As advertised. As advertised. We lost our way on a walk. Loved the bird hides.

Beautiful place to be. Beautiful place to stay, lovely to be in the West Coast National Park after dark. My fourth stay in the cottage! Be aware that sometimes they have lots of school kids right next door in the Stables accommodation. They're always sweet kids and no trouble at all, but not the peace and quiet some people may be after. The cottage is old and has a damp issue. In the rainy season, this is off-putting. In summer, one can open the doors and windows. The lighting is very bright, so we bring a lamp. There are no braai tongs or medium to big bowls for salad or breakfast cereal, so we bring those too. Otherwise, it has all the basics. We usually braai. It feels very safe and it's very peaceful. One can walk to the hides or walks behind to the salt marshes.

Lovely cottage. It's really a wonderful place! We were lucky enough to go when there were no children at the main "campsite" which is right there. I can imagine it getting quite rowdy as the proximity is incredibly close. SANParks could definitely do a better job with the images and description of the place. One could definitely prepare more efficiently if there was info such as 'what type of braai' was installed (Weber, drum, built-up brick, pit, if there's a grid etc. ). Please note (which isn't in the guidelines and quite shocking in summer): 1. The Conservation fee at the entrance is per day so, as two locals, paying R120p/p staying 2 nights is an additional R480. It doesn't state anywhere that it's per day. Imagine staying for 5 nights. 2. One would expect that the joy of staying in the park would be a walk on the beach / a stroll to the bird lookouts, or a run once the day trippers had left. However, as stated on the pamphlet you receive when entering the park "no driving after the park gates close, which is at 18:30. I find this absolutely bizarre as it basically eliminates the best part of a day (sunrise or sunset) for your enjoyment. While I understand there have to be rules and the animals need their rest and we all should be respectful, I do find it completely strange that a) it's not just an after-dark thing "once the sun sets overnight guests should please return to their dwellings", and b) it isn't stated anywhere on the website in the house rules or booking details. I don't want to sound like a complete a**, and the cottage itself is top notch and any actual complaints about it are irrelevant but SANParks, you need to do a better job of massaging these issues.

The bedroom is not a healthy place for anyone to sleep in. I was very disappointed in the cottage. Otherwise, the kitchen and dining room were suitable with amenities. But there is a terrible smoke smell in the cottage, mainly in the bedroom. I think this is a mixture of either someone who had been smoking or from the fireplace. It was very difficult to sleep in such a room as the smell caused my chest to wheeze badly. In the morning, it felt very damp on the walls in the bedroom after the rain. The bathroom had a few spots of mould on the walls, and the shower head is too short to properly stand under and shower.

Park disappointing. TV did not work. Fridge was turned off at the wall plug so not much use.

Peaceful. Loved the early morning walks, seeing animals. Braaivleis at night and sounds of the veld.