Terms & Conditions – Peaceful Alchemist

Booking Terms & Conditions

Peaceful Alchemist
Chamber of Commerce (KVK): 94231931
Last updated: 21 August 2026

We have written these terms in plain language so you actually read them. They are still a contract: when you book a retreat with us, you agree to everything below. Where the law gives you rights that go further than these terms, the law wins — nothing here is meant to take away rights you have as a consumer under Dutch or EU law.

Article 1: Who and what these terms cover

1.1 “We” and “us” means Peaceful Alchemist (KVK 94231931). “You” means the person booking, and everyone they book for.
1.2 These terms apply to every retreat booking, unless we agree something different with you in writing.
1.3 Our retreats are package travel. Every retreat we organise combines accommodation with lessons, workshops, tours or other services, which makes it a package under EU package travel rules (Book 7, Title 7A of the Dutch Civil Code). That is good news for you: it gives you protection that the law guarantees, including the financial protection described in section 3. Everything in these terms is written to sit alongside those rules, and where the law gives you more, the law applies.
1.4 The retreat page on our website and your booking confirmation describe what you have booked. They are part of our agreement.

Article 2: Your booking

2.1 Your booking is final once you complete it on our website or confirm it with us in writing.
2.2 We may cancel a booking within 8 working hours if something went wrong on our side — an overbooking, a pricing mistake, a technical error. You get everything you paid back, without delay and in any case within 14 days.
2.3 If you book for others, you are responsible for their details being correct and for passing our information on to them.
2.4 You must be 18 or older to book. Under-18s can only join with a parent or guardian and our written agreement.
2.5 Before you book, we tell you everything the law requires us to tell you about the retreat: what it includes, where it takes place, what it costs, the minimum group size, your cancellation rights and how your money is protected. You will find this on the retreat page, in these terms and in your booking confirmation, together with the statutory standard information form for package travel.

Article 3: Paying, and how your money is protected

3.1 Deposit: 25% of the retreat price when you book. This secures your place and is non-refundable.
3.2 Balance: the remaining 75% no later than 6 weeks (42 days) before the retreat starts. If you book within 6 weeks of the start date, the full price is due at booking.
3.3 If you miss a payment, we will remind you and give you a fair chance to pay. If it still does not arrive, we treat the booking as cancelled by you, and the cancellation fees in section 9 apply.
3.4 Your money is protected through VZR Garant. If we were to go bankrupt before your retreat, VZR Garant covers the money you paid — and your journey home, if transport was part of your package.
3.5 One honest caveat: under the VZR Garant scheme, money paid more than 3 months before departure is normally guaranteed up to 50% of the price. Anything above that is a voluntary advance payment. Our payment schedule in 3.1 and 3.2 is designed with this in mind.
3.6 Details of the guarantee, including how to make a claim, are at vzr-garant.nl and on our Financial Protection page.

Article 4: What is included — and what never is

4.1 The retreat page tells you exactly what is in the price, and that page is part of our agreement. What is included differs per retreat: airport transfers, local transport, tours, workshops and treatments count as included only where the retreat page says so. If one edition includes transfers, that says nothing about the next one.
4.2 Unless the retreat page says otherwise, the price does not include travel to and from the destination, travel and cancellation insurance, visas or travel documents, personal expenses, drinks beyond what we serve, optional treatments, or tips.
4.3 What the retreat page lists as included is our responsibility to deliver.
4.4 Extras you book and pay for on site with someone else — an additional massage with the therapist, for instance — are an agreement between you and them.

Article 5: Minimum group size

5.1 A retreat needs at least 7 participants, unless the retreat page says otherwise.
5.2 If we do not reach that number, we may cancel. We tell you at least 20 days before the start and refund everything within 14 days of that notice.
5.3 We cannot reimburse costs you made elsewhere, such as flights. That is what your cancellation insurance is for — see section 11.

Article 6: Price changes

6.1 After you book, we can only raise the price if our own costs genuinely rise in three specific areas: fuel or energy costs of transport, taxes and fees imposed by third parties (such as tourist tax), or exchange rates.
6.2 We will explain any increase and tell you at least 20 days before the start. After that, the price is fixed.
6.3 If an increase is more than 8% of the total price, you may cancel for free and get a full refund within 14 days.
6.4 If those same costs go down, you are entitled to a matching price reduction, minus our actual administrative costs.

Article 7: Changes to the programme

7.1 The programme is an indication, not a promise of exact times. We may change times, order, location, facilitators and individual activities when circumstances ask for it.
7.2 Small changes are part of retreat life and do not entitle you to a refund or compensation. For example: a session moved an hour because of the weather, yin yoga indoors instead of on the deck because of mosquitoes or rain, a walk rerouted for safety, a candle ritual instead of a fire because of a local fire ban, a different teacher or therapist when someone falls ill, or a change asked for by the venue. We will let you know as soon as we reasonably can, in writing or through the retreat group.
7.3 Big changes are different. If we have to significantly change something essential to the retreat, we tell you straight away, explain what it means for the price, and give you a reasonable time to choose: accept the change, accept an equivalent or better alternative if we can offer one, or cancel for free with a full refund within 14 days.
7.4 Everything is an invitation. No session is compulsory. Skipping any part of the programme is always fine, and always your choice — but it does not create a right to money back.
7.5 A named teacher or therapist is our intention, not a guarantee. If someone cannot make it, we arrange a qualified replacement wherever possible.

Article 8: Giving your spot to someone else (packages only)

8.1 Can’t come? You may transfer your booking to someone else who meets the conditions of the retreat. Tell us in writing no later than 7 days before the start.
8.2 You and the person taking over are both responsible for any unpaid balance and for real extra costs the transfer causes. We will show you what those costs are.

Article 9: If you cancel

9.1 You can cancel at any time, in writing. The date we receive your message counts.
9.2 This is what cancelling costs, as a share of the total price:
How long before the start You pay
57 days or more 20%
56 to 31 days 50%
30 to 15 days 75%
14 days or less 100%
9.3 These fees exist because we commit your money early: the venue, facilitators, transfers and materials are booked and largely non-refundable for us too.
9.4 If you cancel before the balance is due, the fee may be higher than the amount you have already paid. In that case the difference remains payable, and we will invoice it. If the fee is lower than what you have paid, we refund the difference within 14 days.
9.5 We cannot make exceptions for illness, injury or family emergencies — however much we sympathise, and we do. Those are exactly the situations your cancellation insurance covers, which is why we require it (section 11).
9.6 Exception: if unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances at or near the destination make the retreat significantly impossible or unsafe — a natural disaster, serious unrest — you may cancel for free and receive a full refund within 14 days. No additional compensation on top.
9.7 Arriving late or leaving early. Life happens, and if you can only join for part of the retreat you are of course still welcome. We cannot refund the time you miss, though: the venue, the team and the food are arranged for the whole retreat either way.
9.8 Before and after the retreat. The venue is reserved for our retreat dates only, so we cannot host you the night before or the night after. If you are travelling early or staying on, please arrange your own accommodation for those nights. We are happy to point you in a good direction.

How long before the start	You pay
57 days or more	20%
56 to 31 days	50%
30 to 15 days	75%
14 days or less	100%

Article 10: If we cancel

10.1 We may cancel if the group is too small (see 5.2), or if unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances prevent the retreat, in which case we tell you without delay. Either way you receive a full refund within 14 days of the date we notify you.
10.2 In those cases the refund is the full remedy; there is no additional compensation.

Article 11: Insurance is mandatory

11.1 You must have valid travel insurance (with medical and repatriation cover) and cancellation insurance for the whole retreat. By booking, you confirm that you have arranged this. We assume you have, and we do not check your policy — if you travel without adequate cover, any costs that would otherwise have been covered are entirely your own.
11.2 Check that your policy covers the activities on the programme, including hiking and physical practice.

Article 12: Your health, your body, your responsibility

12.1 Our retreats involve physical activity: Pilates, yoga, breathwork, walking or hiking. You are responsible for judging whether you are fit to take part.
12.2 Check with your doctor. If you have any medical condition, injury, are pregnant, are recovering from illness or surgery, or take medication, please confirm with your doctor that this retreat and its activities are suitable for you before you book. By booking, you confirm that you are fit to participate.
12.3 Tell us in writing before the retreat about anything we should know: injuries, illness, allergies, diet, pregnancy, medication, or a physical or mental condition that matters for your participation or your food. We treat it confidentially and share it only with the people who need it, such as the chef or a therapist.
12.4 If something changes between booking and departure, tell us as soon as you can.
12.5 We take allergies and diets seriously and cook with real care, but we work in a shared kitchen and cannot guarantee zero traces of any allergen. If you have a severe allergy, please bring your own medication.
12.6 Every session is voluntary and at your own risk. Teachers guide; they do not give medical advice. Listen to your body, and adapt or stop whenever something does not feel right.
12.7 A retreat can stir things up emotionally. Our sessions are not therapy and are no substitute for treatment. If you are under medical or psychological care, please discuss taking part with your practitioner first.

Article 13: Together

13.1 A retreat is a shared experience, and most of what makes it good comes from the group. We ask you to treat fellow guests, our team, our partners and the venue and its staff with the same care you would like to receive, and to respect the house rules of the place we are staying.
13.2 Other guests or groups may be staying at the venue at the same time. Sharing the space generously makes it better for everyone.
13.3 Very occasionally, something goes further than we can absorb. If someone’s behaviour endangers others, seriously disrupts the retreat, damages property or breaks local law, we may ask them to leave part or all of the retreat without a refund, and any costs that follow, such as onward travel, are theirs. We would always try to talk it through first.
13.4 If you damage something at the venue, the cost is yours. The venue may ask for a deposit.

Article 14: Photos and film

14.1 A photographer or videographer may join a retreat. We ask your consent before making or using images in which you are recognisable.
14.2 You can refuse or withdraw that consent at any moment — before, during or after — without giving a reason and without any effect on your participation. One message and we stop using the material.
14.3 Please extend the same respect to others: no photos, film or recordings of fellow guests, circles or ceremonies without their explicit permission, and never share such material publicly.

Article 15: When something is not right

15.1 Tell us on the spot. If part of the retreat is not as agreed, tell the retreat leader straight away, so we can put it right while you are still there. If you wait until you are home, there is less we can do to resolve it, and that may affect what you are entitled to.
15.2 We will fix problems within a reasonable time, unless that is impossible or would take wildly disproportionate effort. If we cannot fix it, you may be entitled to a price reduction and possibly compensation, as set out in the law (art. 7:511 and 7:512 Dutch Civil Code).
15.3 If you get into difficulty during the retreat — illness, an accident, lost documents — we will help you without delay: finding a doctor, pharmacy or local authority, contacting your insurer, embassy or family, and helping you arrange alternative travel. This is help and information, not payment: medical costs, treatment and replacement travel are for your own account or your insurer’s. If the difficulty was caused deliberately or carelessly by you, we may charge our actual costs for the help we gave, and nothing more.
15.4 Not resolved on site? Send a written complaint within 30 days after the retreat ends. We confirm receipt within 7 days and give you a proper answer within 60 days.

Article 16: Liability

16.1 We are responsible for delivering the services described in our agreement, whether we provide them ourselves or through partners.
16.2 For damage other than personal injury, our liability is capped at three times the retreat price — except where we caused the damage deliberately or through negligence.
16.3 As the law requires, we do not limit our liability for death or personal injury, or in any other case where the law does not permit a limitation. This does not make us responsible for every injury: liability always requires that something went wrong on our side.
16.4 We are not liable for damage your travel, health or cancellation insurance covers or would normally cover, nor for problems with flights or transport you arranged yourself.
16.5 Where an international convention caps what a service provider owes, the same cap applies to us.

Article 17: Your data

17.1 We handle your personal data according to the GDPR and our Privacy Policy, which you can read on our website.
17.2 Health and dietary information goes only to the people who need it to keep you safe and well fed, and is deleted when it is no longer needed.

Article 18: Law and disputes

18.1 Dutch law applies to these terms and to every booking.
18.2 Disputes go to the competent Dutch court. As a consumer, you keep your legal right to the court the law designates for you.
18.3 You can also use the European ODR platform for online dispute resolution.

Article 19: About these terms

19.1 We may update these terms, but the version in force when you booked is the one that applies to your booking.
19.2 If one provision turns out to be invalid, the rest stands, and the invalid one is read as the closest valid version of what it meant.

These terms are written in English. If we provide a Dutch translation and the versions differ, the English version prevails.

Privacy Policy

We believe that a peaceful mind starts with knowing your personal information is safe. We handle your data with the highest level of care and respect, using it only to ensure your retreat experience is safe, personal, and transformative.

READ PRIVACY POLICY

Proudly affiliated with VZR, protecting your peace of mind and your Peaceful Alchemist adventure.

Destinations

Good to know

Receive updates

Stay up-to-date on new retreat dates and locations. Be the first to know by signing up to our tribe for free.

KVK: 94231931