Shelly Beach Lodge

I checked in 03/11/2020 and departed 04/11/2020. I won't come back. I paid R900 for accommodation including breakfast, and the way I was treated left me feeling judged because of my race. Management should make sure all customers are treated equally and retrain staff to handle first-time guests properly. When I arrived with my colleague, the woman walked past me and greeted my colleague first. I don't know if it was because I was Black, but I felt undermined. She asked my name inside and assigned me room 6. I wasn't happy, and when she saw my expression she offered room 7, which was better. My colleague was in room 5, I believe, with a king bed and couches, while I had a smaller room, even though we paid the same fee. Maintenance was going on. I asked for an iron and ironing board while getting my bags from the car, and she said she'd bring them later and asked me to wait while the work continued. A few minutes after I went into my room, one of the maintenance men walked in without knocking or apologizing, then walked out. This happened four times, about every 2-3 minutes. After 8pm I asked for the iron again, since she'd said the ironing board was in the room where she'd bring it, but it never came all night. The WiFi wasn't working either. At 7am I waited in my room for someone to tell me about breakfast or where to go, but nobody came. At 7:30 I went to the office and knocked several times before they opened. I told a different darkish lady I was ready for breakfast and was in room 7. She said okay, so I went back to my room and waited until 8am. As I was taking my things to the car, I saw a breakfast nest corner. I asked why no one had told me about it, since it was my first stay and I should have been shown around. The woman defensively said the kitchen lady had told me. I said if she had, why did I go back to my room, and why didn't anyone check when time passed to see if I was still coming? In the end, my breakfast was packed in a foam container. I wasn't offered juice or given my choice of fruit salad, even though breakfast was included in the R900 fee.

We only stayed a short time, but the hospitality was very good. Joshua and his friendly staff gave us a warm welcome, and the breakfast in the morning was superb. Thank you.

The rooms are just in an old house, nothing special, and way overpriced for their quality. The staff don't seem well trained either. I waited nearly 30min at the gate at midnight before the lady finally opened it. Breakfast wasn't great, and the fruit salad was pretty bland. Not worth the money.

My son and his new wife ended up arriving a day early because their holiday-place booking was wrong, so we had to find them somewhere to stay for the night in a hurry. The staff at Shelley beach lodge really went the extra mile. They even called my son to check when he'd arrive, and made the room feel extra special despite it not being the honeymoon suite. They made the first night of their honeymoon unforgettable. I'd recommend them anytime!