‹ Back to Idleside

Booking terms and conditions

Last updated: 21 September 2026

These terms apply to every booking of Idleside, 42 Peter Crescent, St Francis Bay, made directly with us through this website, by email or by phone. Bookings made through Airbnb, LekkeSlaap or another platform are governed by that platform's terms instead.

1. Who we are

Idleside is owned and let by Blackdown Property 9 CC, a close corporation registered in South Africa (registration number 2002/042455/23, VAT registration number 4010304295). Address: 42 Peter Crescent, St Francis Bay, 6312. Phone: 042 294 0380. Email: bookings@idleside.co.za. Website: www.idleside.co.za.

"We" and "us" mean Blackdown Property 9 CC. "You" means the person who makes the booking, who must be at least 21 years old, will stay at the house for the whole booking, and is responsible for everyone in the party.

2. How booking works

Sending a booking request is not a booking. When you send a request we hold your dates for 48 hours while we check our calendars. If we accept, we email you a confirmation with the total and a payment link. Your booking is confirmed when we have received your deposit. If the deposit has not been paid within 3 days of our acceptance we may release the dates. We may decline any request.

3. What the house is, and the price

The house is let as a whole, self-catering, for the dates on your confirmation. The price is the total shown on your confirmation and includes VAT. It includes bed linen and bath towels, Wi-Fi, and normal use of electricity and water.

4. Payment

• A deposit of 50% of the total confirms the booking.
• The balance, together with a refundable breakage deposit of R1 000, is due 30 days before arrival. We email a payment link a week before it is due.
• If you book less than 30 days before arrival, the full amount and the breakage deposit are payable at once.
• You can pay by ordinary EFT into our bank account using your booking reference or, where your confirmation email includes a secure payment link, by card or Instant EFT through PayFast. We do not charge a fee for either. Card details go to PayFast and never to us.
• If the balance is not paid by the due date we will remind you. If it is still unpaid 7 days after the due date we may treat the booking as cancelled by you on that date, and clause 5 applies.

5. If you cancel

Tell us by email. The date we receive your email is the cancellation date.

• More than 2 weeks before arrival: everything you have paid is refunded.
• 1 to 2 weeks before arrival: 50% of what you have paid is refunded.
• Less than 1 week before arrival, a no-show, or leaving early: no refund.

The breakage deposit is always refunded in full. Refunds are paid within 7 days, to the account or card the payment came from. We recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation.

6. If we have to cancel or the house is not available

If the house becomes unavailable for a reason outside our control, such as storm, fire or flood damage, or a serious failure of water or electricity supply to the property, we will tell you straight away and refund everything you have paid for the nights affected. That refund is the limit of our liability for the cancellation. We will not cancel a confirmed booking for any other reason.

7. Changing your dates

Ask us. Changes depend on availability and on the rate for the new dates, and are by agreement.

8. How many people

The house sleeps a maximum of 10 adults and 4 children. The four extra beds in the two family suites are children's beds and are not to be used by adults. Only the people in your booking may sleep at the house. Tell us if your numbers change. If more people stay than were booked we may ask the extra people to leave or end the booking without a refund.

9. Arriving and leaving

Check-in is between 14:00 and 19:00 on your arrival date and check-out is by 10:00 on your departure date, so that the house can be cleaned for the next guests. Tell us if you expect to arrive later and we will try to help. We send directions and arrival details before your stay.

10. House rules

• No parties, functions or events.
• No smoking or vaping inside the house.
• Please keep noise down after 22:00. It is a residential street.
• Pets only by prior arrangement. There is no extra charge for pets. They must not be left alone in the house and you are responsible for cleaning up after them.
• Leave the house reasonably tidy: dishes washed, rubbish in the bins, braai cleaned.
• Do not move furniture between rooms or take indoor furniture, linen or bath towels outside or to the beach.

If the rules are seriously broken we may end the booking without a refund.

11. The pool, the sea and children

The pool is in a fenced courtyard, but there is no lifeguard and the fence is not a substitute for supervision. Children must be supervised by an adult at all times at the pool, on the upstairs deck and balcony, near the fireplace and braai, and when crossing the road to the beach. The sea has currents and conditions change. Swim where and when it is safe, and preferably at beaches with lifeguards on duty.

12. Breakages and the breakage deposit

Accidents happen and we do not charge for the odd broken glass. Please tell us about anything that breaks or stops working so that we can fix it for you and for the next guests. You are responsible for damage, loss or extra cleaning caused by your party beyond normal use. We will deduct the reasonable cost from the breakage deposit, tell you what it was for, and ask you to pay any amount above the deposit. The deposit, or the rest of it, is refunded within 7 days after you leave.

13. Things outside our control

The house has backup power and we do our best to keep everything working, but we are not responsible for interruptions to municipal water or electricity, internet or television services, for weather, for noise or building work on neighbouring properties, or for the breakdown of equipment that we repair as quickly as we reasonably can. No refund is due for these unless the house cannot reasonably be lived in, in which case clause 6 applies.

14. Your belongings and your safety

You use the house, the pool, the braai and fireplace and all equipment at your own risk. To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for injury, illness, loss or damage suffered by you, your party or your visitors, or for loss of or damage to belongings or vehicles, unless it was caused by our gross negligence or deliberate act. Nothing in these terms takes away rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act. Lock the house when you go out.

15. Access

We or our local manager may enter the house for urgent repairs, and at reasonable times by arrangement with you for maintenance, the pool service or the garden service.

16. Your information

We handle your personal information as set out in our privacy policy.

17. The law and the cooling-off period

South African law applies. Because a booking is for accommodation on specific dates, the 7-day cooling-off right for online purchases in section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act does not apply (section 42(2)(j)); clause 5 applies instead.

18. Questions and complaints

Email bookings@idleside.co.za or phone 042 294 0380. If something is wrong during your stay, tell us immediately so that we can put it right while you are there. We cannot fix what we only hear about afterwards.