The Bentley Westville

There are very few places as beautiful, serene and homely in Durban. The Bentley ticks all the boxes of luxury, comfort and care. I have been coming to this lovely guest house for many years and it feels like a home away from home. The owners are truly amazing, gentle and considerate. The stuff are friendly and attentive. The gardens within the establishment is fit for a royal family. Keep this place in mind on your next tour of this vibrant city.

Avoid this place ! The owner, Warrick (iirc) asked my fiance to vacate the premises immediately, while in the middle of doing her hair and make up on the morning of her wedding ! There was no thought that any issues with the bridal party could have been resolved in an amicable manner. I cant help but think that if we and the service providers were of a different skin colour we would have been treated with more consideration and respect on the morning of our wedding. A friend had made a booking on our behalf, at short notice, for us to get ready and get some footage on the premises. There were no conditions attached to the booking and it was reasonbly assumed that we could use the room for a few hours to get ourselves ready before our wedding. On the morning, I received numerous messages indicating that that only a certain number of vehicles etc would be allowed and that "gatherings" were not allowed. It is reasonable to expect that it takes a team of people to get a bride ready for her big day and also a few more people for photograhy etc. The purpose of the booking was communicated when the booking was arranged and we were not informed of any of the restrictions. It is also important to note that there appeared to be no other guests at the venue when we were instructued to leave. The manger called me and advised that the number of people at the premisis was not acceptable and that we could either leave or book additonal rooms, but it seemed like this was never really an option they would consider because everyone was asked to leave immediately, before I could confirm if the arrangement was agreeable. The owner did call me with an attempt at an apology but he took no accountabilty and showed no empathy. Instead, he blamed his manager for poor communication and threatended to deduct money from her salary in front of his patrons. I called the owner a t**d (not in those words) but in hindsight that might have been a bit kind. EDIT: also check the reviews on hellopeter before you book.

Attempted to kick me out whilst getting ready on my wedding day, and ruined my entire day. This happened in the presence of my hair and makeup artist. We (poc) were referred to as "you people" (which is racist btw) and were asked to vacate immediately despite getting prior permission from the management and paying for early check in on the day. The owners feeble attempt at an apology after ruining my day didnt help. We werent refunded, despite not staying at the premises after our wedding.