Cape Dutch Quarters - Tulbagh — Hotel in Witzenberg Local Municipality

Cape Dutch Quarters in Tulbagh, what a delightful place in many ways. My wife and I, decided to stop by for the Christmas in Winter celebration that was going on in town and were fortunate enough to book ourselves accommodation with CDQ. Nothing like a bit of the old Dutch charm to put a smile on your face, right?

That said, I can't ignore the fact that our welcome was less than... inviting. Walking into a room that had a musty, dusty aroma? Not quite the enticing first impression we were hoping for. Seems like no one cracked a window for a fair bit. My advice? Vent the rooms before guests arrive.We couldn't get the aircon either to help with this.

The TV took around about 15 minutes of fumbling before we figured that one out, and we're not unfamiliar with tech. One can only wonder how many other guests simply threw their hands up in defeat.

The bed. Ah, the bed. Look, I appreciate a good night's sleep as much as the next person, but this was more like a battle. Waking up constantly, back pain in the morning, the works. I've had more rest on a long-haul flight. The hot water situation was laughable. My wife reported "mild to lukewarm" while I had the privilege of a frigid shower. I suspect a shared geyser amongst various rooms is to blame.

But let's not be entirely negative here. The quarters had everything we needed - from towels to a corkscrew and everything in between. Not to mention the stoep with a braai and pool. We spent a pleasant Saturday evening there, basking in the warmth of the fire as the evening chill set in. Plus, you couldn't beat the location. Right in the heart of town, leading straight to the festivities.

All in all, if you're the forgiving sort, you might overlook these nuisances and have a jolly time with some of the friendliest folks around. We still enjoyed...

Disliked · We were informed that the room had a new Aircon fitted which uses a lot of electricity and that most people don't sleep with the Aircon on at night which we found strange as that is what provides a peaceful sleep on scorching nights like this one. We had the aircon on and somewhere around midnight the electricity was turned off, thus no aircon, lights and the freezer defrosted over the floors and couldnt charge our phones. The electricity was switched on again early that morning. The place in general needs some tlc, at least our room did. Kitchen cupboards don't close properly as the hinges are rusted and no loger properly screwed to the falling apart wood. Not difficult to fix. Shower a bit grungy . Front door doesn't lock unless you lift it up with a little force. No tv. Fridge door old and broken on the inside.. Was not informed at all that the tag on our key gave us access to the other pool area accross the road. Only reason this came to light is that we had asked one of the caretakers on departure about another pool which we were not allowed to use as it was designated to other rooms. We could see this pool from our shower window which had no curtains in direct view. He then directed us across the road to another pool and courtyard that we couldve used but had no idea. No tour was given on arrival. We had booked on short notice. Mist places were fully booked. We were not looking for anything fancy. I mentioned to the owner Jayson that the court yard and pool area (that we only learned of on checkout) looked nice. Perhaps the stay might have been more pleasant had we stayed that side and had the opportunity to use that...

I booked 3 rooms for 29 Dec 2020, but had to change the dates because 2 of the group of 7 had tested positive to Covid19 the week before Christmas. I made arrangements with the Tulbagh country guest house - Cape Dutch Quarters to change the date to 26 April. On 26 March I received a call from them. They were wrongfully under the impression that we were arriving that day. I again confirmed and sent an e-mail stating the date as 26 April and received an e-mail from Charmaine confirming this. My booking was for 1x Wagonshed (2 adults), 1x Superior Triple room (2 adults + 1 child) and 1x Superior Triple room (2 adults). I also booked 7 breakfasts. I had paid 50% of the R4 171 to Jayson Clark on 3 October 2020 and was supposed to pay the rest on 26 April 2021 in cash. When we arrived there on 26 April, the 2 Superior Triple rooms were not available any more and we were given a Classic travellers family apartment in the Travellers Lodge - totally inferior to the stylish Cape Dutch accommodation that we booked. Safari.now.com describes it as Backpacker type accommodation. I still had to pay R1 285 in cash. NEVER was I informed by telephone or E-mail that my original booking was not available any more until I arrive on 26 April. I feel very disappointed...