Review:
If you're a travelling couple with kids or a group of friends looking for a spacious guest house that feels like a vacation home, then Parkwood Executive suites is definitely the place for you.
Situated in the quiet neighbourhood in Ashford road, Parkwood, the double storey main guest house is surrounded by greenery and colourful plants that make the place quite inviting.
The first thing you see before entering the house is a patio furnished with a long dining table and chairs, all lit by fairy lights. This instantly makes you want to have dinner outside while enjoying some great company.
The accommodation, which was established in December 2022 in response to the rising demand for aparthotels and longer stay venues due to the pandemic, cost R300,000 to bring back to life and has been accommodating guests via Airbnb and bookings.com since February.
Inside, guests can expect a spacious living room, equipped kitchen, unlimited WiFi, two bedrooms upstairs, a bathroom, balconies, and outside seating area.
The establishment also offers three TVs – one with Netflix, YouTube, DStv and Prime Video – and a jacuzzi on the roof of a garage.
When it came to the interior furniture, one of the things you cannot help but notice are the vibrant wallpapers surrounding some of the walls, the old-fashioned built-in shelving units in the living room and the floral couch.
It's almost as though you're walking into your granny's house in the countryside – far from the modern look we expected to see.
"We have taken a modern approach to the décor. We wanted to create the tranquil feeling of a vacation home. For this reason, we have added colourful wallpapers and a colourful couch," said site manager Sharon Ndlovu.
We were invited for a fully sponsored two-night stay but only stayed for one night, and here's what we liked and disliked about the accommodation.
Least favourite
Although the colours and painting suggest that the place has had some work done recently, we think the navy blue colour of the built-in shelving units makes the room a little dull. The empty shelves could do with either some modern pieces of furniture or books to add some colour.
The wallpapers in the kitchen, bedrooms, passage, and toilet definitely weren't our favourite. They're quite busy and can tire the eye, especially if you're planning on staying for a long period of time.
The floral couch offers enough comfort but looks very old fashioned, as though you are vising your granny. It kind of takes away from the golden curtains.
You can't help but notice that the carpet stretches all the way up the stairs, the passage and both bedrooms.
Replacing this with some white glossy porcelain tiles and a rug that's just big enough for the couch area would make the place more modern. Tiled stairs would go a long way too.
Here's what we liked about it
The 'small' bedroom upstairs is perfect for families travelling with two children. The single beds are just right, but could do with some headboards to complete the look.
We know we said the wallpaper "has to go!" but the one in the small bedroom works well with the gold framed mirrors on the wall. The pastel green adds colour to the room and is quite inviting.
The kitchen, which looks mostly black and white gives off a minimalist and modern feel and is the right size for a travelling family or business travellers.
Apart from the loose kitchen island table that threatened to fall when you leant on it, everything else looks modern and aesthetically pleasing.
One of our favourite spaces in the house definitely has to be the bathroom. The matt black taps go well with the white colour on the walls.
The black-trimmed basin mirror is just big enough, the shower is spacious and modern, and the marble basin adds a sophisticated look.
The black wooden floors, just like those in the kitchen, were one of our highlights in the house.
One thing you can't take away from the bedrooms is the impressive amount if lighting. The big aluminum sliding doors allow the right amount of natural light to come in during the day, while lighting from the slightly old-fashioned chandeliers offer an amazing amount of lighting at night.
For the price of R1,100 a night, the main house is definitely worth it, but we love taking selfies and videos, so we'd probably wait until the place is fully modern before coming back.