Ramsgate Palms 75

Good location with easy access to the beach

I little old fashioned here and there - but clean and comfortable. No complaints.

The view is stunning. Good security. Close to the beach. Lovely.

Nothing. We had a great time.

Location excellent and the view was brilliant

Quite steep to beach, but that is age related.

To be fair, the apartment itself is attractive and well equipped, with comfortable bedrooms, good bathrooms, a pleasant kitchen, patio, and braai. The beach is clean and lovely.

Before arrival, we were asked for an extra R500 breakages deposit and enough forms to suggest we were borrowing the Crown Jewels rather than a holiday flat. We arrived at 9 p.m., exhausted after a four-hour drive and several days of international travel. The security guard, whose job it is to check us in and out, seemed barely conscious; after we repeated our names five times, he then studied our booking printout as though it were an ancient scroll requiring translation. Maybe guest check-in training needs updating. Not great when you are tired and just wanting to get checked-in already. The roads from the main road are badly potholed and poorly lit, so drive carefully. Our unit was also on the top floor at the very back of this supposedly “right on the beach” complex. Reaching the sea therefore involved a small pilgrimage and an unexpected fitness programme. The welcome pack contained little useful information about the beach, pool, or local area. Instead, it offered pages of threatening rules and possible fines of up to R5,000. Clearly, someone has been burned by bad guests, but treating every new arrival as a potential criminal does rather dent the holiday mood. Then came the sickly-sweet smell, which both of us suspected might be something dead. Open windows and lavender oil made it bearable. We could not find the source of the smell. There was also no Wi-Fi—apparently disclosed somewhere on the booking, presumably in very tiny writing somewhere, which was a problem on a working holiday. & The tiny amount of feeble dishwashing liquid provided could barely have washed a teaspoon. We enjoyed the beach, survived the rules, and believe we returned all teaspoons unharmed. However, we will not be booking here again.