Joli Guesthouse

I want to start this review off by stating that my visit was incredible until there was a problem and I had to speak to the owner. The staff are the kindest, friendliest, always ready to help. The room was perfect, clean and spacious. The food was beyond my expectations. The establishment as a whole was perfect. Until my last night when I went to pay for the meals and transportation I used and had added to the bill. They literally only accepted cash or a physical Visa card. I had a visa on my apple wallet on my iPhone and a physical Mastercard. So they suggested I pay a taxi to drive me around to 5 different atms knowing that it wouldn’t take my physical Mastercard because it’s a country situation, not an establishment situation. When I got back I offered to give them my visa information for them to enter it into the machine and charge it, they couldn’t do that. I asked if they could send me a payment link so that I could pay online with the visa, they couldn’t do that. So I then suggested I transfer them money but the only problem was that Wise doesn’t work with Mozambique which I was unaware of because after traveling for 5 years straight I’ve never been to a country that didn’t work with Wise. The only option that was left was to send a wire transfer from my Dutch bank or from South African bank. By the way, I was the only one offering ideas and even began feeling anxiety because, even though I was sure they’ve gone through this multiple times they obviously never set a plan in motion to halt the situation from happening, like advising their guests at the moment of booking or having a plan to set in motion if they forgot to advise guests at the moment of booking. The front desk person put me on the line with the owner who was very passive aggressive and insinuating that this was my fault and problem, saying that they advise all their guests. When I said I was never advised of this, she asked me if I didn’t see the paper on the front desk. I’m sorry but that should be a reminder, not them advising me. We not only booked it 3 days prior to check in but we also spoke to them in WhatsApp!! Asking about putting everything on a bill and paying at checkout!! That was a perfect time for them to be responsible owners and provide a better client experience. We ended up transferring her the money and sending her the official bank receipt and she still kept saying that we didn’t transfer the money, having the front desk knock on our door various times confused. She was so upset that she didn’t check her bank account and overlooked the fact that he forwarded her the receipt!! As a business owner who has her own clients and deals with setbacks often, I can honestly say that I have never imagined an owner treating her staff and clients this way. She was extremely ungrounded, projecting her stress, and was completely incapable of navigating a common situation in a healthy and respectful way. A good stay for me goes beyond a bed and food, for me it’s about hospitality and the warmth and kindness of the host or owner and this was the most horrid experience I’ve ever had even after traveling for 5 years.