Terms & Conditions of Booking
We have tried to write these in plain English rather than in the usual wall of legal text. They are no less binding for being readable.
This summary is here to save you time. It does not replace the full terms below, and where the two differ, the full terms apply.
Domaine Chez Gilbert is a small nature retreat at La Gougeasse, 03120 Le Breuil, Allier, France. In these terms, “we”, “us” and “the Domaine” mean the business trading as Domaine Chez Gilbert, and “you” means the person making the booking.
The person who makes the booking is responsible for the booking as a whole, including payment and the conduct of everyone in the party, and must be at least 18 years old.
These terms will govern reservations at Domaine Chez Gilbert once we open in April 2027 and begin accepting bookings.
We are not accepting bookings or payments yet. If you have registered your interest through this website, you have not entered into a booking contract and you owe us nothing. Registering your interest simply means we will contact you when dates are released.
We will provide the final version of these terms before reservations open, and you will be asked to accept them at the point of booking.
Families are very welcome at Domaine Chez Gilbert. To suit the nature of the site and its woodland and waterside setting, we welcome children from 8 years of age. We are unable to accommodate babies or children under 8.
Every child in the party must be at least 8 years old on the date of arrival. This applies to all five accommodations and to day visitors.
We know this rules out some families, and we would much rather you knew now than discovered it after booking. If a booking is made for a child who is under 8 on the arrival date, we will not be able to accommodate the party, and our cancellation charges will apply.
Each accommodation has a maximum number of guests, and that limit cannot be exceeded:
The whole site holds no more than 14 guests, which is rather the point of it.
Only guests named on the booking may stay overnight, unless we have agreed otherwise in writing. If more people arrive than the accommodation allows, we may decline to accommodate the additional guests.
A reservation is confirmed once we have received the deposit and issued you with a booking confirmation. Until we issue that confirmation, no contract exists between us.
A deposit of 30% of the total booking price is payable at the time of booking.
The remaining 70% is payable 42 days before your arrival date. We will remind you before it falls due.
If you book within 42 days of arrival, the full price is payable at the time of booking.
If the balance is not paid by the due date, we may treat the reservation as cancelled by you, and the cancellation charges set out below will apply.
The total price, what it includes, any applicable taxes and any taxe de séjour will be shown clearly before you commit to a booking. We will not add charges after booking that were not disclosed to you beforehand.
Plans change. If you need to cancel, please tell us in writing as soon as you can — the date we receive your written cancellation is the date we use.
| Cancellation received | Cancellation charge |
|---|---|
| More than 60 days before arrival | Payments received are refunded, less a €50 administration charge |
| 42 to 60 days before arrival | The 30% deposit is retained |
| 15 to 41 days before arrival | 50% of the total booking price |
| 14 days or fewer before arrival | 100% of the total booking price |
| No-show, or leaving early | 100% of the total booking price |
We would rather not keep money we have not lost. If we succeed in re-letting your accommodation for the same dates, we will refund the additional amount we recover, after deducting the applicable deposit or administration charge and any reasonable direct costs or losses we incur as a result of the cancellation — for example a lower price achieved on the replacement booking, or commission payable on it.
We cannot promise that cancelled dates will be re-let, and you should not book on the assumption that they will be.
We strongly recommend that you take out appropriate travel insurance when you book, including cover for cancellation, curtailment, medical expenses and personal belongings. We are not able to act as an insurer.
Under French consumer law, the usual 14-day right of withdrawal for contracts made at a distance does not apply to accommodation services provided on a specific date or for a specific period. This is set out in Article L221-28 of the Code de la consommation.
In plain terms: once your booking is confirmed, you cannot cancel it within 14 days and automatically get your money back. The cancellation terms above are what apply instead. This is standard for holiday accommodation, and it is the main reason we recommend travel insurance.
We will only cancel or materially change a confirmed booking where we genuinely have to. If that happens, we will contact you as soon as possible and offer, where we can, a suitable alternative accommodation or alternative dates. If no alternative is acceptable to you, we will refund the money you have paid for the accommodation we cannot provide.
Occasionally we may be prevented from providing your accommodation by events outside our reasonable control — for example fire, flood, storm damage, drought or water-supply failure, prolonged power or utility failure, serious damage to the site or its access, epidemic or pandemic, or acts or restrictions of public authorities. In those circumstances we will refund the money you have paid for accommodation we cannot provide, but we will not be liable for other costs you may have incurred, such as travel.
Nothing in these terms limits or excludes any liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded, or affects your statutory rights as a consumer.
Check-in: to be confirmed
Check-out: to be confirmed
We will confirm these times before bookings open, and they will be stated on your booking confirmation.
We are a small operation and we like to welcome people properly, so please let us know if you expect to arrive significantly later than planned, or outside our stated arrival times. If we have not heard from you and you have not arrived by the following day, we may treat the booking as a no-show.
The access to the site crosses rural ground and may involve a ford or a footbridge; we will give you full arrival directions with your confirmation. Please read them before you set off — satellite navigation is not always reliable here.
Domaine Chez Gilbert is deliberately small and quiet. Most people come here to hear the stream rather than anything else, and the whole experience depends on everyone taking that seriously.
So that the Domaine stays what it is, we ask that you:
In the rare case of behaviour that is dangerous, threatening, or persistently spoils the stay of other guests, we may ask a party to leave. Where we do, no refund will be due. We would be very sorry to ever have to do this.
This is a genuine piece of countryside, not a landscaped resort, and we would rather set your expectations properly.
The site includes woodland, mature trees, a running stream, a pond, natural terrain and open ground. In the ordinary course of a stay here you can expect uneven or slippery ground, steps, exposed roots and stones, mud after rain, falling leaves and twigs, insects, wildlife, dense vegetation, standing and running water, and weather that changes quickly.
Please bring footwear you can walk in, take reasonable care of yourself and anyone with you, and use a torch after dark — there is very little artificial light here, which is deliberate.
Telling you this does not reduce our own responsibilities for the safety of the site and of our guests, which we take seriously.
In addition to the minimum age of 8, parents and guardians remain responsible at all times for supervising the children in their party.
Particular care is needed around the stream and the pond, in the woodland, on the footbridge and the access crossing, around the Nordic baths and the sauna, around any swimming facilities, and near stoves, fires and other heat sources.
The minimum age of 8 is about the nature of the site. It does not mean children can be left to themselves here.
Le Refuge, La Clairière and Le Secret are each planned to have a private Nordic bath. These are planned for the April 2027 opening and are not yet installed; we will confirm the arrangements for them before bookings open.
Where a Nordic bath is provided, it is for the use of the guests staying in that accommodation only, and the following apply:
If you are pregnant, or have a heart condition, high or low blood pressure, circulatory problems, or any other condition that may be affected by hot-water bathing, please seek medical advice before using the bath.
We may need to restrict or suspend use of a bath temporarily for maintenance, water quality or safety. Where that happens we will tell you as soon as we can and do our best to put it right quickly.
We plan to have one small wood-fired sauna shared by the Domaine. It is planned for the April 2027 opening and is not yet built.
Where the sauna is available, please use it in accordance with the instructions we provide, shower before use, sit on a towel, and supervise children at all times. If you are pregnant or have a medical condition that may be affected by heat, please seek medical advice first.
We may close the sauna temporarily for maintenance, safety or where the fire risk requires it.
We are in woodland, and fire is the one thing we are strict about.
Open fires, disposable barbecues, candles, fire pits, lanterns and any other naked flame must not be used anywhere on the site unless we have specifically authorised it, in a place we have designated for it. Wood-burning stoves inside the accommodations may be used in accordance with the instructions provided.
You must comply with any seasonal fire restrictions and with any instruction issued by us or by the French authorities. Restrictions in the Allier can be imposed at short notice in dry conditions, and when they apply they apply absolutely.
Smoking and vaping policy: policy to be confirmed.
Please treat the accommodation, its furnishings and equipment, and the grounds with reasonable care.
Accidents happen, and we would much rather know about them. If something gets broken or damaged, please tell us during your stay so we can deal with it.
Where damage is caused deliberately, through negligence or through misuse, we may ask you to pay the reasonable cost of repair or replacement. Normal wear and tear is not charged for, and nor are ordinary breakages that you tell us about.
Pet policy: to be confirmed.
We will confirm before bookings open whether guest dogs or other pets can be accommodated, in which accommodations, and on what terms. Please ask us before booking if this matters to your plans.
We intend to offer food, wine and other drinks at the Domaine. These services are subject to completing the appropriate French regulatory and licensing requirements, and we are not yet in a position to promise any particular service, menu or opening arrangement. We will confirm what is available before bookings open.
You are equally welcome to bring your own food and drink and cook at your accommodation.
If anyone in your party has a food allergy, intolerance or dietary requirement, please tell us in advance and remind us on arrival, so that we can tell you honestly what we can and cannot do.
We prepare food in a small kitchen where allergens including nuts, gluten, dairy, eggs, fish and shellfish may be present. We cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment, and we will always say so rather than take a risk with your health.
Any alcohol we supply will be supplied and consumed in accordance with applicable French law.
Please use the parking areas we designate and keep access routes clear for other guests and for emergency vehicles.
Vehicles and their contents are left on the site at your own risk, to the extent the law allows. Please lock your vehicle and do not leave valuables visible in it.
Electric vehicle charging is something we plan to provide, but the arrangements and availability are not yet settled. Please do not rely on being able to charge a vehicle here until we confirm it.
We are genuinely rural. Internet access, mobile reception, water and power can all be affected by weather, by the network, and by other circumstances outside our control.
We will do what we reasonably can to keep everything running and to put problems right quickly, but we cannot guarantee uninterrupted internet connectivity or mobile coverage. If you need reliable connectivity for work, please ask us about current conditions before you book rather than after you arrive.
Domaine Chez Gilbert is a natural woodland and waterside property. Parts of the site involve uneven ground, slopes, grass, gravel, steps and outdoor routes between accommodations.
We would rather give you accurate information than a vague reassurance. If you or anyone in your party has mobility, sensory or other accessibility requirements, please contact us before booking and we will describe the accommodation, the ground and the distances honestly so you can decide.
We do not describe any accommodation here as accessible, because we have not yet had that properly assessed.
Take all the photographs you like of your own stay.
Commercial or professional photography and filming, and any use of a drone, require our permission in advance. Drone use must also comply with applicable French regulations and with the privacy of other guests and our neighbours — and in a place people come to for quiet, a drone is rarely welcome.
If anything is not right, please tell us while you are here. We live on site, we would genuinely rather know, and almost everything can be put right on the spot. A problem we hear about after you have gone home is one we never had the chance to fix.
If something cannot be resolved during your stay, please write to us at [email protected] within 28 days of departure, setting out what happened. We will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days and give you a full response within 28 days.
French law gives consumers the right to refer an unresolved complaint to a consumer mediator free of charge.
Consumer mediator (médiateur de la consommation): to be appointed.
We will appoint a registered mediator and publish the details here before we accept consumer bookings.
You may also use the European Commission's online dispute resolution platform where it applies to your booking.
The Domaine and the accommodation are in France, and these terms and your booking are governed by French law.
If you are a consumer resident in another country, you keep the benefit of any mandatory consumer protections available to you under the law of the country in which you live, and you may be able to bring proceedings in the courts of that country. Nothing here takes those rights away.
How we handle your personal information is set out separately in our Privacy Policy, rather than buried in these booking terms.
Our Privacy Policy and cookie information are in preparation and will be published on this website before bookings open.
We may update these terms from time to time. The version that applies to your booking is the version you accepted when you booked, and we will record the version and date with your reservation.
This version: v0.1, 2026-09-14.
Louisa Bailey and Mark Gilbert
Domaine Chez Gilbert
La Gougeasse, 03120 Le Breuil
Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
v0.1 · 2026-09-14 · Pending legal review