Absolutely Awful – 4-Star My Foot!!

We booked a two-night stay at La Rêve in Tulbagh for the “Christmas in Winter” festival in 2025 — and it turned out to be the worst accommodation we've ever experienced.

The room was in a shocking state of disrepair. There were two active water leaks from pipes that ran outside our window. One poured down the inside wall next to the bed, causing a massive puddle on the floor and the other, in the bathroom directly next to an electric heater, mounted on the wall, just below the ceiling — not only dangerous, but likely *******.

We discovered there was no hot water in either the shower or the bath. We had to ask the manager, Keiser, to assist with this on Saturday morning. After battling for two hours, he was finally able to restore hot water to our shower, but in fact this was only a temporary fix, the hot water disappeared again later. Due to the delay, we missed some of the bookings we had made for the festival.

Upon booking, we specifically requested two separate beds. We were given two separate beds, each with a very thin duvet and only one single blanket that we were somehow supposed to share. This blanket was neither clean nor fresh. The bedding was smelly, frayed and full of holes, rats/mice or the live ****roach we found in the room? There were marks on the bedding which we preferred to think of as rust stains. There were no electric blankets. The heater in the room was broken. Given it was the middle of winter, the room was freezing and completely ill-equipped to handle cold weather.

The issues didn’t stop there: • Curtains were paper-thin. • No bedside rugs, so the wet, dirty floor made matters worse. • The wardrobe doors were jammed on their rails, but on forcing them open there was one lonely coat hanger and a previous guest’s toiletry bag still inside. • The dressing table chair was broken and since there was no power point or light nearby — was useless. • The room had no hairdryer. • One bedside light was broken and the roof lights covers were filled with dead bugs. • Walls were stained, cracked and showed signs of water damage. • Two out of three windows couldn’t close due to broken clips. Likewise, the bedroom door only stayed closed if it was locked. • There was mould everywhere. The room’s windows, frames and panes were horrifically mouldy. The shower walls, ceiling and floor were also covered in mould. • Tiles were cracked throughout and the floor was dirty. • A single candle was stashed in a drawer (no matches), next to what appeared to be a broken jewellery chain left behind by a previous guest. The drawer clearly hadn’t even been checked, likewise everything else in the room. • No fire extinguisher or instructions on what to do in case of emergency.

While breakfast was included, we chose not to eat there — based on the horrific state of the room, we didn’t want to take that risk.

We were promised a 50% refund which is ongoing. Many guests have reported similar experiences and are still waiting for refunds.

We were so appalled we took photos of everything — because honestly, it was that bad! Someone needs to shut La Rêve down. Until then, avoid it at all costs.