Ibis Lodge — Hotel in KwaZulu-Natal

First of all photos are very deceiving, probably several years old. The place is run down, not even close to the marketed image. Especially for the price they are asking.||||At arrival we had some parking difficulties. Parked in front of a cluttered garage (not a good sight for guests to see). Later on we were blocked by other guests and had to wait until their car was moved. We were greeted by a very nice lady. However her remarks about a previously hosted party of "black rugby players" who may have left a bigger than usual mess made us feel uncomfortable.||||The room was nice however needed plenty of attention. The linen as well as duvets were old and covered with lint, lumpy. Floors needed cleaning as well as the bath tub. Towels were washed but not clean enough (I even found dried tomato seeds on one of them), also they were not replaced during our stay. Fridge was old and not clean enough, table cloth was dirty and old. There was a vase of dusty old artificial flowers on the table. Jugs of water and milk in the fridge were never replaced.||||Right after check-in, one of the caretakers barged in, not aware there were people in the room already. With me speechless he kept talking and went on with his business (replaced a remote). ||||On the first day the caretaker filled the pool with chemicals (awful smell) so it was unusable for the next two days. Guests were allowed to smoke under the partially covered patio (which is illegal plus I was pregnant!!!).||||Some sort of alarm went off early in the morning as already noted in other comments. ||||Breakfast was OK, except canned fruit and soggy breakfast flakes. Also, kitchen staff did not understand "sunny-side-up" or "flipped/turned". Only "half cook". I made a mess on buffet table cloth, the next day it was still dirty.||||The terraces were filled with old leaves and withered pot plants. There was no cable TV decoder or remote in the room. So the channels were constantly changed by someone. ||||The worst thing was the owner's reply to our review we tried to post on local booking site safarinow.com:|| ||"Thanking you for your input in your stay with us it is much appreciated. We have a vacancy for laundry worker as well as a general maintenance man and we would like to invite you to submit your cv as we need somebody with your expertise here. I would also like to rectify a mistake when I refer to African children I don't necessarily refer to black children. I am also an African and proud of it. I would also like to know what your nationality is for reference in considering you for the positions available.".||||I would like to note that she did not refer to the rugby players as "African children". She even covered her mouth a bit and repeated close to my ear that they were not only 20 rugby players, but 20 black rugby players. References to her guests' nationality do not add her extra points either. Shame on safarinow.com for allowing establishments to post only positive reviews and shame on the owners for racism and xenophobia as well as lying.||||Beware travelers that are looking for neat and clean accommodation. Shame the owners do not understand that some people may need more than sweet talk, smiles and apologies, but professional...

Arrived 13th December 2013 having booked accommodation for one night.||||After a walk-through the decision to forego our deposit was an easy one, and we chose to rather look elsewhere for other accommodation.||||It seems the owners are also running some kind of building concern from the premises, a bakkie with building materials filled the parking space, metal junk parts were piled against the wall, the fishing pond was dirty, swimming pool dirty and in need of repairs, garden untidy and unkept, not to mention the veranda piled with garden refuse. The place seems in need of a desperate make-over, certainly not befitting of a so-called 4 star establishment. ||||We walked though the reception area, part of which doubles as an office space, which were extremely untidy with office stuff all over the place. Dining and relaxation areas have seen better times.||||Although we chose to forfeit our deposit and as such did not spend the night, our impressions of the place were vey unfavorable.||||Certainly not...

Having read the reviews I was a bit anxious when myself and ten friends booked this. It was perfect. The accommodation is beautiful with a lovely pool. The rooms are great, spacious, comfortable and clean. The owners very hospitable and helpful. Location was fine - a bit out of town but nothing strenuous. The breakfast (I missed) was apparently great. Slight confusion as we had booked 1 extra room separately, but quickly resolved. Given the price, we couldn't have asked for anything better.||||Points to note:||- there are a couple of rooms that open on to the pool. If you have noisy, nocturnal neighbours, it could be an issue (we were the noisy nocturnal ones and each others neighbours)||- there are several Highlands Roads in Durban, so make sure you're looking at the right one if...