LightStone Guesthouse

The place was well kept, with comfortable rooms and more privacy than we expected. It had been advertised as one large room for up to five people, but turned out to be two big bedrooms. It’s just off the main road, which made it easy to get to the place where we were exhibiting.

We booked through Booking.com without much trouble and stayed for a week on a business trip. The staff were friendly and accommodating, and the owner was pleasant. It’s in a beautiful, very safe neighborhood. We extended our stay and that went smoothly too. During loadshedding, staff brought us emergency lighting and went out of their way to help whenever we needed it. Room service was good, with coffee, tea, sugar, and creamer topped up every day.

The rooms were nice and clean. A special thanks to the staff, who were so helpful and friendly.

We arrived on December 31 at about 13:00 after travelling all the way from Gqeberha. We were excited to see our two-month-old grandchild. A friendly gentleman showed us to our rooms, and we unpacked, hoping to rest before going out. We couldn’t find an aircon remote, so my son brought his from his room and tried it in ours. Within minutes, the power tripped throughout the guesthouse. The gentleman told my husband, who went to ask what was wrong, that we couldn’t use the aircon and had to use the fan. We asked politely to move rooms, but he said he’d need to call the owner. She said there were no other rooms and we could use the fan or go to another guesthouse. We agreed to stay, but then she said an aircon wasn’t guaranteed in the booking. On the phone she became offensive and rude, called us drunk and rude, and said we were upsetting other guests, though there weren’t any. She told us to leave and threatened to press the panic button for armed response. They came but couldn’t understand what was happening, since we weren’t drunk or rude. The owner kept insisting we leave and cancel the booking, which we had paid for in full for four nights. I called her, and her husband answered, saying she wasn’t available and would call back. He later phoned and told us to get off his property or security would remove us. I was forced to cancel and received no refund. I hope this doesn’t happen to other guests, which is why I’m posting.