Balooga No. 36

The ocean views from the units stretch right across, and the place felt clean, well kept and reasonably private. Balooga has a calm, beautiful feel, right on the beach just off Margate’s main beach, with plenty of amenities nearby. The staff were some of the friendliest I’ve met, and Wayne at the gate was frequently on patrol and helped us feel secure and at ease. I’d come back, especially for the convenience and price. My main gripe was the distance from each unit to its allocated parking bay. There can also be loud music and partying on the beach, though that’s understandable and expected. If you’re visiting, I’d skip Margate beach and try nearby Ramsgate or the beach a few hundred metres down the road from Balooga, which are less crowded.

Balooga 15 has been my best holiday spot so far. The second floor gives it wonderful sea views, and the unit is neat, tidy and classy. A lovely place for a family stay.

We felt safe in the apartment, which was neat, tidy and very spacious. But our experience with Mr Mkhize, the Safety personnel, left us feeling unsafe. He was rude and insisted he had the right to open the door and enter, even after we said we weren’t dressed. We opened it, and he said we were showing him our underwear. We respect his job, but a man entering our space while we weren’t decently dressed made us worry about what could happen. He accused us of making noise, although we didn’t even have a speaker or radio. The people in the next room were playing loud music, but he didn’t say anything to them. .......

The apartment had nice views and was pleasant enough, but that was about it. There was no hot water at the bathroom basins, no cleaning service and no WiFi. The neighbors played music until 1 a.m., and there was nobody available to complain to. I definitely won’t visit again.