Thank you for choosing Kia Orana Villas for your Rarotonga getaway. We look forward to welcoming you to our little island paradise. We believe in clear and friendly communication with our guests. These Terms and Conditions — together with your booking confirmation email — make up our entire agreement with you. Please take a few minutes to read them so you understand our policies and procedures. We want you to have an amazing stay with us. If you have any questions, our friendly team is always happy to help. Apologies for the legal language — we’ve done our best to keep it human.
When your booking becomes confirmed, the rates available, and what to check. Your booking is confirmed (and this Booking Contract becomes effective) once we have emailed you a booking confirmation and any payment due at the time of booking has been received by us or your booking agent. At that point, we’ll reserve your villa for you. Every villa is available at two rates, and the rate you choose determines when you pay and whether you can cancel: The payment and cancellation rules for each rate are set out in Section 3 and Section 4. Your booking confirmation will state which rate applies to your booking. Kia Orana Club membership is free. Member rates are available only on bookings made directly with us through our official website, and are shown alongside our standard rates when you check availability. Selecting and booking a member rate enrols you as a Kia Orana Club member at no cost. Member rates are not available through online travel agents or other third parties, and cannot be applied to a booking after it has been made. A member booking is still made on either the Non-Refundable Saver or the Flexible rate, and follows that rate’s payment and cancellation rules (Section 3 and Section 4). We offer automatic savings for longer stays, applied to the accommodation (room) rate when you book a qualifying number of consecutive nights in a single villa. The longer your stay, the greater the saving, and savings are larger in our quieter season (arrivals 1 October to 31 March) than in our busier season (arrivals 1 April to 30 September). Long-stay savings are calculated automatically at the time of booking. Where a stay spans both seasons, the 1 April to 30 September rates apply to the whole booking. Long-stay savings apply on either rate and follow the payment and cancellation rules of the rate you book (Section 3 and Section 4). Kia Orana Club member rates and long-stay savings apply together — your long-stay saving is calculated on top of the member rate. Member rates and long-stay savings cannot be combined with other promotional offers or discount codes, and are an alternative to the Best Rate Guarantee rather than additional to it: where more than one would apply, you receive whichever gives you the lower price. The member saving and any long-stay saving applicable to your stay are shown when you book. For our Two-Bedroom Villas and Garden Villas, we cannot guarantee a specific villa in advance. We’ll always consider special requests, but we may need to assign villas based on operational needs to make sure all guests are comfortably accommodated. Please double-check your booking dates, the number of guests booked, and the rate you’ve chosen when you receive our confirmation (within 24 hours of booking). Don’t forget that Rarotonga is one full day behind Australia and New Zealand — if it’s Friday morning in NZ, it’s still Thursday here. If anything is incorrect or missing, please let us know immediately so we can fix it. Booking direct with us is always the best deal — guaranteed. Kia Orana Villas will honour the lowest room rate available when you book a stay directly with us. As part of our guarantee, should you find a better rate elsewhere online on the day of your booking — for the same villa, dates, and rate conditions — we will match it and offer you a further 5% discount off the lower rate, as well as instant benefits to enjoy through the Kia Orana Club, our exclusive membership rewards programme. Our guarantee applies only to the room rate for the duration of your reservation. It does not apply to taxes, gratuities, incidental charges, food and beverage charges, property fees, or any other fees or charges that may be incurred during your stay. The Best Rate Guarantee is an alternative to our Kia Orana Club member rates and long-stay savings, not additional to them: where more than one would apply, you receive whichever gives you the lower price. It also cannot be combined with other promotional offers or discount codes. When you pay depends on the rate you chose. Plus payment methods and the damage hold. On the Flexible rate, your payment date is the day your free-cancellation period ends — nothing is charged before then. If your stay spans both seasons (for example, arriving in late March and departing in April), the peak-season (45-day) payment and cancellation timing applies to the whole booking. You can pay by Visa or Mastercard, or by bank transfer to our New Zealand bank account (or, for Cook Islands residents, to our Cook Islands bank account). Credit card payments incur a 3% surcharge. If you need a special payment plan, please email gm@kiaoranavillas.com — we’re happy to discuss options. If we agree to a payment plan, all payments must be made by the agreed dates. 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 Section 14. Bookings made before our two-rate structure was introduced keep the terms that applied when they were made, including the original deposit and cancellation arrangements. If you’d like to check the terms on your booking, email gm@kiaoranavillas.com and we’ll confirm them for you. Each rate has its own cancellation terms — and travel insurance still matters. This rate is non-refundable and non-changeable. In exchange for our lowest price, you pay in full at the time of booking, and if your plans change, the payment is not returned. You may be able to claim this loss on your travel insurance. We understand plans can change — that’s exactly what this rate is for. We strongly recommend all guests purchase comprehensive travel insurance to cover unforeseen events that might prevent travel, whichever rate you book. We sincerely hope to provide the villa you booked. In rare cases (which haven’t 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’ll 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 additional costs — for example, we are not liable for your airfare, other travel arrangements, entertainment, activities, or any extra costs associated with finding alternative accommodation. Check-in, check-out, and how we can flex around your flight. 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). Guests who have booked directly with us are given priority for early check-ins and late check-outs. This depends on other bookings and usually can only be confirmed the day before arrival or departure. If you need guaranteed early access or a late departure, you can arrange an extended stay in the villa for an additional fee: Please request these arrangements in advance so we can adjust your booking. If you’ll be arriving very early or very late (outside normal hours), please inform us as soon as possible. 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 cancellation policy will apply. The villa may be released, and no refund will be given (since your booking will have prevented other bookings for those dates). This is the rule we ask guests to take most seriously. The penalties are real. Smoking and vaping are permitted only in designated outdoor spots outside the property entrances on Ariki Road. If you do smoke off-site, please dispose of cigarette butts considerately. Chewing gum is also not permitted inside villas, in the pool or spa areas, or anywhere on our grounds. Improperly disposed gum is genuinely difficult and expensive to remove from soft furnishings, deck timber, and tile grout. Cigarette and vape odour permeates fabric, curtains, bedding, mattresses, soft furnishings, and even rendered walls. Once it’s in, it stays. The only way to remove it is full deep cleaning, dry-cleaning of all soft furnishings, and often replacement of items that cannot be recovered. This takes the villa out of service for several days — meaning we have to refund or relocate the next guest. It’s also genuinely unfair to incoming guests. Most of our visitors choose us specifically because we’re smoke-free. If we discover that smoking or vaping has taken place in or around any villa during your stay, the following will apply: By accepting these Terms, you authorise us to charge the credit card on file (or otherwise collect payment from you) for these amounts. We don’t enjoy enforcing this. We’re writing it clearly so there are no surprises — and so the property remains the way our guests expect to find it. The quiet is what most of our guests come for. Please help us protect it. Most of our guests choose us because we’re calm and restful — somewhere to actually unwind. We ask every guest to keep music and voices at a considerate level throughout their stay, so that everyone, and our neighbours, can enjoy the peace. One noisy night can spoil the stay of every other guest on the property — and the reviews that follow do real, lasting damage to a small place like ours. We simply can’t afford to lose the guests who come to us for peace, so we protect it firmly. If there is a party, loud music, or serious or repeated disturbance during your stay: By accepting these Terms, you agree to this. We’re not trying to spoil anyone’s fun — we simply want every guest to leave as rested as they hoped to be when they booked. A simple setting that keeps your villa fresh — and one we have to charge for if it’s ignored. Our villas are cooled by ceiling fans and air conditioning. As part of our Mana Tiaki responsibility to care for our island — and to protect the villas, the units, and our guests’ health — we ask every guest to follow these simple steps: Running the air conditioning below 22°C draws damp into the villa, leaving it musty and unhealthy for the guests who follow you. It also shortens the life of the units and sharply increases electricity use. A damp, musty villa is one we cannot let to the next guest — so this one genuinely matters to us. The charge for cooling below 22°C. Where an air-conditioning unit is set below 22°C, an additional charge of NZ$10 per unit, per day, applies for each degree below 22°C. For example, a unit run at 17°C — five degrees below — incurs a charge of NZ$50 per day. This is a genuine pre-estimate of the resulting cost and loss, and is a liquidated damages clause, not a penalty. By accepting these Terms, you authorise us to charge the credit card on file (or otherwise collect payment from you) for these amounts. Keeping each unit at 22°C avoids any charge. Please also keep the insect screens closed at all times — they keep mosquitoes and other insects out, and let the fans and air conditioning work effectively. Common-sense things to keep everyone comfortable. (Our quiet-hours and air-conditioning policies have their own sections above — Section 7 and Section 8.) Only flush toilet paper down the toilets. If a toilet becomes blocked, a plunger is provided — please try it first. If the problem persists, please contact one of our team. Avoid flushing a blocked toilet repeatedly — it floods. Help children use a reasonable amount of toilet paper, and don’t flush any foreign objects. Please treat the villa and its contents with care. Avoid damage to the property, furniture, and appliances. Normal minor wear and tear is fine, of course. You may encounter apparently friendly local dogs. For everyone’s safety and comfort, please don’t feed or pet any dogs on the property, and don’t allow young children to do so. They may bite, cause disturbances, and leave droppings. For your security, always lock your villa when you leave. Please 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. Each villa also has a lockable security gate for added safety. Don’t leave the key in the sliding door lock when the door is open — it can snap off. Please don’t exceed the maximum number of guests for which your villa is booked. Sofas and other furniture aren’t to be used as beds — it damages them. Extra guests incur additional charges. Each villa has one designated parking spot (fit for one guest car or up to two scooters). Please use only that spot. Visitor vehicles and additional vehicles must remain off-site. 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 loss of or damage to personal belongings. Please replace the spa cover after each use to keep the water warm and clean. Only three people are allowed in each spa at a time. Children under 15 are not permitted in the spa pools without adult supervision. Please don’t adjust the spa pool control panels until our team has shown you how to use them. Kindly remove your shoes before entering your villa. This protects our wooden floors and tiles from scratches. Please 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. What you agree to by staying with us — and our right of access to your villa. By making a reservation with us, you agree to comply with and be bound by: all house rules, regulations, disclaimers, waivers of liability, and policies prescribed by Kia Orana Villas from time to time; all reasonable directions and instructions given by our team; and all applicable laws and regulations of the Cook Islands during your stay. You are required to comply with our rules relating to the use of any of our facilities, equipment, and services — including the swimming pool, spa pools, Café, spa and massage services, and any equipment we provide. The use of these facilities, equipment, and services is entirely at your own risk. To the extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for any personal injury, or loss of or damage to property, caused to any person arising from or in connection with your use of our facilities, equipment, and services. For safety, security, and housekeeping reasons, we reserve the right to enter your villa at least once a day, even if a “Do Not Disturb” sign is displayed. We’ll always knock and announce ourselves before entering, and we’ll be as unobtrusive as we can. Non-compliance with any of the above constitutes a breach of these Terms and Conditions. In that event, we reserve the right to take all necessary action, including without limitation the actions set out in Section 17 (Consequences of non-compliance), requiring you to leave the property with no refund or compensation, and/or seeking compensation for any loss we suffer. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions constitutes a waiver by us of, or compromises, our rights to rely on and enforce all statutory limitations, defences, and powers available to us under the laws and regulations of the Cook Islands. We love hosting families — here’s how we keep everyone safe. Children under 16 (except babies under 1) are not permitted in our top-floor villas due to safety concerns regarding balconies and stairs. Families with younger children are welcome in our ground-floor villas. We can provide one portacot (crib) and one highchair free of charge for infants up to 12 months old, subject to availability. Please request these when booking or in advance of arrival so we can have them ready. 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 guest count. This ensures we prepare the villa with enough bedding and stay within our safe occupancy limits. Two practical things worth knowing in advance. We cannot accommodate pets at Kia Orana Villas. In any case, bringing animals into the Cook Islands is heavily restricted by law. 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 contact us — we’ll discuss the details and help you decide whether our villas are suitable for you. Our promise of an eco-friendly stay. We’re proud to be Mana Tiaki Eco-certified, which reflects our commitment to sustainability and care for our island environment. Here’s how we make your stay eco-friendly: By choosing to stay with us, you’re supporting these initiatives. Meitaki ma’ata (thank you very much) for helping us protect our beautiful island. When things go wrong, what happens. When you stay with us, we trust you’ll 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 genuinely don’t enjoy charging fees — please help us avoid these situations. If you cause damage to the villa, its furniture, fixtures, or fittings beyond normal wear and tear, you will be charged the cost of repair or replacement. If items present in the villa when you arrived are missing when you leave (linen, electronics, kitchenware, decor, etc.), we will charge you the cost of replacement. Please 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. In the unfortunate event that we cannot rent 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 odour treatment), we may charge you for the revenue lost for those nights the villa is out of service. The specific consequences of breaching our smoke-free policy — including the NZ$1,000 cleaning and dry-cleaning charge plus loss-of-revenue charges — are set out in Section 6. The charge for running the air conditioning below 22°C — NZ$10 per unit, per day, for each degree below 22°C — is set out in Section 8 (Air conditioning). By agreeing to these Terms, you authorise us to charge the credit card on file (or otherwise collect payment from you) for any such damages, extra cleaning, or losses. We will always communicate with you about any issues we find and try to reach a fair resolution first. What we need from you, and why. For the safety and security of all guests, we require the following identification information from you before or at check-in: This information is kept confidential and is collected solely for the purpose of guest safety, security, and compliance with local legal requirements. See our Privacy Policy for full details on how we handle your personal information. If something owed isn’t paid on time. 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: We sincerely hope this never becomes an issue. If you experience difficulty making a payment, please contact us — we’d much rather discuss it than escalate it. What we may do if these Terms and Conditions are breached. If you fail to comply with these Terms and Conditions, we reserve the right — without prior notice and without any liability to you or any other person — to take all or any of the following actions: The above list is not exhaustive. We may take any other action in our absolute discretion. We’ve never wanted to use this clause, and we hope we never do. It exists to protect our guests, our team, and our property. If something isn’t right, please tell us at the time. We genuinely want you to have a wonderful stay. 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’re with us. We have staff on the property who can promptly address maintenance issues or other concerns. Most issues can be resolved quickly 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’ll do our best to relocate you to another available villa. If you don’t 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’ll investigate and respond as soon as possible. What we are — and aren’t — legally responsible for. 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. We have no liability for accidents, injuries, or incidents that occur due to activities outside our control. This includes: 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. 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 — 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. If the law holds us responsible for something, we’ll follow the law. Your promise to cover losses caused by your breach. You agree to indemnify and keep indemnified Kia Orana Villas (J. R. Enterprises Limited), our related companies, and our officers, directors, representatives, employees, and agents from and against any liability, loss, claim, dispute, demand, damage, or cost (including without limitation legal fees) which arises out of or is caused by: A handful of important legal-housekeeping items. 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. 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. These Terms & Conditions (along with your booking confirmation details) form the entire agreement between you and us regarding your reservation. 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. 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 natural disasters, fires, epidemics or 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. Whose laws apply if there’s ever a dispute. 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. Any question, big or small — we’d like to hear from you. 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 — 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. For booking enquiries and general questions:
Sane Cowan, General Manager For ownership or formal correspondence:
Ross Holmes, DirectorWhat’s on this page
1. Making your booking
Two rates on every villa
Kia Orana Club member rates
Long-stay savings (Stay Longer, Save More)
How these savings combine
Villa allocation
Check your details
2. Our Best Rate Guarantee
3. Paying for your booking
Payment of accommodation costs
Payment methods
Damage deposit
Bookings made under our previous terms
4. Cancellation policy
Non-Refundable Saver rate
Flexible — Free Cancellation rate: our Peace of Mind option
If we need to change or cancel
5. Arrivals and departures
Complimentary early check-in / late check-out
Paid early check-in / late check-out
Please let us know
No-show policy
🚭 6. Strictly smoke-free, vape-free, and gum-free
Why we’re strict about this
Consequences if our smoke-free policy is breached
🌙 7. A peaceful property — no parties, no loud music
Why we’re strict about this
Consequences if the peace is disturbed
🌡️ 8. Air conditioning — please keep it at 22°C
Why this matters
9. House rules
Bathroom plumbing
Care for the villa
Local dogs
Keys and security
Maximum occupancy
Parking
Personal belongings
Pool safety
Spa pools
Shoes off
Travel insurance
10. Property policies and your compliance
Use of our facilities
Access to your villa
If these policies are breached
11. Children
Upper-floor villas
Baby gear
Bedding for children
12. Pets and accessibility
No pets
Accessibility
13. Mana Tiaki eco-certification
14. Guest liability for damages and extra costs
Damage to the property
Missing items
Loss of income
Smoking or vaping breach
Air conditioning set below 22°C
15. Proof of identity
16. Non-payment
17. Consequences of non-compliance
18. Complaints and issues
19. Our liability
Your responsibility
Activities and external services
Limitation of liability
20. Indemnity
21. Miscellaneous
No transfer of booking
Severability
Entire agreement
Force majeure
22. Governing law and jurisdiction
23. How to contact us
Kia Orana Villas & Spa
2 Ariki Road, Atupa, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
gm@kiaoranavillas.com · +682 54341
J. R. Enterprises Limited (trading as Kia Orana Villas and Spa)
rossholmes@kiaoranavillas.com
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