Artist Retreat Agreement
We’re delighted to welcome you to La Cour de Husson for our art retreat with Viktoria Maliar.
These Terms & Conditions set out the agreement between you and La Cour de Husson when you book a place on the retreat. We know terms and conditions aren’t the most exciting part of planning a trip, but they are important: they explain what you can expect from us, what we ask from you, and what happens if plans need to change.
By making a booking and paying the first instalment, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted these Terms & Conditions.
Where one person makes a booking on behalf of more than one guest, the person making the booking (the “Principal Guest”) is responsible for ensuring that everyone included in the booking is aware of and agrees to these Terms & Conditions.
1. Your Booking
Your place on the Viktoria Maliar Art Retreat is confirmed once:
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we have accepted your booking;
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the initial €1,000 payment has been received; and
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you have accepted these Terms & Conditions.
The €1,000 payment made at the time of booking constitutes an acompte towards the total price of the retreat and not arrhes.
Your booking is for the retreat, accommodation and other inclusions described on the retreat webpage and/or your booking confirmation.
Any flights, trains, car hire, additional accommodation or other arrangements that you make independently are not part of your booking with La Cour de Husson.
2. Payment Schedule
The retreat is payable in three instalments:
At the time of booking: €1,000
31 January 2027: €1,000
10 weeks before the start of the retreat: the remaining balance
We will normally send a reminder before an instalment becomes due. However, responsibility for making payment by the due date remains with the person who made the booking.
If a payment is not received by its due date, we will contact you and give you a reasonable opportunity to make the outstanding payment.
If payment remains outstanding after this period, we reserve the right to treat the booking as cancelled by you. The cancellation terms in Section 6 will then apply.
Failure to pay a later instalment does not automatically cancel your liability for cancellation charges that have already arisen under these Terms & Conditions.
3. What Is Included
Your booking includes the accommodation, tuition, meals, activities and other services specifically listed as included on the Viktoria Maliar Art Retreat webpage or in your booking confirmation.
The exact itinerary may occasionally need to change due to weather, availability, operational circumstances or circumstances outside our reasonable control.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, the retreat price does not include:
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travel to or from La Cour de Husson;
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travel insurance;
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personal purchases and expenses;
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additional food or drinks outside those specified as included;
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additional accommodation before or after the retreat; or
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any activity or service you arrange independently.
4. Travel Arrangements
Travel to and from La Cour de Husson is your responsibility and is at your own cost unless we have expressly agreed otherwise in writing.
We cannot accept responsibility for independently arranged flights, trains, car hire or other transport that is delayed, cancelled or changed.
We strongly recommend allowing sufficient time for connections and avoiding travel arrangements that leave no reasonable contingency for delays.
If you arrive late, leave early or otherwise miss part of the retreat because of your travel arrangements, no refund will be payable for the unused part of the retreat.
5. Travel Insurance
We require guests to have appropriate travel insurance for the duration of their trip.
Your policy should provide suitable cover for, as applicable:
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cancellation or curtailment;
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illness or injury;
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travel disruption;
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missed or cancelled transport;
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personal belongings;
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medical treatment; and
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the activities you intend to undertake during the retreat.
Please make sure that your insurance provides sufficient cancellation cover for the full value of your booking.
If you have to cancel for a reason covered by your policy, we will provide reasonable documentation to assist with an insurance claim.
Choosing not to obtain adequate insurance does not alter the cancellation terms below.
6. Cancellation by You
We understand that circumstances change. If you need to cancel your place, please tell us in writing as soon as possible.
Your cancellation takes effect on the date we receive written notification from you.
Our retreat involves substantial advance commitments, including reserving accommodation exclusively for retreat guests, engaging the artist, planning catering and activities and making arrangements with third-party suppliers. Many of these costs are incurred well before the retreat begins.
For this reason, cancellation charges are intended to reflect the costs and losses that we are reasonably likely to incur as a result of a cancellation, taking account of the date of cancellation, costs already incurred or committed, costs that we are able to avoid and our ability to resell the cancelled place.
Subject always to any rights you have under applicable law, the following cancellation terms apply:
More than 20 weeks before the retreat
The first €1,000 instalment will normally be retained as the cancellation charge.
Any additional amounts you have paid will be refunded, less any additional non-recoverable costs already incurred specifically in connection with your booking where permitted by applicable law.
Between 20 and 10 weeks before the retreat
Payments made up to the date of cancellation may be retained up to the amount of our reasonable cancellation costs and losses.
As the retreat approaches, a substantial proportion of its costs will already have been committed and the likelihood of reselling a cancelled place reduces significantly.
10 weeks or less before the retreat
Once the final balance becomes due 10 weeks before the retreat, the booking is considered fully committed.
If you cancel during this period, the cancellation charge may therefore be up to 100% of the total retreat price, subject to applicable law and to any costs we are able to save or amounts recovered through successfully reselling your place.
If we successfully resell your place
We do not intend to profit from a guest’s cancellation.
If we successfully resell your cancelled place, we will take the replacement booking into account when calculating our actual loss.
Where the replacement guest pays the full price, we will refund amounts paid by you to the extent that retaining them would cause us to recover more than our reasonable loss arising from your cancellation.
We may deduct from any refund:
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payment processing charges that are not recoverable;
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reasonable administrative costs arising from the cancellation and replacement booking;
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any difference between your booking price and the amount received from the replacement guest; and
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any other costs or losses that we have reasonably incurred and cannot recover.
A refund resulting from resale will only be calculated once the replacement guest has paid the amount due for their booking.
We are not obliged to discount the retreat in order to secure a replacement booking.
7. Transferring Your Place
If you cannot attend, please contact us before cancelling.
Where reasonably possible, we may allow you to transfer your booking to another suitable person, subject to applicable law, availability and any restrictions imposed by third-party suppliers.
The replacement guest must accept these Terms & Conditions and meet any applicable requirements of the retreat.
You will be responsible for any reasonable additional costs caused by the transfer.
Until a transfer has been agreed by us in writing and any outstanding amounts have been paid, the original guest remains responsible for the booking.
8. No-Shows, Late Arrivals and Early Departures
No refund will be made if you:
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do not attend the retreat;
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arrive after the retreat has begun;
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leave before the retreat has finished; or
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choose not to participate in an included class, meal, excursion or activity.
This includes circumstances where you are unable to attend because independently arranged transport is delayed or cancelled, subject to any mandatory rights you may have under applicable law.
This is one of the reasons we require appropriate travel insurance.
9. Changes to the Retreat
The published programme represents our current plans for the retreat.
From time to time it may be necessary to make minor changes to the itinerary, timings, activities, meals, excursions or other arrangements.
Where a particular activity becomes unavailable, we will make reasonable efforts to provide a suitable alternative.
We will tell you about any significant change as soon as reasonably possible.
Nothing in this section affects any rights you may have under applicable consumer law where a significant element of the contracted retreat cannot be provided.
10. Artist or Tutor Unavailability
The retreat is being promoted as an art retreat with Viktoria Maliar and we recognise that her participation is an important part of your decision to book.
If Viktoria becomes unable to teach because of illness, injury or another circumstance outside our reasonable control, we will assess the options available to us.
Depending on the circumstances, these may include postponing the retreat, offering alternative dates, providing an appropriate replacement tutor where reasonable and acceptable, or cancelling the retreat.
If a proposed change constitutes a significant change to the retreat, your rights will be determined in accordance with applicable law.
11. Cancellation by La Cour de Husson
In the unlikely event that we have to cancel the retreat, we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible.
Where we cancel the retreat and applicable law requires us to do so, payments made to us for the cancelled retreat will be refunded.
We are not responsible for the cost of travel, additional accommodation or other arrangements you have booked independently, except where applicable law provides otherwise.
For this reason, we strongly recommend purchasing flexible or refundable travel wherever reasonably possible and maintaining suitable travel insurance.
We may also specify a minimum number of participants required for the retreat to operate. Where the retreat is cancelled because that stated minimum has not been reached, we will notify you within any notice period required by applicable law.
12. Exceptional and Unavoidable Circumstances
Events outside either party’s reasonable control can occasionally make a retreat impossible or materially affect its operation.
These may include, depending on the circumstances, serious natural disasters, wildfire, severe weather, government restrictions, epidemics, war, terrorism, civil unrest or other exceptional events.
The consequences of such circumstances, including any rights to cancellation or refund, will be dealt with in accordance with applicable French law.
Where possible, we will work with guests to find a practical solution.
13. Health and Participation
Please let us know before the retreat about any medical condition, disability, allergy, injury or other requirement that may reasonably affect your participation or that we need to know about in order to provide the retreat safely.
You are responsible for deciding whether the retreat and any optional activities are suitable for you.
If you experience an injury, illness or significant discomfort during an activity, please tell us or the tutor immediately.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or limits liability where doing so would be prohibited by law.
14. Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Meals provided by La Cour de Husson during the retreat will be plant-based.
Please tell us about allergies and dietary requirements when booking and notify us as soon as possible if anything changes.
We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate dietary requirements notified to us in advance. However, because meals are prepared for the group and our kitchen handles a variety of ingredients, we cannot guarantee an entirely allergen-free environment.
Guests with serious allergies should contact us before booking so that we can discuss whether we can safely accommodate their requirements.
15. Accommodation
Accommodation is provided as described in your booking confirmation.
The gîtes and shared areas should be treated with reasonable care and consideration.
Guests are responsible for damage caused deliberately or through negligence by themselves or anyone for whom they are responsible, beyond reasonable wear and tear.
Please tell us promptly if anything is damaged or stops working so that we have an opportunity to resolve the issue.
16. Swimming Pool and Grounds
Guests may have access to the swimming pool, gardens and other facilities at La Cour de Husson during the retreat.
Use of these facilities must be responsible and in accordance with any safety instructions provided.
Guests remain responsible for their own behaviour and personal safety when using the pool and grounds, subject to our legal obligations as the operator of the property.
17. Excursions and Third-Party Activities
Where excursions or activities operated by third parties are included in the retreat, they may be subject to the operator’s own safety requirements and operating conditions.
Activities may occasionally need to be changed because of weather, availability, safety considerations or circumstances outside our reasonable control.
Where this happens, we will make reasonable efforts to provide an appropriate alternative.
18. Personal Belongings
Please take reasonable care of your belongings during your stay.
We cannot accept responsibility for loss, theft or damage to personal belongings except where the loss results from something for which we are legally responsible.
Guests should ensure that valuable items are appropriately covered by their travel insurance.
19. Behaviour
We want the retreat to be relaxed, welcoming and enjoyable for everyone.
We reserve the right to require a guest to stop an activity or, in serious circumstances, leave the retreat if their behaviour:
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creates a genuine risk to themselves or another person;
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is threatening, abusive, discriminatory or seriously disruptive;
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involves illegal activity;
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causes deliberate or reckless damage to the property;
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repeatedly disregards reasonable safety instructions; or
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seriously interferes with other guests’ ability to enjoy the retreat.
Where participation is terminated for serious misconduct, we will not normally provide a refund for the unused portion of the retreat, subject to applicable law.
20. Photography and Video
We sometimes photograph or film our retreats to document the event and to promote future retreats and La Cour de Husson.
We will always aim to do this respectfully.
If you would prefer not to appear in identifiable photographs or video used for promotional purposes, please tell us before or at the beginning of the retreat. We will respect your choice.
Where appropriate, we may ask separately for specific consent for prominent portraits, testimonials or other material focused primarily on an individual guest.
21. Artwork and Intellectual Property
Artwork created by you during the retreat remains yours.
Viktoria Maliar retains all applicable intellectual property rights in her own artwork, teaching materials, demonstrations, course materials and techniques.
Unless permission has been given, guests should not record entire teaching sessions, reproduce course materials for commercial purposes or present the tutor’s teaching materials as their own.
Personal photographs of your own work and reasonable photographs taken during the retreat are, of course, welcome unless we or the tutor indicate otherwise in a particular session.
22. Complaints
If something isn’t right during your stay, please tell us as soon as possible.
Giving us the opportunity to address a problem while you are here will usually be the quickest and easiest way of resolving it.
If the matter cannot be resolved during the retreat, please contact us in writing afterwards with details of the issue.
23. Privacy
Personal information supplied in connection with your booking will be handled in accordance with our privacy policy and applicable data-protection law.
We will use the information necessary to administer your booking and operate the retreat and may share relevant information with Viktoria or another supplier where reasonably necessary to provide the services included in your booking.
24. Liability
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions is intended to exclude or restrict any liability that cannot legally be excluded or restricted.
Subject to applicable law, we are not responsible for losses arising from circumstances that are outside our control or for services that you arrange independently and which do not form part of our contract with you.
Guests remain responsible for obtaining appropriate insurance for risks that are reasonably insurable, including cancellation, medical expenses and loss of personal belongings.
25. Applicable Law
These Terms & Conditions and your booking with La Cour de Husson are governed by French law.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions removes any mandatory consumer rights that apply to you.
If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply.
26. Acceptance of These Terms
By submitting your booking and making the initial €1,000 payment, you confirm that you have read and accepted these Terms & Conditions and that the information you have supplied in connection with your booking is accurate.
If you are booking on behalf of another person, you are responsible for ensuring that they are aware of the terms relevant to their participation before the retreat.
La Cour de Husson
5 Route de Husson
16140, France