Privacy policy

Who is responsible

This notice covers personal data handled for Casa da Horta, at Avenida da Galiza, 5050-222 Peso da Régua, Portugal. Your host contact is Edgar Gouveia. Contact [email protected] for privacy questions or to exercise your rights.

Information used for your enquiry or booking

When you make a direct booking, we receive your first and last name, email address, optional phone number, stay dates, guest count and selected rate. We also record the booking terms accepted and when they were accepted. We keep booking and payment references, the amount and currency, booking status, and records of confirmation emails and relevant correspondence.

If you send an enquiry by email, we receive the information you choose to include. Required booking fields allow us to process the reservation and contact you. Your phone number is optional.

You enter payment-card details directly in Stripe’s checkout. Our website does not receive or store your full card number or card security code. We receive references and payment status needed to match the payment to your booking.

Why we use this information

We use your information to answer a requested enquiry, arrange and manage your stay, process payment and send booking confirmations. The basis for these activities is taking steps at your request before a contract, or performing the booking contract.

Where applicable, we also process records to meet legal obligations, including relevant accounting requirements. Necessary measures to protect the service, address fraud or resolve a dispute may rely on legitimate interests, balanced against your rights. Technical connection information, such as IP address, request time and browser information, may also be processed by the hosting infrastructure to deliver and protect the service.

Booking emails are service messages. Any future optional marketing activity will be explained separately with its applicable legal basis.

Who receives information

Access is limited to people and providers who need the information for the relevant purpose:

• Beds24 handles availability and reservation management. Stay details are sent when we temporarily hold your dates during checkout. Guest details are added when a paid booking is confirmed.
• Stripe processes payments. For some activities, such as its own fraud-prevention and legal duties, it also acts as a separate data controller. See Stripe’s privacy information.
• Zoho Mail handles emails sent to and from the Casa da Horta mailbox, including guest confirmations. See Zoho’s privacy policy.
• Hosting and infrastructure providers support the website, database and necessary delivery or security services on our behalf.

Information may also be provided to professional advisers or competent authorities where necessary and legally justified. The website does not use guest information to build advertising profiles.

Where information is processed

Our payment and email providers operate internationally. Stripe describes transfers to the United States in its Data Processing Agreement and the safeguards in its Data Transfers Addendum, including EU standard contractual clauses where applicable. Zoho describes international access and transfers, including within its group, and contractual safeguards in its privacy policy. Processing is not confined to Portugal. You can ask us for details of the safeguards relevant to your booking and how to obtain a copy.

Contact [email protected] for information about the safeguards applying to your information, including how to obtain a copy where applicable.

How long records are kept

Retention depends on the type of record and the outstanding purpose:

• Enquiries and unpaid booking attempts: while needed to answer the request, establish the outcome of a checkout or resolve a related complaint or dispute.
• Confirmed bookings, accepted terms and confirmation messages: while needed to administer the stay, cancellations, refunds and any related claims. Relevant financial evidence is retained for the applicable statutory accounting and tax periods.
• Security records: while needed to investigate incidents or protect the service.
• Backup copies: while needed for recovery; copies may remain until the relevant backup is replaced or securely removed.

We review the continuing need for records and delete or anonymise personal information when those purposes no longer apply. You may ask us about the criteria for your particular records or request erasure; legal obligations and unresolved claims may limit immediate deletion.

Any longer retention required for a legal obligation or an active dispute will be explained where applicable.

Browser storage and other websites

Casa da Horta does not run analytics or advertising scripts of its own. The website uses browser session storage to remember a booking request and allow you to view its status after returning from checkout. Blocking this essential storage may prevent that status from being available in your browser.

The optional film is hosted by YouTube (Google). The website shows a local preview and loads no YouTube player until you choose Play. That choice loads a privacy-enhanced YouTube player and sends connection information, such as your IP address and browser information, to Google. Google may process information internationally and use browser storage under its own privacy policy. You can close the video to remove the player, or leave it unopened without affecting your booking.

Stripe’s checkout operates under its own privacy and cookie information. Links to maps or other external sites take you to services with their own policies; the house website does not embed a third-party map.

Your rights and contact

Depending on the legal conditions, you can request access, correction, erasure, restriction, portability, or object to processing. Where processing relies on consent, you can withdraw it for future processing.

Send requests to [email protected]. We may need proportionate information to verify identity. We normally respond within one month; any lawful extension and its reason will be communicated within that period.

You can complain to Portugal’s Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados or another competent supervisory authority. You do not have to contact us before doing so.

Changes to this notice

The published notice will state its effective date. Material changes will be explained where required. A new version does not retrospectively change the contractual terms of an existing booking.