We kindly ask our guests to observe the following rules:
1. Security precautions and use of our alarm system
We have been operating Constantia Cottages since 2006 and in all this time we have only had one break-in to one of our garages and no other thefts. Our neighbourhood, Constantia Morningstar/The Vines is considered one of the safest areas in Cape Town. Of course, this is largely due to the security measures already in place in our area, such as the permanent presence and regular patrols of private security services as well as the watchful eyes and ears of our local neighbourhood watch. Our guests can feel safe day and night and move around our property and guest house without any problems. However, we do expect some assistance from our guests with our safety precautions and kindly ask you to observe the following:
………when you enter the property
Please close the main gate and the garage doors immediately after you have driven in. These should not be left open for any length of time. Passengers can leave the vehicle when the garage door is closed behind them and only then should the boot be opened and luggage removed. Please inform us if you make any unusual or suspicious observations in the immediate vicinity.
………when you leave the property
Before you leave the property, please make sure that all the windows of your holiday home are closed and that the internal alarm system is activated if necessary. To do this, you will need to press the blue button on the remote control we have given you. Please put all your valuables, especially cash, cheques, identification and travel documents in your safe before you leave the property. Please lock your holiday property and, if you access your holiday property via the entrance hall, please also lock the entrance door to the entrance hall. The garage door and the main gate should only be opened once the luggage has been stowed, all passengers are seated in the car and the engine has been started. The garage door and main gate must be operated with the remote control we have given you, you cannot fully rely on the door closing on its own.
………while you are on our property
Before you lie down for the night, all windows must be closed except for a small gap so that the alarm system can be activated by entering the code. As a purely precautionary measure, we strongly recommend that you activate your own alarm system for the night, even though we have not had a single break-in in all these years – better safe than sorry. The system must be closed (you can recognise this by the blue light at a prominent point in your holiday home). If your alarm system has been triggered accidentally, this will cause a bit of a commotion. In this case, please inform us immediately in person at the main house or by telephone.
ATTENTION:
The landlord is not responsible for any damage or inconvenience caused to you, especially if the security measures have not been followed correctly and, for example, the alarm system has not been activated when leaving the holiday property or at night. All these security measures around the buildings are controlled by us and contribute to additional security for our guests.
2 Smoking on the property
Smoking is strictly prohibited in all buildings! We allow smoking outside in the garden and on the terraces, but please be considerate and do not flick ashes or throw cigarette butts on the ground, in the garden or flower pots. We will be happy to give you an ashtray on request, which is also windproof, and ask you to empty it only into one of the bins outside the buildings because of the odour.
3. Use of the swimming pool and garden
The swimming pool and the large part of the garden between the sun loungers by the pool and the fountain can be used by all guests. In addition to the sun loungers on the garden side of the swimming pool, you are also welcome to relax on the large garden swing and on the metal seating area with bar stools by the pool. A Weber barbecue is also available for use at the stone seating area in the flowerbeds.
The upper part of the garden behind the green garden door is exclusively for the guests of the 2-storey Cottage Cabernet, and the terrace next to the door from the garden to the entrance hall is exclusively for the guests of the Junior Suite Pinotage. The same applies to the small garden and the terrace behind the small cottage, which is exclusively available to guests of the Cottage Chardonnay. The terrace covered by a large pergola and the area behind the swimming pool with the two seating areas between the main house and Cottage Cabernet are private and reserved exclusively for the owners of Constantia Cottages.
The swimming pool can be used daily between 8am and 8pm. Please do not take our cleaning robot, called Harry, out of the pool, take it apart or stand on it. We would be very grateful if you would not waste our precious water and remove it from the pool unnecessarily by excessive jumping and splashing around.
The white towels in the properties are intended for use in the bathroom only. We provide coloured bath towels for use at the swimming pool and in the garden. These are available for self-service in the small cupboard in the entrance hall and can be left in the pool area after use.
4. Parking
Guests are expressly requested to use only the car park allocated to them and to position their vehicle in such a way that other guests also have enough space to manoeuvre!!!
We ask our guests to lock their vehicle and close all windows, even if they park in one of the garages. Under no circumstances should valuables, handbags or items of clothing be left in the vehicle. This applies regardless of whether the vehicle is parked outside or inside a garage.
5. Waste
All rubbish should be placed in the large rubbish bins located in the courtyard between the gate and double garage on the Walloon Road side of the property or in the double garage at the Cottage Cabernet. We recycle: Please separate paper/cardboard, plastic and glass/bottles from other rubbish in the bins provided. As we have limited space, we ask you to make the rubbish smaller by squeezing air out of plastic bottles and folding cardboard. To avoid bad odours, please do not place organic waste directly in the black bins, but place it in plastic bags. The rubbish bins are emptied on Friday mornings.
6. Barbeque (Braai)
We provide our guests with a Weber barbecue. Guests staying in the Cabernet and Chardonnay Cottages can use the barbecue on their respective terraces. The barbecue at the stone seating area in the main garden is called Hilary and is generally available to all Constantia Cottages guests. Please let us know in advance if you would like to use Hilary and ask us for barbecue gloves, cutlery and crockery. Our holiday properties are self-catering so you will need to buy your own fuel unless other guests have left leftovers. Please do not barbecue with large clouds of smoke – the other guests will thank you if you are not smoked in. It goes without saying that caution is generally advised with open fires and the barbecue and seating area should be left in the same condition as you found them.
It is strictly forbidden to feed our dogs!
7. Satellite TV programmes
All our holiday units are equipped with Smart TVs which are directly connected to the internet and receive TV channels in many languages, not just English. We also offer NETFLIX SA.
8. Visitors of our guests
In general, overnight stays by friends of our guests are not permitted. In well-founded exceptional cases, overnight stays by visitors exceeding the maximum number of standard occupancy of the respective property can be arranged with us for a certain period of time at a separate cost. Our guests may invite friends over for a barbecue or to stay with them in the main garden or on their private patio or balcony, but should not take advantage of this to the usual extent, in particular respecting the right of guests in neighbouring Constantia Cottages holiday units to enjoy their holiday in an appropriate atmosphere. We therefore take the liberty of limiting the number of visitors to our guests to the maximum number of guests we can accommodate in our respective holiday unit. The length of stay and noise disturbance must therefore also be taken into account. In general, we do not allow real parties or the reception of more than four guests.
9. Electricity and water
Electricity and water are included in the daily rate all year round, so do not cost the guest extra, but………. The filling level of the dams around Cape Town decreased from year to year between 2014 and 2017, caused by less rain and a significant increase in water demand in the Cape region, and led to a serious water crisis across the Cape Peninsula in the summer of 2017. In 2018 and 2019, the situation has eased significantly and the dams have been filled to over 80% due to abundant rainfall (as of September 2019). Guests at Constantia Cottages are not limited in their water usage, but we ask our guests to save the precious water where and when they can, for example not to shower for more than 5 minutes. You are welcome to collect water from the shower in buckets and distribute it in our flower beds by arrangement.
ATTENTION:
We cannot be held responsible for interruptions in the electricity or water supply, as these are in the hands of the local supplier and can be caused by burst water pipes, for example. Therefore, we will not accept rent reductions or make rent refunds in such cases.
10. Guest account
We keep an internal account for each guest in which we consolidate costs for activities such as bookings for shuttles and tours or the consumption of food and wine (in room service or at the pool bar) or on the occasion of organised barbecues. The total amount must be settled in cash on the day of departure at the latest.
