External Review's Review of Umngazi Hotel And Spa

TRIP ADVISOR - 20 Feb 2022 - Astridwiteveen - - - great location, service not so much - - - Let’s start with the good part; this resort has a fantastic location and is beautifully designed and maintained. Compliments for the staff that is overall very friendly (with some exceptions….)! Everything is taking care of; 3 meals a day, afternoon tea, snacks, a gym, a ferry that takes you to the opposite beach where you can make beautiful walks and enough entertainment when there’s some rain forecasted (like the pingpong table that we really enjoyed). We had a lower bank sea facing bungalow, nicely decorated with an outdoor shower, small fridge and tea making facilities. (keep in mind that these bungalows are inter-connected and only separated with a door so we could hear our neighbors sneeze…) When you compare it to other accommodations in the area this is really one of a kind. But you also pay accordingly so you can expect something, right? That’s where the improvements come in: - Wifi: there was no guest wifi. They mentioned it when we arrived without any further explanation or timeline when it would be up again. They had internet themselves so what’s the problem to fix this so you van offer your guests wifi in the main area (like advertised)? I informed about it several times but I only got ‘No’ as an answer, a bit bold in my opinion. It became of a problem for us because my husband got sick and we wanted to see a doctor but couldn’t look for anything online ourselves. - Reception: Because of the lack of wifi I informed at the reception if we could stay 2 nights longer (which was not possible, only one night) so my husband could get better. As an alternative I asked reception if they could help me with a doctor. It felt like every question I asked was too much and I was being difficult. Don’t know if they were just unwilling or unskilled, but if you work in the hospitality business that’s what you like to do right; help your guests during their stay. I didn’t have cell reception as well, so I had to ask them again if I could call the doctor with the land like, which was very bad so I could’t reach them. Eventually we drove there based on a vague description from the desk and also decided not to stay an extra night because we had the feeling we weren’t really welcome and they’d rather see us leave. So we did. - Food: Last item is the food; breakfast and lunch buffet is really good. We absolutely enjoyed it. You can choose whatever you like, there’s a chef making fresh eggs in the morning and at lunch there are so many options. At night it seems like a different chef/crew because the served dinner is just average, nothing more. F.e. the beef fillet was a total different meat, pumpkin soup looked like the same minestrone from lunch and desserts lacked taste. Portions re also very minimal (and I’ not a big eater at all). The salad bar was a big plus to have some extra veggies accompanying you courses. So all and all we had a nice stay, but if you asks your guests to pay topdollar you have to justify this with topdollar accommodation and service as well. And they just didn’t deliver when we were there.