Flamingo Holiday Apartments

We drove from Johannesburg and had a very unpleasant experience at Flamingo holiday flats, especially in unit 10 booked on 05/10/2024. We had group bookings at the Bridge opposite, where some of our group had a great stay. They didn’t charge a R1000 fine for visiting one another there, and the hosts were welcoming. At Flamingo, the woman at reception said she was the manager and did as she wanted, while the unit owners weren’t reachable on weekends. The issue was a woman waiting for her boyfriend. There were three other colleagues checking in, and the receptionist insisted we take the waiting woman to a garage or restaurant, rather than let her sit on the couch with paying guests at 2 pm. She said this was illegal because the woman wasn’t staying overnight. When I asked whether she’d be comfortable alone at a fuel station in a town she didn’t know, she didn’t answer, just printed papers and said there were rules. We were told she would wait on the property, not sleep over. The receptionist later sent someone to check the guest count early in the morning. They found only the guests we’d said would sleep there, but she went back to the previous night and claimed there had been a breach because the woman had come inside and sat on the couch. At checkout she refused to return our refundable deposit, saying she’d fined us R1000 for that visit, and pressed the panic buttons to call security. Security arrived expecting that she was being attacked or robbed, but found us at reception asking for our refund, with no weapons. There were four Black people at the desk and one white woman who thought her life was at risk. ALPHA security witnessed the argument for 30 minutes. The receptionist said security would be her witness, but no refund was paid. Security didn’t agree with her methods. After we returned to Gauteng, the Bridge returned deposits, but Flamingo said there would be no refund. To get us off the property, we were asked to leave our banking details and told the money would be sent by EFT, since that’s how we’d paid. I’d stay away if you expect hospitality. Across the road, the Bridge apartments gave us the completely opposite experience.

The beds were very comfortable, and the price was good for what we needed. We arrived later than planned, when it was already dark, so I phoned the owner. She was friendly and explained where to park and how to find our apartment. I only really used it to shower and sleep, and the owner kept me updated about load shedding. Highly recommend. Thank you.

I’ve booked at Flamingo many times and always travelled with my kids, but this visit was awful. We’d booked a two-bedroom apartment, then my sister’s children joined us, making two adults and four kids, aged 4 to 11. We arrived after closing. An older woman whose name I don’t know came over in a bad mood, complained that the kids were noisy on the stairs while bringing in bags, and said I’d need to pay for them. I paid, asked for a bigger apartment, and she moved us to another one on the street behind. We swam until about 7:30 in the evening, then started braaing around 9. The kids were outside the whole time. Later we went in and went to sleep, as the girls had already fallen asleep outside. In the morning I got the younger kids, who’d slept in the bedroom near us. At 9:30 we decided to go to the shops, but the same woman messaged urgently asking for the keys because someone else was checking in. She said checkout was at 10. I asked why she was rushing us at 9:30, but we went to hand over the keys. Two days later she messaged to say my kids had torn curtains in a bedroom and the lounge, and sent a photo of badly torn curtain fabric. I said that couldn’t be right. The children who slept in the room were 4 and 7, and they’d been asleep while we were outside. My husband had opened the lounge door, and there was no torn curtain. I also said the kids would have told me if they’d done that. She kept messaging that my kids were undisciplined and that she was disgusted. She said she’d watched us on cameras and in the apartment. I asked why she only told me on Tuesday and why no photos were taken on Sunday. She said they had no [link removed], and they kept my deposit. Her messages were personal and unprofessional, and it felt like she hated kids and kept attacking them. I have all of this on my phone. I’ll never book at Flamingo again. She has no respect or professionalism, and the place is meant to be kid friendly. She kept my deposit over something I know didn’t happen. If you’re a person of colour, I wouldn’t recommend it. Flamingo isn’t the same anymore.

They’re little homes where you can relax, close to all the shops along the strip. The apartments are dated, but that’s part of the charm, and the price makes it easier to stay longer and make memories. The staff are awesome, and the pool is a treat.