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Booking & cancellation

If you find it necessary to cancel a 2021 booking due to covid-19 related reasons, a full refund will be available. Please note, this does not include any travel costs you may have incurred. Please email: info@gaiahouse.co.uk
In all other circumstances, our standard cancellation terms and conditions apply.

Please read the information below carefully before booking your retreat.

All bookings are provisional until confirmed by Gaia House.

Making a booking

To book a residential retreat you must be aged 18 years or over. The only exception is our annual Young Person’s Retreat, which is open to those aged 16-25 years.

For all residential bookings we need to know your full name, address and telephone number, your email address, your age and gender (so that we can allocate rooms appropriately) and any medical condition that may affect your stay.

Retreat rates:

Extra nights:

  • Due to the current restrictions we are unable to take bookings for extra nights at the moment.

Booking for more than one person or more than one retreat:

  • Please make separate bookings for each person and each retreat. Please complete each form in full as we cannot cross-refer booking information.

About summer camping:

During the summer months, we offer a small number of camping places at a reduced rate for those attending our group retreats only.

  • Please contact our Reception team to check availability and costs. (Not available to book online.)
  • Please note that camping is at your own risk, whatever the weather – sorry, but we cannot accommodate you in the house.
  • You need to bring all your own camping equipment.
  • Small one/two-person tents only.
  • Each retreatant must have their own separate tent.

How to book by phone: 

  • Please phone us on 01626 333613 and have your credit/debit card details available.
  • We accept full payment and deposits for all Retreats from Solo/Maestro/Visa Debit cards.
    • MasterCard/Visa Credit Cards: We can accept full payment for all Retreats and deposits for Personal Retreats (but not deposits for Group Retreats).
  • Please pay by debit card where possible – as Gaia House incurs substantial bank charges when payments are made by credit card.
  • Telephone: 9.30am-12.30pm Monday-Saturday. If we don’t answer, please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible (within 24 hours).

How to book from overseas:

  • If you are booking from abroad, please use a credit card with the amount in British Pounds Sterling (£/GBP).
  • If you live outside the UK and do not have a credit card, a Direct Bank Transfer may be possible, however, banking fees can be extremely high, even more than your original payment. Before you book, please contact our Finance Team on finance@gaiahouse.co.uk.
  • Unfortunately we cannot accept foreign bank notes.
  • We are unable to take fax bookings.

Applying for a personal or work retreat
  • Due to the current restrictions we are unable to take bookings for personal or work retreats at the moment.

Deposits and payments (residential retreats)
All bookings are provisional until you have received confirmation from Gaia House.

  • All retreats must be paid for in full at least one month prior to the start of the retreat.
  • Retreats of three nights or less must be paid for in full at the time of booking.
  • Retreats of four nights or more require a £100 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit to secure your place. The balance must be paid at least one month before the retreat start date.
  • Personal retreats: Please pay only after receiving confirmation of your place and dates. Please see Personal Retreats.
  • Work retreats must be paid for in full once you have confirmation of your place and dates. Please see Work Retreats.
  • Please pay by debit card if possible – Gaia House incurs substantial bank charges when payments are made by credit card.
  • If our rates are too high for you, we invite you to apply for support from our Financial Assistance and Bursaries Fund. Please contact us about this before booking your retreat. It is not possible to apply for financial support on the opening day of a retreat.
  • Booking conditions may be subject to alteration.
  • Travel arrangements: All bookings are provisional until confirmed by Gaia House. Please do not make any travel arrangements until after you receive confirmation of your booking. Gaia House cannot be held liable for travel costs.

Please pay in full at least one month before the retreat begins, or your place may be cancelled and offered to someone on the waiting list. Thank you.

Waiting lists (residential retreats)
  • Most of our group retreats fill up quickly and we offer waiting lists for places that may become available.
  • We take time and care to manage our waiting lists so that as many people as possible can attend our retreats.
  • Joining the waiting list is free. Please go through the checkout process to enter your details into our system, helping us to administer waiting lists efficiently and fairly.
  • You will be able to fill in information relevant to the retreat you wish to attend and you will receive important information about our single room and food policies, as well as the terms and conditions of any retreat place offered. Please read our Privacy statement.
  • Confirmation of being added to the waiting list will be emailed to you and then we will contact you if a place becomes available.
  • If you join a waiting list, we kindly ask you to keep the relevant dates free, as the chances of being offered a place are fairly good. If your plans change, please contact us so that we can remove you from the waiting list. This helps us to keep the list up to date with names of people who can take up places if they become available.

Changes to your booking
  • Once your booking has been confirmed, please make changes only if absolutely necessary.
  • All changes will be subject to a £20 administration fee.
  • Changing your retreat: Transferring bookings, payments or deposits from one retreat to another is not possible due to administrative complications. If you wish to change your booking to a different retreat you need to cancel your old booking and book the new retreat. Normal cancellation fees apply.

Cancellation fees and refunds


Cancellation fees and refunds – Online retreats:
  • If you cancel 48 hours (or more) before the retreat start date, the cancellation fee will be 20% of your paid registration fee.
  • If you cancel less than 48 hours before the start date, the cancellation fee will be your full registration fee.
  • Cancellation fees are transferred to the General Fund (with the exception of cancellations made within two days of the retreat starting).
  • Cancellation requests can be made by email. Please note that cancellations can only be accepted from the named retreatant and not from third parties. Any refunds can take up to five working days to be processed.

Cancellation fees and refunds – Residential retreats:

Gaia House teacher and patron, Stephen Batchelor, explains the background to our residential retreat cancellation policy.

  • If you cancel one month (or more) before the retreat start date, the cancellation fee will be £100.
  • If you cancel less than 1 month but more than 2 weeks before the start date, the cancellation fee will be £100 or half the cost of your retreat, whichever is greater.
  • If you cancel less than 2 weeks before the start date, the cancellation fee will be the full amount paid.
  • For the Dana Retreat, the group Work Retreat, the Young Persons’ Retreat and all Young Persons bookings:
    • If you cancel one month (or more) before the retreat start date, the cancellation fee will be £10.
    • If you cancel less than 1 month but more than 2 weeks before the start date, the cancellation fee will be 50% of the total retreat cost.
    • If you cancel less than 2 weeks before the start date, the cancellation fee will be the full cost of the retreat.
  • Extra retreat nights cancelled more than 1 month before your arrival date will be refunded, less a £20 admin fee.
    • Extra retreat nights cancelled less than 1 month in advance will be charged in full.
  • For Meditation Days, the cancellation fee is £10 if you cancel 4 weeks or more before the day.
    • If you cancel less than 4 weeks prior to the day the cancellation fee will be the full amount. 
  • £20 from cancellation fees goes towards administration costs, and the balance is transferred to the General Fund (with the exception of cancellations made within two days of the retreat starting).
  • Cancellation requests can be made by email. Please note that cancellations can only be accepted from the named retreatant and not from third parties. Any refunds can take up to five working days to be processed.
  • Gaia House reserves the right to cancel any bookings that are deemed unsuitable or inappropriate.

Exceptional circumstances:  At their discretion, the Directors may waive cancellation fees in exceptional circumstances. Requests for this should to be made in the form of a letter addressed to the Directors, c/o The Admin Manager, setting out your reasons for cancelling your booking.

If you wish to change to a completely different retreat, it is necessary for you to cancel your old booking and book the new retreat. Normal cancellation fees apply. Please ensure that you are clear about your dates and retreat costs before you book.

Travel arrangements: When booking any type of retreat, group, personal or work, please do not make any travel arrangements until after you receive confirmation of your booking. All bookings are provisional until confirmed by Gaia House. Gaia House cannot be held liable for travel costs.

Weather conditions: If you have to cancel your retreat due to adverse weather conditions our standard Cancellation Policy (above) still applies. Any particular cases may be submitted to the Admin Manager for consideration and each case will be looked at individually.

Covid-19: If there is an outbreak of covid-19 within the residential staff community at Gaia House, the retreat will be closed early and a refund will be offered for the remaining days of the retreat.

Personal belongings at Gaia House
Gaia House cannot take responsibility for your belongings while you are on retreat, so you are advised not to bring any valuables with you.

Access for people with disabilities
We welcome people with disabilities. We have a rambling old house, however the ground floor is accessible for people in wheelchairs and those with restricted mobility. If you have specific needs relating to a disability, long-term illness or health condition please phone our Reception team who will be happy to provide you with information about the house and discuss your needs whilst on retreat. In some cases a carer may stay free of charge to support a retreatant who needs personal care. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this.

We have a hearing loop facility in the meditation hall which is compatible with hearing aids.

Accommodation
We offer very simple but comfortable single rooms.

Food policy

Gaia House offers a healthy, balanced vegetarian diet that may include eggs and dairy produce. Vegan, dairy-free and wheat/gluten-free options need to be requested prior to arrival. At lunch we also offer a ‘Simple Diet’ consisting of a gluten-free wholegrain, steamed vegetables and plain pulses, egg or tofu. This diet is intended to meet nutritional needs whilst being as plain as possible. The simple diet, including protein choices, also needs to be requested prior to arrival.

Due to Covid-19 constraints, it is not possible for us to cater for any dietary need which differs from the above options, and it is not possible for personal food supplies to be brought to Gaia House and stored.

Work sessions
  • We ask that you help support Gaia House during your stay by offering two hour’s work per day, to assist with the running of the house.
  • All retreatants are also asked to clean their own rooms on the day of departure.
  • If for medical reasons you are unable to do a work session, or can offer only light work, please let our Reception team know when booking via info@gaiahouse.co.uk