I don’t believe in leaving bad online reviews, as I prefer to give constructive feedback directly if the situation is not too dire. The start of our stay was very poor, but the final insult was the host’s refusal to reimburse us for a small portion of the stay we could not use, due to the country going into Covid lockdown.
So these two issues should be separated between guest experience and host ethics.
Starting with experience: after a grueling 8 hour drive, we checked into the apartment and immediately got to experience a neglected apartment, with no personal care for guests. The property is part of an investment portfolio the owner has and is managed by agents. We planned to work remotely for an extended 2 week period at Harbour View Cottage
The first thing we needed to do was take a bath after driving all day.
To our frustration, no soap was provided, not even a body wash. When I asked for some, I was told we could “drive to Fish Hoek to buy some” – we were tired, and it was dark and raining. We also don’t know the area.
So we went to bed dirty and cold (no kindling was provided to start the fire). This was not a good start to our stay.
Bullet points for the issues we had to contend with that night:
-	Nearly all the light bulbs in the bedroom were blown, bedside lamp was loose and not working.
-	Both locks to the balcony doors were jammed/frozen. The main bedroom door was impossible to open.
-	No pillow protectors on the pillows, which is grossly unhygienic.
-	No sugar for coffee.
-	No kindling for the fire, which was impossible to get going.
-	No basic condiments such as salt or pepper.
-	1 roll of loo paper for a two week stay.
-	The water basin pipe lies flat against the basin, so you cannot rinse your hands in the bathroom, nor your mouth after brushing your teeth. This would be a quick and easy fix.
-	The flush mechanism for the toilet is behind the toilet lid, meaning you need to constantly handle the toilet lid to flush the loo, which is unhygienic. And then you have to wash your hands in the kitchen, as they won’t fit under the bathroom faucet.
Despite all of this, we decided to stay for the duration of our booking, and to the credit of management, they sent a team in the following day to replace all the bulbs and service the doors etc.
The actual location is great and The Majestic complex is well maintained and designed to a good quality. The security guards have been fantastic.
Housekeeper (Dina) was amazing. Very friendly, warm and great at her work. She worked on a cold day, so I bought her a hot Cappucino to warm her belly.
John, who came to fix the lights and door handles was professional and friendly.
Lisa (managing agent) tried to make amends by delivery of a bottle of wine, which was appreciated.
However, the final insult from the host came when our President addressed the country on Sunday, 27th June around the dramatic surge in new Covid infections. We live in Gauteng, and it was announced by government that no leisure travel in and out of Gauteng would be allowed. So we had to get home within one week. All we wanted to do was get credited for the last 5 nights we could no longer stay in the apartment due to Covid. The owner was not prepared to refund us for these days, despite the fact that it was out of our control, and we were happy to pay for all the time we spent in the apartment, over 70% of the booking.
All in all, the experience was very poor. We also own a guest house, and have refunded without penalty, all guests affected by Covid.
In conclusion, even if the owner had reimbursed us for having to relocate home due to Covid, we had a very poor experience in this property. But that final act of not demonstrating empathy with our having to return home on Friday 2nd July, and refusing a credit for a mere 5 nights out of 2 weeks, is the reason we have decided to share our experience.
If you need a place to crash in Kalk Bay for 2 nights, bring some bathing soap, pillow protectors and light bulbs and this apartment would be adequate. Beyond that, avoid at all costs.