House On Plein

I was there for about 20 days and have fond memories of the stay. The location was charming, quiet yet central in Paarl, and I was very happy with the service and the house. The owner was always friendly and attentive.

We were a family group of 10 and had to attend a wedding at 15:00. Six of us were only arriving from Johannesburg on Saturday morning, so we asked to check in early. We got there at 12:30 and all five rooms we'd booked were ready. What excellent service! Reception was friendly, parking was safe, the sheets and towels were crisp and clean, and we all had a good night's rest after the wedding. Well done, House on Plein!

I expected a much calmer stay, regardless of how cheap the room was. Another guest, who was drunk and clearly a permanent resident, got into a domestic dispute with the manager, who ended up yelling throughout the house. It went on for an hour, with the two permanent residents and the manager shouting at each other until the police arrived. During all this, I was yelled at, called obscenities and racial slurs, and smacked by the drunk resident's lady-friend. I shouldn't have to settle drunken brawls between guests and managers who openly acknowledge this happens all the time. The place itself is honestly lovely, but this was not at all what I expected.

This place is gross, at best a backpackers. My wife's pillow and my blankets weren't clean, and the shared bathroom was disgusting. Don't stay here, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I don't know how they managed to get any stars.