De Oude Pastorie Victoria West
From R195 pp/s, De Oude Pastorie Victoria West, a lovely guest house establishment placed in Victoria West, Northern Cape, is perfectly suited for your holiday... view more details about De Oude Pastorie Victoria West »
Establishment Details
Type
Guest House
Located in
Victoria West, Northern Cape
From
R195 pp/s
Map
Facilities
Braai/Barbecue
Fireplace
No Credit Card Facilities
Restaurant
On-site Parking
Reviews (2)
Submitted Review
My husband and I were travelling from Cape Town to Kimberley and wanted a comfortable half-way stop. We found De Oude Pastoria in Victoria West on the SafariNow web set. We checked the advertising, photographs and blurb and thought it looked interesting. I then booked a double room for one night. I had assumed it was for B&B (and this is where I take responsibility).
After paying the 50% deposit on safarinow.com I telephoned the owner and asked if we would be able to have dinner. She said no, because they would be out of town that evening, but there would be a "capable person" to welcome us.
Stupidly I ASSUMED that this meant that we'd not be able to have dinner at De Oude Pastorie, but that we'd still be served breakfast. Warning to other travellers: always check what you're paying for!
On arrival at De Oude Pastorie, after a long and hot drive, we were greeted by a polite and very well spoken and capable woman who showed us to our room. When we asked about breakfast times, she said that breakfast would not be served because the owner was away.
Nevertheless, we were still looking forward to spending a night in De Oude Pastorie. Fortunately there is ONE restaurant in Victoria West where we could have dinner, and ONE other place where we could have breakfast. Otherwise we would have gone hungry.
But ... our room wasn't anything we'd been led to expect on the website. A corner of the room had been sectioned off for the bathroom, with the opening right next to the bed, and a tacky half-length curtain which served as a door. The shower head was faulty and gave just a trickle of water, which was either scorching or freezing. There was no window (thank goodness we weren't staying there in the summer) and even if one wanted to leave the door open with the shutter as security, the bolts on the upper and lower shutter doors were broken. And because we'd gone out to dinner and returned after 7 p.m., we had to park our car in the road outside (the website advertises secure parking on their grounds).
Unfortunately we'd chosen to shower after we'd got back from dinner (at the only place in Victoria West where we were able to get an evening meal) and we weren't able to report the faulty shower to anyone as the person who'd shown us to our room had left at 7 p.m. and we were the only people in the building!
We didn't see anyone the following morning either, even though we left at 9 a.m.
A very strange and unfriendly situation, and establishment. We returned to Victoria West about 8 days later on our way back to Cape Town, but we didn't even consider De Oude Pastorie as a place to spend the night. Not recommended.
Establishment Response:
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Mrs. Maccarthy was informed, before the booking was accepted, that i would be out of town and that it won't be possible to have meals at the guesthouse. She said it's fine. She assumed about breakfast. I've already informed her as i said, but she never mentioned breakfast to me, otherwise i would have drawn her attention to the fact that i'm going to be out of town. All the guests that stayed at our guesthouse during that time, was informed beforehand that there would only be someone to welcome them, till half past 7. My assistant also informed them again by arrival. We arranged for someone to take the assistant home at night and she also confirmed that they never left before half past 7. In the 14 years that we own the guesthouse, nobody had any problems with their cars parking outside: some prefer that although we have safe parking behind a gate too. My workers are taught to respect the guests privacy. The fact that mrs. Maccarthy didn't see the lady, does'nt mean she wasn't there. She went on with her duties till the last guest departure and then get their sheets ect. There is also a doorbell at the frontdoor that she could ring. I also phoned every morning just after 8o'clock to make sure everything is okay and then she told me if the guest are still there or left. She wouldn't know that if she wasn't there. The person working in the garden started every morning at 7o'clock. I checked the shatters and couldn't find anything wrong. Sometimes people are not sure how it works. We regulary get inspection at the guesthouse and never got a negative report. What is meant by "not the same as on the web", is not clear, because the information that is put on the web is for sure correct.
Mally MacCarthy, South Africa
Sleeping in the past!
Friendly, homely "antique" atmosphere. The hosts shared their knowledge about the house and town - how interesting!
Benita Bosman, South Africa
Obligation free quote!