Our group of four travelled to Cape Town for work and booked the 9 Palms apartments through Smart City Stays, each of us in our own room. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing from the moment we arrived.
All the rooms smelled strongly of smoke and weed, and the odour had seeped into the bedding, curtains and furniture, making the place feel unliveable. Every room also had visible damp and mould problems. One of the showers couldn’t drain properly, causing water to pool.
There was no consistency between rooms — some had hairdryers, mirrors, fans and basic amenities, while others didn’t. The bedding and towels had brown stains or tears. Rooms were dirty and there were even cigarette burn marks on the couches.
Reception never answered our calls for assistance, and with the state of the accommodation and no support from staff, we checked out on our second day, even though we had booked for the full week.
This was a deeply disappointing stay, and I would not recommend Smart City Stays or the 9 Palms apartments based on our experience.