When people ask about cancellation policies, they're often asking something deeper: Will I be protected if life changes? Will the center be fair? Will this still feel human if something unexpected happens? Those questions deserve a thoughtful answer, so here is Lunita's cancellation and deposit policy, plainly. (See the planning guide.)
What happens if you cancel a personal retreat?
For personal retreats, the deposit is 50% of food and accommodation, and it's movable, if life changes, you can move your dates. The remaining 50% is paid on arrival. We'd rather you move your retreat than lose it, life happens, and the policy is built for that.
Group retreats
For group retreats, the first 25% deposit is non-refundable; the second 25% is refundable up to 4 months before the retreat begins. In some limited cases, when we know with enough anticipation, we can offer the possibility to move the retreat dates. Clear timelines protect both the leader's planning and the center's calendar, while leaving room to be human about it.
Fair, clear, human
A cancellation policy isn't fine print, it's a signal of how a center treats people. If your situation needs a conversation, reach out; we always aim to be fair. The same signal shows up in the kitchen, which is why chef services for retreat groups are treated here as part of the container rather than an afterthought.
What actually happens when you write to us
You send an email or a message saying life has changed. Someone on the team, usually the person who booked you in, replies with the options rather than the rules: new dates in the same season, dates in the next season, or, for a group, a conversation about what the calendar can hold.
Nothing is decided in a form. The deposit terms are what they are, and they are written down before you pay, but the first response to a cancellation here is a question about what you need. Most personal retreats that cancel end up moving rather than ending.
The one thing we ask is that you tell us early. A cabana held for a guest who is not coming is a cabana another guest could not book, and for a group, the whole property is held for a week. Notice is what makes flexibility possible.
Why are the group terms stricter than the personal ones?
A personal retreat is one cabana out of eight. If a guest moves dates, the room is likely to fill, and the kitchen adjusts by one plate. The risk to the center is small, so the deposit can move freely.
A hosted group takes the whole property, twenty guests across every cabana and the mini apartment, and blocks it for a week or more. That week is turned away from every other leader who asked for it, often many months ahead. The non-refundable first quarter is the price of holding a whole property for one person's calendar, and the second quarter is refundable until the point at which the week can no longer be sold to anyone else.
Leaders who understand this usually protect themselves the same way, with their own deposit terms for their guests, and we are glad to talk through how those two policies fit together.