SHOCKING HOSPITALITY AT GUEST HOUSE IN VICTORIA WEST

<p>My friend and I have decided to write the following comments in an effort to protect the unwary traveller sleeping over at Victoria West. Our incident occurred at the end of July 2017:</p> <p>· Departed Johannesburg for Victoria West. We arranged accommodation at De Oude Pastorie Guesthouse as their website indicated that they allow small dogs and provide dinner.</p> <p>· The road from Johannesbug to Victoria West was extremely busy and we contacted the owner of the guesthouse at Kimberley and informed her that we might be late as a bus overturned between Britstown and Victoria West and was blocking the traffic.</p> <p>· When we arrived at De Oude Pastorie, we met a very unfriendly host.</p> <p>· She asked if we can eat immediately as she was attending to an ill family member. We asked if we can just unpacked and unwind for an half an hour.</p> <p>· We requested whether we can have our meals in our room but she refused bluntly.</p> <p>· We decided to eat in their very impersonal dining room one at a time, as we did not want the two little dogs to bark in our absence. (One of us stayed behind in the room.)</p> <p>· While I was waiting in my room, I heard a big commotion and my friend entered the room very upset and very emotional. She told me that the owner screamed at her. This was clearly heard by me as she was talking to my friend on the stoep in a loud mocking manner. </p> <p>· At this point, I did not feel comfortable at all to overnight in this guesthouse. A further contributing factor was also the very small room that was allocated to us even though we have booked a room with three beds. She refused to give it to us. (We were the only guests in the guesthouse.)</p> <p>· We informed her that we did not feel welcome and she stated “do not think that you are going leave before paying for the food and the room”. She also said that she will not release my vehicle if we do not pay the full amount. We paid immediately. My friend only used the bathroom for a pressure break and the owner insisted that we pay for the full amount for the accommodation. She raised her voice non-stop and we left.</p> <p>· I it is clear that the owner of this guest house is a discredit to the hospitality industry and detrimental to Victoria West as a town.</p> <p>We were very fortunate to discover another guest house – Die Pophuis – and the owner received us with open arms at 21h00.</p> <p> </p>