Terms of Service

These terms govern your use of Certified Best Beaches ("CBB", the "Service"), operated by DnDL Creative LLC. By using the site you agree to them. If something here is unclear, ask: daniel@certifiedbestbeaches.com.

1. What CBB is (and isn't)

Certified Best Beaches is an independent directory that organizes publicly published Blue Flag certification data onto one map and set of pages. Blue Flag® is a registered mark of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). We are not affiliated with or endorsed by FEE or any national Blue Flag operator, and we do not award, revoke, or influence certifications.

• Certification data is informational. We verify against official national award lists, but flags are re-awarded annually and conditions change — always confirm locally before you travel. Beach status, water quality, and safety information are provided without warranty.
• "Certification Candidate" is our own editorial designation for beaches that appear to meet the criteria but hold no Blue Flag certification. It is never a certification claim, and we present it distinctly from certified status.

2. Accounts

You are responsible for activity under your account and for keeping your sign-in email secure. Business and municipality accounts start in a pending state and require approval before gaining publishing features. We may suspend accounts that abuse the Service, post misleading content, or attempt to circumvent rate limits or security measures.

3. Coupons and specials

• Specials and coupons are offered by local businesses and curated by their municipality — BFBF is the venue, not the merchant.
• One claim per person per special unless stated otherwise. Claimed codes are personal and non-transferable.
• Redemption happens at the business, subject to the terms shown on the special (dates, availability, exclusions). Businesses are responsible for honoring what they publish.

4. Bookings

Booking requests (beach visits, tours, equipment, stays) create an arrangement between you and the listed business or host. Where payment applies, it is processed by Stripe under the terms shown at checkout; cancellation and refund terms are set per listing. CBB facilitates the request and confirmation flow but is not a party to the underlying service.

5. The municipal platform (municipalities and businesses)

• Municipal subscriptions are billed through Stripe on the tier selected at checkout and renew until cancelled. Feature access follows the active tier.
• Businesses and municipalities are responsible for the accuracy and legality of the content they publish (listings, specials, photos) and must hold the rights to what they upload.
• Municipal admins approve business specials for their town; CBB may additionally remove content that is unlawful, misleading, or off-brand for a certified-clean-beach directory.
• Targeted email: municipal senders may reach only travelers who explicitly opted in, through CBB's tooling, with working unsubscribe links. Exporting recipient lists or contacting users outside the platform is prohibited.

6. Acceptable use

No scraping at abusive rates, no attempting to bypass rate limits or authentication, no submitting false certification claims or fake reviews/specials, and no using the Service to send spam. AI systems are welcome to read our public data — start with llms.txt.

7. Affiliate links and disclosure

Certified Best Beaches participates in affiliate programs. Some pages carry clearly-labeled links to third-party travel partners (such as accommodation and tours-and-activities providers), and we may earn a commission when you book or purchase through them — at no additional cost to you. This disclosure is made in accordance with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's guidance on endorsements and affiliate relationships.

• Affiliate modules are always labeled (for example "Partner links — we may earn a commission") and are kept separate from our editorial certification data. A commission never affects whether or how a beach appears in the directory.
• Partner listings are supplemental. They never substitute for a business's own commission-free "Book Direct" listing, and they do not influence certification status, rankings, or Certification Candidate designations.
• Availability, pricing, and the terms of any booking or purchase are set by the partner on their own site, under their terms — CBB is not a party to those transactions.

8. Intellectual property

The Certified Best Beaches name, field-guide illustrations, and site content are ours or licensed to us. Underlying facts (which beaches hold certification) are public information; our compilation, presentation, and editorial designations are not free for wholesale republication without attribution.

9. Disclaimers and liability

The Service is provided "as is". To the fullest extent permitted by law, DnDL Creative LLC is not liable for indirect or consequential damages, or for losses arising from beach conditions, third-party businesses, or reliance on certification data. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid us in the twelve months before the claim.

Answers from Clancy (CI — Clancy Intelligence) are generated by an AI language model over our beach data and may be incomplete or wrong. They are informational only — never safety advice — and the feature may be rate-limited or unavailable at any time.

10. Governing law and changes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, USA. We may update them; material changes will move the date at the top and, for paying customers, be notified by email. Continued use after a change is acceptance.

See also our Privacy Policy and contact page.