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Reviews of The Saint James on Venice Luxury Guest House

4 out of 5
The Saint James on Venice Luxury Guest House
100 Venice Road Morningside, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 29 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 19 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 7 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 64 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Rajeev

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2022

10/10 Excellent

Thamsanqa

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

King

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022

10/10 Excellent

jonathan

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2022

10/10 Excellent

Kassandra

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

Karina

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely place with kind, helpful staff and good breakfasts.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

10/10 Excellent

Karina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Craig

The guest house is great with an old but welcoming feel to the reception. The rooms however, are very modern, spacious and luxurious. My only criticism of the rooms is that the wash basin is in the room instead of inside a conventional bathroom. There is a flat screen TV in the rooms with ample channels for viewing pleasure. The staff are extremely friendly and go out of their way to make you feel welcome. I looked at the menu in the guest house restaurant (The Fig Leaf) and was shocked at the high prices for the food on the menu. The menu is also limited and it is important to note that the guest house is strictly Halaal, so if you enjoy a glass of wine or a beer with your meal, this is not the place to dine. Overall, the room was comfortable and my stay was a pleasant one.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018
Response from Mich on 9 Jan 2019
thank you for a very informative review. We certainly hope we will be able to welcome you back to our establishment in the future

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great guest house with friendly staff. Fantastic rooms. Really nice outdoor dining area and great breakfasts, and in a quiet neighbourhood within walking distance to Florida Road and nice cafes.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Not what it promises to be...
Two and a half star hotel masquerading as a four. Rooms are very small, no sound proofing so very noisy, and decor is garish. Restaurant was good until we found out it was staffed by students from the local catering school who are not paid for their efforts!!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Fathima

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome stay
I loved the warm hospitality. The decor and setting is amazing. People who work there are super friendly and helpful

6/10 Okay

Wayne

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
St James is okay for one night maximum
St James is not amazing! Room no 7 has a bath tub with a hand shower attachment. Very disappointing. Hate bath tubs! The shower head was ineffective making ablution facilities below expectation. No buffet breakfast as expected. Was a la carte. Good location.

10/10 Excellent

Cedric

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Manga Gauthier

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gauthier
It was amazing and confortable

8/10 Good

Ayanda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

8/10 Good

Trevolin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful stay at Morningside
The staff at St James were amazing, especially Sam. We were travelling under difficult circumstances as my Father in Law had passed. Even though they didn't know, they went out of their way to accommodate all our requests. Coming back to the hotel each evening with a wonderful typed note on the pillow and homemade truffles brought a smile to our faces.The food was amazing. Thank you to the chef who made a peppercorn sauce for my son's steak. The only downside of staying here is constantly having to key in codes to access the Wi Fi. Each time you arrive at the hotel it needs to be keyed in and then if not in use for a while, it needs to be re-keyed. We were fortunate enough to see a monkey at breakfast.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2017

6/10 Okay

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not Impressed
The room was pleasant, but the Halaal conditions were not clearly marked in the description. I do not mind Halaal food, but the lack of alchohol was not explained when I booked. The staff were slow, it took 25 minutes just to get a couple of coffees in the restaurant. I had to go looking for milk for coffee in the room on the second morning. I will not be staying there again, I would rather go to a hotel.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

pam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
No need to return, nothing special
Not much to say. Extremely uncomfortable bathroom (bathtub) with hand held shower and no curtain. Big mess after every shower. Electric plugs behind curtain difficult to find and use. staff with no interest in assisting anyone
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2017
Response from Tracy on 26 Jun 2017
Good day and thank you for your review and your feedback on the areas that we need to pay attention to. The Saint James on Venice has been sold and the new owners are looking at possibly adding showers into bathrooms with only bathtubs or failing that replacing them. I will speak to my staff, as we pride ourselves in our friendliness and service excellence, to ensure that they are always aware and available to assist guests when and where possible. Kind Regards

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Absolutely poor
The hotel management is absolutely poor. We book 3 rooms 2 months in advance all paid for yet the day arrive the don't have any rooms cant provide alternative rooms or a refund
Good day, Thank you for your email. I would like to assure you that in the event that a refund is due to you and that we have directly received payment from you we will be more than happy to attend to a refund. I am not aware of any situation where we have had 3 rooms booked and paid for and not been able to accommodate guests on arrival. Unfortunately you have not furnished me with your name and/or contact details so I am unable to investigate this further, however should a refund be due to you please contact me or your tour operator and I will most certainly process such refund. Kind Regards Tracy

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disappointed
Checked in after 5pm . Area for parking was very dark . Room was old but we'll furnished. The room smelt bad ;like it had not been opened for awhile and the bed had curly hairs and dirt on the top.
Thank you for your feedback. I am as disappointed as you as we pride ourselves in our cleanliness and service excellence. We have very strict procedures in place and I assure you that this instance will be dealt with accordingly. Kind Regards Tracy

10/10 Excellent

Timothy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic stay in a fantastic place with very friendly and accommodating staff! The breakfast was amazing and the breakfast setting was delightful
Dear Timothy, We are so happy that you enjoyed your stay with us and we appreciate your great feedback. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you again. Kind Regards Tracy

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cozy, peaceful, friendly, safe and not far from downtown. Close to Suncoast Casino and entertainment complex.
Response from owner on 22 Mar 2017
Glad we were conveniently situated for you and that you enjoyed your stay.

10/10 Excellent

Bulelani

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Response from General Manager on 30 Jan 2017
We aim to give our guests 5 star treatment and look forward to welcoming you again.

8/10 Good

Alex

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A very good bed and breakfast, with exceptionally friendly staff, who always went the extra mile to ensure I was comfortable. The room was always in a neat state, and with more-than-sufficient facilities, such as free WiFi, air conditioning, and cable TV, it was a comfortable and enjoyable living space. The extra touches such as the note and chocolate left daily on the bedside table by the cleaning staff, further added to the feeling that you are important and cared for. There was also a charming shared living room adjacent to the guest rooms, with couches, air conditioning and a flat screen TV, that made for a lovely place to relax and watch TV or perhaps read a book. Location was also very convenient, being close to Florida Road (a strip of restaurants, with some fast food delivery stores as well; helpful for organising lunch or dinner if you're having a lazy day, and the guard will even escort the delivery man to your door) and only 5km from uShaka Marine World, and even less to the beach front. Overall, a very comfortable stay, and I would definitely recommend this hotel as well-priced and well-placed.
Response from General Manager on 30 Jan 2017
Thank you for your positive feedback and recommendation. We value people and we are pleased your stay with us was enjoyable.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Response from General Manager on 30 Jan 2017
Thank you for your rating - we appreciate all feedback.

8/10 Good

Sean

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Convenient, clean, contemporary hotel in good area
Quick weekend getaway in Durban. Would recommend the Saint James on Venice without hesitation.
Response from General Manager on 5 Dec 2016
Thank you for your positive recommendation.

6/10 Okay

Janice

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely spacious and comfortable
Guesthouse and room was lovely, clean and spacious. Wooden floors do mean that you hear the other guests though. Breakfast was disappointing. It says served from 6h30. By 6h50 the coffee machine was only started. No freshly squeezed juices as promised either. Not ideal if one is in a rush. However the food served was tasty. A nice place. I would stay again.
Response from General Manager on 5 Dec 2016
Thank you for your constructive feedback, and we apologise for the inconvenience at breakfast. We have made some changes in the kitchen and resolve not to disappoint when you stay again.

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
convenient and clean
Old style charm with modern facilities
Response from General Manager on 5 Dec 2016
We look forward to welcoming you again.

4/10 Poor

Christina

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I cannot rate my stay because after I showed up and checked in the hotel said it was over booked and I was asked to leave. I didn't get my money back and the hotel they arranged for a second location was a sub par hostel. Overall I did not have a good experience.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The solution to large chain hotels
Nice place the antithesis of large hotel chains. Nice courtyard for breakfast with garden. Wood floors, nice bathroom fixtures

6/10 Okay

Not Provided, Kimberley

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Breakfast menu is too limited. Continental breakfast doesn't have variety...

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Air condition not working Breakfast not that apetising

10/10 Excellent

Cheri, The Gold Coast Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Staff was amazing, super friendly and very helpful

10/10 Excellent

Margaret, Sydney

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Thanks to all at St James who gave exceptional service

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
No Room at The Inn
When we arrived, our second room had been given away and both managers were unaware of who the guest who had taken it was. We requested a full refund for both rooms and left.

10/10 Excellent

niel, Vancouver

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Loved it!!!
A home away from home! What a fantastic guest house. Great venue close to kings park and the cbd, quiet suburb, great service, excelent atmosphere! The restaurant is highly recomended!

8/10 Good

Rene', Johannesburg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
St James a good option
we had a short trip so only stayed one night. The room was beautifully furnished, beds and pillows very comfortable. The staff were very friendly and the breakfast was very good. Overall a good experience.

10/10 Excellent

Phoebe, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Durban break
The staff were all very friendly and accommodating suggesting places to eat and things to see and do. The room was lovely and very clean. Breakfast was great and the garden dining area was beautiful and peaceful. I would definitely recommend staying here as it was an easy to access area and I always felt very safe.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good position and friendly staff
All was great except the old wooden floors which was a bit noisy as you could hear guests walking around outside the room.

10/10 Excellent

bill, australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful hotel
The hotel stay was amazing. It was affordable, very relaxing and comfortable and the staff were always willing to help out. Will be staying there again
Response from Sunet on 15 Nov 2014
Good Day Bill Thanks so much for taking the time to write this note. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your holiday in our beautiful country. Keep Well

10/10 Excellent

Robbie, England

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Outstanding!!!
Found this hotel last minute for a really short break. What a fantastic place.. I really can't say enough good things about it.. Can't wait to go back.. Only bad thing I will say is that Expedia charged me quite a bit more than I would have if I had contacted the hotel directly.. Please go and stay there it's awesome!!!
Response from Sunet on 15 Nov 2014
Good Thank-you so much for your kind words, if you do recall anyone's name in particular please let me know as I would like to thank them. We look forward to welcoming you back soon I hope!

4/10 Poor

Mick & Mags, Scotland

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Below Par on a 4 day visit
Room No 9 found to be impractical, bath with hand held shower led to flooded floors. Personal room safe awkwardly positioned to allow safe usage. Room door latch faulty, repaired following day. Ended up asking for another room with decent shower. Room 8 much better when available on day 3. Breakfast buffet on two days only. Inefficient service last two days due to short staff, not helped by management offering any explanation. Did so when we complained of delays. Lighting throughout hotel and inn garden area on the dim side. Neighbours dogs noisy.
Response from Sunet on 15 Nov 2014
Good Day Thank-you for your constructive feedback. We are currently working on ways to improve the issues mentioned. I am glad you did however found room 8 to be more convenient.

4/10 Poor

Lee, Centurion

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Missing service
the facility is central, clean and the rooms are ok. Unfortunately this cannot make up for the lack of service and disregard for the guests. The staff left each day at 5 so there's no food, ice or room service. The check-in desk is unmanned so arriving late you have to go find someone to check you in. I know, as i had to go look for them myself! I would not recommend them at all.
Response from Sunet on 12 Jul 2014
Dear Lee Please accept my apologies for the below average service you experienced while staying here. Our restaurant is closed for dinner from 17h00 over weekends as advertised. Our reception is open until 22h00 and we then ask our night guard to assist with arrivals. I apologized that you could not find him when checking in. I do hope you that you will be open to try us once again so that we can prove ourselves worthy as being the hotel and service that we strive to be.

6/10 Okay

Ria, Pretoria

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Service
Rooms very comfortable but the hotel constantly running out of ice for drinks in the middel of summer! Maybe they should invest in a proper Ice Machine!
Response from Sunet on 12 Jul 2014
Dear Ria I am delighted that you were pleased with the accommodation offered. We do have an ice machine at the hotel and it constantly broke during the hot summer we had. We have in the interim fixed it. I do hope you will pay us a visit again.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice neighbourhood
very pleasant stay and though tucked away on a quiet street, it was only a short trip to morningside and berea where there are plenty of restaurants. breakfast excellent.
Response from Sunet on 15 Nov 2014
Thank-you for your positive feedback, it is much appreciated.

8/10 Good

Joseph, Italy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort