FAQs

LOCATION: 9 Oldfield Road, Sea Point, Cape Town, WC 8005, Republic of South Africa

Seasonality, Durations & Long-Stay Discounts

  • Our rates are determined by seasons and are as follows:

    • Sunny Season: January, February, March & December

    • Shoulder Season: April, May, October & November

    • Winter Season: June, July, August & September

  • We have a minimum of 5 nights, except during Sunny Season when the minimum stay is 14 nights.

  • We offer the discounts (automatically applied) on the daily rate based on the following stays:

    • 7+ nights: 5% discount

    • 14+ nights: 10% discount

    • 28+ nights: 20% discount

    • 55+ nights: 30% discount

      * Complimentary roundtrip airport transfers are offered to those staying at least a month.

  • Pricing is based on a single-occupancy room rate with the 2nd person charged at a rate of R100 per night. Elephant can accommodate an additional single bed with the 3rd person charged at a rate of R300 per night.

  • Full buy-out of all 5 rooms is available for any duration; please inquire here.

Inclusions

  • Week day cleaning of all common areas

  • Once per week room cleaning (including new sheets and towels)

  • Up to three (3) hours of personal assistance per week

  • Fitness/wellness classes (3 times per week at a nearby studio) plus sporadic fitness and entertainment events such as braais during Sunny & Shoulder seasons

  • Access to the Honesty Bar (charged on consumption) and house amenities including the fitness/camping/beach equipment & spice/ingredient cabinet

Deposit, Cancellation & Payment Policies

  • We require a 50% deposit upon confirmation of the booking unless the arrival date is within 14 days, when 100% deposit is required.

  • Full payment or a monthly payment is due (whichever is lesser days) prior to moving in. Additional payments are due on a monthly basis prior to the renewal period of previous mont.

  • Cancellation terms for all bookings are:

    • If cancelling 7 days before arrival, forfeit 100% of the booking total

    • If cancelling 14 days before arrival, forfeit 50% of the booking total

    • If cancelling 30 days before arrival, forfeit 25% of the booking total

    • If cancelling 60 days before arrival, forfeit 10% of the booking total

  • If you have extenuating circumstances and we feel there is an opportunity to find a replacement, we may be able to return additional funds, but will not be able to confirm the amount until another booking has been confirmed during those dates.

  • You can view all of the payment options here.

Check-in/Check-out

  • Check-in time is 3pm & Check-out time is 11am.

  • We understand that flights to/from Cape Town occur at varying hours throughout the day, most notably departures often in the evenings/nights. We will do our best to accommodate early check-in & late check-outs based on availability, but if you require full access to the room, it’s best to book an extra night. You’re welcome to leave your luggage at the retreat and will have access to the outdoor shower if your room is not ready or is occupied by another guest.

  • When you check-in, you’ll be given a tour of the property to understand where everything is located and answer any questions. During the week, Naison is available as a resource for any questions or just a Whatsapp message away.

  • When checking out, you’ll be required to pay any additional balance incurred during the stay such as the drinks consumed at the Honesty Bar.

Access & Security

  • Guests have unrestricted access to the property 24 hours a day. Access to the rooms is via a unique code of your choosing (you can also set-up access via your thumbprint or choose to have a fab or a key). You’ll be provided a key to the front gate & front door. (We are transitioning to electronic coded entry for the external doors during 2025 to eliminate the need for keys altogether). We ask that you escort any friends on/off property and be cognizant of noise during quiet hours.

  • The front boundary has electric fencing above the gates and wall to deter people from climbing over for access.

  • There are cameras located in both the front and back gardens as well as inside facing the lobby, dining and kitchen areas (video only) to ensure safety on and within the property.

  • We subscribe to an armed response unit that automatically comes if the electric fence is triggered, regularly makes their rounds on the street and we have two panic buttons inside.

  • There is a safe located in the closet of each bedroom and fits up to a 16” laptop with directions on use here.

Electricity

  • The property is minimally impacted by South Africa’s loadshedding (forced black-outs) due to us having solar panels. All of the outlets, lights, most appliances and of course, wifi, are always connected. The items not able to be connected to the solar batteries are the AC/heating units, the hot water tank/geyser and the oven (stove is gas). The only other restriction is the dishwasher, washing machine & dryer are on the same outlet and therefore only 2 of the 3 can be operated at the same time. To download the load-shedding app, click here (we are Zone 7).

  • South Africa has unique plugs (Type M) that are not found in multi-country adapters. However, we have both Type M & Type C (European) outlets in the rooms with at least one that has direct USB-inputs. Additionally, we have a variety of converters to cover other types including United States, United Kingdom and Australia. If travelling regionally, please note that other countries such other ones such as Zimbabwe (Type G).

  • When using the AC/heating unit, please keep the doors and windows closed. When not in the room, please turn off the AC/heating unit as well as any lights. The units are strong and will heat/cool a room in 5-7 minutes to your desired temperature.

As of January 16, 2025

Wifi & Technology

  • The property is equipped with 8 hard-wired mesh routers, one in each room and three in the main areas for maximum coverage. Internet Speed test validates the connection at 343.3Mbps download and 359.4Mbps upload and reaches beyond the perimeter of the property.

  • To access your Amazon Alexa device, the wake-up word is ‘Echo’.  In the public spaces, the wake-up word is Ziggy.  You can connect your phone to your room’s device to use as a speaker or ask it questions.  As it is connected to the main Amazon account and while the settings should be configured to restrict purchases, please do not order anything.

  • To watch streaming shows, please make sure the Source is set to HDMI 1.  Some apps may require the use of a VPN, which is in included on the Firestick.

    • The following apps can be used without a VPN: Netflix, AppleTV & Youtube

    • The following apps require the use of a VPN to use: Hulu, Peacock & Disney+ (these apps can be finnicky even with a VPN)

    • You’re welcome to use your own accounts for these apps, but please log-out prior to checking-out. If you access these apps and it requires logging in, please contact the House Manager.

Water

  • The water in Cape Town is some of the best in the world and can be consumed directly from the faucet. You can read a report of the water analysis here.

  • A few years ago, South Africa experienced a drought and we try to be conservative in water usage. A dishwasher statistically uses less water than washing by hand, so we encourage guests to use this option (and we run it when full on the 1-hour higher temperature cycle). For the washing machine, we ask that the personal clothes be run on the Jeans (30 degrees) or Shirts (40 degrees) cycle, which is an hour cycle. Bedding and towel are cleaned at 60 & 90 degrees, however. Shorter wash cycles are an option and are requested.

  • When taking showers, please be cognizant of water usage.

  • Please do not flush anything other than house-provided toilet paper down the drain; flushable wipes and feminine products need to be disposed of in the trash (there is a box of paper bags near each toilet). Additionally, we provide dark face towels for make-up removal to avoid staining the white towels.

MyCiti Bus Stops

Vehicles & Transfers

  • We do not offer on-site parking, however there is limited parking available on the street. As share-ride vehicles are plentiful (both Uber & Bolt are available), three lines on MyCiti bus run within 3 blocks, and even the Cape Town City Sightseeing Bus is only 3 blocks away. Additionally, you’re welcome to ask Naison to pick-up/drop-off within the city limits as part of your 3 hours of assistance per week.

  • We offer airport transfers as well as regional transfers and private car/driver hire (up to 2 people with luggage; 3 without). For those staying a month or more, your arrival transfer is included.

  • Should you wish to hire a car for a road trip, we can assist through a local company.

  • Pricing for transfers that we can provide are below:

  • Arrival airport transfer: R470

  • Departure airport transfers: R320

  • Full-day (8hr) Car & Driver (up to 50km): R1,400

  • Half-day (4hr) Car & Driver (up to 30km): R750

  • Full-day (8hr) Car & Driver (up to 170km): R3,600

  • Half-day (4hr) Car & Driver (up to 90km): R2,000

  • To/from Stellenbosch: R580

  • To/from Paarl: R650

  • To/from Franschhoek: R800

  • To/from Hermanus: R1,400

  • Other locations to be quoted


Grocery, Restaurants & Shopping

  • Sea Point is plentiful with grocery stores with Pick-n-Pay, Woolworths & Checkers located within 5 blocks of the house.

  • Dozens of restaurants & eateries of all types of cuisines are steps away on Main Road. Additionally, there are two primary delivery apps in the area that service nearly all dining establishments: uberEats & Mr.D.

  • Some of our favorite places are: Mojo Market (20-minute walk) & Oranjezicht City Farm (40-minute walk near the V&A Waterfront and open on Saturday/Sunday mornings & afternoons as well as Wednesday evenings).

  • There are stores for nearly everything, so please ask Naison if you need assistance in finding something. TakeALot is similar to Amazon, while Makro is South Africa’s Walmart.

Currency

  • South Africa operates on the Rand (ZAR) with varying rates 18ZAR=1USD; ~20ZAR=1EUR; ~23ZAR=1GBP. (Click here to convert.)

  • Many places in Cape Town are cash-free. If you’re planning on staying awhile in South Africa, it is very easy and quick to open up a non-resident bank account and we’re happy to advise how to do so. You can then easily transfer funds using Wise to avoid foreign transaction fees.

  • There are two primary ‘Payment apps’ available in South Africa. Zapper is accepted many places and Snapscan is accepted many places as well as allows you to transfer money with locals.

  • If traveling regionally, please note that some destinations such as Zimbabwe (which uses USD) are mostly cash-based.

SIM Cards

  • If your mobile plan doesn’t offer data or it’s expensive, acquiring a local SIM card (or e-SIM) is easy and we’ve found Vodacom to be the best. If you wish, we can easily assist in obtaining a SIM card and buying data which will be charged to your account.

  • When calling internationally, we suggest using Talk360, which is conducted trough data and has great rates.

Activities & Experiences

  • We have various preferred partners with local businesses such as yoga, a dentist, cosmetic dermatologists, etc. Some provide a discount, so just ask us and we’ll provide direction.

  • We have a supplemental full-service travel agency and can arrange any local, regional or international experiences including car rental for local road trips.

  • Stay tuned for our Activities page in late Q1 2025.

  • You can also explore a variety of activities on Viator.

  • During operating hours of 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, we are happy to accept any deliveries for current or soon-t0-arrive guests complimentary. For non-guests, we will accept your delivery and hold for up to 7 days at a cost of R100.

Questions