Lytton Crescent BnB

We were very disappointed and won’t stay here again or recommend this B&B. The room and bathroom have no windows, leaving the entrance as the only source of fresh air. The room smelled unpleasant when we arrived, and it wasn’t clean. The shower was filthy, and rooms are only cleaned if you ask. There’s nowhere to hang towels, and the bathroom has no toilet paper holder. We got only a bar of soap, no shampoo. The kettle cord couldn’t reach the plug. Breakfast was cold every day, the sausage didn’t taste like meat, and the toast was soggy. WiFi was terrible: we couldn’t get a signal in our room, and the speed was very slow.

Sorry, but I wouldn’t come back. The lights above the bed wouldn’t switch off, and the shower curtain sat too high, sending water across the whole bathroom floor. The bathroom window curtain was too short, so I had to hang a towel over it or you could see my buttocks through the window. You could also see past the lock into the room.

The breakfast was far below standard: two slices of toast, sometimes with butter and sometimes without, one sunny-side-up egg, a few lettuce leaves, one medium-rare sausage and a small portion of beans. Parking is limited, so guests have to ask others to move their cars when they need to leave. The WiFi was terrible and we couldn’t connect; DStv only showed SABC 1, and the TVs were tiny. The pool and outdoor furniture were dirty, and two indoor couches left outside were in awful shape. The B&B sits in someone’s yard, so you’re living alongside the owner and her family. Her son greeted us but seemed unsure how the place was run, and there’s no proper cleaning or cooking staff since the owner and family do it all in their house. The rooms are small and old-looking, more like a house than the B&B you’d expect. Ceilings, doors and walls were dirty, and some bathrooms and bedrooms had no windows for proper ventilation. Beds were hard, towels didn’t feel fresh or new, and you only get a very thin bar of soap. Appliances vary between rooms, with a fridge in one but not another, or a mirror in one but not another. It’s a mess. Furniture is old, broken and dirty, closet space is inadequate and awkwardly laid out, and the wardrobe smelled bad enough to make our clothes smell. There’s no AC, just a noisy big fan. Lighting is poor, and the system sometimes fails, leaving lights stuck on or unable to switch on. Bathrooms have no towel rail or toilet paper holder. The rooms smelled moldy, and on the first night there was a strong cigarette smell. The chairs are plastic ones usually used for outdoor events. I wouldn’t recommend this B&B to anyone. Avoid it at all costs.

It was a really bad experience all round, and booking through a travel website left a bad taste in my mouth. The B&B was disgusting, with extremely dirty rooms, and they wouldn’t offer a partial refund. Even a bucket of soap and water would make a big difference.