Disappointing Stay

Review Title : Disappointing stay

Review : African Sunrise Beach House is a disappointment on first impression, and continues to disappoint on entry. There's a permanent resident on the property which is not disclosed on the website or during the booking process. Although the person was polite and helpful, we would have preferred to have the property to ourselves, as expected, particularly when sun tanning by the pool. Entry to the house is via a sliding door in the TV room, protected by a rusted Trellidor, which is difficult to open. The other sliding door and rusted Trellidor on the patio is secured by lock and chain and cannot be opened at all. This somewhat defeats the object of staying in an open plan house with a sea view. Trellidor protection also adorns the windows of the main lounge and the main bedroom. We requested keys to open them so we could enjoy the sea view, one of the reasons for making the booking at African Sunrise Beach House and none were available. The Trellidor in the main bedroom is also rusted and unsightly. The house shows clear signs of lack of maintenance. Cupboards in the kitchen and main bathroom are warped and don't close properly. There are cracked tiles in the passage and living areas and holes in the carpets, which are stained. Whilst the lawn was cut, there were ****s in the garden beds, including the one next to the pool, which detracted from the sea view we were looking forward to. Lack of maintenance manifested itself with a blocked drain in the main bathroom which flooded as a result. Lee responded promptly when we alerted her to the problem but we were subjected to workmen in the house for a few hours on our first full day there, with an unpleasant odour from the unblocking process, which lingered for the remainder of our stay. Black mould, or maybe just dirt, is evident in the corners of the showers. We were unable to find any record of registration with South Coast Tourism, mentioned on the website. A framed certificate in the TV lounge is dated 2018. On the positive side, the house is in a good location, close to a beautiful beach and a nearby shopping centre. The rooms are spacious and the kitchen is well equipped and all appliances in working order. There were portable lights and candles available to use during loadshedding. The best feature is the sparkling swimming pool. If you're not put off by a sea view obscured by bars and ****s, broken and missing tiles, holes in carpets, warped, smelly cupboards, and you don’t mind hanging up your washing in a courtyard filled with dry leaves then there's a good chance you'll enjoy your stay.