Thoko-Zani Beach House

The house is lovely and the location is beautiful, but it needs some work. The linen didn’t feel very clean, and the upstairs floorboards sounded unstable when people walked on them. We also had a power outage for about two hours, with just one candle to light the whole house. If these issues were fixed, it could be a 5/5 stay.

The house is pretty, but the bathrooms were awful and the property seemed poorly managed. We were warned that our deposit could be kept if towels were dirty or anything got damaged. Since we were ten women wearing makeup, we were too worried to use the towels, so we used our own and covered the pillowcases with towels to keep them clean. We were even afraid to use the dishes, so we bought paper cups and plates. A week after we left, our deposit still hadn’t been returned. When we called, the woman accused us of breaking two glasses, even though we counted them before leaving and knew they were all there. We’d even left one of our own glasses, so there was an extra. She also accused us of taking a plastic cloth. Two weeks have now passed and we still haven’t been refunded. The service was very poor and the facilities were horrible. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this place.

The house is beautifully decorated and spacious, but I was highly disappointed after looking forward to a great weekend away. It was poorly maintained: the bathrooms hadn’t been cleaned and smelled awful, and all the crockery and cutlery were dirty, so we had to wash everything before using it. There was no water or electricity, and the pool hadn’t been cleaned. It didn’t feel much like a holiday. I wouldn’t recommend the house for those reasons.

The pool area is lovely, and the house is beautifully decorated in the photos, but I was sadly disappointed with the getaway. We arrived to find there was no water, and a neighbour said it had already been out for four or five days. Nobody told us until we were due to arrive. There was a Jojo tank, but we had to use it so sparingly to make it last. Looking at other reviews, the water problem seems ongoing, and guests should be told beforehand. They kindly offered us another night for free, but with the water running low, that wasn’t an option for anyone in our group. Three rooms have no doors, so there was no privacy. Anyone using the shared bathroom could see straight onto the bed in one room. The linen appeared clean until we turned it over and found a blob of mud. We couldn’t sleep on it knowing it clearly hadn’t been washed in a long time. The neighboring room’s wooden floorboards were very noisy, so at least you’d hear when someone came in and could make the necessary adjustments. The basement room badly needed airing. It was musty, the bathroom wasn’t clean, and no one wanted to stay there. I can’t blame them, I didn’t want to either. Since loadshedding is a thing in SA, bring your own LED lighting. There were some candles around, but not enough to light the house. We did appreciate the solar light in the stairwell and kitchen that turned on with movement. The braai grill was as dirty as I’ve ever seen, caked with what I assume was dried blood. We couldn’t find any cleaning tools, no wire brush or scrubbing brush, and even fire didn’t remove it. You could never put meat on that grill, so bring your own. The driveway is extremely tight with a larger vehicle, and if your mirrors don’t fold in, getting in and out might be a problem. I’m not sure I’d recommend the place. You can get better value elsewhere.