Policies

We value your comfort, privacy, and peace of mind. All of the following policies are designed to make your time with us as well as the stay of other guests as pleasant as possible.

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE: Check-in is anytime between 3pm and 6pm. We regret we are unable to accommodate early check-ins as we have very little time between check-out and check-in to prepare cabins for the next guests. If you need to check in after 6:00pm, please let us know in advance so we can make suitable arrangements. Check-out is by 11:00am.

CHILDREN: The ruggedness of our mountains and the open design of our high decks prohibit us from accepting children. Accordingly, we can not accommodate guests or visitors under the age of twelve. For safety reasons, there can be no exceptions.

SMOKING: Our cabins are strictly smoke-free out of consideration for all those who have sensitivities to cigarette smoke. Please do not smoke inside your cabin or suite. Ashtrays are provided for the convenience of smokers on the decks and grounds.

PETS: Since some guests are allergic to pets, we do not allow pets to be brought on the property or in the yurt cabins.

VISITORS: Registered guests may invite up to two additional visitors per unit rented to visit during the day. Your visitors must be 12 years old or older, and they may not stay overnight.

WEDDINGS: StoneWind has several sites for weddings including a 1600sf Conference Center, stone gardens, decks overlooking the mountains, and the decks of the cabins. Registered guests who are being married on their deck may invite up to 12 people for the ceremony; however, the number of visitors remaining after the ceremony must not exceed 8 in the cabin, with overnight restricted to no more than three. Inquire about the Conference Center if you wish to have more than 8 people visiting in the cabin or wish to have a larger wedding ceremony/reception.

MOTORCYCLES, ATV's: Sound carries forever in the mountains; therefore, in order to preserve the peaceful atmosphere at StoneWind, we do not permit motorcyles, ATV's, or dirt bikes at StoneWind. In addition to the noise problem, the steep gravel roads leading to the Retreat are unsuited to motorcyles.

HIKING, SWIMMING: Hiking at StoneWind Retreat and in the adjacent National Forest and the use of our facilities in general is at your own risk. No swimming is allowed in the lagoon or in any of the ponds. There is no life guard on duty. There is a combination gravel/brushhogged walking trail on the property but no prepared hiking trails in the adjacent National Forest. There are miles of prepared hiking trails at Lake Fort Smith, seven miles away, and at Devil's Den State Park, 15 minutes North on I-540.

HUNTING: StoneWind Retreat is blessed with an abundance of wildlife--deer, turkey, fox, hawks, eagles, road-runners, quail, and a wide assortment of other birds and critters. We protect and feed the wildlife for the enjoyment of everyone. We do not allow hunting on StoneWind property nor in the National Forest using StoneWind Retreat as a base.

We require full payment for all reservations made within 21 days of your arrival date by credit card, debit card, or direct debit from your checking account.  If you reserve more than 21 days in advance, we require 50% of your total stay to confirm the reservation, and the remaining 50% will be automatically charged to your card or checking account on the 22nd day prior to your arrival, which is the last day before the sale becomes final.

Season Specials and Extended Stay Restrictions: Specials with time limits or for specific days may not be doubled or combined with other special rates unless specifically permitted.

Free Night Specials: All Reservations made under our Three for Two Special must be pre-paid, are non-refundable, and are subject to availability at time of booking.

Extended Stay Reservations: Reservations eligible for an Extended Stay Discount are handled as a regular reservation and billed under our "50% now, 50%—21 days prior" policy.

One Night Reservations: One night stays, when allowed, are Pre-Paid and Non-refundable. There are no discounts available for one night stays, and there is a $20 cleaning surcharge unless otherwise noted.

Payment by cash, check, or check-by-phone: We do not accept cash at time of check-in, although those wishing to pay cash may pay by check, check-by-phone, USPS money-order, or WalMart Cash Card. If paying by any of these methods you must also place a viable credit card on file with us or else take the Travel Guard Damage Insurance available for a fee of $15.00.

We require full payment for all reservations made using check, check-by-phone money order or WalMart Cash Card. For your convenience, we offer a "check-by-phone" option, a simple and secure method that allows us to process your payment from checking account information taken over the phone with a copy of the "check" sent to you as backup. The process is quick, secure, and convenient.

If you want to mail a check, you must reserve at least 30 days in advance and your check for the full amount must be received within 10 days after making your reservation. For reservations made less than 30 days in advance, payment must be made by credit/debit card or by the simple and secure check-by-phone process.

Our quiet, remote location is an advantage while you are here, but it also makes it difficult for us to re-book rooms on short notice.  Consequently, all sales are final within 21 days of arrival.  For ultimate peace of mind at a very reasonable per diem rate, we highly recommend you purchase trip insurance for an additional 7% of your reservation to cover unexpected and unforeseen events such as illnesses in the family; ice, snow or other related weather issues; change of duty orders; termination of employment; and a range of other unavoidable problems as detailed in the Travel Guard Benefits Summary. Please note that rescheduling within 21 days of arrival still requires us to resell the original nights on short notice and is therefore considered a cancellation followed by a new reservation.

Refunds on Cancellations Within 21 Days of Arrival:  If you purchased trip insurance and cancel within 21 days of your arrival date for a covered reason, we will email you a statement of account to assist you in filing a claim with Travel Guard.  Claims may be filed by calling 1-888-409-7749, at which time they will let you know what additional documentation (like a doctor's note) is required for processing.  If you did not purchase trip insurance or your reason for cancellation is not covered by the policy, then your deposit will be charged for any dates of your original reservation that we are unable to resell.  Any remaining balance will be refunded to you by check less a $35 cancellation fee.

Refunds on Cancellations More Than 21 Days Prior to Arrival:  If you cancel or reschedule more than 21 days prior to your arrival date, your deposit will be refunded by check less a $35.00 cancellation fee or you may leave your deposit on file and apply it to another reservation once without incurring the fee.  If you purchased trip insurance and cancel between 22 and 30 days prior to arrival for a covered reason, the trip insurance can by used to recover the cancellation fee.

To cancel, you must contact us by phone during normal business hours and receive a cancellation number.  If you attempt to cancel by email, do not assume your reservation has been cancelled unless we return your email with a cancellation number because your email may not have been received.  We are not responsible for delays in cancellations caused by email problems and cancellations received after hours will be counted as received on the next business day.  All refunds will be made by check payable to name on the credit card or checking account.  There are no refunds for early departure, and all deposits placed on file will be forfeited if not used within one year.