Mr & MRS Smith the Old Rectory

On our honeymoon, we done a safari and then travelled the garden route, this was one of our stops and the whole place did not dissapont! What an incredible place with exceptional staff! An absolute must stay and we look forward to returning as soon as possible!

A lovely three night stay at The Old Rectory. Fascinating historical building now converted into a boutique hotel. The history was explained to us when we checked in. Do check out the old black & white photographs of the Old Rectory and Plettenberg which are non display We were slightly disappointed that we didn’t have a view from our room (we later discovered that we should have had a pool view room ) ….. but never mind the privacy which we had, and sound of the Ocean at night more than made up for that. We ate twice at the hotel restaurant which was very nice and also at the Plettenberg Hotel Restaurant which was also good. Would definitely recommend this hotel if staying in Plett.

Lovely hotel on the bay, walking distance from the beach. Spacious, comfortable and modern room. Excellent breakfast menu with cold buffet options. Nice pool and decking. A poem rolled up on the bed when the room was turned down for the night was a very nice touch. Great restaurants nearby- The Fat Fish (5 mins drive) and Ristorante Enrico (15 mins drive)

A very good hotel, well-located and well-run. Very warm and friendly staff, sizeable and comfortable rooms and a restaurant that surprises with its excellence. The Valentines Day dinner, sitting outside, was magnificent. We both had the Salmon Tataki starter and the Line Fish (Carpenter) mains. Very generous portions and delicious. The Old Rectory delivers.

Very comfortable rooms, terrific service led by Bianca and her team. Nice pool area, good food, especially breakfast and well located near beach and Main Street. Good massage available in comfortable on site spa. Many restaurants within walking distance or 5 min car ride. If we return to Plett we will stay here again.

We had a lovely stay at The Old Rectory as a family. The room was very comfortable, the service was impecable and the food was delicious. The pool area was very relaxing. We loved the proximity to the beach, town and neighbouring nature reserves.

TJ and his team were wonderful. Friendly and warm. The room we had was beautiful. While we were there they reverted their breakfast buffet back to pre Covid times and the choice….wow! TJ even tempted me to have a Bloody Mary for breakfast! We booked massages while we were there and it was the best I have ever had! Two hours of bliss! When we left we were sent off with water and snacks, thank you xx

This was our second time staying at the Old Rectory, the first being a short stay shortly after they first opened 2017/2018. We had been so impressed with their service, hospitality, and practical location just steps from the beach and a short walk into town that we decided to stay for over a week this time, and base to further explore the broad stretch from Tsitsikamma to Plettenberg Bay. It was refreshing to see many of the same familiar faces, like Johnny, who I believe holds the fort, and Lolli, who always has a smile and time for any little query from any guest big or small, even if she really doesn't. Manager JP (or is it PJ?) is amazing, dedicated, professional and exuding warmth -- he's like the modern soul of this beautifully restored historic place. We had some great service from some staff "new" to us, like Vuto (maybe wrong spelling? I think she's pregnant) and Kush -- it's nice to see more diversity in the management levels down in this part of ZA. (We actually don't go to the place we used to stay because of their continuing plantation-style mentality and segregation of labour by race). One big highlight this time was a message at the spa with Vuyi, who really knows muscular anatomy and is gave one of the best swedish massages I've ever had -- I highly recommend booking specifically with her in advance, and often! (The spa is nicely priced at a fraction of what one would pay in Europe or USA so that's feasible, though availability is another challenge!). The service as a whole is, however, unfortunately inconsistent across staff and has come down a bit, particularly in the kitchen and housekeeping attention to detail (Kush already knows the details). The room size is very generous, the closets and storage areas well-designed. We appreciated also that laundry costs were not exorbitant so that we were actually encouraged to use the service there -- practical for a family after doing safari. I encourage the hotel to continue this politic. I still miss that there's no gym in the hotel: a nice apot for a small one (stationary bike & weights?) would be behind the pool where hardly-used tables and chairs are placed, and a back entrance to the restaurant building appears to be located. However that would mean either removing or accommodating for some trees there. Jogging outside is relatively safe, though there are no sidewalks even on a road very popular for beach traffic, and my husband trod on some broken glass somewhere on his path. The hotel succeeds in being an upscale family-friendly refuge as well as a relaxing enclave for those without. Our kids love the pool (although unheated), the beach within rolling-out-of-bed distance (we love that the hotel provides beach toys, umbrellas and beach towels for free!...and that we don't need to struggle with finding beach parking, especially as this little patch of beach is as nice as Robberg beach, though slowly being taken over by a watersports company), the copious games by the fireplac

Horrible hotel I don’t recommend staying at this place at all. The food is very limited and the food that is available is bland and tasteless. I found numerous specs of mild and dirt on my room curtain. The management is rude and unwelcoming, and shouted at me and my family several times times