Clarens on Collett

The garden views are lovely, though that's nothing unusual for the area, and the Wi-Fi worked well. The rest was disappointing. The place must once have been prestigious, but now it feels shabby and grubby. The bedroom carpet was full of bits left by previous guests and badly needs cleaning or a proper vacuum. The lounge sofas didn't invite us to sit down, and cold water barely came through some sinks. The kitchen tap ran brown. We only noticed after a while, then asked the owner and were told Clarens water isn't potable. I wish we'd been told when we arrived, especially since water elsewhere in town was clear. The website listed R2400 a night, but when I called, I was quoted R2850. We didn't pay either amount. It wasn't worth either price, so if you still want to go, negotiate a lower one.

The location is on the edge of town, overlooking the Kasi, and the place didn't feel suited to a popular weekend getaway. It was not child-friendly at all. The beds made for a terrible night's sleep. Mine sagged to the right and felt like I was falling off all night; the other rooms weren't much better, and the bunk beds were wobbly. The tin roof has no insulation between it and the ceiling, so the room gets very hot during the day. Wi-Fi was available but extremely slow, especially with more than one person using it. The rooms were dirty, with cobwebs in every corner and dust on the windowsills and microwave. Upkeep seems to have been neglected for years, and the damaged blinds didn't work well. Self-catering was a stretch too, with old pots and pans and only a bread knife that was sharp enough to use. We were given half a toilet roll, fortunately we'd brought our own. The toilet only locks from outside, so you have to call when you're done. Showering flooded the floor, and the bath mat was so soaked we had to put it outside. I'd skip this one.

Clean and comfortable place, and an easy walk into town.

The rooms were in good shape and had what we needed, and everyone was really friendly. Service was very good, and it made for a nice few-day getaway.