Résidence Hôtelière Natureva & Spa

Pleasant enough stay here. Staff were friendly enough. Room was above average but poorly thought out. Little things like no kettle, coffee machine didn’t really work, tv had no reception, cutlery ‘drawer’ was a tray stuffed in a cupboard, mix of plates, cups and glasses and the patio door didn’t lock. Pool, steam room and sauna was nice enough. No access to jacuzzi however, without additional purchase of spa treatment. You should, we were told, have access to Oz Inn rooftop bar and pool as they are linked. Sadly we weren’t allowed in when we asked there. Location is great as it’s at the top end of the resort, so quiet. Short 30 min walk into actual Cap town (not the resort) and Marina, where we attended one of the bike week gatherings. Overall not bad but not great. Like a lot of the resort they seem to have set it up, opened then just take the cash with little effort on upkeep.

This hotel was better than I expected. I booked via **********, and the hotel was extremely responsive and helpful in pre-stay communication. This friendly and helpful approach continued during the stay. Arriving outside the reception's limited opening hours requires collecting the key cards from the nearby 5* Ozz'in hotel, which is under the same ownership. The helpful staff there helpfully explained that guests at the Natureva and Oz'Inn can use both hotels' facilities, which at Oz'Inn primarily comprises a rooftop sun deck and large jacuzzi, which is much more luxurious than the Natureva's indoor pool. Make sure that you request wifi access code from Natureva reception when you check in, or if you collect your key cards from the Oz'Inn, make sure that you ask Natureva reception in advance to include a wifi access code, otherwise you will have no wifi (except 10 free minutes) until the next morning. You don't need to clean the whole room before checking out. To avoid a €100 cleaning surcharge, you just need to run the dishwasher and empty it, empty the bins, and leave bed linen and towels in a large bag. Although this is an odd requirement for a 4* hotel, It wouldn't put me off staying at the hotel again as it wasn't particularly onerous. There is also no daily cleaning, which is unusual for a 4* hotel. The hotel has a good range of television channels including BBC World, but I was disappointed that Canal+ wasn't included. The internet was painfully slow - 5Mbps downstream and 0.3Mbps upstream. It was impossible to join a video conference. The pool has an odd red notice stipulating no telephones, but everyone ignores it and uses their phones anyway. Far more relevant would be a rule banning photography and filming, which the Oz'Inn has. Only some of the rooms have safes, so if you need a safe, make sure you notify the hotel of your requirement well in advance of your stay so that you can be allocated a room with a safe. The gym is quite well equipped, but it was far too warm in mid-May. A gym should have a regulated temperature of around 16°C to 18°C all year, but the gym was more like 22°C. I had to leave after 20 minutes, because it was too warm, and I didn't return. The top reasons to stay at the Natureva is for the kitchens in the rooms, and also access to the Oz'Inn's rooftop sundeck and jacuzzi. The Oz'Inn seems to have a much younger clientele than the rest of the naturist village (including the Natureva), whereby around 90% of the guests are aged around 35 to 55. However, although the Natureva is purely naturist, the Oz'Inn tolerates additional activities on its sundeck, which would not be tolerated at the Natureva's indoor pool. There is plenty of intimacy between couples, including some subtle but minor sexual activity. This might not appeal to everyone, but it's quite mild compared to Baie des Cochons.