Name: Crystal Barn Country Estate
Address: 1314 Old Convent Road (D290) Directions from central Nottingham Road: At the Junction", turn towards a sma, Lions Bush, Fort Nottingham, 3280, South Africa, Balgowan, Balgowan, Balgowan, 3280, South Africa
Rating: 9

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Pietermaritzburg Airport

Crystal Barn Country Estate

Balgowan

The farm on which the hotel is situated is beautiful with a lovely dam and beautiful scenery 
Location is very calm & relaxing 
Decor has a Indian theme and there are some very cute and interesting pieces 
Staff were very friendly 
In general the hotel has a lot of potential 
However the rooms and some parts of the building really need some maintenance and repair - the shower leaks and is really old and doesn’t really look inviting, same applies to the bath, water damage in the bathroom is visible, doors don’t close properly, damage on walls, we saw a rat in the dining area ...

Great scenic setting but rooms need TLC

Super stay, location is amazing, and the staff were absolutely brilliant. If you're looking for an unusual venue off the beaten track, this is the place to be. I must say the steak and chips for dinner was the best I've had for a long time. 

What a find

The Crystal Barn was absolutely lovely,  the room was clean and comfortable with everything we  needed. The decor is eclectic and colourfull. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 star rating is because there was no vegetarian dinner options and I'm vegetarian.  The breakfast was delicious and fabulous. We loved the lake and going on the canoe was great fun. We loved it.

A colourfull happy place

My family stayed in the family room. The shower was absolutely disgusting and looked as if it had never been cleaned, there was black mould on the floor and walls, old soap residue on the shower door and the taps were broken. The hand held shower in the bath was also broken.  
There are also a couple of rooms which do not have bathrooms/toilets yet they paid they same rate as those that do. The breakfast was also sub-standard. 
Cellphone signal is also terrible, 90% of the time we had no signal and wifi is only available in the reception area and restaurant. The gardens are however very pretty and there is lots of space for the children to run around.

Terrible

Falling Waters Accommodation:
The room itself was average with no carpet, except small loose carpets, on a cold cement floor. The room will be absolutely freezing in winter with sub-standard heating.
Bathroom: Gas-heated Shower - difficult to get a consistently warm stream of water as it was either boiling hot or ice cold. Wash basin had no mirror for shaving and was too high for a less-than-tall person, especially a woman, to wash a face in.
The outside garden, trees and stream down below were superb.
The driveway to get to the cottages needs serious attention and some money needs to be spent on the so-called concrete strips. The wet weather made getting to the cottages very difficult.

Crystal Barn:
Lovely setting with stunning gardens, trees, grass and superb view.
The building and furniture is a nice blend of relaxed, old-fashioned upkeep and warm friendliness.
Breakfast had all the ingredients to be very good but was really very average and the scrambled egg - which is always my favourite at a hotel - was sub-standard.
Hospitality and friendliness: first rate.
Overall experience - disappointing.

Wedding venue and food: first rate. It is always difficult to serve a hot meal when it's cold and wet outside.

Review of Falling Waters Accommodation and Crystal Barns' Hospitality & Breakfast

Crystal barn is a tranquil and beautiful setup. The food at the restaurant is tops and really beats expectations. Our host Sbu was welcoming and made our stay comfortable. I would recommend this venue to anyone looking for a peaceful yet eclectic get away. PS - I want to come back for the fishing too . B

Blane and Virginia

We had the most wonderful 2 night stay at Crystal Barn Country Estate.  Thank you Gaby, Sebu, Lindo and all the other excellent staff to make this a most memorable getaway.  Highly recommend their breakfast and special dinners.  It was awesome - thank you!

Excellent, eclectic and beautiful

I was mesmerized over the property and didn't realize at the time that I would have found my possible wedding venue one day. The staff and everyone involved was so helpful and attentive, they really went above and beyond to make us comfortable. I will definitely be going again without a doubt! 

My birthday weekend.

Everything about Crystal Barn was excellent - the accommodation, the food, the scenery and the service.  Amazing staff, so willing to help.  Cannot recommend this place highly enough.  Will definitely be going back there.

Outstanding - A real gem

We stayed at Crystal Barn over the weekend for the 3rd time in a number of years.  Staff were extremely helpful and made sure we were comfortable at all times.  Dinner was excellent and well priced.  Even my fussy youngster was happy :)

Well done Gabby and Sbu, really looking forward to our next stay there.

Crystal Barn Country Estate

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