Website and Guest Booking Terms and Conditions

Breathe easy, you are home. This page is Part A of the TeaCrest Website Legal, Booking and Privacy Pack (Version 1.0, effective 1 January 2025). It should be read together with Part B — Guest, Property and Activity Rules, Part C — Privacy and Cookie Policy and Part D — Gift of Rest Referral and Promotional Programme Terms. If there is a conflict, mandatory law prevails first; then the booking confirmation and any clearly displayed special rate or package conditions; then these Terms; then general brochures or social-media posts. A platform-specific booking made through Airbnb, Booking.com, Tripadvisor or another marketplace is also governed by that platform's mandatory terms for that booking. The direct-booking rescheduling window is 30 days, as set out below.

1.About TeaCrest and these Terms

TeaCrest Farmstead Ltd ("TeaCrest", "we", "us" or "our") is a private limited company incorporated in Kenya under Company No. PVT-2LAIB7L. We operate TeaCrest Farmstead at Mundoro, Gatundu South, Kiambu County, Kenya. Our registered contact address is Mwalimu Wanyoike Farm, Kinare Road, Gatundu, Kiambu County, P.O. Box 178-01030, Kenya. Booking enquiries may be sent through WhatsApp on +254 708 593530, telephone on +254 723 885209, or email at teacrestbooking@gmail.com. Our official website is teacrestfarm.co.ke; our official profiles are Instagram @teacrest.farmstead and TikTok @teacrestfarmstead. A social-media post that links or refers to these Terms does not replace the disclosures required at checkout.

These Terms govern access to our website, accommodation, farmhouse day use, farm and forest experiences, hikes, meals, events, children's farm tours, photoshoot access, catering, add-ons and any other TeaCrest-billed service shown at checkout or in a booking confirmation (together, the "Services").

2.Acceptance, capacity and group responsibility

By ticking the mandatory acceptance box and selecting "Pay", "Book", "Confirm" or an equivalent button, or by authorising TeaCrest to complete a remote booking after receiving these Terms, the person making the booking (the "Lead Guest") confirms that they have read, understood and accepted the version displayed before payment. Payment of the deposit and issue of a booking confirmation form the booking contract.

• The Lead Guest must be at least 18 years old, have legal capacity to contract, and provide accurate contact and booking information.
• The Lead Guest enters the contract for themselves and as authorised representative of every person in the group. They must provide the Terms and safety information to the group and are responsible for the group's conduct, charges and compliance.
• The Lead Guest must obtain permission before giving TeaCrest another person's personal data. Separate consent is required for direct marketing or promotional image use.
• TeaCrest may require identification, ages of children, emergency contacts or other information reasonably necessary for safety, fraud prevention, legal compliance or service delivery.

3.Booking request, approval and confirmation

• Website availability is indicative until TeaCrest approves the booking and the required deposit clears.
• A quotation, enquiry response, provisional hold or unpaid checkout does not reserve a date unless TeaCrest expressly confirms otherwise in writing.
• The guest must check dates, package, headcount, ages, dietary or accessibility needs, price, taxes and contact details before paying. Errors must be reported immediately.
• TeaCrest may decline a booking before confirmation for genuine availability, safety, licensing, capacity, fraud, operational or legal reasons. Any amount captured for an unconfirmed booking will be reversed or refunded through the original method, subject to payment-provider processing times.
• The confirmation email or WhatsApp message, these Terms and the displayed package conditions together form the booking record. The guest must retain a copy.

4.Prices, taxes, occupancy and changes

Prices are in Kenya shillings unless stated otherwise. The checkout will show the base price, selected add-ons, applicable taxes and total payable before acceptance. Foreign-currency amounts are estimates unless TeaCrest expressly confirms a fixed currency price; the guest bears their bank or payment-provider conversion and cross-border fees.

• Accommodation and package prices apply only to the stated dates, duration, capacity and inclusions. Extra guests, time, meals, beds, event use, damage, cleaning or add-ons may attract additional disclosed charges.
• Children's rates apply only where shown in the current package. Ages may be verified. Under-declaration of headcount or ages may lead to adjustment, refusal of entry, or termination without a guest-initiated refund.
• TeaCrest may change future prices and packages at any time. A confirmed booking price will not change unless the guest requests a modification, the headcount or scope changes, or a tax or government levy changes by law.
• Optional third-party services, including a chef paid directly, transport or external suppliers, may be governed by separate prices and terms and are not part of the TeaCrest price unless the confirmation expressly says otherwise.

5.Payment and payment providers

Unless the booking confirmation states otherwise, a 50% deposit is required to secure the booking and the balance is due no later than check-in or the earlier deadline shown in the confirmation. TeaCrest may cancel an unpaid booking after reasonable notice if a required amount is not received by its due date.

• Payments may be processed through Paystack Payments Kenya Limited, Safaricom M-Pesa, a bank, a card scheme or another approved provider. Those providers process payments under their own terms and privacy notices.
• TeaCrest does not ask guests to send card PINs, CVVs, M-Pesa PINs or one-time passwords by WhatsApp, email or telephone. A guest must report suspicious payment requests immediately.
• A payment is complete only when TeaCrest receives successful provider confirmation and cleared funds. A pending, reversed, failed or disputed transaction does not confirm a booking.
• The guest authorises TeaCrest and its payment providers to process the agreed booking amount and any later amount separately authorised or lawfully due for damage or additional services.
• A guest should contact TeaCrest promptly about an incorrect or disputed charge before initiating a chargeback, without losing any non-waivable card, payment-service or consumer right. Fraudulent or abusive chargebacks may result in recovery of the debt and reasonable evidenced costs.
• Refunds lawfully due will ordinarily be returned to the original payment method. Provider and bank processing times are outside TeaCrest's control.

6.Non-refundable deposit, cancellation and 30-day rescheduling

6.1 Why the deposit is non-refundable

The deposit secures limited accommodation or activity capacity and supports advance scheduling, staffing, guiding, food sourcing and preparation. It is applied toward the booking price and is intended as a reasonable reservation commitment, not a penalty. This policy is prominently disclosed before payment and remains subject to any remedy that applicable law does not allow TeaCrest to exclude.

6.2 Guest-requested rescheduling

• The guest must request the change in writing through the booking WhatsApp number or email before the scheduled start time. A no-show or request made after the start time is not eligible.
• One reschedule is permitted per booking. The replacement visit must take place within 30 calendar days after the original arrival or experience date and is subject to availability, capacity, weather, host and guide readiness.
• The booking credit is personal to the Lead Guest and cannot be sold, exchanged for cash or split across several bookings without TeaCrest's written approval.
• If the new booking costs more, the guest pays the difference and any changed tax. If it costs less, the unused balance is not refundable but may, at TeaCrest's discretion, be applied to eligible TeaCrest add-ons during that visit.
• Seasonal, promotional, referral or group conditions may be re-priced to the conditions available on the new date. A rescheduled booking cannot be rescheduled again unless TeaCrest agrees in writing as an exceptional goodwill measure.
• Illness, transport disruption, work, weather preference and change of personal plans are treated as guest reasons. Guests are encouraged to obtain travel or personal accident insurance.

6.3 TeaCrest cancellation or material failure

If TeaCrest cancels a confirmed Service for a reason within its control or cannot provide a material part of it, TeaCrest will offer a reasonable alternative, a reschedule, or a refund of the amount paid for the unprovided Service. The guest may reject a materially different substitute. TeaCrest is not liable for avoidable or indirect travel, accommodation or opportunity costs, subject always to mandatory law.

6.4 Force majeure and unsafe conditions

TeaCrest may delay, modify, relocate or cancel affected activities where events beyond reasonable control make performance unsafe, illegal or impracticable, including severe weather, flooding, fire, epidemic, road closure, government action, utility failure, civil disorder, labour disruption or failure of an essential third-party system. TeaCrest will first seek a safe equivalent or reschedule. If mandatory law requires a refund, that remedy will be honoured; otherwise amounts paid may be held as a credit for the affected Service. Ordinary highland rain, cold, mud or weak network signal are normal conditions and do not by themselves trigger a refund.

7.Booking modification, arrival, departure and no-show

• Check-in, activity start and checkout times are those in the confirmation. Current farmhouse guidance is generally check-in from 2:00 p.m. and checkout by 11:00 a.m.; day and experience hours vary by package.
• The guest must advise TeaCrest of anticipated delay. TeaCrest may treat a booking as a no-show if the guest has not arrived or contacted us within a reasonable period after the scheduled time.
• Late checkout, early access or extension is subject to approval and may attract a fee. Unauthorised overstay may be charged at the current applicable rate and TeaCrest may take lawful steps to recover possession.
• A reduction in headcount, nights, activities or services after confirmation does not create a refund. An increase requires TeaCrest approval and payment of the difference.

8.Complaints and service recovery

A guest must report a safety issue immediately and any service concern as soon as reasonably possible during the visit so TeaCrest has an opportunity to inspect and remedy it. Non-urgent complaints should be sent within seven days after checkout to teacrestbooking@gmail.com or +254 708 593530 with the booking reference and reasonable supporting information. TeaCrest will acknowledge and investigate fairly. This process does not remove a statutory right or lawful complaint to a regulator or court.

9.Liability: lawful limits and preserved rights

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, wilful misconduct, gross negligence, death or personal injury to the extent caused by TeaCrest's negligence, breach of a non-excludable statutory duty, or any other liability that applicable law does not permit to be excluded or limited.

Subject to the preceding paragraph and to the fullest extent permitted by law:

• TeaCrest is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, punitive or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of opportunity or loss caused by the guest's breach, medical condition, failure to follow instructions, or inherent risks voluntarily accepted after proper warning.
• TeaCrest is not responsible for a truly independent third-party provider's acts or omissions, but remains responsible for its own selection or representation to the extent required by law.
• TeaCrest's aggregate contractual liability for a booking is limited to the amount paid to TeaCrest for that booking, except where that limitation is prohibited by law.
• Information about weather, travel time, activities, wellness or suitability is general. TeaCrest does not provide medical, fitness, legal or insurance advice and does not guarantee a particular emotional, therapeutic or health outcome.

10.Guest indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, the Lead Guest is responsible for and shall indemnify TeaCrest Farmstead Ltd and its directors, officers, employees, hosts and guides (the "TeaCrest Parties") against reasonable, evidenced third-party claims, loss, damage, fines and costs arising from the guest group's unlawful act, deliberate misconduct, breach of these Terms, property damage or infringement of another person's rights. This indemnity is reduced to the extent loss was caused by a TeaCrest Party's negligence or breach and does not impose liability prohibited by consumer law.

11.Governing law, disputes and mandatory foreign rights

These Terms and direct bookings are governed by the laws of Kenya. The parties will first attempt good-faith resolution through the contacts above. They may agree to mediation in Kenya before proceedings. Subject to any consumer forum or mandatory jurisdiction that cannot lawfully be excluded, the courts of Kenya have jurisdiction. A guest resident outside Kenya retains any mandatory consumer or privacy protection that applicable law makes non-waivable; no foreign law applies merely because the guest accesses the website from abroad.

12.General contract provisions

• If any provision is invalid or unenforceable, it will be limited or severed only to the minimum extent necessary; the remaining provisions continue.
• TeaCrest's delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver. A waiver must be written and specific.
• The guest may not transfer a booking without TeaCrest's written consent. TeaCrest may assign the contract as part of a lawful business transfer if guest rights are not materially reduced.
• Headings aid navigation and do not change meaning. Words such as "including" are illustrative, not limiting.
• TeaCrest may update these Terms for future bookings. Material changes do not retrospectively alter a confirmed booking unless required by law or accepted by the guest.
• The booking confirmation and documents incorporated into it are the entire agreement for the booking, without excluding liability for fraud or statutory representations.