We specifically searched for hotels because we didn’t want to stay at a guesthouse, B&B, or Airbnb. We were looking for high-quality service from professionals who have attended hospitality school and are qualified in their field. What we got was the complete opposite, yet we paid hotel prices when we should have been paying guesthouse prices.
I’ve been to many hotels across the country, and this is by far the worst. Mpumalanga and Cape Town usually have the best hospitality, so to find a “hotel” in Mpumalanga with such poor service is quite disheartening.
I was quite disappointed by my experience at “3 Lux Hotel” from the moment I arrived. Upon entering the reception area, I was surprised to find that the staff weren’t in uniform. Instead, they were dressed casually—and not in a coordinated, professional manner, but more like they just grabbed whatever was in their closets that morning. It didn’t give off the polished, luxury vibe I was expecting.
Things didn’t improve at check-in. There were no computers at the reception desk, which struck me as very odd for a hotel. I had to manually fill out all my information and booking details on paper. In this day and age, this felt extremely outdated and inconvenient. I couldn’t believe a place that markets itself as a luxury hotel would have such an unprofessional and inefficient system.
Then, we were allocated a family room, but the trouble didn’t end there. The hotel’s website has no clear specification of how many people each family room can accommodate, leading to confusion. We had to go back and forth with the staff regarding our room situation. Eventually, they decided that we would need two separate rooms because they claimed we couldn’t all sleep in one.
This decision was baffling since the family room they initially allocated to us had two double beds across two bedrooms in one apartment—perfect for our group of three adults, two toddlers, and one child under ten. Despite this, they insisted on giving us two separate rooms with double beds, which didn’t make sense considering the family room would have comfortably accommodated us. To make matters worse, separating our rooms increased our total cost, adding unnecessary frustration to the experience.
On our way to the hotel, we were constantly called and asked what time we would arrive, which added to our stress. We arrived around 7:30 to 8:00 PM, and were told that our dinner was prepared and would be ready when we checked in. However, after the hassle of booking our rooms, we had to wait an additional two hours just to get our dinner. They informed us that the hotel doesn’t have a restaurant, which is why the delay occurred. When we finally received our food, it was cold. After waiting two hours, we were served a cold meal, which left us wondering what the point of the wait even was.
What made this even more frustrating was that we specifically chose a hotel over guest houses or B&Bs because we wanted a fresh, hot dinner in a proper dining setting. We intentionally avoided accommodations that might not have a proper restaurant, choosing a hotel with the expectation that we’d be seated together for dinner at a restaurant. Unfortunately, what we got was far from that experience, despite the place presenting itself as a hotel.
As I waited for dinner in my room, I decided to take a bath. That’s when I realized that the bottle of bath foam was so small it could only be used by one person, which seemed incredibly impractical given that this was a two-room apartment meant for at least two people. To add to the disappointment, the bathroom also had a chipped mirror, which further detracted from what was supposed to be a comfortable and luxurious stay.
To top it all off, when we got to our room, the tea station only had one cup, one side plate, and one plate—despite there being three individuals in the room. There was also no cutlery provided. This lack of basic amenities only added to the long list of frustrations we experienced during our stay.
The issues didn’t end there. The bath towels provided were so stinky that it was clear they had only been washed for a few minutes and then dried—they didn’t smell fresh at all. Additionally, our room smelled very stuffy, as if it hadn’t been opened in days. This made the environment feel anything but welcoming or clean.
When our dinner finally arrived, we discovered another inconvenience: because we didn’t have any cutlery, we had to eat our food by hand. Some of the dishes clearly required cutlery, which made eating a frustrating experience. We informed the staff that we didn’t have any cutlery, but they didn’t seem to care. They appeared tired and simply left without addressing our concern. This level of service was exactly what we had hoped to avoid, which is why we chose a hotel over other types of accommodations.
To add to the frustration, our sheets, linen, and towels smelled very horrible. They didn’t seem like they had been properly washed. Combined with the stuffy room, it was just a horrible, horrible experience for us.
To make matters worse, when night fell, the place was so dark that we couldn’t see the buildings because there were no outdoor lights at all. It was only in the morning that we realized we were actually staying in apartment blocks. This place should have been called an Airbnb or a guesthouse, especially since they don’t offer a free breakfast. We had specifically chosen a hotel for the amenities and service, but this experience was far from what we expected.
Our rooms were also infested with ants, adding another layer of discomfort to an already miserable stay. To top it off, our car was parked in a very dark parking lot where we couldn’t even see if there were other people around, making us feel unsafe.
The room also lacked an additional blanket, which was disappointing considering it was supposed to accommodate more than one person. On top of that, the Wi-Fi was the worst I’ve ever experienced in a hotel—slow and unreliable, making it nearly impossible to stay connected.
This morning, when we went to have breakfast, we found that there was only cutlery for two people, even though our group consisted of more. The service was equally disappointing, with the staff serving breakfast in clothes that looked like they were slept in, which made us question the quality of the food and the overall service. If the place hadn’t been called a hotel, we wouldn’t have had such high expectations. While such things might be expected at a guesthouse, it’s unacceptable for a place claiming to be a hotel.
Overall, this place is far below a 1-star hotel. If it were called a guesthouse or Airbnb, it might earn 2 stars, and those stars would only be for the deceiving decor that makes you feel like you’re going to get a quality stay. In reality, this was an awful experience from start to finish.
อ่านเพิ่มเติม
วันที่เข้าพัก: สิงหาคม 2024
ความคุ้มค่า
ห้องพัก
ตำแหน่งที่ตั้ง
สะอาด
การบริการ
คุณภาพในการนอน
ประเภททริป: เดินทาง กับครอบครัว
เคล็ดลับเกี่ยวกับห้อง:Make sure you pick a hotel that shows you their staff members.
Das Wort Luxus tragen diese Unterkünfte zu unrecht im Namen. Es sind kleine optimierte Räume für Geschäftsreisende, die vielleicht auch mal ein, zwei Wochen bleiben. Es gibt viel Stauraum und sogar ein Arbeitszimmer. Frühstück und Abendessen werden angeboten, die Tische in dem Raum dafür sind eingedeckt zumindest teilweise wie für ein Festmahl, allerdings ohne Festgäste. Das Buffet stand allerdings auf Biertischen. Die anderen Gäste während unseres Aufenthalts packten sich die Teller voll mit dem von einem Caterer gelieferten Essen und verschwanden wieder in ihre Zimmer. Leider sah auch das Sofa so aus als würde beim Essen schon mal was daneben gehen. In einem großen Sektkühler werden Erfrischungsgetränke in Dosen geboten. Wein und ändere Alkoholika muss der Gast vorbestellen, dann liefert sie der Caterer mit.
Neat set up with all necessities. Beautiful room. Stain on the couch but nothing to be awfully bothered by. Courteousy call after stay was a nice touch. Definitely one of the better accommodations in middelburg.
Spacious, both self catering and a restaurant. No wifi to speak of, sometimes the rooms aren't cleaned. Last block is empty, can be a safety concern. No ambience like you would get in a hotel. Also no gaming facilities though there is covered parking.
Dear Nivesh, Thank you for your response. Your feedback is appreciated, thank you for taking the time to write the review. Thank you for the positive comments. This is a less than our normal score online of 9.5 out of 10, so we definitely take note of your personal experience. In respect to your experience, it is more of a surprise to hear this review because you have stayed with us on several occassions, we wish we could've received this feedback sooner in order to respond in person. I'll take this opportunity to engage with you here because of your generous review. We give the wi-fi codes on check in, it seems you didn't receive it. Apologies for that, we will ensure that it is brought more fully into the awareness of all future guests. Yes, safety is a priority. The last block is currently being furnished, as our rooms are furnished individually. This is how we maintain the spacious beauty of each suite, as you have experienced on all your stays. Yes, we maintain a crime-free zone since construction in 2017. There is 24 hour security on the premises. Safety has not been a concern point, it is a priority point. Daily cleaning is done & is one of the top scoring factors in our telephonic & online reviews done; therefore this too is a surprise. With your future stays, immediately indicate to us when you feel your room is not clean enough and we will be there to attend to it, cleaning is part of safety, thus a top priority. A clean space is a safe space. Thank you again. All noted for your next stay with us. Wishing you all the best! The 3 Luxury Hotel Suites Team
The trip was short notice and we were assisted with an early check in due to the urgent nature of our visit. The staff aka Manager Mbali was so welcoming well spoken and very compassionate towards us and our immediate needs. The view just needs some work but in essence the inside of the rooms are amazing well designed neat clean and check inn was a breeze. Thankyou again for the amazing service .
