We arrived just after midday at this pretty hotel, with accommodation in thatched villas just outside Franschhoek, to a lukewarm welcome. We were told our room would not be ready until 2pm so we found our way to the terrace for a drink and a snack. The food arrived in huge portions (each would have fed 2 hungry people). We were not impressed by the service having witnessed a member of staff knock a glass off a table and make little effort to clear it up, leaving glass shards across the floor we’re walking to and from the swimming pool with bare feet. Just before 2pm we presented ourselves back at a busy reception to be ignored for half an hour. We eventually spoke to a member of staff who made some effort to check if our room was ready. She made an excuse that previous occupants had been late leaving. We were taken to the room on the top floor of one the villas and settled in. It looked pretty and comfortable with a good sized balcony. We were aware of some potential disturbance from the generator during load shedding. Unfortunately, this happened in middle of the night which meant we didn’t sleep well despite the bed being comfortable. None of the doors shut properly. The front door required slamming, which possibly disturbed our downstairs neighbours each time we went out. There was a shuttle bus to the town but this was not complementary or particularly reliable. We were astonished to be charged for bottled water at breakfast. Our planned pick up to leave arrived about an hour earlier than planned and although we had checked out and paid our bill we were not told this. Again we presented ourselves at reception about half an hour before it was due to be told our driver was waiting for us. Very disappointed at the poor service and quality in this pretty hotel that has so much potential to be fabulous.