Booking Terms & Conditions

By making a booking with Blend All About Wine, Lda, you will be bound by the terms and conditions stated within this document. These will form the basis of the contract between us and yourself (including any other people named on the booking form or anyone who subsequently joins your party). Break, trip and holiday includes all services that you book through us but excludes any part of the trip that is booked directly with other suppliers. By accessing, using, browsing on this site you agree that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and you agree to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations. Any tour or other service you purchase using this Site will constitute a legal agreement between you and Blend All About Wine, Lda. The Booking Conditions form the legal contract between you and us and govern the terms on which tour services are offered and sold. Nothing in this site or our brochures shall constitute an offer of goods or services. No contract shall be formed between you and Blend All About Wine, Lda until we issue confirmation of your tour booking.

1. BOOKING YOUR TOUR:

In order for this contract to be binding, anyone making a booking with us must be at least 18 years old. The lead customer is signing the contract on behalf of all members of the group and will be responsible for ensuring that all payments due to us are made on time. If any member of the group fails to make a payment, we reserve the right to cancel all or part of the trip. As alcohol forms an integral part of a Blend tour, all persons going on a Blend All About Wine Tour must be over 18. All names, titles and initials of those travelling should be correctly given at the time of booking. Changes cannot be made at a later date without extra charges being incurred. When we receive your booking, we will issue a written booking confirmation which will be sent to the party leader. Separate booking confirmations for each member of the group will not be made and correspondence will only be sent to the lead customer. Please check this confirmation carefully as soon as you receive it to ensure that what was booked matches what is on the confirmation. Once you have checked the confirmation document, you should inform us of any errors immediately so that we can make the necessary changes in a timely fashion. Changes cannot be guaranteed at a later date if we have not been informed of errors at the time the booking confirmation was sent. The client accepts that e-mail is a satisfactory means of communication of any correspondence between the parties. Please note, verbal information and quotes will not be binding on us unless confirmed by us in writing.

 2. YOUR CONTRACT: 

When you contact us to book your tour, you appoint us to act as your agent in contracting transport and other services on your behalf for which we may receive commission. You accept that your booking is subject not only to these Booking Conditions but also the terms and conditions of these suppliers. A binding contract between us comes into existence when we issue confirmation of the booking. The contract between us and any matters arising from it shall be subject to Portuguese Law and to the jurisdiction of the courts of Portugal. All communications, agreements and descriptions that are to form the basis of this contract, or alter it, are to be made in writing. For items to be included in the contract, you should submit them in writing and they must be accepted in writing by us. Changes to these Booking Conditions will only be valid if agreed by one of our directors in writing.

3. PAYMENT:

In order to confirm your chosen tour, your deposit must be paid at the time of booking. The deposit per person is the greater of 25% of the final price. If booking within 60 days of the start of your holiday, the full cost must be paid when you book. The balance of the tour cost must be received by us at least 60 days before the start of your tour. This date will be shown on the confirmation/invoice. If we do not receive all payments (including any surcharge where applicable) by the due date, we have the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you and retain all deposits paid or due. We will not accept responsibility for any monies or documents mislaid or lost in the postal system. Payment can be made by electronic bank transfer. All accommodation is offered subject to restricted availability and on a first-come first-served basis. Transport is subject to availability and schedules are subject to change without notice. The number of places available on any ferry or train is restricted and it is possible that places may be fully booked even though places may still be available for sale in a different booking class on the same service. In the event that your travel cannot be satisfied due to lack of availability or service on the requested dates, we reserve the right to offer similar travel on alternative dates with the same or an alternative carrier. The client is responsible for paying for all members of the group. We reserve the right not to provide the booking or any part thereof until we have received sufficient funds from the client for the supplier to deliver the event.

4. YOUR TOUR PRICE:

We reserve the right to change any of the prices, services or other particulars contained in this brochure at any time before we enter into a contract with you. If there is any change, we will notify you before we enter into such a contract. The price of your chosen holiday will be confirmed at the time of booking. We reserve the right to correct errors in both advertised and confirmed prices. We will do so as soon as we become aware of the error. You must check the price of your chosen holiday at the time of booking. In exceptional circumstances when surcharges have been imposed on Blend All About Wine, we reserve the right to pass these onto the customer. Surcharges may be imposed to cover increases due to any of the following: government action, currency exchange rates and transportation costs, including the costs of fuel, dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports. If this means paying more than 10% of the holiday price you will be entitled to cancel your holiday with a full refund of all monies paid except any premium paid for insurance and amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel because of this you must exercise you right to do so within 14 days of the date of the invoice. On the other hand, if any of the costs to us as listed in the above (ie fuel costs, taxes, dues, etc.) decreases, and the result is that the price of your tour is reduced then you will be offered an equivalent refund. All monies referred to are clearly in Euros unless otherwise stateded.

5. SPECIAL REQUESTS AND MEDICAL PROBLEMS:

If you have any special requests, you must advise us at the time of booking. For the avoidance of doubt, you should confirm any special request in writing to us as soon as possible. We will do our best to accommodate your requests but we cannot guarantee to do so. Some of the wine cellars are not accessible to wheelchairs and you should check at the time of booking whether the tour is accessible to you. We are unable to accept any conditional bookings based on special needs being met and reserve the right to not accept your booking if we are unable to meet your request.

6. ALTERING YOUR TOUR BOOKING:

If you wish to change any aspect of your confirmed tour, you must notify us in writing as soon as possible. We will always try to comply with alterations to the booking where possible but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet any such requests, particularly where made within 4 weeks of the start of your tour. We will charge an amendment fee of €25 per change to cover our costs in amending reservations and any additional costs imposed by our suppliers. Chargeable changes include but are not limited to: change in number of guests; changes in names of those travelling; changes in dietary requirements. If we are unable to make any requested change and you do not wish to continue with the booking then our cancellation charges, as detailed in section 7, will apply.

7. CANCELLING YOUR TOUR BOOKING:

If you need to cancel your booking once we have received your booking form, you must contact us as soon as possible, initially by phone when we will advise you of any cancellation charges and then you should confirm your intention in writing. We will not treat a booking as cancelled until we receive your written confirmation. Costs are incurred by us from the time we confirm your booking and thus we cannot give full refunds of payments made. If some members of your group cancel, those cancelling are subject to these charges and we reserve the right to change the price for remaining members of the group based on the revised group size. Refunds will be given on the following basis:

Cancellation Charges
Number of days prior to the start of your tour when written notification is received by us	Cancellation charge per person cancelling
60 days or more	Loss of deposit
59-28 days	50%
27-14 days	70%
13-8 days	90%
7 days or less	100%

 As we require all customers to have adequate travel insurance, you should contact your insurer to see if any of these charges will be refunded by them. This will depend on the terms of your policy and your reason for cancelling. If you cancel part of your booking, we will pass on any charges incurred by us and charge an administration fee of €25. A revised booking confirmation / invoice will be issued following changes made.

8. TRANSFERS:

If any member of your party is prevented from travelling, you may change your booking up to 14 days before departure by transferring it to another person if you are unavoidably prevented from travelling, and the person to whom you wish to transfer the holiday meets any conditions which may apply to it. The right to transfer is subject to a payment of an administration fee of €25 per person, and the payment costs incurred in making the transfer. Please note that transport operators may impose 100% cancellation charges and the cost of a new ticket. If this is the case, we will have to pass these charges on to you.

 9. INSURANCE:

We require all people booking with Blend All About Wine to have adequate travel insurance before travelling with us. A suitable insurance policy should provide adequate cover for medical expenses arising through illness or accident prior to or during the tour and loss of tour monies through cancellation and curtailment of the tour for insurable reasons. We strongly advise you to make a note of your travel insurance policy number and contact phone number, so that you can call them immediately in the event of anything going wrong with your tour, rather than waiting till you are back in your country.

10. IF WE ALTER OR CANCEL YOUR TOUR BOOKING:

We feel that the social element of the Blend All About Wine experience is an integral part of your tour. Therefore we will not run a tour that may compromise your enjoyment of it due to low numbers. In the event of low bookings for a particular trip, we will advise you within 30 days and offer you alternative dates, accommodation or a full refund. If changes need to be made at less than 30 days before departure, we will offer you either an alternative date, an alternative tour or a full refund. If you choose to take a refund, we will pay € 25 compensation per person.

When we inform you of the need to make changes, you have the following choices:

a) Accept the changes and any additional charges / refund applicable.

b) Moving your tour to an alternative date as offered.

c) Cancelling your tour. If you choose to do this, you will receive a full refund plus €25 per person.

The above options only apply when a major change is made to your booking and will not include things like changes to advertised vineyards or channel crossing times. It is also not applicable when we change the tour as a result of your failure to adhere to our booking conditions. When circumstances beyond our control force us to make a change, we will do our utmost to ensure that the changes do not affect your enjoyment of the tour and we will provide you with an alternative of equal or greater value to that which you booked.

 11. CIRCUMSTANCES OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL:

We cannot accept liability or pay compensation if we are unable to undertake our obligations as a result of any event outside our control. Events beyond our control include industrial or civil unrest, inclement weather, fire, terrorism, war, natural disater etc. Where these occur, we will attempt to provide you with an alternative on the same date or will offer you an alternative date. No refunds will be made in these circumstances and if the service provided is of greater value, you will have to pay the difference where applicable. Any additional charge may be covered by your insurance policy.

12. OUR LIABILITY TO YOU:

We will ensure that all parts of the tour you have booked (as per the booking confirmation) are honoured and that these are performed to a high standard. We accept responsibility for the actions of our employees and suppliers but not for any injury caused to any member of your party through their own actions or inactions. This will include injuries that occur as a result of any member of your party becoming drunk. We cannot accept responsibility for injury caused by a third party unconnected with us or events that are beyond our control. We are not responsible for any part of the tour which you book yourself or for any losses as a result of this for example, if you book your own travel and miss part of the tour or connecting travel due to a late arrival. We cannot be responsible for your failure to enjoy your tour when this is not as a result of a breach of contract on our part. This will include anything that you failed to tell us at the time of booking for example if a specialist diet is required or you require wheelchair access. All services that we provide will be subject to the laws of the country in which they are provided. When a claim you make is based on travel arrangements or a hotel stay, the maximum compensation we will have to pay you is limited. This is based on amounts that are due under the international convention concerned (e.g. the Athens Convention for International Travel by Sea). Any money we pay to you will be less compensation that you have received directly from the supplier for this complaint. You are obliged to provide us with any assistance we may require in making such a claim and you must also tell the supplier concerned that there is a problem at the time which the problem occurred.

13. OUR ASSISTANCE TO YOU:

If you or any member of your party suffers illness, injury or death, through misadventure, as a result of an activity which does not form part of your contracted tour arrangements, we will provide you with all reasonable assistance.

14. IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT:

We operate ensuring that our staff perform their duties to the highest standards to ensure that you have an excellent trip and our customer feedback highlights that we do this very well. However, if you have any complaints, you should immediately inform the supplier or our local representative. If your problem cannot be rectified by them, please phone our duty manager on +351 220 995 432. This ensures that we are able to attempt to correct the problem immediately so that your enjoyment is not compromised. We are not able to compensate you for any problem that you tell us about after returning from your tour when we were not informed of it at the time. If you are ill during your tour and you feel we are at fault, you should report it to the local representative or the duty manager, and seek medical assistance. If you wish to make a claim against us due to this illness, we reserve the right to contact your GP and the doctor you saw at the time for medical reports relating to your condition. If you wish to make a complaint, you should do so in writing within 45 days of returning to your country. Claims submitted after this time may not be dealt with or reduce the amount of compensation you are able to claim.

15. BEHAVIOUR:

Accepting our booking terms and conditions mean that you agree to behave in a responsible manner at all times and not cause damage to property or to our reputation with our suppliers. Full payment for any such damage or loss must be paid direct at the time to the hotel manager or other supplier. If payment is not made, we may make a claim against you if suppliers claim against us and you will be responsible for all resultant legal costs. You also accept and agree to be bound by the rules and regulations of the suppliers of the services and facilities which make up your tour (copies available on request). We cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of any breach(es) of these rules and regulations. We expect all clients to have consideration for other people. If in our reasonable opinion or in the reasonable opinion of any other person in authority, you or any member of your party behaves in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party or damage to property, we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate the tour of the person(s) concerned. In this situation, the person(s) concerned will be required to leave the site or other service. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s) including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

16. CONDITIONS OF SUPPLIERS:

In order to maintain the highest standards, we inspect all suppliers regularly to ensure that they still meet our criteria and that they comply with local safety standards. However, all suppliers have their own terms and conditions and you are required to adhere to these at all times. This will include following safety advice and not smoking in areas deemed to be non smoking. We are not responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of non compliance with the terms and conditions of our suppliers.

17. SERVICES, FACILITIES AND BROCHURE INFORMATION:

The information contained in this brochure is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of the brochure going to print. The facilities and amenities advertised in this brochure have been checked by our representatives and found to be normally available. However, whilst we do our best to ensure that facilities are open throughout the season, we cannot guarantee this and will not accept bookings which are conditional on this. Facilities may be withdrawn by the supplier concerned at any time for reasons such as maintenance, local regulations, bad weather or lack of demand from guests. Where we are informed of the withdrawal of a facility which, in our opinion, is likely to have a significant effect on your trip arrangements, we will, where at all possible before departure, inform you of the change.

18. SAFETY:

All countries have their own safety requirements and laws. You are required to adhere to these local standards even if they differ from those in your country. As a general rule, these requirements and standards will not be the same as in your country and may sometimes be lower. You must take adequate steps to ensure that you protect yourself whilst on your holiday. In particular you should familiarise yourself with fire procedures, drink / drive limits and swimming pool areas. You should also familiarise yourselves with any safety notices in your accommodation and ensure that you comply with all specifications for their use. We will not be responsible for any loss and/or damage which occurs as a result of your failure to comply with this condition.

19. PASSPORTS, VISAS AND HEALTH REQUIREMENTS:

All clients must be in possession of a valid passport. All customers travelling should ensure that they have the required travel and health documentation before departure. If anyone travelling in your party changes their name before travel or has a passport in a different name to the name on the booking, you should inform us as soon as you can. We cannot take responsibility for tickets being issued in the wrong name or carriers refusal to accept you for travel when we have not been informed of the change. If you are travelling and have recently changed your name but not your passport (for example when going on a honeymoon), you will be able to travel if you take the required documental evidence such as a marriage certificate.

20. DELAY:

We regret we are not in a position to offer you any assistance in the event of delay at your outward or homeward point of departure. In the case of delays to transport operators, you are advised to contact the relevant operator directly at the time of the delay, as well as contacting your travel insurance company. It is therefore your responsibility to ensure that your travel insurance covers you for delayed departure or return, especially where you have booked connecting flights (and that you have sufficient funds or method of payment to cover such an eventuality).

 21. PRIVACY STATEMENT:

Blend All About Wine Lda. is committed to respecting your privacy. Our website is designed so that you can visit it without identifying yourself or revealing any personal information. Once you opt to provide personally identifiable information (any information by which you can be identified), it will only be used to support your customer relationship with us. In order to reserve your tour with us need to collect certain personal details from you. These details will usually include such criteria as the names and addresses of party members, payment details, sex, age and special requirements such as those relating to any disability or medical condition that may affect the holiday arrangements. We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect your information. We must pass some information on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements (hotels, restaurants, transport companies etc.). Blend All About Wine will only deal with the personal details you give to us as set out above unless you agree otherwise. We may make contact with you or members of your tour party by post, e-mail, or telephone for the purposes set out. We will also use your information to inform you of offers in the future or to send you brochures. If you do not wish to receive such approaches in the future then please let us know as soon as possible by telephone, letter or e-mail us at info@blend-allaboutwine.com. If we do contact you by e-mail about our new brochures or special offers, you will also be able to unsubscribe yourself from our database at this time. Blend All About Wine will assume that you do not object to being communicated with unless you have previously opted out or contacted us. We have the appropriate security measures in place to protect your confidential information. You are entitled to ask for a copy of your information. Please contact us in writing if required.

22. LINKS TO THIRD PARTY SITES:

This web site may contain hyperlinks to web sites operated by parties other than Blend All About Wine, Lda. Such hyperlinks are provided for your reference only. Blend All About Wine, Lda. does not control such web sites and is not responsible for their contents. Blend All About Wine, Lda. inclusion of hyperlinks to such web sites does not imply any endorsement of the material on such web sites or any association with their operators.

23. OUR DESCRIPTIONS:

 The description of the regions, hotels, and other aspects of the tours in this brochure are based on opinions gained on visits to them and on the opinions of official bodies and guides. We have gone to considerable effort to ensure the accuracy of descriptions and information contained in our brochure.

24. HOTEL ROOMS:

In general, rooms are available for occupancy after 2pm on your day of arrival and should be vacated by 12am on your day of departure. Your luggage can be left with the hotel reception if need be.

 25. MEALS:

Breakfast is included with accommodation bookings only where stated. Restaurant meals for groups in Portugal usually require a pre-order to be completed by the lead name of the group. In many cases, large groups will be required to eat the same menu. This should be completed and returned to us, or the venue, as required. If a pre-order has not been completed, we accept no liability for meals not provided or delays in providing the meals for you. We will endeavour to meet any specialist dietary requests for any member of your group, but can not guarantee these requests. We accept no liability if our suppliers are unable to meet these requests in advance, or once at the venue.

26. LOCAL TIMES:

All times quoted on the Account & Confirmation of Booking are local.

27. ENTIRE AGREEMENT:

The Contract constituted by the Company’s acceptance of the Client’s booking subject to these Booking Conditions shall constitute the entire agreement between the Client and the Company in relation to the relevant booking, and shall exclude all other terms and conditions (except for the relevant suppliers’ conditions and any applicable international conventions) and shall supersede all prior or contemporaneous communication or information provided.

28. GOVERNING LAW:

The Contract (incorporating these Booking Conditions) and all elements arising from it, is subject to Portuguese Law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the Portuguese Courts.

29. CONTRACTS (RIGHTS OF THIRD PARTIES):

Nothing in this agreement shall confer on any third party any benefit or right to enforce any terms of this agreement.

30. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

We may need to make changes to these Terms and Conditions. Any changes can only be made by us and not any third party member. We reserve the right to amend or improve these Terms and Conditions without prior notification. When it is necessary for changes to be made, we will forward you a copy of these changes and all reservations will abide by the amended terms, with the exception of reservations already made.

31. ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION:

Blend All About Wine, Lda. reserves the right to organize and operate your tour in partnership with a local travel agency.

 32. ADDITIONAL GROUP TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

If you are booking on behalf of a group, the following additional terms and conditions apply:

(i). To ensure that all members of the Group are informed about the booking details and that all members of the Group are bound by these terms and conditions.

(ii). To take full responsibility for client side administration and be responsible for the accuracy of information supplied, both prior to the booking and up until after the event has elapsed.

(iii). You must inform Blend All About Wine, Lda in writing of any special requests (for example, special facilities for disabled people, dietary requirements, allergies, medical conditions) which any of the Group have so that Blend All About Wine is able to make arrangements, as far as reasonably possible, to cater for them.

 (iv). Some of the activities provided by Blend All About Wine, Lda as part of booking require an element of physical activity on the part of the Group. You will ensure that all members of the Group are physically able to take part in the activities, suffer no disabilities or conditions that may impair, restrict or endanger their involvement or that of other members of the Group’s involvement in the activity If the client has any doubts or concerns regarding any member of the Group’s participation in the activities, these issues must be raised in writing at the time of booking, (for example asthma, high blood pressure, heart conditions, vertigo).

(v).We insist that you arrange holiday insurance for all of your party when you travel with Blend All About Wine. We think this is very important. Please also see section 8 above. It is therefore your responsibility to ensure that adequate holiday insurance cover is provided for the Group.

(vi). To agree and progress with all payment timetables as set out above and on the booking form.

(vii). To ensure that all members of the Group comply with the schedules and timetables of the booking. Failure to keep to the timetables may result in either shorter visits or cancellations of visits. We will not be liable for any refund, compensation or any other costs that may be incurred.

(viii). Any disability requiring special attention should be reported to Blend All About Wine, Lda at the time reservation is made. We will make every reasonable effort to accommodate special needs, but are not responsible for any denial of services by hotels and/or other independent suppliers. We regret that we are not able to provide individual assistance to travellers for walking, dining, getting on or off coaches and/or other forms of transportation included in our packages. A qualified companion must accompany travellers requiring such assistance.

 (ix). To ensure that all members of the Group act at all times in a safe, responsible and courteous manner, comply with all safety procedures (for the avoidance of doubt this includes an appropriate level of sobriety), listen and be present at all safety and information briefings relevant to any special activities, make supervisors or any person in authority immediately aware of any equipment or site deficiencies or concerns, dress and/or equip themselves suitably for any event or activity as advised by Blend All About Wine, Lda and/or its suppliers and observe and obey all laws, requests (including the signing of any disclaimer) and conditions of use of any supplier,  including accommodation, activity centres and entertainment venues.

 (x). Behaviour – Blend All About Wine, Lda or its suppliers may end or cancel an activity, with no liability of reimbursement, if the behaviour of the Group or that of any person associated with the Group is likely in the opinion of us or our supplier’s to cause distress, damage, danger to or to annoy other customers, or other members of the Group, employees, property or anyone else. If the party is found to be behaving in a way that affects the standard performance of our suppliers and enjoyment by other guests, groups may be required to leave the premises – if this is the case groups will immediately forfeit all costs and any right to compensation, whether or not the booking has been completed, and be liable for any compensation sought by our suppliers. If groups behave in such a way that results in the supplier’s relationship with us being terminated, clients will be pursued for compensation by Blend All About Wine, Lda. If the Group is prevented from travelling because any person in authority thinks any member of the Group appears to be unfit to travel or likely to cause discomfort to or disturb other passengers, We will not be liable to complete the booking arrangements, and will not be liable for any refund, compensation or any other costs incurred by the Group. We cannot accept liability for the behaviour of others in your accommodation and/or taking part in any activity and/or event, associated and or in the same environment forming part of the booking, or if any facilities or events are removed as a result of their action. In some instances groups may be required to sign agreement forms and or provide a damage and or behaviour deposit. If any occurrence of damage is obvious, groups will be pursued for recovery for the full amount of damage reimbursement, associated costs and any expenses incurred, including time and administration, in pursuing this recovery.

(xi). If you arrive at any part of the tour with an increased number of guests, the new guests will not be covered by us and may not be able to join the activity or event.

(xii). If you wish to cancel on behalf of only some members of the group then the cancellation charges as outlined above (see section 7) will only apply pro-rata but we may become entitled to cancel the event, and the group discounts may no longer apply. This may necessitate a further payment by you to pay the difference between the previous discounted price and the revised price.

(xiii). We will offer such help as is reasonable in the circumstances to the group if any member suffers difficulties whilst participating in the booking.