Amali Guest Houses
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About
4.0
#6 of 13 guest houses in CradockLocation
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Amali Guest Houses opened in 2006. The name comes from the owner Marlize and her two daughters Amé and Lize. Amali offers Karoo friendly reception to all travellers and pride ourselves to our motto "Be our Guest." We care. Amali has available rooms and self catering chalets. Each guest are serviced to their individual need and most of them return as friends. We are situated in the historical town of Cradock that offers ample activities and site seeing ventures... Do make your next visit to Cradock a visit to Amali Guest Houses!
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Breakfast available
Golf course
Hiking
Meeting rooms
BBQ facilities
Paid wifi
Breakfast buffet
Complimentary Instant Coffee
Complimentary tea
Canoeing offsite
Tennis court offsite
Walking tours
Non-smoking hotel
Outdoor fireplace
Outdoor furniture
Shared kitchen
Shared lounge / TV area
Private check-in / check-out
Laundry service
Washing machine
Room features
Air conditioning
Kitchenette
Microwave
Minibar
Flatscreen TV
Electric blanket
Walk-in shower
Complimentary toiletries
Refrigerator
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Charming
Languages Spoken
English, Afrikaans, Xhosa
Location
30 Albert Street, Cradock 5880 South Africa
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 46 out of 100
46
Port Elizabeth Airport
202.7 km•
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10 Restaurants
within 1 kilometer
16Reviews0Q+A3Room tips
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Detailed Reviews
Our vehicle broke down an hour from Cradock yesterday and we were towed to Amali self-catering chalets. We are so grateful that they assisted us so late and have no words to thank the friendly staff and owners that so graciously helped us. I am actually teary-eyed while typing. Their chalets are clean, neat and spacious. Beds are comfortable (so important ). Lovely gardens and pool area. Incredibly grateful to have discovered them.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
one of the neatest Guest Houses I've ever stayed in. Clean, well equiped. Clean and cosy bedding with electric blankets. Bed comfortable.Check in went seamless. Communication very good!
Well done. Can really recommend Amali Guest House.
Well done. Can really recommend Amali Guest House.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unbelievable guesthouse! Personal service with almost "breakfast in bed." Staff serves you with a tray stacked with all the goodies to start your day. I will look no further than Amali Guesthouse. Priced perfect. No chance for oversleeping - parrots will make sure of that )
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Date of stay: September 2013Trip type: Travelled on business
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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
On arrival I was told to wait in the parking lot after driving for 10 hours! I was then showed my room and that's it. None of the facilities available etc. Breakfast was promised as really good as I was in two minds of eating breakfast at Amali (for R70.00!) or at a restaurant. At the breakfast I was rudely shown to my table by the cleaner and met with irritation when I asked if I can sit at another table. There was a miscommunication about the coffee which I ignored. When my breakfast arrived it was two very hard eggs (I specifically asked for soft eggs), Koo Tamato relish and two very thin and very dry strips of bacon. When I queried the hard eggs the host started screaming at me and accusing me of a bad attitude etc. I got up and left. At the butchery, which recommended Amali, they asked about my stay. I replied it was terrible. I then received a call a week later from the owner asking about payment and accusing me of bad mouthing her guesthouse. When I replied I have a right to say my visit was terrible she started getting sarcastic and even more accusational. Avoid this place and Karoo Manor at all cost!
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Date of stay: December 2015Trip type: Travelled on business
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked last minute after our accommodation at another lodge fell through. We called the number for Amali and asked if they had a room. The woman on the phone said that there was only one room left with a toilet, a bath and a double bed. That sounded the same as other rooms I have occupied and enjoyed. No problem.
I did not suspect that the toilet and bath, our only toilet and bath, were in fact in the actual bedroom. Sharing the same wooden floor. At least they had a TV with satellite in the room. After turning on the TV, we discovered that the satellite subscription had not been paid and so there were literally no channels on the TV. The bedding was old and left bits of fluff on our clothes and hair the following morning. The bed itself sagged in the middle and creaked violently with the slightest shift in weight. All in all it seemed the room had not been opened for years until moments before we arrived, when two after-dinner mints were placed on the bed.
We asked the guest house's manager whether we could use the kitchen to cook dinner for ourselves and she obliged. After returning from the nearby Spar with groceries, we entered the kitchen. All the dishes were dirty despite being packed away in cupboards. All the surfaces were greasy or sticky. We guessed that not many guests make use of the self-catering kitchen during their stay and that the kitchen had not been used or cleaned in a while.
Imagine our surprise when we stumbled into the kitchen the next morning where guest house staff were cooking the guest breakfast using the same dirty appliances and cutlery and crockery that we had seen the night before. And I'm not just talking watermarks on the knives and a little bit of greasiness on the counter tops. This was serious grime.
We thanked our lucky stars that it was only a one-night stay and left the guest house in the morning, opting out of our complimentary breakfast; instead stopping at a filling station for a Shamrock pie and to make use of the loo.
The manager was a lovely person and there is secure parking but other than that, this was not a pleasant stay.
I did not suspect that the toilet and bath, our only toilet and bath, were in fact in the actual bedroom. Sharing the same wooden floor. At least they had a TV with satellite in the room. After turning on the TV, we discovered that the satellite subscription had not been paid and so there were literally no channels on the TV. The bedding was old and left bits of fluff on our clothes and hair the following morning. The bed itself sagged in the middle and creaked violently with the slightest shift in weight. All in all it seemed the room had not been opened for years until moments before we arrived, when two after-dinner mints were placed on the bed.
We asked the guest house's manager whether we could use the kitchen to cook dinner for ourselves and she obliged. After returning from the nearby Spar with groceries, we entered the kitchen. All the dishes were dirty despite being packed away in cupboards. All the surfaces were greasy or sticky. We guessed that not many guests make use of the self-catering kitchen during their stay and that the kitchen had not been used or cleaned in a while.
Imagine our surprise when we stumbled into the kitchen the next morning where guest house staff were cooking the guest breakfast using the same dirty appliances and cutlery and crockery that we had seen the night before. And I'm not just talking watermarks on the knives and a little bit of greasiness on the counter tops. This was serious grime.
We thanked our lucky stars that it was only a one-night stay and left the guest house in the morning, opting out of our complimentary breakfast; instead stopping at a filling station for a Shamrock pie and to make use of the loo.
The manager was a lovely person and there is secure parking but other than that, this was not a pleasant stay.
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Date of stay: July 2017Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from AmaliGH, General Manager at Amali Guest Houses
Responded 11 Jul 2017
Dear Jake N, I am very sorry that you feel you had a unpleasant stay at Amali! This is not the kind of business that I manage... We try our utmost best to give our guests the BEST stay in Cradock. I spoke to Lenette that was on duty that weekend... She showed you the self-catering units at College Rd but you asked for cheaper accommodation. The room you stayed in is our cheapest room.. and you are right we do not use that room often, but that room is cleaned with the other rooms frequently even if not used. You saw the room before you checked in and saw the bathroom was part of the bedroom and on the same wooden floor, but still took the room. If you book one room I do not understand why you complain of having an "only toilet and bath"? Why if you had Lennette's number on the file next to the bed, the same number you phoned to make a booking did you not ask her to please come sort out the TV. As we have 22 TVs on one account of DSTV they are all paid via debit order per month. Not one other guest complained about their tv channels not working, it must have been a fault on your decoder, which we would have sorted out immediately if you told us. Even would have moved you to another room at the same cheap price if you told us the TV did not work because we know that you pay for the luxury of a TV in the room. I went into the room now and checked the bedding there is white "summer" sheets on that bed with a white duvet and the beige blanket is brand new...I do not know where the fluff could have come from. I am sorry the bed creaked that will be checked and sorted. I am sorry that you also did not immediately brought it under our attention that all 20 plates in the cupboard was dirty.. that is unacceptable! I went to check on that now as well and they are all clean. The only appliances in the kitchen is the stove, microwave and kettle... all checked now.. I would have liked you to have shown Lenette that they were dirty the next morning while the people that is supposed to do the cleaning were there so they could also have seen they are not doing their jobs properly, cause now they only say it is not so and I do not have proven. We are normally very strict on cleanliness and hygiene. So a kitchen being down right greasy and grimed is not our style. Most of the guests that stay in that house during weekdays for a week long use that kitchen and we have never had any complaints. I am really sorry that it was not up to standard when you used it. We did not offer you a complimentary breakfast so I do not understand that sentence what did you opt out of...? Please feel free to walk in to Amali at any time you pass through Cradock again and check on all the faults you now brought under our attention after your stay, as we would really have liked to walk through all the problems with you while you experienced it, so we could make sure it does not happen to any guest or especially you again. We are proud of Amali and our business and I do not want to be in a position were I have to defend anything on out premises. For you and other guests reading this please make your complaints and suggestions while you are checked in at the guest house it is very difficult to sort out a problem 9 days later and to pick up why there was a problem on that specific day! Please feel free to contact me anytime at Amali Guest Houses. Rika Langenhoven Dry 048 881 4895
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The reception was warm and friendly.
The room was spacious with a modern bathroom.
A problem with the TV was attended to immediately and fixed.
The jack-of-all-trades Tendai is brilliant, and a good advert for the guesthouse and Cradock.
The prices are very reasonable, and this is the only place I will stay when in Cradock again.
The room was spacious with a modern bathroom.
A problem with the TV was attended to immediately and fixed.
The jack-of-all-trades Tendai is brilliant, and a good advert for the guesthouse and Cradock.
The prices are very reasonable, and this is the only place I will stay when in Cradock again.
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Date of stay: December 2015Trip type: Travelled on business
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Room 11 was modern, spacious and private, with ample off-street parking.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
On our business trip to Cradock, My colleague and I researched suitable places to stay at in Cradock. We liked everything Amali Guesthouse had to offer and made the booking early. Amali Guesthouse accepted our booking and we were on our way fro Johannesburg. As we arrived at the guesthouse, a lady met us in the drive-way, Greeted me but did not even acknowledge my Indian colleague next to me and told us that she decided to rather move us to another venue of hers, where there is air conditioning, since the Amali rooms had no aircon. I told her politely that we have been booked in in Amali Guesthouse specifically, but she then said another problem is that they are fully booked and she moved us to a place exactly the same as Amali. There is no difference. It was late and we were tired and still had to prepare for the next day's business. Disheartened, we left Amali to go to her other venue. Karoo Manor. There was a group of youngsters fighting and screaming at each other in the street in front of Karoo Manor and I felt quite unsafe. A young lady and a man came out and without even greeting, she instructed: "I will take the white lady this side, you take him across the road." (Apparently where all the African people, truck drivers etc. sleep). I felt so raw about this treatment and discrimination. My colleague and I both knew what the real reason was for the move. Of course there was no aircon in my room, what a lie just to get rid of us! The next morning we were told by the staff that Karoo Manor is cheaper than Amali (even though Amali accepted our full payment). I felt extremely embarrassed about the whole situation. Amali Guesthouse will never be considered by our company in future.
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Date of stay: October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived as the accommodation is very neat and comfortable. Perhaps just one or two suggestions from our side. Bedside tables on both sides of the bed with bedside lamps, burglar bars on windows and security doors, so that one can open the windows at night, because the fans are inadequate and noisy, ceiling fans in the bedrooms which are less noisy that the current fans.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
On our arrival I was shocked on how old and dated the cottages are... We are staying in Nr 6. Old furniture, old curtians. Cottage and Bathroom very clean but old and dated tiles...
Bedrooms look better and everything very clean. Wifi not working at all
Bedrooms look better and everything very clean. Wifi not working at all
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Date of stay: June 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from AmaliGH, Manager at Amali Guest Houses
Responded 18 Jun 2019
Good morning Liana, We are really sorry to hear that you feel our style is old and outdated. This is the first time anyone has complained about the look of the cottages. Our style is very practical, in order to cater for most guests needs, and our rooms are always clean and neat, as stated by you as well. With regards to the WiFi, in Cradock, when there is bad weather we always struggle with the WiFi but when reset it is back to working order. Kind regards Chanelle
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed at Cottage no 4 in College road (not in the rooms in Albert road). This is one of the best experiences we had in South Africa:
1. The cottage can sleep 4 with 2 bedrooms. It is very spacious with an open plan kitchen/sitting room.
2. Extremely well equipped - everything you can think of: insect repellent, candles, drinking water, milk, fire wood, utensils, washing line, etc.
3. Parking is very safe and convenient close.
4. Outside area for braai.
5. Quiet area of town - private.
6. Pricing surprisingly reasonable.
Can recommend without hesitation.
1. The cottage can sleep 4 with 2 bedrooms. It is very spacious with an open plan kitchen/sitting room.
2. Extremely well equipped - everything you can think of: insect repellent, candles, drinking water, milk, fire wood, utensils, washing line, etc.
3. Parking is very safe and convenient close.
4. Outside area for braai.
5. Quiet area of town - private.
6. Pricing surprisingly reasonable.
Can recommend without hesitation.
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Date of stay: March 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Room Tip:Â Cottages in College road
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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"We saw more Amalia guest houses in town ,so not sure but we book same place every year ,and its great ."Read full review
LOCATION
South AfricaEastern CapeCradock
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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Claim Your ListingAMALI GUEST HOUSES - Guesthouse Reviews (Cradock, South Africa)
Frequently Asked Questions about Amali Guest Houses
What are some of the property amenities at Amali Guest Houses?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, a pool, and free parking.
Which room amenities are available at Amali Guest Houses?
Top room amenities include a kitchenette, a minibar, and air conditioning.
What food & drink options are available at Amali Guest Houses?
Guests can enjoy breakfast, barbeque facilities, and complimentary tea during their stay.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Amali Guest Houses?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Are any cleaning services offered at Amali Guest Houses?
Yes, laundry service and a washing machine are offered to guests.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Amali Guest Houses?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa.
Is Amali Guest Houses accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.