Vida Nova Retreat

Superb location, lovely mountain views from the tranquil garden. my family joined me for breakfast, which was a bit pricy considering the two smallest ones shared a plate, but the kids loved the hot pool . I was in Hout Bay to attend an event and will definitely book at Vista Nova again, as the staff was friendly and attentive - I loved staying there!

The breakfast options

Staff - wonderful, friendly, welcoming, accommodating, the list goes on. Melissa in particular was so helpful, as was anyone else we encountered working there. Bed - huge and very comfortable, well made up, comfy pillows, good mattress. Room - large, clean and bright. The changing light colour options are a nice touch, as are the coffee bags. Air-conditioning worked well to heat and cool as needed. Little fridge is good. Outlets really well placed by both sides of the bed, including USB ports. Shower and Towels - Nice water pressure and amenities, love a large soft towel and they were good quality. Patio - private with a nice little couch and table. Room service - food was absolutely delicious and hot. Breakfast - very tasty and again, lovely people working there. Small selection of fruit, yoghurt, pastries, apple and orange juice and cereal were set up to help yourself and were very tasty. No menu, but options were flexible and a full English breakfast and coffee was delicious when ordered. We had breakfast included and were very happy with it. Area - Really nice views. Tv - love that our room had a dedicated Netflix channel. Noise - we visited at a very quiet time of year, and it was peaceful.

Things to be aware of (not "bad", just FYI): Jacuzzi - no bubbles (although has gentle jets), but as long as it's been running long enough, it gets nice and hot. More like an outside bath than hot tub. Do not turn it off during your stay or you'll have to wait a good few hours for it to come up to temperature. But very pleasant to use when hot. Spa - there is no on-site spa. They do liaise with a local business for this to provide spa options like massages that you book direct with the provider, but the website (to me) gives the vibe that there is a spa on the grounds as wellness integration options are mentioned prominently, so just something to note. I did see other guests confused about this too (which the staff handled really well, working with their contact to find suitable arrangements). Garden walk - there is a small, manicured, central green lawn by the small pools (beautiful looking, genuinely very pretty, although we didn't use them ourselves as maintenance was going on with it), but the website says expansive gardens on the property, which I mistakenly thought meant you could walk around in gardens on the property. This could perhaps be just my unique understanding. There are not any walks like that on the property, however again the staff were knowledgeable, and on their recommendation, exit the property, turn left, and an 800m safe walk up the road there is a gorgeous tiny, open wetlands reserve to wander around, with stunning views. I fully suggest anyone do this as a little stroll after breakfast. Kiru - Just a note that the tasting menus which is their dinner option do not allow substitutions or changes, so those with allergens please check ahead of time if they can accommodate. Room service is not available Sunday and Monday, but there are around 15 restaurants that deliver food by options like uber eats and Mr. Delivery that you can order to reception.

Clean, spacious, quiet and luxurious toiletries in the unisex bathroom.

Not applicable

The property is beautiful and well located.

We booked a room with a fireplace and when we got there the fireplace was not working - the most important selling feature for us. When we enquired at reception what can be done, they were not helpful at all. There were inconsistencies with the information provided in the room and what we experienced at breakfast. The gentleman serving at breakfast tried to explain(no fault of his, training is lacking) but it wasn’t very clear. Our initial interaction with the lady who checked us in was good, she was super friendly and helpful, however the other reception person not so much - we did not find the staff equipped to deal with guest as expected.