We spent a week at Kelly’s home in Constantia, which we shared with my sister, her husband, and two sons.
Communication with Kelly was very prompt and stress-free. She sent a kind reminder one week before our arrival date and agreed for us to check-in early. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Kelly’s housekeeper, Ennah who works full time and also lives on the premises. Having Ennah close by helped us immensely, not only for when we got stuck or needed help with some house-related matters but also for the cleaning, washing, and ironing of our clothes too. (This service was at an additional charge.)
The location of the house is great and only a five-minute drive by car to the Constantia wine valley. The house itself is large in space and offers great open plan living with two separate lounges equipped with satellite TV, Netflix, etc. The kitchen/living area has two sliding doors onto the patio and pool area with great views of the surrounding mountains. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the pool and all the facilities in the garden.
As much as we enjoyed all of the above, some of the facilities in the house would benefit from further attention. Three of the four bedrooms are kids' bedrooms. Bedroom 1 (kids bedroom) has a double bed and en-suite bathroom. The mattress was not suited for two grown adults in terms of comfort. The top of the mattress had an electrical extension cord for the desk fan, which caused some discomfort and could be a safety hazard. The pillows were badly stained and did not appear hygienic. We’ve ended up purchasing new pillows for all the rooms we've occupied. Kelly did mention before our arrival that her parents reside on the premises. However, we did not realize that Bedroom 1 looks right onto her parent's living and dining room. There is no privacy, between the two properties, apart from a wooden garden screen and of course the bedroom curtains.
Bedroom 4 (master bedroom with en-suite ) is the best bedroom in the house. It has patio doors onto the garden and pool area, but the pool engine is located right next to the bedroom and was running 24/7. Unfortunately, even with the windows closed, you could still hear the noise the engine generates. The house is equipped with solar panels, which are connected to the hot water in the bathrooms. Two of the mornings we had to shower in cold water and informed Ennah. She did apologize and said she will call Kelly. It was never explained to us that the solar panels do not work properly when it rains or is overcast. During these days, a red button in the corridor needs to be pressed at least 30 minutes before showering.
In summary, we did enjoy our stay but were slightly disappointed.