Monkey Valley Resort

The second time we have visited Monkey Valley. The magic of this place still takes our breath away. We stayed in Turtle Villa with the most amazing sea view from every room, beautifully appointed self catering full kitchen with loads of fridge room for drinks and food and amazing Braai area on the huge private lawn in front perfect for a bit of back yard cricket while sipping some wine and watching the horses on the beach! Just so amazing!!

One of our favourite spots for sundowner ..one day we’ll go the whole hog and dine there as well! Wonderful pianist who’s tinkling on the ivories totally relaxes you and takes away all your troubles (at least for a short while). A bit tricky to find if you’re unfamiliar with the local geography but you won’t regret making the effort. Get there early for a good table. Can’t comment on the accommodation as have never stayed there. Secluded spot ..magical sunset!

The actual setting and the deck / restaurant was fantastic. Our food was awesome, service prices were considered reasonable, but the room fell short of expectations. Service was always pleasant and Wallace needs to be promoted. What a star! Described as "An executive sea facing room" I took for granted that a table/desk, a shower, a working fridge, a working TV, more than 3 Watts of lighting, an air conditioner, a hair dryer or a mirror near a power point to do hair are all things expected. The fridge power point was fixed within a day but the TV / Remote never materialised. Just gave up on the TV. Maintenance has been neglected. This is not the place for those that are mobility challenged.

I was supposed to stay here for a week, but I left after one night. The room I had was not ok. It had very old carpets, nothing to hang cloths, a desk which was to small to sit, an old fridge placed next to the bed, so I had to decide to power my reading light or my fridge, rattling noise from the roof all night because it was windy, and finally I could just hear everything from my neighbours because of paper thin walls. I even did not try anything else here. The location and views are beautiful but that’s it. The property is run down, no recommendation.

If this place was run even half decently, it would literally print money. With its rustic charm and amazing views, it has the potential to be one of the best places to stay in Cape Town. But unfortunately it falls despairingly short of the mark. Let me preface my review by mentioning that my family and I stayed at the resort for 9 nights, occupying 7 rooms, and 2 self catering chalets. Rooms: - The majority of the rooms don't have showers, only baths. The hand shower in our bath didn't work properly. - All of the rooms were dirty and dusty. Our room hadn't seen a good vacuum cleaner or feather duster in months. - One of the self catering chalets had mice nesting behind the washing machine. - The rooms on the top level have a thatch roof, with nests of geckos and mice that have MMA fights at 2am. Restaurant: - Having dined at the restaurant at least 15 times over the course of our stay, I can't tell you without a doubt that the only redeeming quality of this establishment is the incredible view - On quiet days, the service was good. But as soon as it got a busy, we constantly had to chase down our waiter, often placing orders with several different waiters. - On the whole the food was also good, but they constantly got simple things wrong like bringing the incorrect side (chips, salad etc.) or the drinks. Granted these are small mistakes, but it happens far too often. - Whatever you do, don't order cocktails from the bar. We are pretty sure the bartender just reads the menu to see what the ingredients are and then wings it. We saw many cocktails sent back. Other Issues: - The owner, Judy, has several dogs that run around the resort freely. When they see a squirrel or something, they go bananas, which is quite disconcerting for patrons at the restaurant. My cousin also stood in some of their excrement which had not been cleaned up. - On Christmas morning, Judy was playing music from her portable speaker very loudly at 6am, right in front of some of the rooms. She also proceeded to reserve the best table on the deck for herself and her family. - On Christmas day, my aunt tripped over a protruding rock by the restaurant entrance and broke her arm. Judy happened to walk by shortly after the incident, and asked if she was ok, and then just went back to her table at the restaurant. - R2500 was stolen from one of the chalets. I am most certainly not saying it was the staff, but it is worth mentioning in this review. They did refund this amount however, which was great of them. To wrap things up, it’s clear that all the issues we faced stem from an owner who simply doesn’t care. This place could be exceptional, but it’s painfully obvious that Judy has let things slide in every possible way. The resort is falling apart. The gardens are overgrown, the buildings are in disrepair, and everything just feels neglected. The staff are left to fend for themselves, and while a few managers were nice enough, they just don’t have the leadership or eye for de

Where to start. Monkey Valley has the all the right ingredients for a wonderful resort, but unfortunately the general up keep and service is beyond average - for the price being charged. The resturant staff and food are the only good part of our stay. The rooms are old and have not been updated in some time. All our family rooms had baths only, not ideal for elderly family members. The pool on the property looks like a dam. You would think that the owners would have got the pool sorted as it's December period. There was a smell of sewerage lingering in the air. The kids play area has not had any attention in some years and there was what appeared to be sewerage of sorts right under the kids swing (this was deducted due to smell and sludge) Family of ours had money stolen from their rooms (self catering unit) and a family member also fell and broke her arm on the property, due to bad lighting and dangerous areas when walking late at night. Our room was clean to the general eye, but when looking for something under the bed it was clear to see that the floor has not been cleaned in a very long time - dust and bits of old rubbish underneath. Curtains were also dirty and the bath was not cleaned once during our stay. I had to clean myself with sunlight purchased. Other family members were in the self catering units and there were mice running around the unit. Overall, really disappointing experience and I feel for the staff as they are trying their best. But I don't think they are given the means to work effectively. Think twice before spending that money. You'll just be paying for the view. The owner sits everyday on the deck with all her family/friends, but clearly pays no attention to whats going on around her and the fact that patrons/guests are unhappy.