The following is a collection of frequently asked questions, to assist our future guests with useful information regarding their stay at Champagne Castle Hotel.
- Does Champagne Castle Welcome Day Visitors
- Can self-catering guests eat in the Hotel Restaurant?
- Do you have animal-friendly accommodation?
- Is there free WiFi?
- Do you serve Special Meals to cater for specific Dietary Requirements?
- Does the Restaurant do anything for Special Occasions?
- Can I check-in early?
Does Champagne Castle Hotel welcome Day Visitors?
Champagne Castle Hotel’s first priority is always to our Hotel and Self-Catering guests. Them having an incredible experience during their stay drives our entire team.
As we’re a small-ish property inside of a World Heritage Site, we do not have volumes of space and the necessary facilities to accommodate large numbers of day visitors. We’re always monitoring our numbers and available resources.
As a rule of thumb, yes, we welcome day visitors who would like to enjoy our spectacular views from the veranda or the pub, and enjoy a light meal or scones, coffee, tea or a drink or two.
However, when we are full (often over the weekend and during school holidays) we are forced to close our property to day visitors, in order to ensure our guests in the Hotel and Self-Catering units enjoy the best possible experience during their stay.
This can cause frustration for some day visitors. We certainly don’t mean to frustrate anyone (we can sometimes get well over 100 people wanting to visit on a day), and always request that you phone ahead before taking a drive up to see if we’re open?
Can Self-Catering Guests eat in the Hotel Restaurant?
Our Restaurant was built to accommodate the Hotel. Once we were included in the World Heritage Site, we were no longer permitted to add any buildings, or increase the size of any of them. So the answer to the question is that if there is space (the Hotel is not full) we are certainly able to accommodate Self-Catering guests in the Restaurant. However, if the Hotel is full, we are not able to.
It’s also slightly complicated in that we offer a Buffet meal service. Tables are allocated to particular rooms, and we’re never sure when someone will arrive for a meal, or whether they will come back for another course once they have left the Restaurant. So while the Restaurant can appear as if there are available tables, it’s often not the case. We’re aware this can seem complicated, and it does, from time to time, cause frustration for our Self-Catering guests. That’s not our intention, as we’d love to ensure everyone has an incredible experience.
Our advice is that you come prepared to self-cater, and work on a day to day basis as to whether the Restaurant is full or not?
Do you have Animal Friendly Accommodation?
Champagne Castle Hotel has one self-catering Chalet that is animal friendly. There is a small fenced garden, with a small dam in front of it (outside of the fence).
Please chat to our reservations team for more information, via email, or call now on +27 36 468 1063
Is there free WiFi?
Champagne Castle Hotel offers free WiFi to our guests in our main buildings. We are often asked why there is no WiFi in the rooms?
Up until recently our location at the top of the Champagne Valley, inside of the World Heritage Site, means that there have been no fibre cables that have been extended to reach us. Our only connectivity option has been copper cables with very limited speeds and bandwidth. While we have multiple copper lines coming into the Hotel, there just hasn’t been enough bandwidth and speed to cater for the entire property.
This is hopefully going to be behind us very shortly. We have been told that fibre is being rolled out far enough up the valley that it will reach us. Once this happens we will be in a position to distribute it to the entire property.
Please be patient as these last few pieces of the puzzle fall into place.
While we appreciate this may cause some frustration for some of our guests, we are certain that when you get here, you will discover a far better connection, as you allow the beauty of our surroundings to capture your imagination.
Do you serve Special Meals to cater for specific Dietary Requirements?
We offer buffet meals three times a day, which are tailored to suit most of our guests. Most guests will have a reasonable selection.
For each meal, on request, the chefs will gladly explain the ingredients of the dishes to enable guests to choose accordingly.
We regret that we do not have the facilities to offer an a la carte or special meal requirement menu.
There are so many people with special meal requirements these days (Halaal, diabetic, Jewish, vegetarians, vegan, allergies to many items such as shellfish, gluten, eggs, artificial spices, etc.) it is not possible to cater for these guests individually.
For these reasons, please note that there may be a very limited selection for guests with special meal requirements.
If guests have any special item or dish they wish to bring, the chefs will gladly store and/or heat up and serve as required.
We also offer self-catering chalets for those guests for whom the buffet is not suitable.
Does the Restaurant do anything for Special Occasions?
If you alert us to a Special Occasion, our team will create a ‘special table’, during dinner to mark the occasion, at no extra cost.
We use a different table runner with special serviettes and candles.
Please let us know during the Reservation process, or speak to the Restaurant Manager directly, giving them 24 hours notice.
Can I check-in early?
We really do try to accommodate our guests whenever possible and reasonable. Some of the reasons we cannot guarantee an early check-in, is as follows:
- We are fully booked on your day of arrival, so our staff are already under tremendous pressure to have all Hotel Rooms and Chalets cleaned and checked by 2pm, which is our check-in time. We usually need to prioritize our stay-over rooms / chalets as guests do not appreciate going back to their accommodation after a hike or a drive, only to find that their room/chalet is has not be cleaned by lunchtime.
- With departure Rooms / Chalets, our departure time is 10am. Unfortunately, we have occasional guests who disrespect our check out time. Sometimes, they are not in their accommodation at 10am and haven’t even started packing. They may not be contactable on their mobile phone. Or they may still be having breakfast and even if the staff are standing outside ready to clean, they take their time and only then start slowly packing. This causes unnecessary delays as departure chalets take up to 2 ½ to clean and to check. Also bear in mind that the property is quite spread out, so it takes time for the Managers to check all departure Rooms / Chalets and release them to Reception as ‘clean’.
- We are happy to accommodate guests with an early arrival if we are able to do so on the day.