Stables BB

I’m reluctantly giving it 3 stars, taking affordability into account. For a similar price, I’d had much better accommodation in another town in the Eastern Cape. This room was about 3m x 3m, with a small table, a broken chair, and a TV with only four channels. The picture was covered in snow even after I tried to fine tune it. The bathroom wasn’t in the room. I had to walk down two different corridors to reach the shower and toilet assigned to my room. The toilet window wouldn’t close all the way, and there was a small open gap between the individual bathrooms near the zinc roof. The entrance had a cold, hostel-like feel, though the room stayed warm without a heater and I could sleep comfortably with just the empty duvet cover. The parking is behind a locked palisade gate, about 10m off the main road into the city centre. Only reception has the key, and cars are parked double, so if yours is blocked in, you have to find the person behind you. It’s fairly central to amenities and has good curbside appeal. The price was R390 for bed only, or R430 for bed and breakfast.

The woman who helped me with booking and breakfast was professional and did her best. I wasn’t in a good state of mind on my first day, and she understood and gave me space.

There was no bedding on the beds when we arrived, the bathrooms were shared, and the rooms smelled. The kitchen was a disaster, the bathroom windows were broken, and there were cockroaches all over the floor. The staff weren’t friendly, and we had to ask for the rooms to be cleaned. I wouldn’t recommend this place at all.

Sisi Thandi was lovely, and the place was very clean. The service was great, but they need to put more effort into cleaning and improving the parking.