The Glen Apartments

The daytime staff deserve five stars. The facility manager and security guards were superb, really nice and helpful. The complex also has guards all day and night, which felt reassuring. Check-in and communication with the landlord went smoothly. We arrived around 3:30 PM, though it might be more stressful at night since there’s no staff on site since Covid and a real estate agent has to come with the keys. The apartment was in worse shape than the photos suggested, clearly well used and not renovated much in recent years. It was clean enough when we arrived, but plenty of tucked-away spots were dusty. The kitchen sink sometimes smelled bad. The biggest problem was the wifi: the complex has no generator, and the router has no battery, so wifi went completely down during every power cut. In Capetown, those happen 1-2 times a day for two hours. This should have been mentioned in advance, especially now. The apartment is in a complex with about 30 other units, rented to tourists by different agencies. Ours was called propr, and other agencies might put more focus on guests. The stay wasn’t great value, and we’d suggest somewhere else in Capetown / Camps Bay, particularly for remote work. We booked at short notice and didn’t have much choice, but the existing reviews turned out to reflect the experience pretty well.

We felt safe the whole time, and the staff were very helpful. The apartment was so spacious and lovely that we didn’t want to leave. We spent a few hours at the pool, explored Capetown, went to the beach, and became regulars at @cafe caprice, which we’d happily recommend. One thing to know, free wi-fi is only available at reception.

It’s freezing in this three-bedroom apartment, where I’m staying with my whole family. It was 9 degrees Celsius outside and probably colder indoors, and the air cons aren’t heating. We asked this morning to have the empty gas canister replaced so we could use the electric fire. Last night, staff at the Camps Bay Retreat assured me they’d tell Ashraf at reception, and we reminded him again this morning. At this point I’m no longer feeling understanding. No one seems able to help, and the service is unacceptable for such a beautiful place.

The apartment was luxurious and clean, in a nice location about 10 minutes from the beach. The person at the desk was very friendly and helpful. We couldn’t use the swimming pool, and no one had told us that beforehand. Breakfast wasn’t available.