Van Der Stel Manor

A lovely pool sits among beautiful greenery, and breakfast was plentiful. There’s secure parking on site, and the place is close to the centre as well as the incredibly beautiful Jonkreshoek Reserve. The property was beautiful and spotlessly clean in a quiet neighbourhood. The manager was very friendly and communicative, and the owner was caring and amazing.

The garden is lovely, but I saw a rat cross the lawn while I was by the pool. There’s also a strong, unpleasant smell throughout the property, like something burning in the kitchen, though thankfully it didn’t reach the rooms. The bright white LED lights outside wipe out any atmosphere the place might have had. Our room looked stylish and spacious, and the grounds seemed nice at first. But the toilet hadn’t been cleaned when we checked in, and the previous guest’s remains were still visible. The bed was comfortable, but too short for anyone over 1.80m. When I raised it, reception said all beds in South Africa are this short, which I know isn’t true. The curtains were hung poorly and wouldn’t close properly, so daylight came in far too early. Breakfast was pleasant apart from the greasy, poor croissants. On our last morning, the bacon I ordered with my eggs was completely burned. The enclosed parking area is too small for all guests. If others had parked more efficiently, we might not have had to leave our car on the street. We also asked to shorten our stay from four nights to three, but were given no flexibility. We’d put the trip together at short notice after a traumatic incident in Namibia four days earlier, when our Safari camping vehicle burned to ashes. We had to make alternative arrangements quickly, and the lack of flexibility meant we couldn’t finish the trip as we’d hoped, after the earlier events had already cost us too much. I should add that, as an apology, we weren’t charged for a significant amount of laundry, since all our remaining clothes were covered in soot from the fire. For somewhere with such nice grounds, there was little genuine hospitality, and it felt like poor value for money. I’d be the first to praise a great place, but this one doesn’t deserve a 9+ rating by a long way. There are much better options around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.

The hotel contacted us a day before our stay and told us to cancel our own booking because they had double booked the room. They said not to contact Booking, claiming the only way we’d ever get our money back was if we cancelled. I spoke to Booking support by phone. The hotel had supposedly tried to avoid Booking penalties by getting us to cancel and cover some of the costs. They were also very rude and pushy on the phone.

The place felt luxurious throughout our stay. The rooms are roomy, breakfast was a fresh spread, and there were thoughtful extras in the bathroom. We had a great stay and would highly recommend it.