Tintswalo Atlantic

Tintswalo boasts breathtaking ocean views, friendly staff, and immaculate, spacious rooms. Guests enjoy a lovely breakfast and a relaxing pool area. Some praise the luxurious suites with unique touches.

I was highly anticipating the stay at the hotel due to the positive reviews, but was sorely disappointed. While other travelers found staff friendly and helpful, I found the opposite with some members of the team. The service varied significantly, with some exceptional team members, and some who were rude and standoffish. I ordered room service one evening, and the team member who took my order was astoundingly rude. The restaurant where meals were served was often dirty, with breadcrumbs over the floor and seats. We ate one dinner at the restaurant and the food was extremely underwhelming. The saving grace was staff including Lee-Ann, Jonathan, Patrick who were extremely responsive and apologetic about issues we experienced, and dealt with them efficiently. I also appreciated the lovely gift left for my parents as we were celebrating their wedding anniversary. Other observations for future guests: 1. The hotel only offers meals at the Chef's Warehouse restaurant on the property. There is a modified residents menu which is not the restaurant's focus, and probably why the meals are not of a very high quality. It is also extremely limited for special dietary requirements such as vegetarian or vegan. 2. If driving in the city, you will have to park your car at the entrance and be driven down to the property. While this is a minor inconvenience, the staff at the front gate are not particularly welcoming, and do not recognize return guests. 3. Management are fantastic and should be commended, but general staff particularly those on the phone, or at the restaurant dealing with hotel guests could benefit from additional training. 4. The bar man at the guest lounge is fantastic, and made amazing cocktails/mocktails. I also highly recommend the chilli martini at the restaurant - one of the best drinks I've ever had. 5. The location and position right on the ocean is spectacular, and the rooms are well appointed/stocked with teas/coffees etc. Overall, I would conclude that in my opinion, the hotel falls far below a 5 star property. While the location is incredible, what really sets a hotel apart is the service, and this one stood out for all the wrong reasons.