Terms & Privacy
Last updated: 21.08.2026
This page explains who provides your booking and accommodation services, the terms that apply to your stay at ipyum, and how we collect, use and protect your personal information.
0. Who provides your booking and stay
ipyum is operated in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, by UD ipyum, which provides the accommodation, meals, transfers, tours and other on-site services.
For direct reservations, ipyum Carl Shepherd acts as the authorised booking and payment agent for UD ipyum. The booking agent manages reservations, guest communications and payments on behalf of UD ipyum.
Your accommodation and related services are provided by UD ipyum. A payment made to the authorised booking and payment agent ipyum Carl Shepherd satisfies the corresponding payment obligation to UD ipyum.
Throughout these Terms & Conditions, “ipyum”, “we”, “our” and “us” refer to UD ipyum and its authorised booking and payment agent ipyum Carl Shepherd, as applicable to the service concerned.
1. Rates and inclusions
Accommodation rates are charged per Guest House and are based on two guests sharing unless stated otherwise.
Three meals per day, drinking water and standard Wi-Fi access are included. Any additional services, transfers, tours, drinks or other charges will be identified separately.
The rate and inclusions shown in your booking confirmation take precedence over general information published elsewhere on our website.
2. Deposits and payment
For direct bookings, a deposit of 50% of the total booking value is required to confirm your stay. A booking is not confirmed until the payment has been successfully received or confirmed by the relevant payment provider.
Direct-booking payments may be collected by ipyum Carl Shepherd, acting as the authorised booking and payment agent for UD ipyum. Payments may be processed through Cloudbeds, PayPal, Stripe or Direct bank transfer as selected during checkout or in your payment instructions.
The name shown on your payment confirmation, card statement or PayPal account may therefore refer to ipyum Carl Shepherd or the payment provider.
The remaining balance for oyur accomodation and prebooked tours must be paid before arrival. Any additional charges incurred during your stay must be paid before departure.
Available payment methods and currencies will be shown during booking or in your payment instructions. Your bank or payment provider may apply its own fees or currency-conversion rate.
Any refund due under these terms will normally be returned through the original payment method. Processing times are controlled partly by the relevant bank or payment provider.
Bookings made through third-party platforms are subject to the payment arrangements shown by that platform.
3. Cancellations and date changes
Our cancellation charges for direct bookings are based on the total booking value:
More than 30 days before arrival: no charge and a full refund
14–29 days before arrival: 50% charge
0–13 days before arrival: 100% charge and no refund
Where possible, we will try to accommodate a change of dates instead of a cancellation. Date changes are subject to availability and any difference in the applicable rate.
We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance covering cancellation, delays, illness, weather disruption and missed connections.
4. Occupancy and children
The maximum standard occupancy of each Guest House is two registered guests.
Exceptions may be available for families with small children but must be agreed in advance. In our Overwater Guest Houses, the sofa can be converted into a 90 × 200 cm bed suitable for one child or two small children. There is no additional charge for this bed.
Children’s rates are based on the double-occupancy room rate:
0–5 years: free
6–11 years: 25% of the room rate
Unregistered overnight guests are not permitted. Day visitors require prior approval.
5. Check-in and checkout
Because ipyum is reached by boat, arrival and departure times depend on your confirmed transfer arrangements rather than fixed hotel check-in times. We will agree the practical arrangements with you before arrival.
All outstanding charges must be settled before departure. Please check your Guest House carefully and take all personal belongings with you, as recovering forgotten items from ipyum may be difficult and costly.
6. Transfers and weather
All travel to and from ipyum involves a sea transfer. Except for the scheduled fast ferry between Sorong and Waisai, boat travel is dependent on weather and sea conditions.
Transfers may be delayed, rescheduled, rerouted or cancelled when conditions are considered unsafe. The captain’s decision regarding safety is final.
We can help arrange transfers, but transfer charges are separate unless expressly included in your booking confirmation. Guests remain responsible for flights, ferries, travel documents, government visitor fees and arriving at the agreed meeting point on time.
ipyum is not responsible for delays, missed connections or additional costs caused by weather, transport operators or circumstances outside our reasonable control.
7. Tours and activities
Tours and activities are subject to availability, tides, weather, sea conditions and operational considerations. Routes, departure times and itineraries may be adjusted when necessary for safety or to provide the best practical experience.
The price, inclusions and exclusions for each tour will be confirmed before booking. Entrance fees, conservation fees and local destination charges are not included unless specifically stated.
Guests must follow instructions from captains, guides and the ipyum team. Participation is at the guest’s own risk and should be appropriate to their health, swimming ability and level of experience.
8. Guest responsibilities
Guests are expected to respect the environment, the local community, the ipyum team and the experience of other guests.
Guests must follow the house rules and all reasonable safety instructions. Behaviour that is dangerous, illegal, seriously disruptive or damaging to people, property or the environment may result in an activity being stopped or the guest being required to leave.
Guests may be charged the reasonable cost of repairing or replacing property damaged through deliberate, reckless or negligent behaviour.
Our complete practical guidelines are available in the Guest Guide.
9. Third-party booking platforms
Bookings made through Airbnb, Booking.com, Agoda, Expedia or another third-party booking platform are also subject to that platform’s terms, payment arrangements and cancellation procedures.
Where a platform controls payment, modification, cancellation or refunds, the relevant request must be submitted through that platform. The booking details and conditions displayed in the confirmed platform reservation take precedence if they differ from general information on our website.
A reservation initiated through Google Hotel Search may be completed directly through the ipyum booking engine. In that case, it is a direct booking and these direct-booking terms apply.
ipyum’s house rules, occupancy limits and safety requirements apply to all guests regardless of how the booking was made.
10. T&C Contact
Questions about these terms or your booking can be sent to:
Email: hello@ipyum.id
WhatsApp: +62 851 7524 7986
Please contact us before booking if you need clarification about accessibility, children, dietary requirements, transfers or any other aspect of your stay.
0. Who is responsible for your information
This Privacy Policy applies to personal information processed by:
UD ipyum in Indonesia when providing accommodation, transfers, tours and other guest services; and
ipyum Carl Shepherd, when managing direct reservations, communications and payments as the authorised booking and payment agent.
The two operations share relevant guest information when reasonably necessary to arrange and provide a booking and stay.
1. Information we collect
ipyum respects your privacy and collects only the personal information reasonably needed to answer enquiries, manage bookings and provide services to guests.
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
Your name, country and contact details
Your email address and WhatsApp number
Arrival and departure dates
The number and ages of guests
Accommodation, transfer and tour preferences
Dietary, accessibility, health or safety information you choose to provide
Passport, identification or permit information when required for registration, travel or legal purposes
Payment and transaction records
Messages, enquiries, feedback and other communications
Basic technical information generated when you use our website, such as browser, device, IP address and approximate location information
When a payment is processed by a booking platform or payment provider, ipyum does not normally receive or store your complete payment-card details.
2. How we collect it
We may collect personal information:
When you submit a form on our website
When you contact us by email, WhatsApp or another communication channel
When you make or attempt to make a booking
When you book through Airbnb, Booking.com or another booking platform
When you arrange a transfer, tour or other service
During your stay at ipyum
When you provide feedback or communicate with our team
Automatically through Squarespace and related website technologies
From someone authorised to make arrangements on your behalf
When you subscribe to Inside ipyum through Substack
Please avoid sending sensitive information unless it is reasonably necessary for your booking, safety or requested services.
3. Why we use it
We use personal information to:
Answer questions and enquiries
Process and manage bookings
Arrange accommodation, meals, transfers, tours and other requested services
Communicate important information before, during and after a stay
Meet dietary, accessibility, health and safety requirements
Process payments and maintain financial records
Comply with legal, regulatory and government requirements
Protect our guests, team, property and systems
Resolve complaints or disputes
Improve our website, services and guest experience
Send news or marketing communications when you have agreed to receive them
We do not sell or rent personal information.
4. Who processes or receives it
Personal information may be processed by or shared with:
ipyum Carl Shepherd, as our direct-booking and payment agent
UD ipyum and authorised members of its team in Indonesia
Cloudbeds, which provides our property-management system, booking engine and related guest-management services
PayPal, Stripe and other payment providers used to process or administer payments
Substack, which hosts and distributes Inside ipyum and processes subscriber information when you subscribe
Members of the ipyum team who need it to perform their work
Squarespace, which hosts our website and processes website forms and technical information
Our email and communication providers
WhatsApp and its service providers
Airbnb, Booking.com and other booking platforms
Payment providers and financial institutions
Boat operators, guides and other providers involved in transfers, tours or guest services
Accountants, insurers and professional advisers
Government, regulatory, law-enforcement or emergency authorities when required or reasonably necessary
We share only the information reasonably required for the relevant purpose.
Third-party booking and communication services also operate under their own privacy policies.
5. International data processing
ipyum operates in Indonesia, but some of the services we use operate internationally or store information in other countries.
Personal information may therefore be processed outside Indonesia or outside your country of residence by providers such as ipyum Carl Shepherd, Squarespace, email services, WhatsApp and booking platforms.
We take reasonable steps to use established service providers with appropriate privacy and security protections. Their handling of information is also governed by their respective privacy policies and applicable laws.
6. Storage and retention
Personal information may be stored in our Squarespace account, email, WhatsApp, booking-platform accounts and internal business records.
Access is limited to team members and service providers who reasonably need the information to perform their work.
We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:
Manage an enquiry, booking or guest relationship
Provide requested services
Resolve questions, complaints or disputes
Maintain legally required financial and business records
Meet regulatory, safety or insurance requirements
Information that is no longer required is deleted or anonymised where reasonably practical. Identification documents and other sensitive information are deleted when they are no longer needed unless continued retention is required by law.
7. Your rights
Depending on the laws that apply to you, you may ask us to:
Confirm whether we hold personal information about you
Provide access to information we hold
Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Delete information that is no longer required
Restrict or object to certain uses of your information
Provide certain information in a portable form
Stop sending marketing communications
Withdraw consent where our use of information depends on consent
These rights may be limited where information must be retained for legal, accounting, safety or legitimate business purposes.
We may request reasonable information to verify your identity before completing a request. We will respond within the period required by applicable law.
8. Cookies and analytics
Our website is hosted by Squarespace, which may use cookies and similar technologies necessary for the website to operate securely and correctly.
Squarespace may also provide analytics and performance functions that help website owners understand how visitors use their sites. ipyum does not intentionally use advertising cookies or marketing pixels at present.
You can restrict or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling necessary cookies may affect some website functions.
If we introduce optional analytics, advertising or other non-essential cookies, we will update this policy and provide appropriate notice and controls where required.
9. Security
We use reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.
These measures include limiting access to people who need the information, using established service providers and removing sensitive information when it is no longer required.
However, no website, communication service or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Please take care when sending personal or sensitive information through email, WhatsApp or other online services.
10. Privacy Contact
Questions about this policy or requests concerning your personal information can be sent to:
Email:hello@ipyum.id
WhatsApp:+62 851 7524 7986
Please include enough information for us to understand and respond to your request.