Extremely Disappointing Experience at Southern Sun Bloemfontein

I stayed at Southern Sun Bloemfontein for two nights, from 10–12 September 2026, and unfortunately, what happened during breakfast on my final morning completely ruined my experience and left me extremely disappointed.

While having breakfast on 12 September, I found a fly in the chicken livers on my plate. The fly was clearly visible and appeared to have been cooked/fried with the food. It was oily and its colour had changed from green to black. I immediately stopped eating the meal and left the food on my plate. I only continued with a croissant and some juice.

When the waitress came to clear our table, she noticed the fly herself. She apologised and removed the plate. She even asked me whether I did not feel like vomiting, which confirmed how unpleasant and shocking the discovery was.

At that point, I honestly did not want to make a scene or cause an argument in front of other guests. I was prepared to simply let the matter go, despite how unacceptable it was.

Unfortunately, what happened afterwards made the situation much worse.

Barely five minutes after the waitress had taken the plate away, a man came to our table. He did not introduce himself or explain who he was or what his position was. He simply stood there staring at us and then said that he had heard that we had found a fly in the food and that “they don’t have such in the kitchen.”

The manner in which this was communicated was extremely uncomfortable and upsetting. Instead of showing genuine concern, apologising properly and reassuring me that the matter would be investigated, I felt as though I was being questioned or indirectly accused of somehow bringing the fly with me.

That interaction left me frustrated, embarrassed and genuinely saddened. Finding a fly in my food was already an unpleasant experience, but the attitude and approach of the person who came from the restaurant made me feel even worse. I expected professionalism, empathy and accountability, especially from a hotel of this standard.

If the hotel believes that the fly did not come from the kitchen or the food, then please check the CCTV footage and trace my movements throughout the morning. I have absolutely nothing to hide. The photos I took clearly show what I found on my plate.

What disappoints me most is that I was a paying guest staying at the hotel, and my accommodation was booked by my company. I did not expect luxury treatment, but I certainly expected basic food hygiene, professionalism and respectful customer service.

After this experience, I was so uncomfortable and disappointed that I left the hotel. What should have been an ordinary breakfast on the morning of my departure became an experience I will unfortunately remember for all the wrong reasons.

I would strongly encourage management to take this complaint seriously, investigate what happened in the kitchen and review how the situation was handled by the staff afterwards. The initial mistake was unacceptable, but the response to the mistake was equally disappointing.

Sadly, after this experience, I would not stay at Southern Sun Bloemfontein again, and I would be very hesitant to recommend it to others. Guests should feel confident about the hygiene of the food they are being served and, when something goes wrong, they should feel heard, respected and reassured—not made to feel as though they are somehow responsible for what happened.

Very disappointing experience. I expected much better from Southern Sun.