The Rand Lodge

For the price, I expected a low-budget room, but Room 9 had far too many problems. The toilet kept running unless I manually shut off the water. There were coffee sachets and sugar but no spoon, one dirty glass for a room meant for two, and two useless mugs. The shower sprayed water everywhere. The furniture was very old, the walls were ugly and covered in cheap paint, there were lots of spiders, and the ceiling was dirty. I asked for two bath towels and got two white things I could barely call towels, the sort I'd use to wash my car. The braai area looked like a dirty picnic spot, and parking was a hassle. To leave, you had to wake up the whole lodge to move their cars. I read reviews from 3-4 months ago saying things would improve, yeah right. Reception was awful, not friendly, and only somewhat helpful. The website's glamorous pictures are deceptive. This establishment isn't worth a cent and should close down. I would not recommend it, even for R495 for 1 night.

I didn't feel safe here and barely slept. The room had an unpleasant smell, and I could smell mould and see water damage in the bathroom. The basin looked ready to fall, the door was too small and wouldn't open properly, and the broken handle was almost coming off. The bathroom felt dangerous: I slipped a couple of times in the shower, there were no floor or rubber mats, and the bath edges were sharp with no rounding. The sheets were dirty, and the place isn't wheelchair friendly at all. It needs a lot of work. We won't be back.

The room was really hot, and there were lots of spiders. I was told there was air-conditioning, but the room I stayed in didn't have any. The place is neat, though it needs a lot of work to freshen it up.

In room 2, my fiancée and I were given two single beds pushed together, and we both woke up sore. We were there on 11 September 2021, and the stay was a big disappointment. The pool and braai area were dirty, and I had to ask one of the workers to wipe down the chairs. The furniture was old, the paint looked very dated, and the whole place was dirty and seemed poorly cared for by the owners.