The house was beautiful, truly. The pictures posted are accurate- it's spacious and a truly ideal setting. However, there were several issues that really just ruined our trip. The host had sufficient time to tell us certain crucial information, that honestly could have changed our minds about choosing this specific house, as it failed to full our needs. She chose to let us know on the day that only a certain amount of units of electricity are provided and that if we finished it during our stay, the units would be topped up , and the expense would be added to my account. Before arrival, she assured us that the amount of units would be more than enough. When we arrived, there were only 40 units of electricity provided - this was unacceptable as we booked the house for 4 days, for 8 people. It caused us to do certain things you wouldn't wish to have to do while on holiday - we turned the geyser off and took cold showers on the first night and second day. We turned off all the lights and only kept on ones that were absolutely necessary- yes, this meant sitting in a dark room as if it was loadshedding. We turned off all appliances, even refrained from using more than one at a time- very inconvenient when cooking, obviously. We couldn't keep this up, as the next morning the units were finishing and so we contacted the host. She said it was a mistake, as the units were supposed to be on the kitchen table - there was no such thing and she thereafter topped us up. When paying so much money for a place, I expect the host to be on it and do the basics like ensure the electricity is accessible and punched in. There were no units on the counter.
Cleanliness was the next issue. We paid a cleaning fee and when I arrive at a place, I expect for it to be clean and I want to trust that hygiene needs are satisfied. The bed sheets were dirty and definitely not washed. One of the beds smelt like old dirty blood and there was even what seemed to be a blood stain on the pillow. This is unnecceptable and was a complete turn off. The bin was not empty upon arrival and neither was the area around it clean. The bin wouldn't close (it's in the cupboard ) - we had to stretch our arm to the back of it to remove a 2L cooldrink bottle that was laying behind the bin, so that we could clean it. In addition, the braai grids were not clean - we had to do it ourselves before using it.
We weren't given proper cleaning supplies. We were given one dirty washing rag, a dirty and used sponge and steelwool with dirt from previous use in it. We saw a lock on the kitchen cupboards, that held cleaning supplies. When messaging the host, she said it's a self catering home and that providing cleaning supplies to all the guests are too expensive. She should therefore have communicated that the house literally comes with nothing, so we could have been better prepared. I've been in several Air B&B's - this has never been the case before.
She also only let us know on the day of arrival that we weren't allowed to use the aircon, as one of it were broken and trips the electricity- once again this should have been communicated before, as the aircons are in the pictures, giving the impression that it is available to use.
One of the rooms didn't have a blanket and the duvet is definitely not enough to keep you warm. We were freezing, literally.
The kitchen area is severely lacking. Basic things like a cheese grater, tupperware etc were not provided. You honestly just have to pack your kitchen as well when coming to this home, or you will spend your stay frustrated and uncomfortable, as we were.
The biggest issue was the oven. Several of our meals required the use of an oven. We were celebrating a birthday - we needed to bake. We needed it to make lunch supper, and pizzas etc as this was our meal plan. After watching multiple YouTube videos trying to get the oven to work, we eventually contacted the host, who said that the previous guests did not complain about the oven and thus she was unaware. She assured us that she would send a technician for the oven the next day and so we waited. No one came - we contacted her about the arrival tim of the technician, as we received no updates from her. She then said she tried contacting many technicians and it wasn't working out and that she would consult with Air B&B about a way to compensate us. Once again, she should have checked before receiving guests that certain things were working. She did not. We had no way to cook our food and thus had to change our meal plans, like cooking pizza on the fire instead - so imagine the frustration when as mentioned before- we had to clean the grill. So disappointing.
Lastly, she only informed us on the day of arrival that half of the garage was filled with stuff she was storing and thus only one car could fit in it, but that there was space in the drive way and street parking. This once again should have been communicated, as it was a necessary piece of information to know before booking.
In conclusion - this house is beautiful, but that's about it. So much more needs to be done to make it hospitable and worth the money spent on booking it.