Privacy Policy

Who We Are

Blue Zone Vacations, LLC ("Blue Zone Vacations," "we," "us," or "our") operates the websites blue-zone-vacations.com, bluezonevacations.net, bluezonevacations.org, and experiencethebluezone.com, and manages vacation rental properties in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We are a small, owner-operated business and we treat your information with the same care we put into our properties.

What We Collect

We only collect information that's necessary to provide you with a great stay.

Information you provide directly

• Booking details — name, email, phone number, and mailing address when you make a reservation
• Payment information — processed securely through Stripe. We never see nor store your payment information.
• Communications — messages you send us through our contact form or email
• Guest count — the number of guests in your party, as required for property compliance

Information collected automatically

• Usage data — pages visited, time on site, and general browsing patterns via Google Analytics
• Device information — browser type, operating system, and screen size
• IP address — used for security and fraud prevention

How We Use Your Information

• Process and manage your reservation
• Send booking confirmations, check-in instructions, and stay-related communications
• Process payments and refunds
• Provide smart lock access codes for your stay
• Respond to your questions and support requests
• Improve our website and guest experience
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. Period.

Third-Party Services

We use a small number of trusted services to run our business. None of these services receive personal guest information beyond what is strictly necessary for their function.

Each of these services has their own privacy policy. We encourage you to review them if you'd like more detail.

Cookies

Our website uses a small number of cookies:

• Essential cookies — required for the site to function (session management, CSRF protection)
• Analytics cookies — Google Analytics uses cookies to understand how visitors use our site. This data is aggregated and anonymous.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time. The site will still work, though some features may be limited.

How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain reservation and payment records for 7 years to comply with tax and accounting requirements. Contact form messages are kept for up to 2 years. Analytics data is retained according to Google Analytics' default settings.

If you'd like us to delete your personal information sooner, just ask. We'll accommodate your request unless we're legally required to retain it.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Correct any inaccurate information
• Delete your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Opt out of marketing communications at any time

To exercise any of these rights, email us at Steve@blue-zone-vacations.com. We'll respond within 30 days.

How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information, including:

• SSL/TLS encryption on all pages (HTTPS)
• HSTS headers to prevent downgrade attacks
• Payment processing handled entirely by Stripe (PCI-compliant)
• Database credentials stored in AWS Secrets Manager
• Rate limiting on sensitive endpoints

No system is 100% secure. If you ever suspect unauthorized access to your account or information, please contact us immediately.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically.