The Owls Inn Country Villa's

Upon arriving at Owl’s Inn accommodation and met by the host(Elaine) our family was immediately asked how many people were in our group, even as we were still unloading the car. Instead of a warm welcome, this unexpected question made us feel scrutinized and uncomfortable. We had previously arranged to split a king-size bed into two single beds and Elaine confirmed this change in writing. However, once we arrived, she insisted she could not accommodate this request and only agreed after we showed her the confirmation. She made it sound like a favor, even mentioning she was waiving the usual R250 fee, which felt unprofessional. Shortly after check-in, Elaine even casually remarked that she had a “bad feeling” about our group when we arrived. This inappropriate comment, alongside the earlier issues, made us feel truly unwelcome. Throughout our stay, she frequently asked if we needed anything else in a way that felt persistent rather than helpful, and she brought up an “upgrade” to our room in a tone that seemed patronizing. When our child moved a footstool from the bedroom to the patio, Elaine quietly removed it without informing us, leaving us puzzled. We were later charged R100 for a single broken glass, which felt like an excessive penalty for an accident. As a family of color, the tone and scrutiny of Elaine’s interactions made us feel treated differently than other guests. We left feeling judged and disrespected instead of welcomed. While the room itself was comfortable, the host’s attitude overshadowed our entire stay. Given these experiences, we would not recommend staying here. The sense of suspicion and lack of hospitality was very disappointing.

We stayed in a self catering unit and although everything was clean and neat, we were disappointed in many ways. The road to the establishment went right past a squatter camp. When we arrived, no-one was there to meet us and there was no signage directing us to Reception, so we felt at quite a loss. It seems to be run by Elaine on her own, who was sweet enough, but if she's not there - who does one turn to? We had to call her on her cell to find out where she was. As a result of the remoteness of the place, and the squatter camp being so close, we felt a bit nervous about the security. Be careful of the upstairs self-catering unit - there are steps where you least expect them.