Castle De Wildt - Please Do Better!

Writing this review is difficult, but it’s important for future guests to be aware of our experience at Castle de Wildt.

We booked our stay at Castle de Wildt months in advance, but the booking process itself was frustrating. I attempted to contact the venue directly to confirm a few details, but I received no proper correspondence. It wasn’t until I requested urgent assistance from an agent at LekkerSlaap that I finally received the necessary information. Thankfully, the agent was swift and helpful. While the castle’s physical appearance is undoubtedly impressive, with the restaurant and entrance areas tastefully decorated to match the castle’s theme (though the rooms convey a more modern design), our stay was marred by poor service and a lack of basic communication from management.

Here’s what we encountered during our brief stay:

- Room Service: We checked into our room on Friday afternoon and requested that our room be cleaned on Saturday. This request was approved, and we were assured it would be done once we left the room. However, when we returned late in the evening, the room had not been cleaned, and no explanation was provided. It was too late to address the issue with management, so we let it go, assuming it was an isolated oversight. - Food Service: On Saturday morning, as I and a few ladies were getting ready for an event, we decided to order food to our room. Management informed us that they do not serve plated meals to the rooms, but they do offer platters and could also provide champagne glasses. Since they are a wedding venue, they have the facilities to provide this service, and they assured us they had done so before. We placed our order at 10:00 AM, but after an hour with no food, we followed up with a call. Shockingly, it wasn’t until 1:00 PM—after going to the reception twice to complain—that we finally received our food. It’s worth noting that the venue was not busy at the time. - Breakfast Buffet: The main reason for our booking at Castle de Wildt was an event nearby. To accommodate our group, we arranged a breakfast at the castle on Sunday morning. When we contacted the manager, she informed us that no booking was needed unless it was for a large group. We explained that our group would be approximately 30 guests, and she suggested we opt for a buffet. We confirmed the booking with the manager more than 24 hours in advance. However, when many of our guests arrived, the tables and chairs were not set up. Several of our guests were informed by a waiter that the buffet was not intended for us but for another group. When my husband and I arrived shortly after, we were shocked to learn about this confusion from our guests. We approached the manager to clarify, but we received inconsistent excuses. Some guests were told there was a double booking, while we were told that a group of regular guests—described as “difficult”—had been given our buffet instead. Despite staying at the venue, we received no prior notice, whether by call, email, or even a knock on our door, to explain the situation or give us the opportunity to make alternative arrangements. We, as customers and visitors, had to approach the manager ourselves to get any clarification. Ultimately, we were told to order from the regular menu, which we were originally advised against, which we did without protest. - Service During Breakfast: The manager assigned just one waiter to serve our table of 30 people. The poor waiter struggled to keep track of the drinks order for just half of the table. When we asked if another waiter could assist, we were informed that our originally assigned waiter had been redirected by management to serve the “difficult” regular guests who had taken our buffet booking. We were quite shocked but decided to proceed with our breakfast. My husband and I ordered two cappuccinos. One arrived over an hour later; the second never came. When we inquired about the second coffee, we discovered it had never been processed. We then decided to order six coffees at once, hoping they would all arrive together and make things easier. Despite our patience, the issues persisted. A few guests began complaining, as only half of the drinks arrived, and we had to re-order multiple times, each time waiting at least 30 minutes for simple coffee and juice orders. Two guests eventually approached the manager to see if anything could be done, but nothing was resolved, nor was any reassurance or solution offered. Most guests decided to settle their drinks bill (those who received their orders) and leave, as they had long travel distances. The 14 remaining guests, which included myself and my husband, at the table continued to experience issues with the drinks, even after a second waiter had been assigned. We ultimately decided to settle our drinks bill, including for the coffees we didn’t receive (though we left no tip), and headed to the Wimpy in Modimolle, where we had a lovely meal, quick service, and just one waiter despite a busy restaurant. - Final Interaction: The final disappointment was when the manager approached two of our guests as we were leaving, claiming that we could have just taken coffee from the buffet station, which she thought we would do, and requested that we not write a bad review. This was the same manager who had previously told us that the buffet was not for us and never gave us the option to serve ourselves coffee from the buffet.

Given everything we experienced, I felt it was necessary to write an honest review.

I believe Castle de Wildt has the potential to deliver on what they advertise, but the service we received during our stay has seriously damaged their reputation in our eyes. Blaming everything on a single waiter does not excuse the numerous issues we encountered. While we understand that mistakes can happen, we’ve never experienced them to this extent. Despite the castle’s scenery, I will not return to Castle de Wildt nor recommend it to anyone I know—at least not without a strong warning.