De Hoek Country Hotel

Your staff are friendly but untrained and have little to no knowledge of what you offer or your services. We decided to have drinks at the bar before dinner. Your drinks menu is limited, and you do not offer cocktails. I received little to no assistance on what could be made for me. And I was told to get up and go to the bar because both gentlemen working in the bar area had no clue about what you had in stock ,which was even more shocking because your alcohol options to make up a cocktail are so limited. I then explained to the barman what combination he could do for a cocktail. Dinner was appalling. We requested a wine menu which took forever to arrive as you only have one wine menu for all guests. The bread box/basket was bizarre. Clearly bought in commercial sour dough bread, bland meatballs , shortbread biscuits, and lurpak butter still in its original packaging. Starters: Duck carpaccio with a homemade store bought Sriracha, blueberries, and kewpie mayo, completely different from what was indicated on the menu. My mind is completely blown at this combination and the sheer lack of skill or knowledge used to execute this poor menu. This was served on lettuce, which also blew me away. The succotash was just poorly executed veggies and canned beans in a pool of vingary dressing. Mains: A very average piece of salmon that was slightly overcooked, again with drops of kewpie mayo and poorly cooked veggies. It had possibly parsnip puree or a watery cauliflower puree. Store bought sweet chili sauce was also on the plate. All food was underseasoned. There is no salt or black pepper for the table. The waiter did not know what the gram of the beef was or the cut of the beef when we inquired, so my partner opted for the fish. The waiter first stated that it was 500g, which we knew was definitely wrong. FYI- There is no such thing as a ballontine of fillet. And there is incorrect spelling on your menu. Succotash should contain corn, and it did not. Cauliflower steak was undercooked. Again, poorly executed and undercooked veggies. The Tandoori sauce tasted nothing of Tandoori and was too creamy. Dessert: The chocolate fondant was overcooked, and the outer was chewy. Also, eggy in taste. The ice cream was just regular commercial vanilla ice cream. The lemon tart was soggy, chewy, overworked pastry, eggy lemon curd filling which tasted of nothing but egg and the fridge. You can tell that it was old and kept in the fridge uncovered. There was some crumbled meringue on the top, also old and dusty in texture, which happens with old meringue. The ingredients used to prepare these meals are of poor quality, and there is definitely little to no skill in the kitchen. Such poor food and service really ruins the entire experience. Breakfast was poor as well. Soggy, undercooked poor quality croissants, cheap cuts of ham. There is no teaspoons to eat the yogurt cups. Scrambled eggs were overcooked. Asked for the beef sausage to be swapped for bacon. Still received a beef sausage on the plate. The beef patty was tough. Mushrooms had no flavor. Tastes of microwaved mushrooms. Mushrooms were overcooked. I asked for regular ground coffee, as only decaf was offered in the room. We were sent decaf coffee again. No offering of toast of breakfast juices was offered. Anything we asked, staff did not have an answer or knowledge of. One expects a far better service and dining experience from a 5 star establishment. Sadly, I would not recommend this establishment to anyone. Received a total generic, indifferent response from the GM. One can tell by his response and how this establishment is currently being run that there is a total intransigent attitude. Just disgusting.

Christmas lunch December 2023 for 7adults and 1 child was extremely disappointing for the cost per head . Table setting way below 5 star status . Had to request sufficient serviettes which were paper serviettes . A clean plate was also requested . Buffet style food and dessert very mediocre and serving utensils had to be asked for . A delayed review for a disappointing Christmas lunch. Rowland

Bath towels were hand towels and small.Not fluffy and off colour.Breakfast below par.No berries whatsoever.Flapjacks hard and stodgy ,no oats and gooseberries accompanied the flapjacks despite what menu said.Service deteriorates once they have conferences and ordinary guests are relegated to second best and made to wait for service.Amex cards not accepted and there is nothing on the site informing the guest.Yet booking .com states that they do accept Amex cards.Their Spa prices are more than what you pay elsewhere so beware.For a 5 star place they need some improvement.

A wonderful experience. The staff were excellent. The rooms great. Such a pity that I was there for a night. Beautiful grounds. Very relaxing.

Beautiful setting, excellent food and good service.