My husband and I spent one night here en route from Swaziland to the Drakensburg region and it really was an oasis in an otherwise industrial area. It was very easy to find from the main highway, and upon entering the property you suddenly feel transported from the busy world surrounding it to peaceful gardens. The buildings are located on a beautifully landscaped property, and have a chic rustic luxury feel to them. Our room was gorgeous - bright clean colors, full of light. The bath tub was huge and perfect for soaking those muscles aching from a long drive. The shower was powerful with plenty of water pressure. The bed has crisp, clean linens. There was a mini fridge as well as a coffee/tea nook which was very handy. While we were there the pool was being refinished, but it wasn't particularly nice weather at the time anyways so we didn't miss out on that.
The guest house is located a short drive away from the Blackrock Casino. In fact, if you take a left out of the driveway and follow that road to the end, it will drop you off right at the entrance to the casino parking lot. The Arbor Guesthouse proprietor recommended the casino restaurant for dinner and we were not disappointed. The honor bar at the guesthouse, which is open in the evenings, was locked when we returned from dinner so we didn't have a chance to use it. But we did have breakfast the following morning and I don't think you will leave hungry. We had eggs, sausage or bacon, yogurt & granola, juices, coffee, fresh fruit and more. The kitchen and waitstaff were friendly and always smiling.
Newcastle is one of those places that normally would not have been included on our itinerary, but I am glad we chose the Arbor Guesthouse as our stopover place - it exceeded our expectations. If you are interested in staying here you will want to book early - they have a tendency to book up quickly at popular holiday times as we learned when the proprietor was answering phone calls right before we checked out!
Bravo to the staff and thank you for making this a comfortable, enjoyable stay!
Read more
Read less
Date of stay: November 2012Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Check in was fine team extremely helpful despite my late arrival. The room was ok and functional as well as spotlessly clean.TV had what I needed but no wifi regrettably and that's always a let down for me. Breakfast could be a lot better and was rather greasy however the team was incredibly friendly and diningroom was clean ,however better coffee should be available please
Read more
Read less
Date of stay: November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
We booked in for a nite on 30 May 15. We were a bit apprehensive at first but when we check in we were amazed. Beautiful room - spotlessly clean room and bathroom. My only suggestion is a shower curtain as the water is all over place when u are done. Other than that we loved our short stay.I would recommend this place to anyone and will make use of the guest house again when in the area.
Read more
Read less
Date of stay: May 2015Trip type: Travelled with family
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
On our way from Pretoria to Scottburgh we planned 2 stopovers : Newcastle and Howick. Our choice in Newcastle was Arbor House B&B. They can also serve diner. The room is very good, spacy-good bed (kingsize)-fine shower-darkening curtains. Except for the door where a good amount of light shines trough. Diner is cheap-simple but good. In both quality and quantity. Breakfast is also good. Only for the sandwich filling is nog kuch choice. That could be a bit better. Staff lady is very friendly and helpfull. Recommendable!
Read more
Read less
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Our stay in Arbor was brilliant and very peaceful. I can recommend it to anyone who wants a peaceful outing. The room are very good and tidy. The only area of concern is breakfast. If they just add some variety on the breakfast things will be more than 100 percent. We had a fantastic time.
Read more
Read less
Date of stay: October 2016Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
