Superior Double or Twin Room, Garden View | Premium bedding, in-room safe, individually decorated

Reviews of Sandals Guest House

4 out of 5
Sandals Guest House
4 Napier Road, Saint Francis Bay, Eastern Cape

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 35 out of 63 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 24 out of 63 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 4 out of 63 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 63 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 63 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

8.8/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Gerhard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It was our 2nd time to stay at this property. The breakfasts are amazing with more than normal choices. There is an honesty bar which is well stocked and reasonably priced. Overall a lovely place to stay within walking distance to an amazing beach.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Reginald

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023
Response from Tess on Sep 21, 2023
Thank you for the high praise in scores. Much appreciated

10/10 Excellent

Kenneth

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Tess on Sep 6, 2023
Thank you Kenneth for the high scores. Glad you enjoyed your stay with us.

8/10 Good

Emmanuel, Quito

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
A very good guesthouse for a weekend
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Tess on Jul 24, 2023
Thank you Emmanuel for your praise. We are happy you had a great weekend stay!

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Pleasant weekend break in St Francis Bay
Well maintained property in a pleasant environment. Excellent service throughout especially from Front Office Managar Lusanda who is a gem and a true asset to sandals Guest house. Basic but wholesome breakfast offered on the deck overlooking the pool is included in the tariff Recommended..
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023
Response from Tess on Aug 16, 2023
Many thanks for your kind words of praise and especially your compliments on Lusanda.

10/10 Excellent

Armando

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Colazione eccellente e interni di buon gusto
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022
Response from Tess on Jan 26, 2023
Thank you for the great review score

8/10 Good

Kay

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice property very conveniently situated in St Francis Bay within walking distance of several restaurants. Lovely swimming pool and gardens and, as usual in South Africa, very friendly and helpful staff.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022
Response from Tess on Mar 4, 2022
Very happy to hear you enjoyed your stay, and our staff looked after you well. Thank you for your time to send us some great compliments. Hope to see you return one day soon Kay. Kind regards Tess

10/10 Excellent

Jonathan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful guest lodge
Our first time in St Francis Bay and Sandals and we will definitely be back. All the staff were so helpful and kind. Great breakfast set up the day. Lovely spacious rooms. Excellent outdoor space with pool.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Tess on Feb 8, 2022
Thank you Jonathan for your kind praise of the staff, facilities and breakfasts! We are really happy you enjoyed your time with us.

8/10 Good

Gustaf

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Not the best
This is a quaint small Hotel in a great destination. The problem is that maintaining things like water heaters is difficult at Worlds End. Our room had a shower that was either scolding hot or very cold no in between! Staff is friendly but chef fried our crêpes style breakfast in a skillet used for bacon. Unfortunately this is supposed to be the best alternative in St Frances Bay.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Tess on Feb 8, 2022
Dear Gustaf. Sorry you had a problem with the water/gas heater system. We had had so many guests in our garden suite before with no problems, so it just happened, as things do in life! It was a small faulty switch that was easily replaced by our plumber, so this was a pity you only reported upon departure! Why not chat to us in-house and give us a chance? As for the breakfast comment, you ordered Caribbean style pancakes (one of our most popular choices) and our cook Sane explained to you that she didn’t use the same skillet. She never does that! Sane freshly prepared the pancakes separately with butter. Kind regards

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sandals is great. Very comfortable, good service and good breakfast. Only downsides were lack of sockets by the bed to charge phones etc. and no backup power during load-shedding. But otherwise, all good
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2021
Response from Tess on Nov 23, 2021
Thank you for your review and constructive points raised. Very happy to hear you enjoyed your breakfast and our services / staff. We put in all the new easy-access plug points along with international plug points by the desk so that a multitude of things such as cell phones, i-pads, cameras etc can be charged. We do have solar lights that you should have had in your room but we do have or not run noisy generators for load-shedding.

10/10 Excellent

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
St Francis Bay
Fantastic venue with great service within the heart of St Francis Bay
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021
Response from Tess on Jul 8, 2021
Many thanks for your lovely praise James. We hope to have you back one day again.

8/10 Good

LARRY

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Was lovely
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2020
Response from Tess on Dec 15, 2020
Thank you and really happy you enjoyed your stay with us.

8/10 Good

Mary, Richmond UK

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We only stayed one night having just arrived in Port Elizabeth and wish we had booked for longer. Sandals is a delightful guest house and the owners Tess and Ryszard could not have made us more welcome. The rooms are spacious and very comfortable, imaginatively decorated with an artistic flair.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Tess on Feb 20, 2020
Many thanks for your lovely comments and so happy you enjoyed your short stay with us!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group, Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is our 4th visit over many years and the high standards of the accommodation and staff is as great as ever!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020
Response from Tess on Jan 11, 2020
Thank you so much for the wonderful words of praise. So happy you are enjoying your return stays with us! Sorry I missed you both this time. Regards Tess

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely place, cool rooms, great location, lovely staff - a really enjoyable stay. Thanks
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from Tess on Nov 20, 2019
Thanks for the great feedback. So happy to hear you enjoyed your stay with us.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from Tess on Nov 12, 2019
Thank you for your feedback and "high marks".

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group, Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Relaxed, welcoming staff, yet everything worked and no request was a problem.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Tess on Nov 2, 2019
Thank you for the wonderful praise of my managers & staff. Much appreciated.

10/10 Excellent

Gavin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent
Great location, lovely room, cleft very welcome, would go back
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Tess on Oct 3, 2019
Thanks so very much Gavin for the high praise. We HOPE to have you back again sometime soon. Kind regards Tess

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Tess on Sep 28, 2019
thank you good review mark.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
Lovely place to stay, very welcoming reception. Comfy rooms and excellent breakfast. Within walking distance of restaurants, bar, shops and even closer to the beach
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2019
Response from owner on Apr 26, 2019
Thank you for the lovely review and time taken to do this. We do so appreciate all positive comments.

8/10 Good

Nigel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A great little hotel and very close to the beach and amenities eg. restaurants. Would recommend the hotel and have done already!!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019
Response from owner on Mar 29, 2019
thank you! So happy you enjoyed your visit with us and hope to see you back one day.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful property , wonderful breakfast and staff very helpful
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from Taps on Feb 26, 2019
Thank you for a wonderful review.

10/10 Excellent

Stuart

Sample Sandals!
A perfect place to stay in St Francis Bay. Easy to walk or drive to everywhere. Delightful house beautifully furnished with a lovely garden and pool. Good value and highly recommended.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018
Response from owner on Sep 14, 2018
Thank you for the lovely kind words. So happy you enjoyed your stay.

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent venue for nearby business. Clean and spacious room and well located. Would be equally good for a beach holiday on a more relaxed trip.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017
Response from Tess Strzelecki on Aug 23, 2017
We do appreciate your feedback. Thanks and hope to see you back here again soon. Kind regards Tess (OWNER)

6/10 Okay

Peter

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Could be great
Very poor TV only 4 channels
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
Sad that your only benchmark was the TV selection on your holiday. We subscribe to the full B&B DSTV package with a lot more than 4 channels. However, since 12 months ago, each room now equipped with their own decoder for wider TV viewing

10/10 Excellent

Gustav Borup, Copenhagen, Denmark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic wiev to Mossel Bay from from the balcony
Excellent room with balcony. Very kindly hosts make you feel welcome!
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
appreciate your time taken to review us with such wonderful praise. Thank you

8/10 Good

Allan, North Yorks

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Super host
A very pleasant over night stay in this well appointed guest house. We would definitely return and stay longer. The host was most helpful about what the area has to offer. The approach to St Francis Bay could put some travellers off.
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
happy you had such a good stay and we do value your lovely review and info on the area

10/10 Excellent

David, Salibury

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful place to stay
This is a guest house that more than ticks all the boxws
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
Again thanks for the huge praise. We do appreciate it

10/10 Excellent

Vanessa , Alberta,Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice guesthouse close to the beach
We loved our stay at Sandals so much that we decided to extend it. The facility is beautiful and our room was clean and comfortable. We were on our honeymoon and the guest house really made us feel like it. The staff was helpful and helped us plan some of our activities. Breakfast is copious and delicious. The guest house is well situated: 50 meters from the beach and 15 minute walk from the canals. The guest house is quiet and relaxing.
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
thanks so very much for all the great comments and review. Really appreciate your time taken to do this. We strive to help, serve and provide great service at all times. Not sure about the "seaweed" smell but have not had anyone else comment as such. Again thank you!

8/10 Good

Natalie Eadie, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely Guest House.... people not so much
The guest house is lovely and very comfortable, when we were checked in we were given our choice of rooms, which was really lovely. I had several issues with the man who managed the 'night shift'. It was cold and raining outside and we wanted to order in something to eat, he said we could not eat in our room (ridiculous - in all my years travelling I have never stayed anywhere that would not let me eat in my room). They also had a dining room and he did not offer that to us either, he informed us we had to go out. So freezing and cold we headed out for dinner. When we got back he told me and my friend we were dressed inappropriately for the cold (really got nothing to do with him), also my nose was congested and he lectured me on going to the doctor. While some people may appreciate this fatherly hands on approach, I certainly did not and will not stay there again!

8/10 Good

Fitzy, manchester uk

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous room with great service
We only stayed a night but felt very welcomed and enjoyed a lovely breakfast. Nothing was too much trouble.
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
Lovely praise. Thank you

10/10 Excellent

Diane

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
relaxing get-away
This was our wild card on our 3 week trip to South Africa. We wanted somewhere close to Port Elizabeth but also somewhere with golf, and relaxing too as this was our last stop before flying home. St Francis Bay fitted the bill and we were particularly pleased with Sandals. A lovely relaxing guest house within walking distance of a few restaurants and the beach. Our room was away from the main house, totally self contained and beautifully furnished. The owners were very friendly and were more than happy to chat and recommend good restaurants in the area. The Links was closed for a competition the weekend we were staying, but Tapiwa had booked us at St Francis Bay Golf Club for 2 rounds, which we both enjoyed. A good end to a fabulous holiday!
Response from Tess Strzelecki on Jan 24, 2015
Dear Diane Thank you for your lovely review and time taken to do so. We so appreciate the feedback and important for other potential travellers as well. Kind regards, Tess

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A very charming little hotel with excellent service. The owner is making the little extra with her great personality and very service minded.
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
So happy to hear this! Thank you

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
Full marks of praise. Thank you

8/10 Good

Robert, Darlington, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Found staff very helpful in pointing out points of interest and a suitable restaurant nearby for dinner. Although only stayed 1 night were treated very well and had our room upgraded. Breakfast was excellent so If looking for B & B in St Francis Bay would have no hesitation in recommending Sandals.
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
Lovely high praise and feedback. Thank you so much

8/10 Good

N.B.J.

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023
Response from Tess on Jan 26, 2023
Thank you for the good review score. Happy you enjoyed your stay

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Das Ambiente war sehr schön. Zimmer war interessant gestaltet mit Aussendusche. Uns hat es sehr gut gefallen.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Tess on Oct 19, 2019
Thanks so much for the top review marks. Thrilled to know you enjoyed your stay with us. Guests love their private extra our outdoor shower facilities.

10/10 Excellent

Martina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wunderbare Unterkunft
Wunderbares Gästehaus, tolles und sehr großes Zimmer mit allem Kompfort. Nette und persönliche Begrüßung .Frühstück ist reichlich und ebenfalls sehr gut.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Tess on Sep 28, 2019
Thank you for the high praise on our room size and comforts, as well as the breakfast! Much appreciated.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Sehr nette leute 2 min von der beach essen in 3 guten restaurants möglich Sichere kleinstadt auch am abend
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Taps on Feb 20, 2019
Thank you for a wonder review, we are glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

Jean-Patrick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Super adresse
Un des meilleurs B&B en 8 ans de voyages dans ce beau pays. Acceuil sortant de l'ordinaire. Chambre très agréable. Tout est propre et soigné et magnifiquement managé Nous y reviendrons pour sûr.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from owner on Feb 5, 2019
Thank you so very much for the high praise. So much appreciated. Kind regards Tess

8/10 Good

Ole Bjørn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from owner on Jan 20, 2019
Thank you for such positive feedback Kind regards Tess

8/10 Good

Anders

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Trevligt
Trevlig personal. Bra läge
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
Much appreciated for the good praise. Thank you and hope to see you back one day!

8/10 Good

Enrico

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sehr schön
Kurzer Aufenthalt nur eine Nacht! Sehr schön gelegene Unterkunft mit tollem Ambiente.
Stayed 1 night in May 2018
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
Your feedback and lovely comments are really appreciated. Many thanks and please visit us longer next time

6/10 Okay

Christoph

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Charmante Guest House mit Mängeln
Das Guest House liegt in einem ruhigen Wohnquartier. In der Nähe gibt es mehrere Restaurants und einen Laden. Das Zimmer hatte einen Ventilator aber keine Klimaanlage. Es gab nur in Karaffen Gratiswasser, keine Flaschen.Das Zimmerschloss ist ausgeleiert und der Teppich ist nicht sehr hygienisch. Der kleine Safe ist am Boden im Schrank montiert. Das ist etwas unbequem. In den Zimmern hat es kaum Wifi-Empfang, der kleine Pool ist sauber. Im Restaurant wird ein gutes Frühstück serviert, am Abend ist es geschlossen.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018
Response from owner on Jan 25, 2018
Thanks for your feedback on the good breakfast We DO NOT advertise aircon so if this is required please book at a hotel that does have aircon. The adequate sized room safe is mounted on the wall, NOT the floor in the cupboard. The WiFi in our local area had problems during your stay. That we verified with our service provider and this "slowness" was area-related, not specific to Sandals GH. The door lock is fine, we had this checked? The carpets are vacuumed daily and steam cleaned on a very regular basis. There are so many local and nearby restaurants. We do not do many dinners in the evening as most guests want to go out and explore the local restaurants and water-side dining. Sandals is not closed at night, but other guests are out eating or relaxing in their rooms. If everyone is out or sleeping and if after 8pm, then the manager is off duty. We DO NOT advertise 24 hour reception and do not need to as we are not TGCSA 5 star. I think it is important that you comment on relevant issues to the establishment and not what it does not offer or need to offer. Please chose your accommodation based on your needs and wants and not what you think it should provide. Sadly we cannot have it all or provide it all.

6/10 Okay

Andres

Disliked: Room comfort
Keine 4 Sterne wert
Eigentlich ein schönes Guest House, jedoch keine 4 Sterne wert. Zimmer sind zu klein. Keine Klimaanlage und kein Haartrockner vorhanden. Liegt in schöner Umgebung.
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
Thanks for the good comments and on the less positive feedback please note:- 1) we specifically do NOT advertize any aircon so if really needed in our large airy spacious rooms, then you need to chose a B&B that does have AC 2) Hairdryers are in each room in the cupboards 3) for 16 years we have consistently been awarded our TGCSA 4 stars in the guesthouse category and with marks well in excess of the required pass rate.

10/10 Excellent

Felix

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
Thanks for the 100% rating!

8/10 Good

Monika

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Spezielles Hotel mit traumhaftem Zimmer.
Spezielle wunderschöne Zimmer. Sehr gutes Frühstück. Pool leider seeeehr klein, wie an vielen Orten in Südafrika! Besitzer wohnen nicht im Haus.
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
thanks for the great comments. Sorry if you found our pools in SA on the whole small. The ocean is just 150 metres away and that is the main attraction. No owners do not live in the house but just down the road. Guesthouse category certainly allows for this. The whole house is exclusively for my valued guests. B&B normally has shared guest / owner common areas.

10/10 Excellent

Suzanne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Haus mit Reetdach und sehr Garten
Das Hotel ist sehr kinderfreundlich und befindet zich in einer sicheren Gegend. Wir wurden sehr herzlich mit Getraenken und Keksen empfangen. Das Zimmer war sehr sauber und gross. Zum duschen hatten wit eine Indoor sowieso outdoor Dusche zuur verfügung. Eis gab een reichhaltiges Frühstück mit Eiern, Früchten, Brot usw. Wie können diesels B&B nur weiter empfehlen!
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
thanks so much for the very high praise of Sandals. We value all the positive feedback.

8/10 Good

Knud, København

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perle tæt ved havet
Dejligt hotel med strålende service meget tæt ved stranden
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
Thank you! Lovely praise

10/10 Excellent

Therese, Schweiz

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Die Seele baumeln lassen
Genussvolles Entspannen im Garten. Ausgezeichnetes Frühstück!
Response from owner on Sep 12, 2018
thank you. Much appreciated