Bella Casa Guesthouse

This feels like my second home whenever I’m in Johannesburg. If it’s fully booked, I keep calling every couple of hours to see whether there’s been a cancellation. Worth every penny, and the renovations have made it a wow.

The room I had was spacious and came with a heater, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The guesthouse is close to the malls and has stylish furniture. The WiFi was unreliable, though, and there was no plug for the bathtub, so I couldn’t use it.

The place is beautiful and peaceful, and I can see Bella Casa becoming one of the most beautiful, luxurious self-catering guest houses around. It’s being renovated now, but the renovation and maintenance really need to happen urgently before it becomes a no-go zone. I don’t want to say bad things about such a lovely place.

The building looked nice from outside, but the service and the room finishes were poor. I wouldn’t stay there again, even if I were paid to. Getting in was a mess from the start. The map pin took me to an entrance that’s no longer used, and I had to work out where to go. My Uber left me at the gate after we buzzed repeatedly with no answer. None of the establishment’s numbers rang when I called, so I was stuck there ringing the bell and hoping someone would come. When I was finally let in, there was nobody around. I had to shout until a caretaker heard me. He was also confused about where the manager was and why no one was there to help. He found a key and put me in the nearest room. There was no proper check-in or paperwork. The room had several things that didn’t work, and the whole place felt like a haunted mansion, with a “you might get kidnapped” kind of vibe. It was so eerily quiet, and I’d barely seen any staff, so I couldn’t relax and just wanted to leave in the morning. At checkout, there was still no staff in sight. I waited for someone to appear, and luckily a different caretaker did. He took my key without any checkout process. I asked him to help carry my suitcase to the gate so I could meet my Uber.