First off, be aware that facility names in the De Waterkant area are very confusing. Our taxi driver insisted on dropping us at the Waterkant Village Lodge on Loader Street, which is not the same as the Village Lodge on Napier Street--where we ultimately wheeled our luggage and stayed for a week. There was some confusion with double-booking in their system, but things were quickly resolved and we had the choice of two rooms; we declined room #3 with a king-size bed in favor of slightly smaller #6 with queen-bed room with a private terrace.

While we were ultimately satisfied with our stay, the first thing you notice is the deferred maintenance: dangerously broken tiles on the stairs, water damage on the walls in the room, chipped furniture, a broken toilet seat, unusable in-room safe, etc. But the convenient location and friendliness of staff quickly compensate... to a degree. It was frustrating that the in-room wifi never worked, requiring us to hang-out in the compact bar area to access e-mail. The culprit we were told was the construction going on next door, which also was quite loud during the day.

Also quite loud was the neighboring guest who began what seemed to be coughing up a lung around 7 am each morning. (The rest of the time he chain-smoked on the Village Lodge's front deck.) Be aware that the property is very compact and you will be quite aware of the other guests who are staying there with you. It was also a bit distressing to learn that the lovely, compact roof-top pool and bar area is also operated as a commercial bar, so off-the-street public is welcomed... meaning that when the weather is most conducive, the small area is packed and the noise travels down.

The buffet breakfast was adequate, but coffee is served from a badly damaged coffee-maker and bread must be toasted on an electric grill. The fresh fruit was appreciated, but it's the first time I've seen a breakfast buffet serve individually wrapped processed American cheese slices! The breakfast area doubles as a very good Thai restaurant for lunch and dinner, although the bar seemed plagued by supply issues--for instance, there was no red wine, only white--here in one of the world's wine capitals.

You can tell the Village Lodge was the place to be in its heyday, and current owners need to invest in some routine maintenance soon to revive the former high standard.