Style Guest House

The worst experience of my life. Stay away. Family friends booked two nights so they could visit us. At check-in, the receptionist/GM was rude and unfriendly, then overcharged them by R600. The little lapa had rubbish left by previous guests, and we had a child with us, so we asked for a broom to clean it ourselves. She wouldn’t clean it or arrange for anyone to do so. She kept hassling us about a R75 day-visitor fee. We were visiting family, not the property, but I eventually paid. When I asked again if she could clean the lapa, she said it wasn’t her job and that the ‘garden boy’ had left or wasn’t there yet. My Tshivenda isn’t very fluent. I insisted because I didn’t want my child stepping on glass. That’s basic service for the price. She did clean it eventually, after making a fuss. Things got worse when we asked where we could cook. There’s no kitchen in the rooms, and she said the kitchen was ‘for staff only’. The place is advertised as ‘self-catering’, though. After I asked several times how we were supposed to make food, she finally ‘allowed us’ to use it, then complained about how we used it. Apparently you need to ‘ask her’ just to open a cupboard. I went looking for a bowl and she refused to help, telling me to ‘ask properly’ because she was offended I’d opened cupboards. I never got a bowl, and had to listen to her loudly complain about me to the other staff while we tried to eat and for the rest of my ‘day visit’. To her, ‘self-catering’ seems to mean bringing your own kitchen, appliances and cutlery. She acts as if she owns the place, and unless you beg, you get no help. You still pay the full rate, get insulted and refused service, and are told to ‘leave as you won’t come back anyway’. Stanley, the actual owner, needs to talk seriously with this woman. Guests shouldn’t have to deal with this on holiday. If there are unspoken rules like begging the receptionist for basic things, such as cleaning a dirty area or using the cooking facilities, guests should be told upfront. Better yet, staff need basic customer service training. Otherwise this is false advertising, and I’d tell people to stay far away. Holiday ruined. Never again.

The view was good, and the location is great, but I won’t be back. The receptionist was too busy talking with her friend to help me properly. There were cockroaches on my bed, the shower door wouldn’t close, and blocked drainage left the bathroom flooded.

The rooms weren’t clean and the service at Style Guest House was terrible. Maria, the older receptionist who seemed to appoint herself manager, made the stay a nightmare and we couldn’t extend it. She wasn’t welcoming. She tossed our room keys onto the counter and pointed out where the room was. When she saw my dog, whom I’d already cleared with the owner Stanley, she asked why I’d brought it. She said it was the first time she’d seen that and that her Boss was crazy to allow it. Employees shouldn’t speak badly about the owner to customers. She said the card machine wasn’t ready and asked me to come back later. After I entered my PIN to pay, I realized she’d charged R600 too much. I thought it was an honest mistake and told her. She made a scene in front of people there to swim for the day, saying Stanley (owner) was mad to charge less for that room, even though that was the price online. She told me to ask him for a refund since he’s never there and doesn’t know the prices. I walked away embarrassed, with customers staring at me. The bathroom hadn’t been cleaned and had used soap in it. The site says self-catering, but when we asked to cook, Maria said the kitchen was staff only. We’d already bought food that needed cooking. My family visiting Venda came for the day and were treated badly as well. My brother-in-law went to the kitchen to get a bowl, and gogo Maria took offence, saying he should have asked and shouldn’t think he could disrespect her because he’s white. My sister and brother-in-law had to leave after an uncomfortable meal without cutlery or enough plates. Maria spent the night talking loudly with workers about us. She also said Stanley (Owner) was a little boy who didn’t understand how the guest house worked. After that, we avoided her and didn’t use the kitchen. I’d recommend hiring younger staff who care about running a guest house and know how to treat customers. The pool wasn’t as blue as the online pictures, and there was no bar as advertised. Self-catering here seems to mean eating out. If you have leftovers, there’s only a microwave in the room. We wasted our time and money. If you arrive after 22h00, you have to report to Maria because she locks all the doors, and in the morning you have to bang on them to wake her for help.

Sitting back with the natural view of the reserve forest beside you is a lovely way to relax, especially on weekends. You can use the pool any time of day, try the jacuzzi room, work out with the gym equipment, or play pool with friends. It’s worth staying here and feels like home.