Veranda House

The room was dirty beyond the surface, with spider webs throughout and a bathtub occupied by spiders, so it was unusable. The bed's scatter cushions made us itch and had tiny spiders in them too. We booked a couples massage, but there was only one table and one therapist, and the hot stone massage we booked never happened. Nobody explained why, and by then asking felt pointless. Before we even got into the room, check-in took over an hour despite our online pre-check-in, with no clear explanation or apology. It had taken seven days of repeated follow-ups and calls to Alan just to get the booking confirmed. The man who finally helped us looked untidy, like he'd just been gardening. While we waited, another guest handed back his key and left, saying he wouldn't share a room with lizards. The response was just, “Cancel with ….com”. Staff argued outside our door because of poor coordination. There were no uniforms, name tags, or visible management oversight, just chaos. Before checkout time, people repeatedly banged on our door with “romantic setup” arrangements, which was disruptive and uncomfortable. The whole stay was stressful, unhygienic, and deeply disappointing, far from what you'd expect from somewhere presenting itself as comfortable, relaxing, or romantic.

The host was hostile. He tried to move checkout 10 hours earlier than the time in my booking, then swore at me over the phone, threatened to call the police, and called me a squatter to force me off the property. I contacted BnB support, and they vindicated me, but neither the host nor staff apologized for the harassment and inconvenience. When I checked in, there was a couple in the room I'd originally booked, and they gave the host a 1/10 rating for various reasons. It feels borderline like a scam to me. There seems to be a pattern of overbooking, maintenance is needed, and pest control should deal with the cockroaches. Definitely don't recommend.

When my friend asked for the location details on Friday, she was ignored. After she called again, she was told the booking had been cancelled for “late payment,” with no accountability. That made no sense: the correct quotation had only arrived late the day before, after we chased repeatedly, and she paid as soon as it came through. We started the booking on Tuesday and asked for an amended quote, but communication was very slow and inefficient. She also requested photos of the property several times, and never received them. During the conversation about the cancellation, the person on the phone repeatedly hung up. I helped my friend with this guest house booking, and the whole process was frustrating and disappointing. The service was disorganised, communication was extremely poor, and there was no professionalism or accountability. I'd strongly caution others against booking here.

The outdoor bathtubs, walk-in shower, and pool area were lovely, and the place itself is beautiful. Alan was a great host. They offer spa services, with a full body massage for R450. I loved my stay and will definitely be back. Highly recommended.