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What are the accommodations?
Bhutan’s government has rolled out a Star Classification System to accredit hotels and accommodation providers for visitors. However, it is important to note that the Star Classification is NOT at par with the international Star Accreditation System. Therefore, please do not expect a three-star or a four-star or five-star hotel in Bhutan to be the same as in a developed city in the world. Hotels and guest houses in Bhutan have comfortable rooms with basic amenities and a traditional ambience. Generally, hotels in western Bhutan are better appointed, while accommodation establishments in the central and eastern part of the country are more modest, with fewer amenities. The majority of hotels in Bhutan are three-star properties. Four and five-star luxury properties are available now in certain places. Accommodation in all resorts, hotels, lodges or inns, are standard double occupancy rooms. If you have special requests, we can notify the hotel — however, we cannot guarantee that it will be accommodated.
Single Rooms are available at an additional cost of $2000.
We recommend staying in the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel if you need accommodations before and after the retreat.
What will the food by like?
Food staples for the Bhutanese include rice. We will also eat beef, pork, poultry, goat, yak, and fish. Yak cheese is part of the diet of upland nomad. Meat soups, rice or corn, and spiced chilies comprise daily food.
Beverages include buttered tea and beer distilled from cereal grains.
Menus of restaurants in Bhutan are a fantasy concocted of the ingredients a restaurant would like to have and what is actually on their shelves.
As this is an all-inclusive Women’s Quest adventure, expect to eat most meals at our hotel (Buffet fans are in for a treat — and where not appreciated, al a carte meals may be provided.) The dishes of buffet usually are a soup, rice, noodles, seasonal vegetables, potato, dal (lentils), and some protein (Chicken/Pork/Beef).
This is followed by a sweet dish which is usually fresh fruits, fruit cocktail etc. Tea and coffee (Nescafe) is served. These foods are tampered to western taste and therefore are not spicy hot as locals would eat. Your guide can arrange dinner at local restaurants but beware: traditional Bhutanese food always features chilies and the most popular dish is ema datse made with large, green hot chilies in a cheese sauce.
Though there is plenty of white rice, Bhutanese prefer a local, slightly nutty, red variety. At high altitudes, wheat is the staple. Several Tibetan-style dishes are common, including momos (dumplings) and thukpa (noodles).
While touring, we will likely eat breakfasts and dinners in our hotel. In the countryside and on long drives, we will often have picnic lunches. In some cases, we will stop at roadside restaurants.
*Please be informed that Bhutanese culinary is limited in diversity owing mainly to the age-old isolation and lack of western ingredients and expertise. Guests who are very sensitive about food are advised to notify us in advance so that we can try to cater to your needs wherever possible. Please make sure you tell us of your dietary restrictions.
Drinking Water
Avoid drinking un-boiled water or ice cubes at all times. Most water sources are untreated. However, many Bhutanese people drink it straight from the tap. All water sources are from mountain spring waters.
Mineral water will be provided but we do have a policy to reduce the use of plastic bottles on our trekking tours in order to be environmentally friendly. Unless explicitly asked by guests, we provide boiled drinking water on treks. Please bring your own water bottle.
What about the yoga?
We will wake in the morning to a gentle Yoga and meditation practice. Please bring your yoga mats.
What about the hiking?
We will be doing some extensive hiking throughout the trip. Some of this hiking will be at altitude. We suggest starting an aerobic conditioning routine as soon as possible.
What weather can I expect?
October to December is the ideal time to visit Bhutan. Expect it to be mid 70’s to low 80’s in the sun, but there will be cooler temperatures in the evenings and at higher altitudes.
What is the average age on this retreat?
We have a wide range of women who attend our retreats, from 15-75 years young.
What if I am coming alone?
The majority of the women
who attend our retreats come by themselves. Bhutan is a safe and easy country to travel as a single female. English is spoken in most tourist areas and we are here to answer any questions about travel that you may have. Although you may come alone, you will leave the retreat with new, lifelong friends!
Do I have to participate in everything on the schedule?
No! All activities and outings are optional. This is YOUR retreat. We encourage you to do what feels most nurturing and right for you. You will be fully supported in doing as much or as little as you choose. All of our activities will be guided by expert staff, and instruction and support will be offered for every activity according to your experience level.
Am I in good enough shape to do this retreat?
This is a retreat that everyone can do but you will love it even more if you are in good shape – please start your training program now.
How do I tip?
Below are the recommended tips.
– $12/person/day for local guide and assistants
– $10/person/day for WQ guide
– $4/person/day for drivers
– $1 for hotel baggage handlers
Total tips for excellent service are approximately $260
Payment Policy
Payment in full for all retreats is due 90 days prior to the retreat date. If you do not provide payment in full by 90 days prior to the retreat you risk losing your reservation. All deposits are non-refundable.
A 4% payment processing fee will be added to all payments made using PayPal, Stripe or Venmo. You are welcome to send in a check or pay by Zelle to avoid this fee.
Cancellation Policy
If you must cancel a reservation, a full refund, less your deposit which is non-refundable, will be provided for any cancellation we receive in writing at least 91 days prior to the commencement date of the retreat. We are sorry but we cannot refund any payments for cancellations made 90 or fewer days prior to the commencement of the retreat.
We reserve the right to cancel retreats with inadequate participant interest. Women’s Quest IS NOT responsible for any personal expenses, such as airline tickets due to changes in schedules or tour cancellations.
Covid-19 Policy
Cancellations by Women’s Quest: Women’s Quest reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel or reschedule any retreat due to concerns over Covid-19. As a small company Women’s Quest is unfortunately not able to provide refunds of payments for retreats cancelled by Women’s Quest due to the Covid pandemic. This is primarily due to our financial commitments with the various retreat venues. As a result, in the event Women’s Quest cancels or reschedules a retreat due to Covid-19 Women’s Quest will apply all payments to the rescheduled or following year’s retreat, or to any other Women’s Quest retreat of your choosing through the end of the next year after the year in which the retreat was cancelled by Women’s Quest. Because of the unforeseen and unprecedented circumstances of the outbreak, this policy supersedes earlier policies.
Cancellations by You: If you need or desire to cancel your reservation due to Covid-19, or failure to comply with the requirements of a negative test and being symptom free, this cancellation is subject to the Cancellation Policy above. This is why we urge everyone to purchase travel insurance when signing up.
Covid Waiver and Release
This waiver, release and acknowledgement of responsibilities is unfortunately necessary during this unique time of the Covid 19 pandemic. By signing up for and or attending any Women’s Quest retreat you agree to be bound by the terms of this document. We understand these times are challenging, however, these provisions are necessary to protect all attendees and staff members of Women’s Quest.
Testing For and Symptoms of Covid 19. Irrespective of vaccination status you are required to provide a negative test for Covid 19 taken within 3 days of the commencement of the retreat. This test can be either a PCR test or a home antigen test. Also, irrespective of your vaccination status, you agree you will not attend the retreat if you have any symptoms of Covid 19 immediately prior to the beginning of the trip. These symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea (these, along with symptoms outline in the following link and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control shall be collectively referred to as the “Symptoms”.) More information on symptoms of Covid 19 can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
Symptoms During the Retreat. In the event you develop any Symptoms during the retreat you must immediately leave the retreat and follow protocols outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and all local regulations. We understand this may result in you incurring significant expenses associated with separate accommodation and travel, however, you understand these expenses are not the responsibility of Women’s Quest and must be incurred by you. You agree to be fully honest with Women’s Quest staff in regard to any Symptoms you may develop and agree to comply with a request by Women’s Quest staff to depart as determined by Women’s Quest staff in their sole discretion. As provided below, this is why we strongly urge everyone to get travel insurance covering these and other expenses prior to departure.
Procedures During the Retreat. During the retreat Women’s Quest may, but need not, endeavor to practice social distancing and wearing of masks when traveling in close proximity. You agree to comply with all requests of Women’s Quest staff during the retreat related to these procedures. Any such procedures implemented by Women’s Quest are not a guaranty you will not be exposed to Covid 19 and you understand you are responsible for taking any precautions you deem necessary and providing your own personal protective equipment during the retreat. You also agree to comply with any reasonable requests by other attendees to respect their social distancing and other protective measures (“Participant Requests”.) Notwithstanding the foregoing, you are responsible to comply with all laws and regulations of the locality visited relating to protections against Covid 19.
Waiver of Coronavirus Related Illness; Indemnification. You understand that irrespective of protective measures that Women’s Quest or you may or may not take, you may be exposed to Covid 19 by another retreat attendee, a Women’s Quest staff member and or an individual to whom you may be exposed during, or traveling to or from the retreat. You agree to waive and release Women’s Quest, its officers, directors, staff, employees, contractors, and partners from any claims, liabilities or damages you may incur in the event you contract Covid 19 at any time during travel to, attending or after attending the retreat. You further agree to indemnify and hold harmless Women’s Quest, its officers, directors, staff, employees, contractors, and partners from any loss, liability or damages it or they may incur as a result of your failure to receive a negative test for Covid 19 prior to the retreat as provided above, attending the retreat with any Symptoms, not respecting Participant Requests, and not immediately departing the retreat if you develop any Symptoms.
Cancellation. In the unfortunate event you need to cancel your trip, cannot attend due to contracting Covid 19 or developing Symptoms prior to the retreat, or must leave the retreat due to contracting Covid 19 or developing Symptoms, Women’s Quest cannot provide any refund of any amounts you paid.
Travel Insurance. As provided in this document you could incur significant personal expense in the event you contract Covid 19 or develop any Symptoms during the retreat. As such, you are strongly urged to obtain travel insurance that provides adequate protections against these risks.
Additional Waiver. This waiver is incorporated into and made a part of other waivers you agreed to in connection with signing up for the retreat. In the event of a conflict between these terms and the terms of any other waiver, this waiver shall govern.
Purchasing Travel Insurance
We highly, highly recommend you get travel insurance to cover your expenses and losses in the event you test positive or come down with Symptoms prior to the retreat, develop Symptoms during the retreat, or cannot return home due to Covid related issues. We recommend getting insurance that covers the cost of your trip, medical care while at the retreat, and coverage to pay for the necessary quarantine period if you test positive or come down with Covid. Please remember, if you have to cancel your trip in the unfortunate event you come down with Covid, test positive, or suffer Symptoms prior to or during the retreat and need to leave, Women’s Quest cannot provide a refund since we have to pay your trip expenses well ahead of time.
If you are concerned about travel and the changing environment in which we are living irrespective of your Covid status, we recommend getting travel insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason. This coverage is more expensive, however, may provide you with the coverage and flexibility you desire.
We spoke with Allianz Travel Insurance about travel insurance primarily for Covid issues – trip cancellation, medical treatment and delay in coming home due to catching Covid. From our understanding, Allianz does offer policies providing for trip cancellation due to Covid and extended trip interruption coverage for Covid quarantine periods, however, you should talk to them via the phone to ensure you have the coverage you need.
Irrespective of the travel insurance you get, please make sure you talk to a travel insurance agent prior to buying any insurance and make sure you have the coverage you desire and that the policy will cover trip cancellation, medical expenses and trip interruption due to Covid.
We are providing this only as our understanding after talking to Allianz and not as a representation of what Allianz will cover. You should do your own investigation including directly calling Allianz or any insurance provider you choose, and not rely on this overview to ensure you get the coverage that is right for you.
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