Terms & Conditions

1. Making Your Booking

Your booking is confirmed (and this “Booking Contract” becomes effective) once full payment has been received by us or by your booking agent, and we have emailed you a booking confirmation. At that point, we’ll reserve your villa for you.

• Villa Allocation: For our Two-Bedroom Villas and Garden Villas, we cannot guarantee a specific Villa in advance. We will consider special requests, but we may need to assign villas based on operational needs (to make sure all guests are able to be comfortably accommodated).

• Check Your Details: Please double-check the booking dates and number of guests booked when you receive our confirmation (within 24 hours of booking). Don’t forget Rarotonga is 1 day behind Australia and New Zealand. If anything is incorrect or missing, please let us know immediately so we can make the necessary corrections.

2. Paying for Your Booking

To secure your reservation, please follow these payment guidelines:

• Deposit: A 25% deposit of the total accommodation cost (plus any additional fees noted in your confirmation email) is required at least 30 days prior to your arrival date. The 75% balance is due no later than 14 days before arrival.

• Payment Methods: You can pay by Visa or Mastercard credit card, or by bank transfer (to our New Zealand bank account, or, for Cook Islands residents, to our Cook Islands bank account). Note: Credit card payments incur a 3% surcharge. If you need a special payment plan, please email us at gm@kiaoranavillas.com – we’re happy to discuss options. If we agree to a payment plan (e.g. an initial deposit and later instalments), you must make all payments by the agreed-upon dates.

• Damage Deposit: We may require a NZ$200 Damage Deposit per Villa (pre-authorisation or payment) by the business day before your arrival. This will be refunded after your stay if no damage or extra charges arise (see “Guest Liability” below).

3. Cancellation Policy

Peace of Mind Guarantee: We understand plans can change. You may cancel your booking for any reason up to 30 days before your arrival date and receive a full refund of all accommodation costs and fees paid to us. If you need to cancel within 30 days of arrival, unfortunately, no refund is available. You may be able to claim this loss on your travel insurance. (We strongly recommend all guests purchase travel insurance to cover unforeseen events that might prevent travel.)

If We Need to Change or Cancel: We sincerely hope to provide the villa you booked. However, in rare cases (which have not occurred since we opened), we may need to make a change or cancel (for example, due to unexpected maintenance issues or force majeure events, such as extreme weather). If this happens, we will inform you as soon as possible. If we must cancel your booking (for reasons other than your non-payment or no-show), our liability is limited to refunding all the money you’ve paid to us for the booking (your accommodation cost, and any damage deposit). We do not cover any additional costs – for example, we aren’t liable for your airfare, other travel arrangements, entertainment, activities, or any extra costs associated with finding alternative accommodation.

4. Arrivals and Departures

• Check-in: from 2:00 PM onwards on your arrival date.

• Check-out: by 10:00 AM on your departure date.

If you have specific timing needs, here’s how we can accommodate:

• Complimentary Early Check-in/Late Check-out: If availability allows, we may offer free early check-in (as early as 12:00 noon) or late check-out (up to 12:00 noon), with preference given to guests who have booked directly with us. This depends on other bookings and usually can only be confirmed the day before arrival or departure.

• Paid Early Check-in/Late Check-out: If you need guaranteed early access or a late departure, you can arrange an extended stay in the villa for an additional fee. For an early check-in between 6:00 AM and 2:00 PM or a late check-out between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM, we charge 50% of the daily rate, provided the villa is not booked for the night before or after. To ensure this, please request it in advance so we can adjust your booking (essentially booking an extra half-day).

• Overnight Adjustments: If you plan to arrive before 6:00 AM or leave after 6:00 PM, you will need to book the additional night before arrival or after departure at the full nightly rate. This ensures the villa is available for you and not booked by another guest.

• Please Let Us Know: If you’ll be arriving very early or very late (outside of normal hours), please inform us as soon as possible.

• No-Show Policy: If we don’t hear from you and you haven’t arrived by midday on the day after your scheduled arrival, we may treat it as a cancellation by you, and our above cancellation policy will apply. In that case, we may release the villa, and no refund will be given (since your booking will have prevented other bookings for those dates).

5. Your Obligations (House Rules)

We ask all guests to follow these house rules to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable stay for everyone:

• Air Conditioning: When you remove the door keys, the air conditioning will turn off. This helps save energy and is more environmentally friendly. (Tip: keep the AC remote in its holder so it doesn’t get misplaced.)

• Bathroom Plumbing: Only flush toilet paper in the toilets. If a toilet becomes clogged, a plunger is provided – please try it first. If the problem persists, please contact one of our team members. (Don’t flood the toilet by flushing it if it is blocked. To avoid blockages, make sure children use a reasonable amount of toilet paper and don’t flush any foreign objects.)

• Care for the Villa: Please treat the villa and its contents with care. Avoid any damage to the property, furniture, appliances, etc. (Normal minor wear and tear is okay, of course!)

• Dogs: You may encounter apparently friendly local dogs, but for everyone’s safety and comfort, please don’t feed or pet any dogs on the property, or allow young children to do so. They may bite, cause disturbances and leave their dog droppings.

• Keys & Security: For your security, please always lock your villa when you leave. We ask that you leave your villa key in the lockbox provided whenever you depart the property and scramble the code (so the number isn’t visible). This prevents lost keys and keeps your belongings safe. (Important: Don’t leave the key in the sliding door lock when the door is open, as it can snap off!)  For added safety and security, each villa has a lockable security gate.

• Maximum Occupancy: Please do not exceed the maximum number of guests for which your villa is booked. Please do not use sofas or other furniture as beds as that damages them. Extra guests incur additional charges.

• Noise Courtesy: Always keep noise to a reasonable level, out of respect for other guests and neighbours. Quiet hours are from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM – during this time, please refrain from making loud noises or causing disturbances.

• Parking: Each villa has one designated parking spot (fit for one guest car or up to two guest scooters). Please use only that spot and refrain from parking extra vehicles on the property. (Visitor vehicles need to remain off-site.)

• Personal Belongings: Take common-sense precautions to safeguard your valuables. Although Rarotonga is generally safe, petty theft can happen anywhere. Lock your villa when you’re out, and use the safe provided for passports, cash, and electronics. We are not responsible for the loss or damage to your personal belongings.

• Pool Safety: Please walk (don’t run) on wet surfaces, such as pool decks, walkways, or tiled areas – they can be slippery. Use the pool area only between 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM. Children under 15 must always be supervised by an adult in the pool area. Please follow all posted pool rules for the safety of everyone.

• Shoes Off: Kindly remove your shoes before entering your villa. This helps protect our wooden floors and tiles from scratches.

• Smoking & No Gum Policy: To maintain a clean, fresh, and healthy environment for everyone:

·         No Smoking or Vaping: All villas (including indoor spaces, villa decks, and the pool area) and our grounds are non-smoking and non-vaping areas. Smoking and vaping are only allowed in a couple of designated outdoor spots outside the main entrances to the property. If you do smoke off-site, please dispose of cigarette butts considerately.

·         No Chewing Gum: Chewing gum is not allowed in the villas, in the pool/spa areas or in our grounds. (This prevents messes and damage, as improperly disposed gum can be a big headache to clean.)

·         If anyone smokes or vapes in a villa or on a villa deck, we will need to perform a special deep cleaning, and a NZ$200 cleaning fee will be charged for each occurrence. We also reserve the right to cancel your booking and request that you leave the Villas. Thank you for your understanding and assistance in maintaining a smoke-free, vape-free, and clean property.

• Spa Pools: Please replace the spa cover after each use to maintain a warm and clean water environment. Only three people are allowed in each spa at a time, and children under 15 are not permitted in the spa pools without adult supervision. Additionally, please refrain from touching the spa pool control panels until our team has demonstrated how to use them properly.

• Travel Insurance: Ensure each member of your party has appropriate travel, personal possessions and health insurance. This protects you in case of unexpected events, medical issues, or travel delays.

Thank you for your cooperation with these rules! We reserve the right to refuse check-in or ask you to leave (with no refund) if house rules are seriously breached. Our team need to access your villa at reasonable times for routine housekeeping or urgent repairs – we’ll always knock and announce ourselves before entering.

6. Children

We love hosting families! To keep everyone safe, we have a few policies regarding children:

• Upper Floor Villas: Children under 16 years old (except babies under 1) are not permitted in our top-floor villas (upper-level units) due to safety concerns regarding balconies and stairs. Families with younger kids are welcome in our ground-floor villas.

• Baby Gear: We can provide one portacot (crib) and highchair free of charge for infants up to 12 months old (subject to availability). Please request these when booking or in advance of your arrival so we can have them ready for you.

• Bedding for Children: Every guest needs a bed. Any child over 1 year old is counted as a guest and must have a bed booked. Please include all children in your booking guest count. This ensures we prepare the villa with enough bedding and stay within our safe occupancy limits.

7. Pets & Accessibility

• No Pets: We cannot accommodate pets at Kia Orana Villas. Besides, bringing animals into the Cook Islands is heavily restricted by law.

• Accessibility: Please note that all of our villas are accessed via steps or stairs. We do not have wheelchair-accessible accommodation, and our property may be challenging for guests with mobility issues.  If you have questions about accessibility, please don't hesitate to contact us to discuss the details and determine if our villas are suitable for you.

8. Mana Tiaki Eco Certification (Our Eco-Friendly Promise)

We are proud to be Mana Tiaki Eco-certified, which reflects our commitment to sustainability and the care of our island environment. Here’s how we make your stay eco-friendly:

• Green Products: We use eco-friendly products for cleaning and laundry (e.g. biodegradable cleaners, phosphate-free detergents, recycled or sustainable paper products).

• Solar Energy: Our water is heated with solar panels, reducing electricity usage.

• Wastewater Treatment: All villas use greywater treatment systems to safely process wastewater and protect the environment.

• Filtered Water: To help reduce plastic waste, we provide commercially filtered drinking water at our reception villa for you to refill your bottles.

• Linen & Towels: Bed linen is changed every 3 days during your stay (to save water and energy). If you prefer fewer linen changes, just let us know. Towels will be replaced only when left on the floor – if you hang them up, we’ll assume you’re happy to reuse them.

• Daily Housekeeping: Our team will tidy and service your villa each day (except Sundays and public holidays, when we give our staff a well-earned rest). Each villa is also equipped with a washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, and basic cleaning supplies for your convenience.

By choosing to stay with us, you’re supporting these eco-initiatives. Meitaki ma’ata (thank you very much) for helping us protect our beautiful island!

9. Guest Liability for Damages & Extra Costs

When you stay with us, we trust you will treat our property with respect. In the unlikely event that damage occurs or extra cleaning is required due to misuse or failure to follow the rules, you will be responsible for the associated charges. We really don’t like charging fees, so please help us avoid these situations!

Missing Items: If any items that were in the villa when you arrived are missing when you leave (e.g., linen, electronics, kitchenware, decor), we will charge you the cost of replacement. Please ensure you lock your villa door and gate when you go out to prevent theft. While we have security measures in place, opportunistic theft can occur anywhere, and we want to ensure the safety of our property and our guests’ belongings.

Loss of Income: In the unfortunate event that we cannot rent out the villa to the next guest because of damage or extra cleaning caused during your stay (for example, if we have to close the villa for repairs or smoke odour treatment), we may charge you for the revenue lost for those nights the villa is out of service.

By agreeing to these terms, you authories us to charge the credit card on file (or otherwise collect payment from you) for any such damages, extra cleaning, or losses as outlined above. Rest assured, we will communicate with you about any issues we find and try to reach a fair resolution first.

10. Proof of Identity

For the safety and security of all our guests, we require the following identification information from you before or at check-in:

• Guest Names: The full names of all people staying in the villa.

• Ages of Minors: The ages of any children in your group (for safety and capacity considerations).

• Passports: A copy of the passport photo page for each guest. You can email these to us before arrival or present them at check-in so we can take copies.

• Contact Details: A current address and mobile phone number for each adult guest (or at least one contact per family, in the case of minors).

We keep this information confidential. It is collected solely for the purpose of ensuring guest safety, security, and compliance with local legal requirements.

11. Non-Payment

We kindly ask that all payments be made on time. If any money owed to us (for accommodation or incurred charges) is not paid when due, you agree that:

• Interest on Overdue Payments: We may charge interest on the overdue sum at a rate of 15% per annum (calculated monthly) from the date payment was due until it is paid in full.

• Recovery of Costs: If we need to engage a collections agency, lawyers, or take legal action to recover the debt, you will be responsible for any reasonable costs incurred in the process. This includes, for example, our legal fees, court costs, and agency fees.

We certainly hope this never becomes an issue. If you experience any issues with making a payment, please don't hesitate to contact us—we’re here to help.

12. Complaints and Issues

We genuinely want you to have a wonderful stay with us. If any problem or issue arises during your stay at Kia Orana Villas, it is a condition of this agreement that you notify us as soon as possible. This is so we can resolve the issue while you are with us. We have staff living on-site who can promptly address maintenance issues or other concerns.

Most issues can be resolved promptly with clear communication. Please give us the opportunity to make things right while you’re here. Your comfort is our priority. If an unexpected maintenance issue arises that cannot be resolved promptly, we will do our best to relocate you to another available Villa.

If you do not give us the opportunity to resolve a problem, we have no liability to you in relation to that problem.

If, despite our best efforts, you have a complaint that couldn’t be resolved during your stay, please email or write to us within 5 business days after your departure with full details. We will investigate and respond to you as soon as possible.

13. Our Liability

Your Responsibility: By staying at Kia Orana Villas, you agree to follow our House Rules and to take care of your own safety and the safety of your companions. Please supervise children and anyone with special needs at all times, especially near water and in areas with stairs or heights.

• Our swimming pool and spa pools are not supervised. Use them at your own risk. Ensure that children, non-swimmers, and anyone who requires assistance are always accompanied and remain safe.

• Be cautious on wet surfaces – pathways, tiled decks, and stairs can be slippery when wet. Please walk slowly and use handrails where available.

• Parts of our property (such as the back garden area) are not fully fenced and include a steep bank and steps. Please keep an eye on children or anyone with mobility issues in these areas.

Activities and External Services: We have no liability for accidents, injuries, or incidents that occur due to activities outside our control. This includes, for example:

• Any tours, excursions, sports, or activities you participate in during your stay (even if you booked them through us as a convenience).

• The use of any equipment (rental bikes, snorkel gear, etc.), whether provided by us or a third party.

• Use of the swimming pool, spa pools, or other facilities on our property.

• Any accidents or injuries that occur on the premises because of running, climbing, or other risky behaviour.

By booking with us, you and your guests assume all risks associated with your stay and activities. You agree not to hold Kia Orana Villas (J. R. Enterprises Limited) or our staff liable for any loss, injury, or death resulting from the above, and you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless in such cases.

Limitation of Liability: If we breach any of our obligations to you (for example, by failing to provide the accommodation as agreed), our maximum liability is limited to the amount you paid us for accommodation for your stay. We are not responsible for any indirect losses or damages. In other words, we aren’t liable for things like lost vacation time, distress, or any business or economic losses (since you’re staying with us for leisure, not business).

This clause does not limit or exclude any liability that cannot legally be limited or excluded. For instance, if the law holds us responsible for something, we will follow the law. We want to clarify that, aside from those situations, we aren’t voluntarily taking on extra liability beyond your booking cost.

14. Miscellaneous

• No Transfer of Booking: Your booking is personal to you. You cannot transfer your reservation or any of your rights under this agreement to another person without our prior written consent.

• Severability: If any part of these Terms & Conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that part will be removed or adjusted, but the rest of the terms will remain in full effect.

• Entire Agreement: These Terms & Conditions (along with your booking confirmation details) form the entire agreement between you and us regarding your reservation. This means that any prior correspondence, discussions, or understandings are not legally binding once your booking is confirmed under these terms. Neither party has relied on any statement or promise that isn’t written in this agreement.

• Force Majeure: We will not be in breach of this agreement or liable for failing to meet our responsibilities if it’s due to circumstances beyond our control. This includes events like natural disasters, fires, epidemics/pandemics, government travel restrictions, or other emergencies that make it impossible or unsafe to fulfil the booking. In such cases, we’ll do our best to keep you informed and minimise any impact on your stay.

15. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

This agreement is governed by the laws of the Cook Islands. By booking with us, you agree that any disputes or issues will be dealt with under Cook Islands law. Both you and we agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cook Islands for any proceedings arising out of or related to this Booking Contract.

We appreciate you taking the time to read these Terms and Conditions. If you have any questions or need clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us – we’re here to help. Our aim is to ensure you have a relaxing, enjoyable, and safe stay with us.

Meitaki (thank you) for choosing Kia Orana Villas. We can’t wait to welcome you and make you feel at home in Rarotonga!lanning your next getaway? Our friendly team is here to help you find the perfect hotel room. Book your appointment now, and let's start crafting your dream stay together!