{"id":18862,"date":"2011-04-06T10:58:23","date_gmt":"2011-04-06T08:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=18862"},"modified":"2011-04-09T23:43:34","modified_gmt":"2011-04-09T21:43:34","slug":"hotel-review-rijks-country-house-is-country-kitsch-tries-too-hard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/accommodation\/hotel-review-rijks-country-house-is-country-kitsch-tries-too-hard\/","title":{"rendered":"Hotel Review: Rijk’s Country House is country kitsch, tries too hard!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I am very fond of Rijk’s Shiraz, having drunk it for the first time just after maze at the One&Only Cape Town<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 opened\u00a0two years ago.\u00a0 When I saw the name of Rijk’s Country House as the only five-star accommodation option for a wedding weekend in Tulbagh, I\u00a0booked, given my\u00a0positive association with the wine.\u00a0 But I should have known that a five-star “Boutique Hotel”, charging R 3000 per room per night in Tulbagh, was too good to be true, even though I was offered a hospitality industry rate reduction of 50%. \u00a0 The Hotel is not five star, in my evaluation, and tries too hard to please, and thereby fails.\u00a0 It has a very kitsch taste in some aspects.<\/p>\n

The reservation ran relatively smoothly with\u00a0Rijk’s directly,\u00a0but I did not receive a confirmation of my booking after transferring the 50 % deposit, and no response to my e-mail request\u00a0for the confirmation.\u00a0 I therefore called Rijk’s, but only saw the number of a central reservations line, being that of African Pride Hotels, the luxury arm of Protea Hotels, who do the marketing of and bookings for Rijk’s.\u00a0 The African Pride Hotels link to Rijk’s gave me confidence in its calibre.\u00a0 I was put through to the sales department, and spoke to an unfriendly ‘machine’, who was speaking too fast, and he must have got annoyed when I told him that I could not understand him, and requested that he slow down.\u00a0 He responded by putting down the phone. I then found the Tulbagh number of\u00a0Rijk’s lower down on the website, and called them directly.\u00a0 Here too the telephonic communication was a struggle, until I was put through to Andretti, who did confirm telephonically that all was in order, and he\u00a0did so by e-mail as well.<\/p>\n

Louisa Colquhoun, the General Manager of the 15-bedroom Rijk’s Country House, called a few days before our arrival, and apologised for the problems with the interaction with African Pride Hotels, and requested more details about the person I had spoken to there.\u00a0 She told me that she had been sent a link to this blog by her boss, and that her boss is a regular reader.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our journey was beset\u00a0with delays, and we only arrived at 8.30 pm on Friday.\u00a0 We had to call en route,\u00a0to find the best way to drive to Tulbagh from Franschhoek, not having been sent any directions.\u00a0 Here too we had communication problems, in getting\u00a0clear guidelines as to how to drive to Tulbagh from Wellington.\u00a0 There is no signage in Tulbagh to direct one to the town centre, or to Rijk’s\u00a0 from there, so we had to call again.\u00a0 When we arrived, Louisa came out to the car, to greet us, and walked us inside.\u00a0Two staff members almost ‘sang’ a welcome to ‘Chris and Alex’, even before we were introduced to them, and we were ‘Chris and Alexed’ by all staff throughout our stay, a little too familiar, I felt, quite a contrast to the ‘Ms von Ulmenstein’ treatment experienced at the 5-star Taj Hotel<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/a>recently.\u00a0 One of the staff had a tray of welcome Rijk’s Shiraz 2004\u00a0for us, very generous in its pouring.\u00a0 The other tray had towel cloths for us to use, but we did not have enough hands to take the glass and the cloth plus what we were holding already, so we could not partake of this service.\u00a0 Louisa showed us the lounge, the Polo Wine Bar, where they do winetastings too, and the Que Sera dining room, where they serve breakfasts and dinner, and we stayed\u00a0to have dinner\u00a0immediately, without first seeing the room.\u00a0 Louisa gave me the Guest Registration Form to complete, and most of its clauses would not pass the new Consumer Protection Act<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 with its ‘legalese’, and the waivers and indemnities.<\/p>\n

Dinner at the 32-seater Que Sera was a hit and miss affair, mainly because we were left with a junior waitress Chantel, who was generally unknowledgeable.\u00a0 We were the only guests dining.\u00a0 I asked\u00a0Chantel who the chef was, and she said\u00a0her name is\u00a0Joan.\u00a0 She knew nothing more about her, other than that she had worked at Rijk’s for 21 years.\u00a0 I did not realise that it had been open for so long.\u00a0 She said the owners of the Rijk’s Country\u00a0House are Stuart and Mason Cranswick, who lease the buildings from Neville Dorrington, the owner of the Rijk’s wine farm and Private Cellar.\u00a0The staff wear a turquoise shirt and black pants and black apron. Chantel said that she has been at Rijk’s for three years already, and worked at Paddagang restaurant previously.\u00a0 The lighting was very low, until we asked for it to be turned up a little.\u00a0 The room walls are bare, except for two pictures over the fireplace, but did not seem to be original works of art.\u00a0 The white table cloth\u00a0had a runner over it, and the beige chairs were comfortable.\u00a0 A vase with a carnation and a candle were on the table.\u00a0 Eetrite cutlery was modern in design and functional.\u00a0 A wooden board arrived with a tasty seed-topped mini-bread, olive tapenade, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.\u00a0 When my son asked if the tapenade contains anchovies, the waitress confirmed this, so she found us some anchovy-less tapenade.\u00a0 The menu is in a brown plastic cover, and refers to “Rijk’s Boutique Hotel”, showing some confusion as to its identity and positioning.\u00a0 Each page of the menu is dominated by the blown-up Rijk’s\u00a0 Country House logo, over which the menu items\u00a0are printed, making it hard to read them all, especially in the low light.\u00a0 My heart sank when I saw that three of the starters were served with sweet chilli sauce.\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>We were warned that the Beef Wellington (served with a choice of starches, my mash topped with fresh coriander) would take 20 minutes to make, which we said was fine, given that I had ordered a nicely presented Avocado Ritz\u00a0starter.\u00a0 I enjoyed both dishes, except that the Beef Wellington (R120)\u00a0only contained mushrooms and no chicken liver pat\u00e9.\u00a0\u00a0The fillet was perfectly cooked medium rare, as requested. My son was not happy with the Wild Mushroom and Thyme\u00a0Risotto (R80), being completely overcooked,\u00a0too salty,\u00a0not containing any identifiable thyme, and tasting of a spice which made it inedible.\u00a0 We sent it back, but were still charged for it, until I asked Chantel to take it off the bill, which she did.\u00a0 Starter options range from R37 for calamari steak strips.\u00a0Tempura prawns, peri peri chicken livers, gazpacho and\u00a0a soup of the day\u00a0are some other starter options. Main course prices start at R80 for the risotto, and\u00a0Pan-fried Citrus Salmon Trout costs R155,\u00a0expensive for Tulbagh, I felt.\u00a0 Steak is served three ways, and costs R100 – R140, and one can order a 150g\u00a0or 200g portion.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The menu states that one can order a salad or seasonal vegetables\u00a0as part of\u00a0the main course, but this option was not presented to us, and I did not see it on the menu when we were ordering.\u00a0 We did not order any desserts, costing about R30, but could have had desserts from a trolley, a cheese platter (R66), fruit salad or sorbet. When I ordered a cappuccino, it took a good half an hour to get one.\u00a0\u00a0 The very noisy industrial-looking coffee machine is in the dining room, so we could observe the process.\u00a0 It took three attempts to get a cappuccino served in a cup, and not a latte in a glass, despite our clear request to Chantel. \u00a0 We were told that the coffee comes from ‘Beans for Africa’ and was called ‘Peru Organic’.\u00a0 Just after the starter was served, Louisa came to check on us, and we did not see her again during the dinner, and she did not ask us later\u00a0for feedback about the dinner.<\/p>\n

The wine list also has a\u00a0brown plastic cover, and no vintages are indicated.\u00a0 House wines by the glass cost R28 for an unspecified white and R31 for a red wine.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Organic white and Ros\u00e9 wine by the glass can be ordered at R22, but the origin of it is not identified.\u00a0 Moet et Chandon costs R750, Billecart Brut R690, and Billecart Salmon Ros\u00e9 R1088. Cap “Classic” sparkling wines include Krone Borealis Brut, at R120, and the Nicolas Charles Krone Marque 1 is the most expensive at R420. The winelist offers a Rijk’s wine\u00a0in each variety, and is not always the cheapest one offered – in fact it was the most expensive option in most cases.\u00a0 There is a heavy 50 % mark-up on the Rijk’s’ wines relative to the next-door cellar prices, the Shiraz costing R205.\u00a0 A page in the winelist provided prices of wines one could buy from the Rijk’s Gift Shop, at R128 for the Rijk’s Shiraz, and even the three champagnes on the winelist can be bought at about 50 % less!<\/p>\n

The welcome letter from Louisa\u00a0introduced Tulbagh, described Rijk’s Country House as “country living at its best”, and\u00a0stated that “the hotel makes use of the farms water supply and is being treated”, which I did not read on arrival, and the bottled water drinking recommendation\u00a0was not explained to us verbally.\u00a0\u00a0I was impressed that the letter was personalised, in referring to the wedding we were attending.\u00a0 Surprising too was the invitation to enjoy a winetasting in the Rijk’s Polo Wine Bar in the Rijk’s Country House, rather than in the Rijk’s Private Cellar<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 tasting room.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The rooms are actually cottages away from the core\u00a0reception building, so we had to drive to the cottage that we were allocated.\u00a0 It is an open plan lounge and bedroom, with a large bathroom, and a separate loo.\u00a0\u00a0 My heart sank as soon as I saw the rug,\u00a0a cheap floor decoration, and not a Persian carpet, which would have been\u00a0befitting of a five star room.\u00a0 Also, the windows have cheap plastic blinds with a net curtain, shouting ‘cheap and nasty’.\u00a0 The end result of such\u00a0‘curtaining’ is that it let in the light at 6h00, not exactly what one wants on a\u00a0precious weekend away.\u00a0 The beds were requested to be twin, but the beds had been separated, so each of us had to sleep on a\u00a0 precarious single bed, something I have not done in more than 30 years (in our guest houses we keep the beds together, but use single bed linen to make up the beds).\u00a0 There was a nice selection of magazines, but I was surprised to find a ‘Franschhoek Style’<\/strong> amongst them, marketing Franschhoek, competition to Tulbagh, especially when it comes to weddings!\u00a0 Worst of all about the\u00a0cottage was a sickly sweet smell in the room, probably coming from a heavy dose of Charlotte Rhys room spray that had been sprayed\u00a0at turn-down, prior\u00a0to our arrival!\u00a0 I had to open all the windows to get the smell out of the room, and almost froze to death, not being able to sleep as a result.\u00a0Spread out on the bed was a dressing gown, which may be the highlight of other visitors’ stay, but certainly is not a requirement, in my book.\u00a0 On top of this was presented the turn-down ‘treat’, the most bizarre and kitschy\u00a0I have ever experienced – a pink wrapped mini ‘Christmas cracker’, with silver ribbon, containing … a pink and a white marshmallow!\u00a0 There is a Belgian chocolatier (Moniki)\u00a0in Tulbagh, and it would have been more fitting to use their products.\u00a0 I got up to write when I could not sleep for most of the night, and heard the loud staff arrival just after 6h00.\u00a0\u00a0 The crowning glory was that there was no water coming out of the taps the next morning, something Louisa had mentioned the night before could be a possibility.\u00a0 Whilst we had bottled water for brushing our teeth, we could not have a shower or bath in the musty smelling bathroom – to open its window one has to step into the bath to get to the latch!\u00a0\u00a0Water clearly is\u00a0a problem at Rijk’s, as a letter from Louisa, which must have been in the room, but which I only read on our return, explained about “water shortages and other difficulties”, urging us to use the bottled water supplied for drinking and in the kettle.<\/p>\n

When we came for breakfast, Louisa came to apologise for the water situation.\u00a0 She also said that she felt that\u00a0Rijk’s could not meet our requirements, and offered to refund our deposit payment.\u00a0I told her that we had already booked alternative accommodation for the second night. \u00a0Whilst the water situation was inconvenient, but out of her control, I suggested to Louisa that she waive the restaurant bill of the night before as a make-good, which she accepted.\u00a0 However, she wrote the following day: “I spoke with my Shareholders on your departure and relayed the details of your stay. \u00a0I explained that you had declined a full refund but requested the dinner be complimentary.\u00a0 They requested I get in touch with you and request your bank details as they would like to ensure the return of your deposit.\u00a0 I would be grateful if you would allow us to facilitate this.\u00a0 <\/span>Once again we apologise that your stay did not meet your expectations and look forward to hearing from you.”<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Breakfast was served outside on the vine-covered Iceberg Terrace, with a lovely view onto iceberg roses, the vineyards, and the Wintershoek mountains.\u00a0 The colour scheme for the table runners and outdoor chair cushions is grass green and turquoise, quite ‘loud’.\u00a0\u00a0The vase of fresh roses on\u00a0each table was a nice touch.\u00a0No breakfast buffet was laid out, but a collection of breakfast items was brought on a tray and put onto a stand next to our table, consisting of two yoghurt flavours, two cereals, a cold meat and cheese platter, fresh fruit served on a chipped plate, and a basket of muffins, scones\u00a0and\u00a0croissants.\u00a0 I was served a perfectly made cappuccino, but was initially told that it was not possible to make one due to the water problem.\u00a0 I suggested to Chantel that she use some bottled water.\u00a0\u00a0As we were the only guests having breakfast, it was surprising that the service was so slow.\u00a0\u00a0Chantel waited until we had finished our cereals before she asked for the egg order, and this took a good 20 minutes to be brought to the table, the eggs arriving quite some time before the toast, which I had to remind Chantel\u00a0about.\u00a0 The orange juice was not freshly squeezed, and came out of a bottle.\u00a0\u00a0 The estate handyman came to our table to also apologise for the burst water pipe, and explained that they were working on it.\u00a0\u00a0The music at Rijk’s made one very nostalgic, and included ‘House of the Rising Sun’ and a ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’.\u00a0\u00a0 As happened\u00a0 at dinner, Louisa was barely present at breakfast, and did not check on how we enjoyed it, and if there were any problems.\u00a0 Understandably, she was stressed about the water situation.\u00a0Her deputy\u00a0did not\u00a0come to our table during\u00a0our breakfast.<\/p>\n

So what can I praise: the free easy wireless (but slow) internet connection, even reaching to the cottage.\u00a0 The lovely roses.\u00a0 The generosity of the welcome drink.\u00a0 Louisa’s apologies for things going wrong.\u00a0 The good breakfast scones.\u00a0 The setting and the view.\u00a0 However, so many other aspects appeared amateurish and the staff poorly managed, that they\u00a0spoilt the enjoyment of our stay.<\/p>\n

Rijk’s Country House<\/strong>, Tulbagh.\u00a0 Tel (023) 230-1006. www.rijkscountryhouse.co.za<\/a>\u00a0(The website refers to ‘Fine Dining’, but there is no menu nor winelist.\u00a0 The Image Gallery does not contain a single food photograph.\u00a0 The breakfast description includes reference to a daily newspaper, but we did not see one).<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/a>\u00a0 Twitter: @WhaleCottage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am very fond of Rijk’s Shiraz, having drunk it for the first time just after maze at the One&Only Cape Town\u00a0 opened\u00a0two years ago.\u00a0 When I saw the name of Rijk’s Country House as the only five-star accommodation option for a wedding weekend in Tulbagh, I\u00a0booked, given my\u00a0positive association with the wine.\u00a0 But I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7,124,20,21,19],"tags":[2746,32367,5016,10635,6326,6047,32378,10899,32369,10397,146,6462,10900,10895,790,10856,1094,4668,10896,2149,10901,10848,10852,6569,10898,3316,10845,32373,5504],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t