Val du Charron Wine & Leisure Estate

Late review as i never got a reply from my email i sent. On 17 January 2025, my partner and I visited for the weekend as we purchased two vouchers through Hyperli for a weekend stay, which included a R100 discount on wine purchases (x2). Upon visiting the wine shop on Saturday 18 January, George, the sommelier informed me that there was a minimum requirement of four bottles to be purchased in order to redeem the discount. I understand that there may be certain terms and conditions attached to such deals, but it would have been helpful if this requirement had been clearly stated in the fine print of the deal itself. However, the issue was not with the minimum bottle requirement, but with the unprofessional and disrespectful behavior I experienced while trying to finalize my purchase. After agreeing to purchase the four bottles, I asked George for a final price, factoring in the discount. Instead of providing the price as requested, he repeatedly went over the terms of the voucher, even though I had already acknowledged and agreed to the conditions. Despite my clear request for a straightforward answer, George continued to talk over me, insisting that I purchase six bottles to receive a better price. I explained that I only wanted four bottles, but he continued to press and insisted on the six. When I continued to express my preference for four bottles, George became increasingly rude, even telling me to "shoos” (Keep quiet) when I questioned his behavior. At this point, he proceeded to close the shop, preventing me from making any wine purchases at all. This behavior was completely unacceptable. Additionally, I would like to mention that I was completely sober at the time, having only participated in the wine tasting earlier that morning then went for a nap and came to the shop around 15h30. However, I noticed that George appeared disoriented and his eyes were noticeably low, which led me to believe that he may have been under the influence of alcohol while on duty. I am extremely disappointed by the way I was treated during this visit. The lack of professionalism, the rude and dismissive attitude, and the inability to assist me in a respectful manner have left a very negative impression of Val Du Charron. I trust that you will take this matter seriously and investigate this situation thoroughly. I would appreciate a response outlining how you plan to address this incident and ensure such behavior does not occur again in the future. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

Although there is construction taking place at the moment, the views are amazing, the buildings and rooms are great, and the service excellent.

This review is relatively objective, being based on our 18th annual road trip staying at 17 properties over 37 nights. We stayed for one night in February. Not that easily found unless a Google pin or GPS co-ordinates used. Reception staff unable to provide old school written directions. Lovely, lovely location, rivalling Del Aire Graaf in Stellenbosch - however that’s where the comparison ends. Upon arrival we were left hanging at reception after the staff member who greeted us disappeared without an explanation. After waiting for 10 minutes I located him serving at the bar where he advised that someone would be coming to help us, which they did. The first room offered was not made up - the second was made up but stank of drains and sewage. The room service staff had obviously picked this up as all the windows and balcony door were open! We were offered a complimentary drink by the Duty Manager, who was clearly under pressure. Eventually we were offered a made up room which didn’t stink! This room was clean, comfortable, well equipped with a scenic view from the balcony. Dinner on the terrace with the view as aforementioned was something of a disaster. Despite 4 serving staff and the Duty Manager being present it took several attempts to procure our mains and a 30 minute wait for deserts, which arrived melted (ice cream based) obviously having been left on the pass for far too long. There was one large (10?) family table and another pair of couples, but this was absolutely no excuse for such poor service, where staff members didn’t seem to be communicating with each other in any respect. Breakfast was an affair that would been better suited to a hasty tasty, with minimal choices - absolutely not up to the standard expected of a property of this class. The aforementioned staff were however all friendly, but clearly lacking in training. Again, not up to the standard expected. I write very few ‘poor’ ratings, but sadly this is one - we won’t t be returning next year!

Beautiful views and service was excellent. The place looks a bit run down and definitely needs an upgrade. So many mosquitoes in the room...they should warn the guests

Having experienced the excellent service that this establishment provides, as per our visit last year, we were in the area and were seeking just a one night stop, So on a wing we pitched up to find that a room was available. A very comfortable night and great food, oh not forgetting the estate wines, plan to return soonest.

Hi, Lovely view, thats all. We were here for our christmas lunch. We had the most terrible waiter everrrr. The lady messed up our orders the whole time. We spoke to the manager twice about the terrible service but she just kept on messing around with our order. We were 8 people at the table and she tried to bill us for 9 people. How terrible! There was a buffet for lunch - no one managing the buffet. I needed to ask someone to go fetch some meat as all the meat was done. I would only recommed this place if you like terrible service , if you like to wait +45 min for half of your drinks and if you are fine with the waiter trying to cheat you with the receipt.