Pretoria House

Vincent was a welcoming and helpful host, so the stars are for him. The room, though, had cockroaches and hadn't been cleaned properly. We couldn't bring ourselves to eat the free breakfast. The shower was small and the water cold, which made the stay terrible.

The pool was green and unusable, and the place didn't feel looked after. I found only one sanitizer bottle, hidden in a cupboard. Guests ate breakfast together without social distancing, and the table wasn't sanitized after people left, which felt shocking with Covid-19 so widespread. There was sewage water spilling across the entrance area from the ground floor, leaving a bad smell and lots of mosquitoes. The owner didn't even apologize. Across from the house, a large construction site brought truck noise, fumes, and machines beeping from early morning until evening. The garden was hard to use and the windows couldn't be opened; when the site was quiet, the main road still brought noise and pollution. We stayed two nights, and the atmosphere inside was frightening. The owner's girlfriend either ignored people or ran through the house screaming. She treated the staff terribly, and she and the owner fought in the house and garden. I was scared and spoke to another renter, who said serious domestic violence, including physical fights and screaming, happened constantly and made things unsafe for guests. I only later read Mark Smit's review and saw that this may be a recurring situation. This was deeply uncomfortable and scary. I absolutely wouldn't recommend staying here. The place isn't worth the money.

We had a great time overall. It was quiet, the bed was comfortable, the kitchen was okay, and the toilet was in good shape. Thanks to the cleaners for being kind and caring, and to Estelle, Jackie, and the other people who manage Pretoria House. The TV and network were the main problem: whenever we wanted to watch something like Netflix, the connection caused trouble. Please find a way to fix both. Also, it'd be helpful to have a place to wash cars, since sometimes we don't know where else to go.

Cathrine and Vincent are amazing staff and work very long hours. That can't be legal. Vincent seems to do everything: building, painting, electrical and plumbing work, pool care, gardening, cleaning, waiting tables, shopping, washing machine repairs, and general handyman jobs. I often heard Chris shout at him for no reason. Labour lawyers, please take note. The advertised private en-suite room with use of the main kitchen wasn't what I got. Chris chased everyone out of the kitchen and provided one small single-plate stove and a mini microwave for guests from all 9 rooms to use at the braai area, which has no wash-up area. The mini fridge promised when I moved in, and again after I was refused kitchen access, never arrived. The advertised coffee bar also wasn't available to guests. Chris wouldn't let anyone use his coffee machine. When I explained that an espresso machine measures water rather than time, and that a finer grind would just take longer and taste different, he argued that he was German and always right. I bought my own machine and grinder. Security was advertised as 24-hour and the highest level, but seemed to consist of Vincent. My room looked straight at the main entrance, and the gate often stuck open after someone closed it. I had to shut it myself several times. Chris knew about the issue but nothing was done. The inside parking bays weren't secure either, and the gate mechanism needs proper attention. The pool was green more often than clear during Dec & Jan. I suggested using enough chlorine and giving the water time to pass through a properly back-washed filter, but Chris said he knew what he was doing. The non-functional fountain outside the braai area was a mosquito breeding spot. I suggested adding half a teaspoon of chlorine every 2nd day, but that never happened, so the mozzies made the area unpleasant. The rooms get extremely hot. The small, cheap fans don't cool them, and mine seized up after a few days, so I used my own. There is a generator, but it didn't run once during my 2 & a half months there. It needs to be started to power the rooms during load shedding. And if you can't stand petrol fumes, don't mention a generator for load shedding at check-in. On average, one in every three showers had no pressure, leaving me with just a trickle. The supposed purified mineral water was borehole water boiled for a few seconds in a large pot, cooled without membrane, charcoal, or any other filtration, then poured into glass bottles.