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Reviews of Hotel Charles

3 out of 5
Hotel Charles
137 Waterkant Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town, Western Cape

Reviews

8.4

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 35 out of 75 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 27 out of 75 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 8 out of 75 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 75 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 75 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

10/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Huguette

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pleasant and lively.
The place is fun and friendly and the area very lively. The rooms are all different and the one on the ground floor can be quite noisy withe the café life and the cars in the streets.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020

2/10 Terrible

Khadijah

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
worst hospitality in Cape town
Never properly checked me in. Didn’t inform me of a door code. I found out at 2am that there was no way to enter the hotel. None of the phone number worked to contact staff. Poorly organized all around. In the morning I was told “oh well, they can’t remember if they told me about the door code or not.” Not even a sorry that happened. That I’m a single girl, in a foreign country,locked out. Just that I could use the breakfast voucher they gave me at checkin. No compassion, just arrogance.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Gerri

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect accommodation for the CTCT.
Great location for my stay when doing the CTCT. Close to registration as well as both the start and finish it makes for a fine location for the race. Room has plenty of space and is well equipped. Also very close to the V&A so plenty of places to eat and activities to do.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Taher

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good stay at Charles guest house
Location was perfect for the business I attended. Very central to the waterfront and convention centre.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Our room was a nice bright space with a seating area and kitchenette. Excellent value for the money in a nice neighbourhood
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice hotel, probably not the best room
Location was good and the room was furnished nicely, unfortunately it opened up to the internal courtyard where they ran the loud coffee machine early in the morning. The room was quite warm even though it was not a hot night, and compounded by the thick winter duvet in the middle of summer.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice
Very pleasant place. Good vibe.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2018

2/10 Terrible

Carina

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stay clear
We were very excited to stay at the Charles. We know the area well and the guest house and little restaurant always seemed quite quaint. It was a very unfortunate choice. The guest house and restaurant merge and unfortunately it means that two rooms face an open coffee area and the kitchen. It was LOUD. The noise subsided around 17:00 only to erupt with vehemence very, very early in the morning. It sounded as though the coffee machine was right next to the bed and staff chattered and laughed very loudly. We informed the manager who only shrugged and said they always (!) have a problem with those two rooms and he had car troubles, so couldn't be at work in time to ask the staff to make less noise. He did offer us two free coffees for the inconvenience... To make matters worse, the colour coding of the shower tap is switched around which means that we wasted a fair amount of water while waiting for hot water. Surely this is something you can fix (especially during a drought) or at least inform the guests? Stay. Clear.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good, not great
Mouldy smell in room Shower door not closing properly - leaking water onto floor Very noisy room - understandable based on location. Did not bother me, but may concern others. Toiletpaper used to seal windows Some of the blinds need some care Overall room quality good at the price paid wad acceptable. The employees are friendly. The room served its purpose. For the area the price was very good and the room not in a horribl shape, but it does need a bit of maintenance
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

Bernard

Liked: Staff & service
One night stay
Stay was ok although the bathrooms smelt a bit. Also the extractor fan in bathroom very noisy.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice independent guesthouse at De Waterkant
This is a guesthouse that has the rooms scattered around several close by small houses. Feels like staying on your own rented apartment but with the daily hotel cleaning service. Walkable, updated appliances, full kitchen. You have to pay 50 rands for the wifi, that was the only fault I'd find. I'd definitely recommend it.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Charming Guesthouse and great food.
Lovely Guesthouse with a great restaurant and friendly staff. Highly recommended.

10/10 Excellent

thomas, Niamey, Niger

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic staff at a nice place
The staff was awesome at this hotel. I found the place to be very accommodating and I loved the cafe attached to it. I would definitely stay in this hotel again

8/10 Good

caleb , san diego

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice small cute hotel
Great place to stay if you want a different type of experience and want a friendly staff and yummy food

8/10 Good

Jane & Tim

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pretty guest house in good central location
Lovely 5 night stay. We were in the studio room with separate WC which was comfortable and practical. Great outdoor space on the roof terrace where we ate breakfast. High quality food and friendly staff. Walking distance from V&A, Bo Kaap and Bree Street bars/restaurants.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

6/10 Okay

Rico

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely boutique hotel in the heart of De Waterkant
Lovely little boutique hotel. Great location for access to the restaurants and bars in De Waterkant. Easy access to the MyCiti bus network. Excellent breakfast spot as well.

10/10 Excellent

dawn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

nadia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Convenient
Very nice stay but would have been great to have tea replenished and towels replaxed

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Lovely staff and great value for money
Not having WiFi in the rooms was a challenge. Also no air, only a fan, so not an issue for us bc the weather was very mild but maybe something others might want to bear in mind. The staff though was all absolutely amazing and really made this stay a pleasure. Overall found it to be a great value for the $.

10/10 Excellent

Peter

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
All good, great staff who really cared

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The only thing that was to bad was that the WiFi in my room wasn't free, but it was free in the lobby. Everything else was perfect! Breakfast was delicious, staff was helpful, the room was impeccable and the location was very convenient, safe and beautiful!

6/10 Okay

Chris, Rustenburg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not what is seen on internet
Entrance and reception is shoddy, and seriously needs a upgrade. It is like checking into a railway station 40 years ago. for the tariff you pay it is way overrated and you would expect a 3 to 4 star establishment. I rate this a a 1 to 2 star

6/10 Okay

Grant, Pretoria

Liked: Cleanliness
Charles Guest House stay for business
This Hotel is very well situated to some restaurants and the ICC, if that is what you are after. Parking is a bit difficult to find in the street, but at extra cost you can use private parking up the street. Rooms are clean & basic, but perhaps a little overpriced for what you get, but this is in line with pricing for this area of Cape Town. The only thing that was was not good about my stay, as the closing of the front door at night and no staff around to deal with people ringing the door bell, which was audible from my room late into the night. The next morning I also found myself locked in, and needed to phone someone to come let me out for breakfast, but then found a back door to get out of.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A nice change from standard hotel rooms
Had a nice stay at the CGH. Great location and nice to be out of standard hotel rooms. The breakfast content left a lot to be desired even if the service was great. The Internet connection was the pits - in this day and age that doesn't work.

10/10 Excellent

AI, Washington, DC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great experience, excellent service
The Charles staff are excellent, very helpful and informative. They overbooked the hotel, so they put us up in a two room suite with a hot tub! We will stay there again!

10/10 Excellent

Mathemba, Durban

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Home away from home
It was a wonderful experience! It is located closer to all relevant places of interest.

10/10 Excellent

Pierre, New York

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, lovely staff!
Really nice guesthouse, low key, nice staff, safe, very good value.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
My favourite place to stay in Cape Town. Relaxed, friendly, comfortable, clean & excellent value.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very accomodating and nice
We stayed one night here and were flying out of Cape Town the next day at 1am. It really seems like this hotel has thought of everything; they have a shower you can use before departure even if you have checked out, they have bins that lock where you can put your luggage. They are SO helpful. We had VERY heavy bags and our room was several flights of stairs but they carried them with a smile on their face. The room was spacious, modern and really nice. It had a safe too which is great. Bed was comfortable. There is no a/c but there was an efficient fan. The guys at the front desk were super helpful with a smile no matter what we asked. Our room was several flights of stairs so if you are elderly or not so limber, then this might not be the place for you. I read some reviews that this hotel was noisy but we heard nothing (we asked for a quiet room). The wifi didn´t work so well in the room but worked fine downstairs. It is too far to walk to the Waterfront from here but the taxi was just 50 rand.

10/10 Excellent

sue, uk

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Place
What a great place, we had a room with a separate lounge a bedroom with a roll top bath in the centre of it, also with a shower room plus a super king size bed, all the staff were very helpful in a great area not far from the V & A waterfront, great breakfast would highly recommend it

4/10 Poor

Chris, London

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Refund please!
Was given room number 10 which is at the back of the lodge away from the main building. Room was decorated well with nice items from a budget home decorating store. (Prices still on) bath was damaged and dated. Walls had mould. Water was brown and bathroom made us feel dirty. The staff was asking personal questions and came accross judgemental. They decided to start breaking out walls in the room next door at 19-00 and were making so much noice we thought about leaving but the free wifi is only in the nain building and not where we were put. Had to walk back to the main building to do anything.

10/10 Excellent

Courtney, Washington DC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cape Town go-to
I love this place. This was my second trip to Cape Town and I made a point to end my trip by staying at The Charles Guesthouse (after a lot of moving around with a larger group). It's in a great location out of the hub-bub of the City Center, but close enough to walk anywhere. The neighborhood is very charming and friendly with good bars, cafes, street parking, etc. The staff at The Charles have always been very friendly and helpful and the rooms are very comfortable. I also like their arrangement with the cafe down the street for breakfast. It takes the pressure off of the guesthouse breakfast set-up. I highly recommend The Charles Guesthouse for your stay in Cape Town if you are looking for someplace quiet but that gives you a neighborhood vibe.

10/10 Excellent

Pierre, New York

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Martin, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location
Enjoyed all aspects although needed night mask as daylight through blinds

6/10 Okay

Theuns Opperman, Grahamstown

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location
Very enjoyable. Only gripe was that on my first morning there was no water in my room. Staff made no attempt to compensate for the fact that because of this I had to use an outside bathroom, missed my breakfast and was late for my morning meeting. Rest of the stay went without a hitch. Wonderful area of the city.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Let down by the details
The room was nice and spacious and although the en-suite didn't have a door, it was good. The location was very good. There is no designated parking - which was disappointing - and one has to park on the street wherever you get a space (which was difficult to find). We parked quite a long way from our unit and although there is security on the street, I was concerned over the security of the vehicle. Their housekeeping is really not up to scratch: they left us with only one towel after the first night. They provided enough coffee and tea for the duration of our stay but only one milk serving - this is a silly thing but it was annoying; I expected better. When I wanted to check out there was nobody to assist me (in fact the office was locked) during their stated business hours. This was a problem, as I needed to catch a flight. They do not have their own restaurant/kitchen and provide you with a breakfast voucher for a set amount to be used at a cafe (Village Cafe) down the road - if you exceed the voucher you much pay the difference yourself. The voucher is for a very small amount and you would have to pay in if you wanted an omelette and an oranje juice... At their price point this was disappointing. The food at Village Cafe was however excellent! The details let the property down, but all and all it was not bad at all.

10/10 Excellent

jnj, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
great location
very comfortable & pleasant area.

10/10 Excellent

Courtney, Boston, MA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous
I stayed in about a half dozen places across Cape Town during the two weeks I visited and Charles Guest House was my absolute favorite. Great location, incredibly friendly staff, comfortable and clean room. Highly recommended.

10/10 Excellent

Susan, DC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect Guest House in Cape Town
I cannot say enough nice things about the Charles. The room was spacious and lovely, the staff incredibly helpful and the location was perfect. The staff helped us with booking tours and with dinner ideas and were incredibly friendly. The breakfast that was provided at the nearby Village Cafe was always delicious. My only complaint is that I didn't have time to enjoy the many outdoor patio options, but I will make sure to have more down time on my next visit, which will definitely include a stay at the Charles.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Very average
Great location, but sorely in need of some TLC. So, OK, but over-priced for what it was.

10/10 Excellent

Sterling, Stuttgart

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent location in nice neighborhood
The Guest House was nicely situated in a great walking neighborhood. We had a car and parking was not hard to find. We were given great ideas of what to do for a full day including a drive to Cape Point; see the penguins at Boulders; drive along the coast and have a dinner to watch the sunset in Camps Bay. We did it all and had a super visit!

8/10 Good

Troy, Silver Spring MD

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
great staff and terrific location
The rooms in the Charles are basic and simply furnished but clean. The staff was terrific and very friendly and helpful. The location in the heart of the De Waterkant neighborhood in Cape Town's "city bowl" can't be beat.

10/10 Excellent

George, Santa Barbara, California

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The Charles Luxury Guest House
Very friendly staff, clean, centrally located and the breakfast was quite good.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Jim, Santa Cruz, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Personal, very friendly
The good: Extremely friendly and competent staff. The first day the staff learned my name, and then greeted me by name thereafter. My room was very comfortable. The hotel has a great patio terrace area with a new awning and nice views of the city. The De Waterkant neighborhood is picturesque and upscale; it has gentrified over the last 30 years. There are many nice small shops nearby, as well as a large upscale mall two short blocks away with several nice cafes and restaurants. The guest house has a cozy living room with a fireplace, and a few nights there was a real fire going in the fireplace. Overall, much more personal and intimate than the big, fancy hotels. The bad: The first night I arrived at 11pm. Despite having notified the hotel that I would be checking in late, I still needed to have my shuttle driver call someone to the reception so I could check in, a process that took 10+ minutes. The reception closes at 10pm, so any late arrivals will need to be able to phone someone to come to reception. While I felt very safe in the De Waterkant neighborhood, at night I didn't like that I was often approached by people asking for money (this is common in all of Cape Town, not just the area around this hotel). There are multiple security staff on foot in the neighborhood at night. The lock on my room door was of a very old-fashioned type, and did not seem very secure. There is a free in-room safe that I used. My stay: 10 days, in early May, 2010.

10/10 Excellent

Andrew, Liverpool, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Charming old world style hotel
Lovely, quirky place in a funky part of Cape Town. It may not be the Sheriton Hotel and doesn't have all the mod cons of a big grand hotel - but it is attractive partly because it represents a complete change from that type of hotel. It has a frendly service, wireless throughout (and rapid reponse on the one day when there was problems with it), secure safe in each room and wonderful food. It felt like staying in someone's home rather than a hotel. I would book in their like a shot if i ever go back. I took taxis everywhere at night as there was talk of security issues nearby - but i don't know how true this is. Felt very safe during the day.