Peacehaven On Sea

We never stayed here because the unit we were shown didn’t match the booking, and the owner was rude. We’ve lodged an official complaint with booking.com and the rental housing tribunal. We’d booked Ti'amo for four nights, then asked the owner about three extra nights. The invoice came from peacehaven. The owner said they managed several units, but the email said we’d been booked into Ti'amo. The estate photos showed it as a front, sea-facing unit. On arrival, we were shown a back unit with no name or sea view. We have photos and emails about the mismatch. Calls to the number on booking.com kept sending us to different people. The man we spoke to wasn’t forthcoming and insisted that moving to Ti'amo would cost an extra R1400p/n as an “upgrade.” We’d travelled 1600km, so this was deeply disappointing and frustrating. We felt pressured to sign the stay papers, but refused. Feeling lied to and betrayed, and with no trust left in the property, we booked somewhere else.

The ocean views are breathtaking, and the place is clean, modern and stylish. We only stayed briefly, but the hosts were very accommodating right from the start.

The room was right beside the road, with other guests parking just outside our window, next to the bed. We knew there’d be no sea view, but hadn’t expected cars coming and going late at night and early in the morning, or people passing only a few metres away. We couldn’t open the blinds and keep our privacy. Roadworks further down added to the disturbance. We also thought some spaces shown in the listing were shared, but they belonged to a larger private suite. Cleaning wasn’t included and cost an extra R280 per day, even though the room would take no more than an hour to clean properly. Had we known these things, we’d have chosen somewhere else. Future guests should be told clearly so they can decide with the right information.

We’d booked four nights, but left without staying. We arrived late, after a long drive, and found the place filthy, as if someone had just been living or sleeping there. There was hair on the bedding, dirt around the bed bases, and the front sliding door wouldn’t lock. We called the owner, Deon Meyer, who sent the cleaning lady, but we didn’t want to sit around in the dark waiting for the place to be cleaned. The owner stopped answering. We spent over an hour trying to sort it out, then booked out without using the accommodation. After we got home, we emailed and were met with rudeness, no apology and no refund. Looking further, we saw there had been a couple of court cases involving this owner/house for the same reason. We decided to write off the R8000 rather than get involved. Tourists, be warned.