Hutten Heights Lodge by Ilawu

After more than five hours on the road, I arrived to find myself without a room, even though my company's travel unit had booked and confirmed it a week earlier. I had the booking number, the confirmation emails, and a purchase order and payment had been sent. Reception said they couldn't find my name and were fully booked. The two staff members there weren't helpful, and the phone signal was poor. The Wi-Fi they eventually gave me was worse, but I managed to show them the confirmations and call our travel coordinator, who confirmed everything had been sent. I mostly got shrugs in response. They tried calling several people, but nobody answered at first. Eventually someone said the booking had expired. I asked how that could be, since it was confirmed and paid for a week before. They put me on hold and never came back to me. I asked to use the toilet and was sent to a dark, filthy one. When I returned, there was still no answer or sign that anyone cared about sorting this out. I asked for a contact number because reception didn't seem to know what to do and no one else was around. The landline went unanswered. I then asked them to follow up with the person they'd reached earlier. That person answered, but I was put on hold again. I waited an hour without getting any help. Nobody apologized or offered to assist, even though it was after 7pm and I was stranded without accommodation. From the other reviews, it sounds like confirmed bookings going missing may be a recurring problem. There's a serious communication issue, and we'll be blacklisting the entire Ilawu group. I'd strongly advise against staying here.

The spa bath jets weren't working, which is why I'm giving it four stars. Apart from that, the place was clean, and the tea, coffee, and Wi-Fi were all good. The staff were helpful and the service was excellent.

The breakfast, especially the English breakfast, was really good, and I liked the lodge. The shower was warm and nice, though the room was hard to breathe in. My room was both dirty and clean, and the swimming pool was very cold.

We had 35 people in our huge family group, and Hutten heights had enough room for all of us. The rooms were spotlessly clean and had good air conditioning. The staff were smartly dressed, friendly, hardworking, and ready to help. I didn't hear anyone complain about their service. The lodge is on the outskirts of Newcastle, which is a great location if you enjoy music.