Karoo 1 Hotel Village

My wife and I had a fantastic, relaxing stay at Karoo1. Both pools were clean, and the water was perfect for a morning or evening swim. The venue was lovely, and breakfast and dinner were exceptional. We hadn’t realized they had so much for kids: an outdoor movie at night with popcorn and candy, a soccer pitch, table tennis, a pool table, and plenty of other activities. Next time we’re looking forward to bringing our kids and spending time there together.

It felt like a sinking ship. Maybe this place once had a good idea behind it, but now it seems to be on its last legs. They were understaffed, staff didn’t seem supervised, and the kitchen and food were terrible. The whole place was worn down, like an amusement park that had closed years ago. Honestly, it was a sad experience and left a bad taste.

The wide Karoo sky and peaceful setting were lovely, and the service was friendly. I enjoyed the great bar and especially the Bootleggers coffee. There’s good hiking and quad biking to fossil kop, with amazing views. Hope to come back soon.

We had a lovely time with family until the last day. At lunch, four of us ordered toasties at the only restaurant. After waiting an hour and a half, we asked where they were. The restaurant manager apologized and said the chef had a family emergency and the food would come as soon as possible. We still waited another 45 minutes. That evening, seven of us ordered various meals. Most arrived in decent time, but two pizzas were missing. The waiter had read the order back to us, so we knew he hadn’t missed them. We told him when the rest of the food arrived; he spoke to the chef, then came back to say the pizzas were on the way. An hour later, while clearing the others’ plates, he still had no pizzas for us. He checked with the chef again and said the manager would speak to us. It took another 20 minutes for the manager to come out. He again mentioned the chef’s family emergency, then blamed the waiter and said the order hadn’t been put in. We knew that wasn’t true: the waiter had confirmed three times that the pizzas were coming, and we saw him speak directly to the chef each time. By then we’d waited at least two hours, and the manager couldn’t say how long they’d take. He started shouting that we were unsympathetic. Losing one chef at a hotel with no other food options shouldn’t leave customers hungry. He stormed off, saying he knew best because he’d worked in five-star restaurants, without telling us whether we’d get the pizzas. In the end, we settled with the waiter for what we did receive and left disappointed and hungry, with nowhere else to eat. I wouldn’t recommend the place. I hope the owner sees this and learns how bad the managers are.