Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel and Convention Centre — Hotel in KwaZulu-Natal

On paper looks good. However, it is not a pleasant experience||We were left thoroughly disappointed with our experience at the hotel, primarily due to a lack of professionalism and inadequate service across several aspects of our stay.||Staff and Service: From the outset, the level of professionalism displayed by the staff—particularly during check-in—was well below expectations. The front desk team, who are the first point of contact for guests, lacked efficiency and courtesy in handling the process. Moreover, when issues were raised, they were not addressed with the seriousness or responsiveness one would expect at a hotel of this calibre.||In particular, Mr. Farook, the Duty Manager, failed to manage guest complaints effectively. Rather than offering resolutions or demonstrating empathy, the responses were dismissive and lacked accountability, which only compounded our dissatisfaction.||Buffet and Dining Experience: We were also disappointed by the lack of transparency regarding the nature of the restaurant. It was not communicated to us in advance that the restaurant served only halal food. While we understand and respect the need for halal offerings, the absence of alternatives to cater to other dietary requirements is unacceptable—especially considering that an open bar was available. A hotel that claims to cater to a diverse clientele should be inclusive of various dietary preferences and restrictions.||The Indian buffet selection was another letdown. It is surprising and disappointing that no bread options (such as rotis or naan) were offered—especially considering that both rice and Indian bread are staple accompaniments in Indian cuisine. Providing a roti basket as part of the buffet would have been a basic expectation, particularly at the price point charged.||Furthermore, for a coastal property, the lack of seafood variety was unexpected. The single fish option available at the live cooking counter was poorly prepared and unfortunately inedible. This falls short of the standard one would anticipate from a hotel promoting its coastal location.||Breakfast Experience: Breakfast was equally underwhelming. For a hotel that hosts conferences and presumably caters to international guests with varied dietary requirements, the absence of standard offerings such as bacon was disappointing. Additionally, charging separately for lattes and cappuccinos—drinks that are typically included in breakfast at comparable establishments—was disheartening and felt like a nickel-and-dime approach.||Room Amenities and Technical Issues: The television in our room did not work throughout our stay, and resolving this issue turned into a frustrating ordeal. Multiple calls and follow-ups led nowhere, and eventually, we had to visit the front desk in person. Only then were we informed that the issue was known and ongoing. This lack of proactive communication is unacceptable. A simple courtesy notice at check-in or a direct update would have set the right expectations and prevented unnecessary frustration.||---||In summary, our experience was marred by poor service, lack of inclusivity in food offerings, technical shortcomings, and ineffective communication. We expected much more from a property of this standing and hope the management takes this feedback seriously to improve future guest...

My husband and i only stayed one night but it was a very dissapointing stay. I booked the deluxe room and when we entered the room looked neat and classy. However as the night progressed the finer details that usually play a large part in the comfort offered by a hotel began to present itself. 1.. the shower only had a soap holder. No other holders for guests to keep their shampoos sponges and other bath items. 2.... the housekeeping lady told us that the water provided for in the room will be charged for yet it comes with the rate charged. 3....there are only 4 dstv channels for entertainment the rest are sport channels. The tv didnt allow us to select the option to use our external hard drive. 4.....the bed had some sort of itchy bugs as i couldnt sleep much with constant scratching and itching all night. 5.....the fridge was not on and theres no switch within reach 6.....the telephone was disconnected and i had to kneel to find out that the cable had come loose. 7....the curtain did not close as it was off the hook and thus we had sunlight beeming into our room early in the morning. 8.....we also couldnt sleep in as there where peoples voices echoeing through from other floors as well as the room next door. 9....we do not prefer the food from the hotel however thought we would try the dessert. That was a big mistake as the milk tart n cheese cake where like artificial jelly premixes. Not good quality so we wasted it.

The highlight of it all was the service we got after we left. We left and i called in 30 minutes after we had left as i remembered that we had left the external hardrive plugged into the tv. I spoke to a receptionist Lizelle who told me she will check and call me back. After half an hour I called back she said housekeeping will be done in and hour and shell call me. She called back to let us know she found a laptop not exactly what we where looking for. We told her its a hardrive and asked her to keep it we will pick up in and hour. When we got there housekeeping brought us a vest to which we responded that its not what we left behind. She send the hardrive back with someone. When we got home we noticed that the hardrive was dropped and the charging port was bent. The hardrive did not come on as the screw where loose and partially open. It was clear something suspicious had occurred and that the staff of the hotel cannot be trusted.

Do not book here as its not luxury not even standard and if you have to book here definitely do not forget anything in the room as you'll get it back in pieces. The breakfast was good and the view....

Our stay at Coastlands Umhlanga was from 28-30 October 2022. When we checked out on 30 Oct, I spoke briefly with the manager (Leona) about the issues we experienced during our short stay (described below). I sent an email to the hotel (per Leona's request) on 2 November 2022 - as I type this review, I have not received any response. As a 4-star hotel, your guests expect a higher level of service and conditions. We were very disappointed with our experience and cannot see ourselves returning to the hotel, or recommending it to others.

Complaint 1: By far, the biggest issue was the worms we found in the shower! There were multiple worms found on the shower floor. I believe these relate to "drain flies" which were also present in the bathroom. We first noticed this on the morning of 29 Oct, and remained even after the cleaning lady attended to our room on the (early) afternoon of 29 Oct. The worms were still present on the morning of 30 Oct.

Complaint 2: There was extensive damp damage on the bedroom side of shower wall. Not a great sight to see when in your room.

Complaint 3: Two lights were not working in the room. Given that the lighting in the room was not great, this made it very gloomy.

Complaint 4: No drinking/bottled water was provided in our room, so we had to buy water. I noticed the cleaning staff had large packs of water with them, but none was placed in our room either on arrival or subsequently.

Complaint 5: Lifts were not working well. Only two lifts available which weren't well optimised, and one of them was out of order on the one day. This wouldn't have been a problem if we were on a lower floor but we were on the 10th floor which made it very inconvenient.

Compaint 6: Considerable noise was being made on floor 11 (I assume due to setup/moving of tables) in the early hours of the morning (say, 5:30) on 30 Oct. I understand that the event spaces need to be set up for upcoming events but this seemed unreasonable.

Complaint 7: Hotel wi-fi in the room was very weak and slow. I realise that this is a value-add service but other hotels offer much better connectivity.

Complaint 8: Upon arrival at the hotel on 28 Oct, there was only a single person assisting guests at the front desk and we were ignored (not even a greeting or "I'll be with you soon") for at least 15 mins. We arrived just after check-in opened at 14:00 so I would have thought that the hotel would expect many guests to be arriving around that time and had the front desk...