Fraai Uitzicht 1798

My wife, our two kids in their 30s and I stayed at the Fraai Uitzicht cottages. They were clean and pleasant, with a lovely atmosphere, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The wines are top notch. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner there, and the fine dining tasted amazing, with flavours I'd compare to Ethiopia and top restaurants in Cape Town. The place feels homely and cottage-like, but also gave us the feeling of being somewhere in Europe. Highly recommend.

For our anniversary, I chose this restaurant hoping for a great view. Instead, we watched the manager, a man with a German accent, having a verbal altercation with a staff member right in front of us. He was drinking red wine straight from the bottle while it happened. It was upsetting to see as a fellow human being, and deeply unprofessional from someone in authority in front of customers. We cancelled our order and left. I couldn't sit through an anniversary lunch pretending everything was lovely while that was going on. I hope this review helps management respond appropriately.

The food tasted good, although the meat I asked to have cooked medium came out close to well done. My phone camera made it look much pinker in the attached photos than it really was. The trouble started with the rest of the experience, and checkout the next day brought the biggest shock: R2700 for a two-course dinner. Beef fillet was R400 and a bottle of water R40. The prices felt wildly high. We stayed one night during a layover and were very disappointed. Many of the other reviews seem to be about the restaurant rather than the hotel. The rooms were old and not what I'd expect from a luxury hotel. The bathrooms had been renovated, but still didn't meet the luxury standard I'd expect for such an extreme price. Our sheets were dirty when we arrived, and the air conditioner leaked a puddle onto the floor. Staff replaced the bedding after we told them, but said the leak was normal and we should put a rug under it. The owner later apologised and compensated us with a bottle of wine. Wi-Fi came as redeemable coupons, two per person for one day, with a 500 MB limit. At a luxury hotel, that felt greedy. There was a small pool with cloudy water and a few chairs. Calling the vineyard a vineyard would be an overstatement: it was just a few short rows, and the walking route took about 5-10 minutes. We weren't given a menu because, apparently, they forgot to print it. The waiter read out a few options from a piece of paper, and we had to choose on the spot without knowing the prices. If you stay here, I think you'll be dissatisfied. The rooms and food are heavily overpriced, the owner seems really greedy, and the service was mediocre at best. We won't be back.

The place has a cosy feel and a distinctive setting, and the food was good, though definitely too expensive. We paid R40 for 500 ml of sparkling water without having seen its price beforehand. We ordered three courses. Some were enjoyable, while others could use improvement. For what it costs, the meal is fine dining, but the food needs an update to compete with restaurants in the same price range.