Vida Nova Retreat

The breakfast options

I booked a room and did not get what I booked till the second night. And they just said sorry there is nothing they can do over false advertising.

Rooms: old, needs maintenance, walls and furniture scuffed and marked, sliding door broken, dirty marks on walls, tiles broken in bathroom, sink cracked. One sliding door didn't have blinds so no way to keep light out at sunrise

Breakfast: only people in restaurant, took 40 mins to provide breakfast which arrived ice cold. No management visible. No ice avaialble when asked for, no orange juice. Felt bad for the single barmen / waiter having to cope with what he had to work with, he was pleasant and trying hard

We had booked a massage there at 10am and wanted to check out before then but because of the delay with breakfast, we requested to check out an hour later after the massage. Was told this would be R500 extra for late checkout despite hotel being empty.

Unfortunately, our second stay was completely different from our first. The biggest disappointment was the advertised hot tub in Room 16. It was not hot enough to function as a hot tub and was essentially a cool/warm tub. We were told this was because it was winter and that warmer weather would make a difference, which was difficult to understand as our previous stay was also during winter, in extremely cold and rainy conditions, and the hot tub was genuinely hot and enjoyable.

We returned specifically because of the experience we had previously enjoyed, so this was particularly disappointing. The overall property also felt poorly managed during this stay, with a noticeable lack of attention to the guest experience. Given the price of the accommodation, I feel future guests should be aware that the experience may not match what is advertised or what previous guests may have experienced.

We booked a room with a fireplace and when we got there the fireplace was not working - the most important selling feature for us. When we enquired at reception what can be done, they were not helpful at all. There were inconsistencies with the information provided in the room and what we experienced at breakfast. The gentleman serving at breakfast tried to explain(no fault of his, training is lacking) but it wasn’t very clear. Our initial interaction with the lady who checked us in was good, she was super friendly and helpful, however the other reception person not so much - we did not find the staff equipped to deal with guest as expected.

Things to be aware of (not "bad", just FYI):

Jacuzzi - no bubbles (although has gentle jets), but as long as it's been running long enough, it gets nice and hot. More like an outside bath than hot tub. Do not turn it off during your stay or you'll have to wait a good few hours for it to come up to temperature. But very pleasant to use when hot.

Spa - there is no on-site spa. They do liaise with a local business for this to provide spa options like massages that you book direct with the provider, but the website (to me) gives the vibe that there is a spa on the grounds as wellness integration options are mentioned prominently, so just something to note. I did see other guests confused about this too (which the staff handled really well, working with their contact to find suitable arrangements).

Garden walk - there is a small, manicured, central green lawn by the small pools (beautiful looking, genuinely very pretty, although we didn't use them ourselves as maintenance was going on with it), but the website says expansive gardens on the property, which I mistakenly thought meant you could walk around in gardens on the property. This could perhaps be just my unique understanding. There are not any walks like that on the property, however again the staff were knowledgeable, and on their recommendation, exit the property, turn left, and an 800m safe walk up the road there is a gorgeous tiny, open wetlands reserve to wander around, with stunning views. I fully suggest anyone do this as a little stroll after breakfast.

Kiru - Just a note that the tasting menus which is their dinner option do not allow substitutions or changes, so those with allergens please check ahead of time if they can accommodate.

Room service is not available Sunday and Monday, but there are around 15 restaurants that deliver food by options like uber eats and Mr. Delivery that you can order to reception.

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