, one needs to be protected. With the recent introduction of the Consumer Protection Act, our legal advisers and bodies such as Knysna Tourism and related Accommodation Associations have strongly suggested that we repeat T&C's and key costs in as many places as possible. This minimises the impact of any legal action that may follow most probably from disgruntled and unreasonable consumers to begin with. You will start seeing such T&C's more visibly with other establishments too. At Forest Edge we "make up" for these offputting terms, by trying to offer the very best we can, given our cashflow, to our guests when they are visiting - and we do commit to this wholeheartedly.