My wife and I recently escaped to Arendsrus for a quick breakaway, and it was absolutely amazing. If you are looking for a place that feels ”off-the-grid” and immersed in nature without sacrificing luxury, this is it.
The setting at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains is spectacular. The wooden chalets offer a sense of total privacy and a ”wilderness” vibe that immediately makes you forget the hustle of daily life. The attention to detail is top-notch, especially the 800-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets—it’s clear the hosts care deeply about guest comfort.
The absolute highlight of our stay was the a la carte breakfast served directly to our room. It was delicious, beautifully presented, and allowed us to enjoy a slow morning soaking in the views from our balcony in total peace.
The hospitality was warm and genuine, and the entire atmosphere is one of tranquility and refined rustic charm. It truly is a hidden gem on the Garden Route. We left feeling completely refreshed and can’t wait to go back!
The hotel is beautiful. We had a good time . The ladies at the reception were really friendly and helpful. The security guards would do routine checks which made us as female travelers safe. The location is really convenient and close to everything we needed!!
Only downside is they don’t allow drinking from the balcony only in the room
Good place to have a short stay. It’s up a hill so not wise to walk. They have a parking space enough for a few cars. Room is basic, no microwave or fridge. It has stairs too so take note if you don’t want to lug your luggage up and down (they have a lift but it doesn’t go to all floors.
Отель отличный, удобное расположение, до океана и набережной 5 минут. Фуд корт внизу на 1 этаже, много разного фастфуда, музыка до 12 ночи, так что спать не мешает. Номера огромные, есть кондиционер, холодильник, чайник, тостер, плита. Уборка каждый день. Приветливый персонал. Спасибо Вам за отличный отдых!
Das Hotel hat ein wunderschönes gross Park mit vielem Blumen. Das Personal ist sehr freundlich und hilfsbereit. Das Zimmer ist sehr gross und schön eingerichtet. Das Frühstück ist einfach gut, leider für Cappuccino und Cafe Latte muss man 20 Zar extra bezahlen.
Amazing location, just a few steps away from the V&A waterfront area - well within walking distance and also it felt safe to walk at night. Service was great too, especially at the reception / valet which helps park and retrieve your car whenever you need. Hotel serves a decent breakfast with international selection and an eggs station. Basic amenities were provided in the room. Only gripe is that the hotel and rooms are showing signs of aging, with occasional whiffs of stench from the bathroom drains which woke us up one night (not for long thankfully). Otherwise an overall comfortable, convenient and safe stay.
We had a truly fantastic stay at Hilltop Country Retreat. From the moment we arrived, everything exceeded our expectations. The location is absolutely beautiful, with peaceful surroundings and stunning views that make it the perfect place to relax and unwind.
The accommodation was spotless, comfortable, and very well maintained. You can really see the care and attention put into every detail. The amenities were excellent and had everything we needed for a comfortable stay.
The service was also outstanding — warm, welcoming, and very helpful throughout our visit. It felt like a real home away from home.
We would highly recommend Hilltop Country Retreat to anyone looking for a quiet and relaxing getaway. We will definitely be back!
ゲゲストThe overall experience was good, friendly staff and good installations, we liked the breakfast and the gym, also great views to the table mountain and lions head from the room and the pool. Location wise also great, walking distance to most things in the region. However, some structural issues should be mentioned. The windows are old, without proper noise isolation - they even open fully which is unusual for a hotel. We could hear the wind blowing very loudly, also the music from clubs around there during the night. The bathroom has a major design flaw and every shower unavoidably results in a completely wet floor.
Despite that, room was very cozy and comfortable.
JJason2023Pros
Great location - a short drive to the waterfront and close to Table Mountain, Lions Head and the Botanical Garden where Uber will get you there quickly and for a good price.
Staff were very good
Breakfast was cooked very well and with good quality ingredients and a varied selection. It would be better if they had soft bread rather than the heavier one provided (althouh this could be a more European variety i havent come across before).
The room was homely, as is the whole building (a bit of a British Grade 2 listed building kind of feel).
Nice views over capetown in some rooms and a mountain view from the back.
Room has heating and air con for all seasons.
Cons
As mentioned in a previous review, the room is quite dusty so if you are messing around with plugs behind the bed or tv, it's a challenge not to breathe in the dust.
I think this could be a SA thing rather than the hotel itself but they only provide 1.5l of water which for a week is not enough, even for a solo traveller. You have to pay for any more. I have never come across this in 25 years of travel across 35 countries but again, i know there is a water issue in SA sometimes and I believe the tap water is drinkable (although I wouldn't attempt this as a tourist).
Bathroom towels not replaced - just left to dry which doesn't work particularly well in winter.
The photo of the hotel being near blue water is a little deceptive - obviously it is not near a beach and they don't suggest so but the body of water across the road is a water storage facility (currently empty) so don't expect tropical views. Having said that, if you get a city view room, the sunrise is right in front of you and a perfect time lapse opportunity as the scenery changes dramatically during the sunrise. Stunning experience.
Overall, I would stay again and recommend the hotel which is in a quiet location.
OO.N.AThe Westin, Cape Town, is an old hotel, but it continues to maintain its presence, quality, and some high standard in Cape Town. We stayed here for 8 days, during a friend's 60th birthday celebration event in Cape Town.
We occupied an executive room and were also given access to the executive club on the 19th floor. The room was very nice, with good linen, bed of high standard. That said, we had to lodge a complaint on the hurried nature of how our room was cleaned on our second day of stay. The bed was not made properly, the carpet floor wasn't clean, and the bathroom was half cleaned. It's not good for a 5-star hotel. After complaining, the housekeeper made amends, and the cleaning standard was raised to the highest standard for the duration of our stay.
We also ordered food from room service and half of what we ordered were not brought - they gave us something else, but after waiting for 45 mins for the original order to be brought to us we reluctabtly accepted the wrong order, ate the food and then lodged our complaints later.
The breakfast buffet was alright, but there weren't great selections of cold meats in the cold meat section. They really need to improve on this.
Lastly, the overall service delivery by some of the staff really need serious improvement. Some of the staff in the restaurant are way too loud when talking to each other, and some of them even give out bad unwelcoming and nonchalant attitude/vibe to their customers. It is like they feel that they're doing us, their clients, a favour by serving us. Not good enough for a hotel of this standard, abd some of those staff need to be retrained.
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at The Westin and we will definitely come back there when next we visit Cape Town.