Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Vilanculos Beach Lodge is a family-run beachfront lodge in Vilankulo, Inhambane Province, Mozambique. When you enquire with us, make a booking, or use this website, Vilanculos Beach Lodge is the party responsible for deciding how and why your personal information is handled — in other words, we are the data controller.

We take your privacy seriously and aim to be clear about what we collect and why. This policy explains how we look after your personal information, and the rights you have over it. If anything here is unclear, please contact us using the details at the end of this page and we will gladly help.

2. What personal information we collect

We only collect the information we genuinely need to answer your questions and look after your stay. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

• Enquiry and booking details: Your name, email address, phone or WhatsApp number, the message or request you send us, your intended stay dates, the number and ages of guests, room or package preferences, and any special requirements such as dietary needs or accessibility requests.
• Payment-related details: Where a deposit or payment is involved, the information needed to process it. Card payments are handled by our booking and payment providers — we do not store full card numbers on this website.
• Technical and usage information: When you browse the site, basic technical data such as your device type, browser, approximate location and the pages you view may be collected automatically through cookies and analytics tools.

3. How we collect it

We collect information directly from you when you choose to share it with us. This happens when you complete the enquiry or contact form on this website, make a reservation through our online booking engine (FreeToBook), message us on WhatsApp, or email us directly. We also collect limited technical information automatically through cookies and analytics when you visit the site, as described in the cookies section below.

4. Why we use it, and our lawful basis

We use your personal information for clear, limited purposes, and always have a lawful basis for doing so:

• To respond to your enquiry: When you send us a question or request, we use your details to reply and assist you. This is in our legitimate interest in answering prospective and current guests, and is a step towards entering into a booking with you.
• To manage your reservation: We use your booking details to confirm, prepare for and deliver your stay, including arranging transfers, dietary requirements and other requests. This is necessary to perform our agreement with you.
• To meet legal obligations: Some information is processed to comply with the law, for example local guest-registration, tax and accounting requirements that apply to lodges in Mozambique.
• To run and improve our website: We use technical and analytics data to keep the site secure, understand how it is used, and improve it. This relies on your consent for non-essential cookies, and on our legitimate interest in a safe, working website.

5. Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal information, and we never share it for unrelated marketing. We only share it with trusted service providers where it is needed to look after your enquiry or stay, and only to the extent necessary. These may include:

• Our online booking provider, FreeToBook, which powers our reservation engine.
• Payment processors that handle deposits and payments securely on our behalf.
• Our email and website hosting providers, which carry the messages and pages you exchange with us.
• Professional advisers and authorities where we are legally required to disclose information.

6. International transfers

We welcome guests from all over the world, and some of the providers that help us operate — such as our booking engine, email and analytics tools — may store or process information on servers located outside Mozambique or your home country. Where information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure it remains protected to a standard consistent with this policy and with applicable data-protection laws, including POPIA and, where relevant, the GDPR.

7. How long we keep it

We keep your personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes set out in this policy. Enquiry details are kept while we are in contact with you and for a reasonable period afterwards in case you return to us. Booking and payment records are kept for longer where tax, accounting or other legal rules require it. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.

8. How we protect it

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to keep your information safe, including secure connections for our website and booking engine, restricted access on a need-to-know basis, and trusted providers for payments and hosting. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, so while we work hard to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you have concerns about the safety of your information, please contact us.

9. Cookies and analytics

Cookies are small files placed on your device that help a website work and remember your preferences. We use essential cookies that are necessary for the site and booking engine to function, and we may use analytics cookies to understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. Our booking provider may also set its own cookies during the reservation process. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings, although blocking some cookies may affect how parts of the site work.

10. Your rights

You have rights over the personal information we hold about you. Depending on where you live and the law that applies, these may include the right to:

• Access: ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Deletion: ask us to delete your information where there is no good reason for us to keep it.
• Objection: object to, or ask us to restrict, certain uses of your information, including withdrawing consent at any time where we rely on it.

11. Children

Our website and booking services are intended for adults making travel arrangements. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children. Where a booking includes children, we rely on the booking adult to provide the relevant details on their behalf. If you believe a child has provided us with information without the consent of a parent or guardian, please contact us and we will remove it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in how we work or in the law. When we do, we will revise the date shown at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page from time to time so you stay informed about how we look after your information.