The Shark Bay Boutique Hotel & Spa

The hotel's stunning natural setting and proximity to wildlife were praised. Guests appreciated the excellent service and comfortable, spacious rooms. However, some found the prices prohibitive and advised against staying.

My mom, dad and I stayed at The Shark Bay Boutique superior villa for 2 nights. The reason for the title of my review is because of the other concerning reviews I had read about this hotel prior to our stay. Although there are a few issues that the hotel should improve on, overall we had a decent stay. I was under the impression that the villa was on the beach, within walking distance of the sand and water as my mom was assured of this via a telephonic call to make this booking. Upon our arrival at Villa 103, firstly we realised that the villa had no beach view (aside from the outdoor patio area which you had to sit outside to enjoy sea views). Another thing, the reception and hotel are about a 2-minute (5 on a busy day at Shark Bay) drive from the villas. Compliments to Sebastian at the reception for his wonderful service. It was only when we arrived at reception, that we found out that the "short walk" to the beach was actually a 20 to 25-minute (maybe 10 if you race down that HILL) walk down a HILL (daunting to walk up) which is quite busy, especially during peak season. One thing I feel that isn't thoroughly explained is that with the superior villas, Villa 101-103 are essentially in one house with 101 & 102 at the front and 103 around the back so be very clear which one you want when booking. I think if we were able to stay in 101 or 102, this review would be glowing as they are sea-facing, not necessarily up-close but still facing the sea. Additionally, you have to walk around the house to the back to reach Villa 103's front door. You have to park at the front of the house, therefore you will have to lug your bags around the back (especially important to note if you have a lot of luggage and I mean this IS a self-catering villa. The villa itself had a beautiful interior, and it has a very peaceful ambience about it (though the door to the patio needs to be looked at because the key is not able to be pulled out if the door is locked). We had no problems with the Wi-Fi, aside from it being a bit slow in the rooms. Though be aware that the cell-signal is not great. On that note, there were some very worrying reviews about the safety of the villas on Tripadvisor, but I must say we felt very safe and throughout the night, someone patrolls the units. We did have a problem as the shower in my bathroom essentially flooded my entire room, luckily none of my stuff was damaged but they should have an alternative drain in the bathroom or put a lip on the shower floor. With that being said, once we reported this issue to reception, they responded very swiftly, helped me move my luggage and were very apologetic about the situation (I think flooding in Langebaan is a regular occurrence). Overall, the hotel and villas are a few minutes away from the centre of town (if driving), and are relatively close to a beautiful beach. Another plus is that the Langebaan Gate to the West Coast National Park is a 5-minute drive from the superior villas. We did s

Such a beautiful location and the hotel could do so much better. Disappointing as the windows in the room were dirty so it ruined the beautiful view. Bathroom ceiling had a hole and sheets had stains. The outside and lounge areas are lovely.