Reviews of Annie's Cottage

"Just what we needed for a short one night stay.

The guesthouse was comfortable in a quiet street within walking distance of the centre. Our room was big with a comfortable bed.

All the rooms appear to be colour themed. Ours was green." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia; 4n in South Africa

"Nice property, a bit tired perhaps." See all these reviews: 10n in South Africa; 7n in Namibia

"The room was dark, old fashioned and in need of some tlc. Maybe Victorian furnishings/plumbing/electricity are an appeal for some, but not us. There’s a point at which ‘quaint’ and ‘quirky’ becomes shabby, full of clutter and in need of a refurb. As for the decanter of sherry! My goodness, my grandmother was the last person I knew to drink that!

There was a pleasant veranda, but this was not private and the appeal of sitting overlooking the garden was spoilt by a businessman shouting into his phone and watching films.
The service here left a great deal to be desired.

There was no response at the gate and staff were also standing outside unable to enter. We sat in the car for half an hour before a vehicle exited, allowing us to enter. We then made our way to Reception, where we stood for several minutes while 3 staff members chatted, within sight of us and ignored us. Two left, past us, without saying anything to us, and the third disappeared into another room, leaving us to call out for assistance.

A gentleman then hurriedly showed us to our room and explained that there was a power cut, due to load shedding, which was also the reason given for the gate failure. He had a rant about the government and left us with confused ideas about when power would be restored. Now, our understanding is that these have been going on for some time, are planned and notified. So, instead of literally being left in the dark, it would have been good to have a torch or similar and perhaps the offer of a cold drink as we couldn’t put the kettle on.

When we could see, we found many signs in the room about what not to do. Quite frankly, if it is necessary to put up this kind of signage, particularly about certain subjects, then the wrong type of clientele are being attracted in the first place.

There was the same lack of service at breakfast. The ‘waitress’ actually hid in the kitchenette, after clearly seeing us enter, so, again, we had to call out for assistance. After the welcoming, friendly approach of hosts elsewhere throughout our five trips to Southern Africa, this was quite a shock.

The food wasn't great; yes, we had just been served amazing eggs benedict in Cape Town, but the ones here were dreadful. They might have been eggs benedict, but 'not as we know them, Jim!'
The overriding impression was that we were a nuisance." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 7n in South Africa

"Ideal stop-over B&B with good sized room and attentive hosts.

Convenient for getting into the centre of town for food / provisions. Secure parking" See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia; 6n in South Africa

"This was our final stop in South Africa before crossing into Namibia.

The owner was very friendly, and gave us a good recommendation for dinner in town.

We were able to head into Springbok the next morning for a few supplies before heading onto the border, after a good breakfast." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia; 6n in South Africa

"Helpful with car issues" See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia; 5n in South Africa

"Where do we begin? Firstly we don't know how this place gets away with its name - it is not remotely like any cottage we've ever seen. It's more like a motel.

We had a very cursory welcome from an uninterested member of staff. We were shown to our room and couldn't help notice paint peeling off the exterior of the building. The room was a decent size although old fashioned. Remarkably we couldn't close the bathroom door because the bedside table got in the way. The loo seat wouldn't stay up.

The room was very dated. There were some house rules on the wall which were rather fierce in their wording eg you won't get any breakfast if you arrive a minute late.

The breakfast...we ordered medium poached eggs which arrived rock hard. The bacon was inedible. We are not normally fussy but neither of us could eat any of it. No-one was around to talk to.

We couldn't get out of this place quickly enough." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 5n in South Africa

"Annie's Cottage is a comfortable, convenient place to stay in Springbok. There is secure parking which is easy to operate with a key fob. The cottage is surrounded by a pleasant garden which guests can sit in for evening drinks.

We were offered a choice of two rooms and took the one in the main building which seemed more comfortable. The other one, which is round the side of the house seemed a little damp and less welcoming. Breakfast is served in the main house and there was a wide range of cooked dishes.

In the evening we ate at The Herb Garden, a new cafe that is a short drive away. It was recommended by the staff at Annie's Cottage and we had a very reasonable priced, tasty meal there.

Annie's Cottage is a good base for exploring Namaqualand. Unfortunately (Sept 2017) there were no spring flowers due to the very dry winter but the area is still beautiful." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 6n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe; 2n in South Africa

"Friendly guesthouse and a large comfortable room with a sizeable terrace. Good breakfast, especially the Mexican Omelette.

The one downside was the bird droppings around the pool, could have done with hosing down. Maybe something to do with the drought, but the plants were being watered....

Dining opportunities in Springbok are a bit limited but the Taurean Steakhouse was very good with a greater variety of food than the name suggests and very good value wine. We went to see the flowers which were not much in evidence because of the drought, but enjoyed a good walk with excellent views in the Goegap Nature Reserve. We also drove to the coast at Port Nolloth where we saw dolphins close to the shore. Enjoyed our stay." See all these reviews: 13n in South Africa; 8n in Namibia

"Annie's Cottage was one of two or three suggestions put to us by Expert Africa, who described it as 'quirky'. We have no hesitation in confirming that it was a good recommendation and a good description.

Our room was comfortable and, importantly for the time or year, warm. Breakfasts were most enjoyable. The service was consistently good, and Annie herself is disarmingly charming. On the Cottage's recommendation we dined each evening we were there at the Herb Garden - another good recommendation.

We were in Namaqualand for the flower season which was a little disappointing given the poor rains in July. But we still greatly enjoyed our time in the area making the trip not only worthwhile in its own right but also a good fact-finding experience for getting our timing better for a return. For example, we discovered that a 4WD is really essential to explore Namaqua NP to the full." See all these reviews: 5n in South Africa