The front desk welcome was shocking, to say the least. Two of the ladies kept us waiting whilst they were busy on the telephone to prospective clients with on-one else around to assist. Eventually, )what seemed to be a more senior lady) someone attended to us, but then sent us to our rondawel without a key to get in. The rondawel was badly placed, the front door hinge was stuck and the doors could not open fully, the window blind was broken on one of the windows. So, we were immediately upgraded and sent to a wonderful cottage at Brandwag. This was bright, cheerful, had wonderful views, and made the unpleasant initial experience, that much more worthwhile. This is our second stay at Golden Gate, the first was a camping experience approximately 3 years ago, which, despite the rain in December, was very pleasant and far too short. The shop could do with more day to day things (such as newspapers/magazines), instead of the usual curios, t-shirts and touristy things. One of the rondawels could be used for the more touristy things, and keep the shop to basic necessities, especially for the campers. The nearest town, Clarens is 17 kilometres away and when on holiday, one does not want to have to drive there each day for a newspaper, for example. Overall, we will return to Golden Gate, despite the unpleasant welcome (unfortunately, this is just how things are in SA today) because we find the distance from Johannesburg just perfect for a short break to get good clean air, a change of scenery and some rest.