Salt Boutique Guest House - Adults Only

We ended up leaving early because the conditions were unacceptable. The place was extremely dirty, and when we called, the staff were rude. There weren’t any owners on site at any point, and everything was handled online through a completely unhelpful call center. The worst guesthouse I’ve ever stayed at. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

I left at 7am even though I’d paid for two nights. They’d said breakfast would be served then, but nobody was around, just dirty plates left from the party the night before. The other guests had music blaring until 3:30am, and my messages to the owner at 9:30pm and 3am got no response. This was the worst night ever. I’d booked two nights through booking.com and got one of the larger rooms at the back, away from the kitchen and lobby. The sheets were stained and sticky, and the local manager took pictures and confirmed it. They couldn’t change the sheets, so I agreed to move rooms. The next room had clean sheets, but a bathroom as small as a renault twingo and a door straight onto the shared kitchen area. Booking.com is trying to contact them, but apparently nobody is available to comment. Avoid this place.

I really enjoyed my stay. The staff were friendly, and the area was nice. I just didn’t understand the cleaning costs after checkout.

I’m still trying to get back the R7332.28 I paid. I’ve spoken with Thembeka, Melissa, and another woman, but haven’t sorted it out, while SMSes and emails keep arriving to ask how my stay was. I booked through Booking.com for business travel and, before paying, made clear that safe parking and WI FI were essential because I had very expensive equipment with me. The confirmation screenshot showed parking and Wi Fi, so I paid. When I arrived, I was told to park on the street. I showed the confirmation and asked about any alternative, but the person there said he only received guests and couldn’t help. He gave me a screenshot with an agent’s number. I tried for about 20 minutes, but it went to voicemail the whole time. I said I wouldn’t stay because confirming parking and then not providing it seemed like a scam. It took the rest of the afternoon to find somewhere to stay, and I’ve been trying to resolve this since. Booking.com says it’s a “Liability Limitation” agent: they take the money and their share, pay the service provider, then step back. They also say there’s “No Privity of Contract,” meaning the guest’s direct contract with the platform is only for the booking service, not the service itself. Is this whole setup just a way to get guests to pay and then leave them on their own?