Vida Nova Retreat — Hotel in Western Cape

If you are looking for a tranquil retreat away from the hustle of downtown Cape Town this is the place to go. Set in the hills above Hout Bay it is a short drive and has secure parking on site. Our room (4) is on the ground floor, opening out onto the beautiful garden and pool area, complete with comfortable sun loungers that have mattresses and towels supplied. There are relaxation pods set in the gardens and lots of sheltered areas to get out of the sun if needed, there is even an outdoor bar and fire pit that looks beautiful when darkness falls. Service is absolutely top class, there is always someone waiting on you for drinks and snacks etc. Breakfast is superb with a huge choice, the dinner menu has loads of vegetarian choices and local beers and wines and spirits are plentiful. The rooms are huge with large tv’s set on the wall, complete with Netflix, ceiling fans and very high quality bedding. Next to the beds, on both sides, are double UHB ports for your devices, this is very convenient. Rooms also have an unstocked mini fridge.The bathrooms are lovely with loads of hot water available all the time, and the products are fabulous and sourced ethically, there are also hair dryers in the rooms and they are spotlessly clean. The two combined pools are big enough (kidney shaped) and were kept very clean at all times. You can easily get an Uber into town for about £4 sterling where there are restaurants and shops and an ATM. The best thing about Vida Nova is their staff, they are brilliant and could not be more helpful or professional, whilst they are all excellent I want to pay particular thanks to George, Brian and Anthony and Cyu on reception, these guys made our stay very very special. The food here is really lovely, and the building has lots of solar panels so we were totally unaffected by any load shedding power outages. We stayed here for five nights to end our long trip around the garden route, it really is an oasis of calmness. Thank you again to the very...

I'm torn about what to write about the place. You'd expect superior service, but you won't receive it. My bed was too soft, kept sliding off at night, so I used the very hard pillows they had to create a barrier for myself. I was so grateful I packed my own pillow so I used it for the rest of the visit. They ration towels. We were three (2 adults and a kid) in the room, but they kept giving two sets, and when I asked I was told, no more towels were available. My friend gave up on trying to get things fixed in her room, she didn't have privacy as one of the problems she experienced. The restaurant staff was lovely, they let us eat our own food, two nights in a row. That helped because the dinner menu is bland. Breakfast is the better option. No in house laundry service if you're there for a week. Even if you opt to wash your own clothes, no place to hang them. They have an outside service provider who will charge R150 to wash one dress. I would have overlooked all this if the hotel didn't start harassing me about the location of glasses once we checked out. It was the strangest conversation. They didn't outright say it but they were essentially accusing us of stealing champagne glasses. With all the luggage according to them, we somehow found a way to pack cheap champagne glasses for some to fly back to California with and some to another province. And this is after I had told them several times before we even check out that we don't drink alcohol.

My other Cape Town hotels offered wine as complimentary and a welcome gift. These guys have orange juice and some imitation of champagne in the mini bar, and if you use it, they charge you. I told them we didn't drink, but the charge still appeared on the proforma, so we had to ask them to remove. I would never leave this review if it wasn't for the ridiculous...

Just a update 27 Aug 2024: "Dario, the manager at Vida Nova, reached out to me and was very sincere and open about my experience, as well as that of my friends. Although I was initially nervous, he was understanding and recognized that my feedback was not intended to be malicious but was simply based on my personal experience. I’m considering treating my mom to a stay there, as the BnB is beautifully located. We’ve also been invited back for a meal, and I’ll definitely share an update if we decide to revisit the establishment."

I stayed one night at Vida Nova Retreat and had a generally pleasant experience. Johan, the concierge, was exceptionally friendly and helpful, and the beautifully landscaped surroundings were charming, even in the overcast Cape Town weather. Our room was cozy and welcoming, with a king-size bed that was incredibly comfortable.

However, dinner was disappointing. I ordered the line fish, which fell short of my expectations and was mostly left uneaten. The gnocchi, on the other hand, was tasty. Unfortunately, the hot chocolate was quite watery, especially for the price of R40 per cup. I requested additional hot chocolate powder, but it was never brought, which added to the frustration.

On a brighter note, breakfast the next morning was much better. I had the salmon and poached egg dish, which was delicious and more in line with what I expected from such a...