Wildlife Retreat on a Wine-Farm

We had a wonderful stay. Accommodations were great, the room was clean, the view was fantastic. Would definitely come again! We stayed in the Double Duluxe room.

A simply majestic experience! Could not fault a single little thing and the hosts were absolutely charming and very helpful. The beauty cannot be described in word actually. What a privilege to have wild life coming right up to the varanda. The peace and quiet was just what we needed.

Lovely place for a retreat. A touch with the wild some Springboks to see, some bushbucks and Zebras. Wow love the place

There is a vast difference between accommodation and hospitality. We had the former here, but certainly not hospitality. A bathroom that offers limited privacy and a room bathed in light from dawn were the least of the issues.Their power went down 2 days before our arrival due to cable theft, yet they didn't inform us. We only discovered that when a phone charger didn't work. Electricity and WiFi are such essentials when I travel that it is a non-negotiable. It is absolutely essential to warn guests in advance if there are issues. They did switch on a generator at certain times of day but would give no guarantees that it would be available when I needed it for meetings, etc., and definitelynot after 10.20pm. We were told it was switched on only for us and cost R6000 a day to run. The fridge had defrosted every morning, with water leaking as a result. No remedy was offered for the perishables we had in there (bearing in mind it is self-catering). We know they had the same issue a couple of years ago, so one would expect an establishment like this to have contingency plans in place, without trying to make guests feel guilty. The end result was that late night meetings that are necessary to communicate with the US West Coast would have not have been possible. Even power and WiFi for weekday meetings could not be guaranteed. When we cancelled the rest of our stay at around 8.45am, we were told to vacate the room by 11am, as they had new guests arriving for the same room at 2pm. We asked them to extend it to 12 noon, given the circumstances, but were told: You need to be out by 11 please. I need to clean the room. It gives you 2 hours." That was a shocker (again

What a spectacular experience! You don't come across hospitality like this often... the host and hostess were very friendly and welcoming and went out of their way to make our stay extra special. The room was beautiful and the views breathtaking. I would definitely recommend staying here! If I could score a 10, I would.

Two days before our arrival for a birthday treat, on Thursday 20 January 2022 at 16h59, the power cables had been stolen, leaving Wildlife Retreat with no electricity. We only discovered this when a phone charger did not work. When I asked the lady who checked us in, she said we need to speak to the hostess. We had also arrived with perishable food as the unit had been advertised as having a kitchenette and a fridge. Needless to say, the fridge was not cold and water leaked when I opened the door. I then messaged the hostess, Helet, to ask about power. It is then that I was told the cables had been stolen and they did not have electricity but assured me that it would be on by 18h00, failing which a generator would be turned on from 18h00 to 21h30. The generator was turned on.My questions now are, 1) why were we not notified of the power outage prior to our arrival and 2) why were we not given the option to cancel our accommodation and find alternative accommodation? We all know that things do not always go according to plan, but at least inform your guests and offer a solution.With no electricity after 21h30, there is nothing we could do about the heat (it was 24 degrees at night and 38 degrees during the day), as the fan could not be switched on. Added to this was the issue of mosquitoes and other bugs if we left the door open. There was no point trying to charge any electronic equipment and definitely no TV.On Thursday evening at 18h40, I sent a message to the hostess to tell her that if the power was not restored we would need to find alternative accommodation as we could not work without power or WiFi (which is also advertised), as it was a working holiday.On the Friday morning the power had not been restored. I was told that it costs R6000 a day to run the generator and therefore it could not run all the time. We returned late on Friday afternoon to find that the power had still not been restored. We were provided with a gas braai that needed a special skill to turn it on as the igniter was broken. We had to rush our dinner as the generator would be turned off at 21h30. It gets dark in the Western Cape at about 20h30 at that time of year. Sunrise is at about 05h00. So besides sleeping, there is not much else to do. On Saturday morning we woke up with the natural light streaming into the room at 05h30. By 06h00, we really wanted a cuppa. There was no electricity to boil the kettle. I messaged Helet at 06h50 about there being no power to boil the kettle. The response I got was “can you not wait until 8am when the generator will be turned on?” I was then offered coffee, which I do not drink.I then informed the hostess that we needed to find alternate accommodation as this was not working out for us. She told me to contact Booking.com for a refund and to have a nice day. I did exactly that. Booking.com got back to me and we agreed to the refund offered.Subsequent to us moving out, Helet Boustred, the hostess, has been harassing us and sending vile messages. She even tried to call me four times after midnight on Sunday. She has gone out of her way to bad mouth us on social media, including my husband’s company, where she warned people not to do business with us. And all this because she had a bad review.

As a solo traveler, I can say with all honesty and sincerity, that this place has a magical, beautiful, tranquil atmosphere. I have been traveling through South Africa end of 2021. On my arrival I immediately felt at home, there was a sense of peace and warmth that I cannot explain. What really stood out about this place, is the fact that the host and hostess, Rob and Helet were so welcoming it felt like a home away from home. The view from my room was spectacular and breathtaking with wild animals giving me that African feel. The shower was perfect, the fridge worked wonderfully, I honestly had no discomfort, as a solo traveler one can get lonely at times and they became my friends. I still to this day keep in contact with the owners of the lodge. Helets presence and personality glows like gold and her husband will go the extra mile to make sure you are comfortable. In all my years of solo traveling this is a place I will always return to. I felt safe and there are seriously zero complaints my side, I can understand people experience things differently but man o man was I in for a treat. The only complaint, that I have to give is that I was reluctant and sad to leave, I am definitely going to check in again and again, just a breathtaking environment that every individual needs to experience with utmost joy and bliss. This was more than just a stay it was an experience, Thank you to the owners for their incredible service. I enjoyed the wildlife the most.

I can honestly say this was the best experience of my life. Absolutely nothing to complain about. Beautiful room and view. The host and hostess went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable. I can't wait to go back for another stay. Thanks so much! Super impressed. I would score higher if I could.

Really good interiors design that smooths your OCD.Beautiful views, clean and open spaced.

We had an excellent stay and wish it had been longer. The accommodation suited us perfectly. Comfortable bed, nice shower and perfectly clean. The views of the wildlife area and mountains are beautiful.