Reviews of Annie's Cottage
Wildlife sightings and reviews
29 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Annie's Cottage and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
"Annie's Cottage review"
The owner was friendly and helpful and the breakfast was good. Gave us a good recommendation for dinner.
We did not enquire about any activities as we only had a one night stay and were on our way to Namibia." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia; 1n in South Africa
"Comfortable stay in friendly guesthouse"
The guesthouse was comfortable in a quiet street within walking distance of the centre. Our room was big with a comfortable bed.
All the rooms appear to be colour themed. Ours was green." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia; 4n in South Africa
"Annie's Cottage review"
"Annie's Cottage review"
There was a pleasant veranda, but this was not private and the appeal of sitting overlooking the garden was spoilt by a businessman shouting into his phone and watching films.
The service here left a great deal to be desired.
There was no response at the gate and staff were also standing outside unable to enter. We sat in the car for half an hour before a vehicle exited, allowing us to enter. We then made our way to Reception, where we stood for several minutes while 3 staff members chatted, within sight of us and ignored us. Two left, past us, without saying anything to us, and the third disappeared into another room, leaving us to call out for assistance.
A gentleman then hurriedly showed us to our room and explained that there was a power cut, due to load shedding, which was also the reason given for the gate failure. He had a rant about the government and left us with confused ideas about when power would be restored. Now, our understanding is that these have been going on for some time, are planned and notified. So, instead of literally being left in the dark, it would have been good to have a torch or similar and perhaps the offer of a cold drink as we couldn’t put the kettle on.
When we could see, we found many signs in the room about what not to do. Quite frankly, if it is necessary to put up this kind of signage, particularly about certain subjects, then the wrong type of clientele are being attracted in the first place.
There was the same lack of service at breakfast. The ‘waitress’ actually hid in the kitchenette, after clearly seeing us enter, so, again, we had to call out for assistance. After the welcoming, friendly approach of hosts elsewhere throughout our five trips to Southern Africa, this was quite a shock.
The food wasn't great; yes, we had just been served amazing eggs benedict in Cape Town, but the ones here were dreadful. They might have been eggs benedict, but 'not as we know them, Jim!'
The overriding impression was that we were a nuisance." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 7n in South Africa
"Annie's Cottage review"
Convenient for getting into the centre of town for food / provisions. Secure parking" See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia; 6n in South Africa
"Pit stop before border crossing."
The owner was very friendly, and gave us a good recommendation for dinner in town.
We were able to head into Springbok the next morning for a few supplies before heading onto the border, after a good breakfast." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia; 6n in South Africa
"Useful stop over "
"A throwback to the bad old days"
We had a very cursory welcome from an uninterested member of staff. We were shown to our room and couldn't help notice paint peeling off the exterior of the building. The room was a decent size although old fashioned. Remarkably we couldn't close the bathroom door because the bedside table got in the way. The loo seat wouldn't stay up.
The room was very dated. There were some house rules on the wall which were rather fierce in their wording eg you won't get any breakfast if you arrive a minute late.
The breakfast...we ordered medium poached eggs which arrived rock hard. The bacon was inedible. We are not normally fussy but neither of us could eat any of it. No-one was around to talk to.
We couldn't get out of this place quickly enough." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 5n in South Africa
"Convenient location in Springbok"
We were offered a choice of two rooms and took the one in the main building which seemed more comfortable. The other one, which is round the side of the house seemed a little damp and less welcoming. Breakfast is served in the main house and there was a wide range of cooked dishes.
In the evening we ate at The Herb Garden, a new cafe that is a short drive away. It was recommended by the staff at Annie's Cottage and we had a very reasonable priced, tasty meal there.
Annie's Cottage is a good base for exploring Namaqualand. Unfortunately (Sept 2017) there were no spring flowers due to the very dry winter but the area is still beautiful." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 6n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe; 2n in South Africa
"Comfortable guesthouse near town centre"
The one downside was the bird droppings around the pool, could have done with hosing down. Maybe something to do with the drought, but the plants were being watered....
Dining opportunities in Springbok are a bit limited but the Taurean Steakhouse was very good with a greater variety of food than the name suggests and very good value wine. We went to see the flowers which were not much in evidence because of the drought, but enjoyed a good walk with excellent views in the Goegap Nature Reserve. We also drove to the coast at Port Nolloth where we saw dolphins close to the shore. Enjoyed our stay." See all these reviews: 13n in South Africa; 8n in Namibia
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