The Old Orchard

The food was okay, though some dishes weren’t available because they didn’t have the ingredients. I paid a premium for a cabin on the lake, but there was no working Wi-Fi, and the porch area was badly kept. I don’t think the chairs had even been dusted. The bathroom was awful, with fungus on the shower floor. The place badly needs a revamp. There’s no air conditioning in the rooms, and the door was coming off its frame. It used to be a top notch place, but I doubt I’ll return.

I only went in for a meal, and it was lovely. The environment was cool, the staff were accommodating, and the food was delicious. Siyasanga is one of the best chefs around Kokstad, and she did her most.

There’s a great view of the lake and the area around the lodge. Hopefully, on my next visit to the Orchard, the rooms will have a built in Aircon Heater. My stay was okay, but the room had no built in heater. The heated blanket was there, though its plug connection caused problems. When the temperature dropped to -2 degrees, staff helpfully brought me a portable heater. I also had to ask to move rooms because the plug point in my first room wasn’t working.

There’s potential here, but management needs to step up. The location is okay and the staff were friendly, yet the rooms need a lot of work. Several plugs didn’t work, the shower tap was broken and came off, the TV cords couldn’t reach the plugs and there was no extension, and the bedding needs updating. The electricity was also out for 4 hours. These rooms aren’t value for money. Looking at older reviews, it seems these issues have been mentioned by guests for a long time without being fixed.