Sunny Lodge

I didn't stay after seeing people in the hallway outside the rooms taking substances they shouldn't have been taking. They refused to give me a refund. This didn't feel child-friendly, and the shared bathrooms are communal, which would have made me far too uncomfortable to use. I'd keep looking for somewhere decent and safe to stay.

The shared bathroom was disgusting. Every time I used the toilet, I had to flush someone else's mess. The shower had barely any pressure, a broken head and handles that hardly worked. The room smelled as if it had been cleaned with a dirty mop, and we kept the windows open in the cold just so we could breathe. There was no air conditioning. The towels were old, and the curtains had patches. This was supposed to be a special four-night trip to relax and spoil my pregnant girlfriend in Pretoria. Instead, Sunny Lodge made it a nightmare. I've stayed in plenty of B&Bs, hotels and guesthouses in Pretoria, and this was easily my worst experience. We left after two nights because the conditions were unbearable and we needed peace of mind for my girlfriend's well-being. We hadn't been told that the first and second floors were student accommodation. Our room was on the third floor, with no elevator or help, so my pregnant girlfriend had to go up and down several times, even when we needed assistance with the room. The room had no microwave, kettle, cups, cutlery or anything else, just an old fridge and a broken wardrobe. We had to use the shared student kitchen, which hadn't been mentioned when booking and felt like a downgrade. The light bulb was out when we arrived. I went up and down to report it, and it was replaced, but stopped working again after a few minutes. We were moved to another room, but its mattress was completely sunken and broken, so we couldn't sleep. We had to return to the first room just to have somewhere to lie down. The staff seemed untrained and unsure of their duties. Requests were met with confusion, and no one seemed to be in charge or able to help properly. The building clearly needs major repairs, upgrades and proper cleaning standards. It felt obvious that management doesn't maintain or care for the property. I wouldn't recommend Sunny Lodge. We left early because it was that bad, and we'll never return. If comfort, safety and basic hospitality matter to you, avoid this place completely.

A nice place, really. The service was wonderful, and security was great. There's a smart TV, a fridge and a double bed. I'd recommend it.

Never again. There was noise from the flats or whatever's behind the place, from the bar across the street, and from people staying at the lodge having loud domestic arguments at 02:00 on a Sunday morning. The WiFi and TV didn't work. There was no 2 point plug or toilet paper, and hot water was nonexistent. The parking area is tiny, and the place smelled like a sewer. I had to play cleaner, flushing someone else's business and cleaning the toilet seat before I could even try to use it. The mattresses were bloody terrible, broken and not fit to sleep on. They should throw them away, they'd be more useful at the dump. We paid an extra R250 for a single bed to have a family room, and couldn't even call the bed a bed. They should take "lodge" off the name and remove the business from bookings.com. It should be used as a dormitory, since the place seems to be in such bad shape. What are you guys doing? Get with the program and raise your standards. You're killing the business.