Expectations

Sea Change is not for everyone, and we want to ensure your expectations are in line with what we offer and who we are - and this is also for the benefit of all guests and our staff. Please note we are on a remote island, 100% off the grid, with no direct access to first world shops or first world medical facilities. If you have serious health issues, Sea Change may not be right for you and you should absolutely consult with your doctor before coming. We do not pretend to be a 5 star resort - but we offer a beyond 5 star experience given our stunning island setting and the chance to experience whales, fishing, snorkeling, or seeing what it is like to live in comfort completely disconnected from the rest of the world. Being completely off the grid on a remote island comes with things like mosquitos, sand on your feet, getting wet on a boat or in the rain, sometimes dealing with bad weather, hearing chickens and pigs at night, using a composting toilet, staying a simple wooden bungalow or tent fale, not having wifi access away from our bar/dining area, not being able to order special meals because you are a fussy eater or have multiple food intolerances (the food we do serve is yummy), etc. If any of this sounds unacceptable to you or would cause you to have a negative experience - then we strongly recommend you stop reading here - and book your holiday at another destination. This is also true if any of the below terms and conditions are not acceptable to you. Again, we totally get that Sea Change is not for everyone - and our main goal is that if you choose to come to Sea Change you will love it here and have an amazing holiday, but come with informed expectations. Please read our reviews to get a better sense of who likes Sea Change.

Release of Liability

By making a booking to come to Sea Change you and all members of your travel party agree to release from liability and waive your right to sue Sea Change Eco Retreat, Ha’apai Whale and Sail, and/or Sea Change Eco Retreat Fishing Charters, their employees, officers, volunteers and agents (collectively “Sea Change”) from any and all claims, including claims of the Sea Change’s negligence, resulting in any physical injury, illness (including death) or economic loss you, members of your travel party (including any children) may suffer or which may result from your stay at Sea Change or participation in any activities, travel to and from Sea Change (including boat travel), or any events incidental to your stay at Sea Change.  You and all members of your travel party understand that there are risks associated with staying at Sea Change or participating in any activities associated with Sea Change Eco Retreat, Ha’apai Whale and Sail, and/or Sea Change Eco Retreat Fishing Charters, such as physical and/or psychological injury, pain, suffering, illness, disfigurement, temporary or permanent disability, death or economic loss. These injuries or outcomes may arise from your own or other’s actions, inactions, or negligence, or the condition of the location or facilities. Nonetheless, you and all members of your travel party assume all risks associated with Sea Change and/or Ha’apai Whale and Sail, whether known or unknown, including travel to and from Sea Change or any events incidental to Sea Change.

Refunds and Cancellations

Please note that all payments are non-refundable. There are also no refunds for missed days due to travel issues not in our control (weather, illness or airline issue, etc). This includes missed whale swims due to weather conditions. We have to impose this as we incur cost year-round, and also cost whether you come to our resort or cancel for some reason that is not within our control. You must make a deposit to secure a booking, and must also make the additional payments as required leading up to your stay (or your booking will be cancelled and no refunds will be made). Travel insurance is a must for Tonga (see below).

Pre-booking Guest Declaration Form

All guests will be sent a pre-booking declaration form before bookings are confirmed. A signed form must be submitted for each guest (including each member of a group and/or any children) before bookings will be confirmed. The forms includes declarations of health issues and/or food allergies and food intolerances (please see section below on Food and Beverage). Because we are on a remote outer island with little access to health care facilities, any health issues (including food allergies) must be declared prior to your booking so we can determine if we can safely accommodate you. If you arrive without declaring health issues prior to your booking, we reserve the right to refuse accommodation on the basis of protecting your safety and managing any issues on our end - and in this case no refunds will be issued. If you arrive without declaring food allergies or intolerences prior to your booking - we will not be able to cater to any special dietary requests (no exceptions will be made). Please note our kitchen is not set up to prevent cross contamination of foods or eliminate risks of food allergy reactions.

Accommodation

We have two types of accommodation - tent fales on large wooden decks, and wooden bungalows also with large wooden decks. Unfortunately Sea Change is not handicap accessible given our extremely remote setting. All fales have private bathrooms with hot water showers. The tent fales are suitable for two people and can be arranged with one large bed or two separated king single beds. The wooden bungalows are suitable for up to 4 people, and can be arranged with one large bed plus two king single beds. Please note our tent fales have composting toilets, so if that is an issue or concern you should book into a wooden bungalow which have flush toilets. Our fales do not have electricity or any means of cooking/self catering, and smoking is not allowed in the fales or on the fale decks. If you smoke, this must be done well away from our fales, any of our guests, or anywhere near our bar/dining areas. If we notice smoking within fales during your stay, you may be asked to leave - and at a minimum a substantial surcharge will be added to your bill (no less than TOP $1,000).

Food and Beverage

As we are located on a remote and uninhabited island, Sea Change offers an all inclusive meal package which includes a continental breakfast, lunch and a two course dinner with a meat and vegetarian choice (not vegan). Our food is amazing (read our reviews), and our chef is considered one of the best in the Pacific region. If you let us know in advance with your booking request, we can cater to basic dairy and gluten free diets - but do not offer any other choices for dietary restrictions or intolerances beyond this, including food allergies (we are not set up for ensuring no cross contamination of various allergens), and we cannot cater to “fussy eaters”. You can bring your own food, but we cannot refrigerate, store or cook it for you - and our fales are not set up for self-catering. So your food will need to be non-perishable and ready to eat without cooking. We also offer tea, instant coffee and treated rain water - and you can purchase plunger coffee, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages at our bar. Snacks are also available for purchase. Please note we cannot cater to any special dietary issues beyond a basic vegetarian preference and/or a gluten or dairy intolerance - and there are no other places to book in to eat on Uoleva Island. If this is not suitable for your dietary needs, than we recommend you book with another resort that has direct access to first world shops.

General House Rules

Sea Change is a place to relax, enjoy and drop off the grid. As such we impose and will enforce the following house rules for the benefit of all guests, our staff, and the whales:

• Please keep all devices on silent mode and use headphones to listen to music/audio or talk to someone via an audio or video call. This includes within our common areas or at your fale. We will ask you to silence your device if we hear it - and please do not be offended if we do this. This is for the comfort of all guests, and part of our theme of tranquility and “disconnection to re-connect”.

• Our bar/dining area opens at 7:00 am and closes at 9:30 pm. This is to ensure that all guests and staff are well rested and can enjoy the peace and tranquility that our remote island offers. It is also to preserve power as we are fully off the grid and powered only by solar systems.

• We do not tolerate abusive or negative behavior towards us or our staff or other guests staying with us. We will do everything in our power to ensure you have an amazing holiday - but we ask that you bring a positive mindset and treat others as you want to be treated. Any complaints can be brought to the attention of the owners of Sea Change, and we will do our best to remedy the issue as quickly as possible - within reason. Abusive behavior towards us or our staff will likely result immediate removal from Sea Change with no refunds being issued.

• All guests will follow the specific instructions and requests of our whale guides and skippers at all times when on the boats. Failure to do this will result in being barred from any further whales swims, and no refunds will be issued for any missed swims if this should occur. We impose this for the safety of all guests and our staff, and to prevent any stress or disturbance of the whales. “Duck diving” or free diving is not allowed with the whales as it scares them - and this is by Tongan law.

• Our resort fales and bar/dining area are reserved exclusively for in-house guests only. If you have friends visiting the area and would like them to visit, we can offer drinks and snacks, and will ask that you sit with them in the areas set up for non in-house guests down by the beach front area.

Travel Insurance

We strongly recommend you purchase comprehensive travel insurance as part of your trip to Sea Change - inclusive of health and medical emergency coverage, and lost travel/activity days due to issues outside of our control (e.g. weather, airline issues, illness, etc). This should include coverage for any deposits you make with us, which are not refundable for any reasons outside of our control (e.g. weather, airlines, illnesses, etc.).