Dans Country Lodge in Mthatha, Eastern Cape (original) (raw)

The facilities are in a good condition - the grounds are well maintained, overall impression of the rooms when we got to them was positive. The rooms are generally clean, (see more below) and given that our visit was during Winter, having a Heater / A/C unit keep the room warm made all the difference. However, there were observations (mostly maintenance-related) that, when considered together, result in rating of �Good� for Overall Impression, rather than �Excellent�: - On check-in, the Receptionist was flustered that she couldn�t get into the �system� to retrieve our reservation, and needed to reboot it. There were a few printouts lying around on the desk, and upon inspection thereof by her, they were not in respect of our booking. After a few minutes of stress, she found our reservation printout on the desk behind her. I would have expected that these would have been closer to hand as they were expecting us - and we got to the establishment around 19:00 so it�s not as if we were too early and they were still getting themselves organised. - Upholstery in the room could do with a clean and some repair: the couch was visibly dirty and the upholstery on the chair at the desk is torn - The door to the bathroom in the room allocated to me was cracked around the door-handle area, which meant I couldn�t close the bathroom door while I slept. By Day 2 this seemed to have either been glued back together or mended with a nail - so it closed but was clearly �patched up�. - The basin in the bathroom had a section that was broken off (prior to my stay). Although this damage did not negatively impact its utility, it nonetheless did not escape notice. - The most unsettling aspect though was when I unfolded the bath towel supplied on Day 2, to find it with several blood stains! This was such a put off. I couldn�t establish whether this was a function of inefficient washing of the towels, or worse, if the towel in question hadn�t been washed at all. This was promptly replaced when I raised it, but it put a damper on the overall experience.

July 2024