Zimbali Lodge by Dream Resorts

Just a little warning Just a little warning to other guests and those considering booking here! Saturday was terrible, 20 children with parents invaded the pool. It was a children's birthday party all day with shouting and screaming. All the sunbeds were taken and there was no room for the hotel guests. Poor service from the managers, no help to get so we had to leave the area. The reception should have warned us so we could plan our day differently and they should have maybe reserved some sunbeds for the guests. No compensation, no offer of possible transport to the beach. When we left the hotel, we asked for an extra 1 hour late check-out, we couldn't do that despite the hotel being empty. We have been here 4 times before and this is probably the last time.

Pathetic security systems, people are treated terribly. When entering and leaving the gate after checking in, we were given a photocopy of our id docs in colour, when showing this at security we were asked for our original id documents upon every entry and exit and the security personnel were unfriendly and threat us like thieves, they were totally unprofessional. On the second day and our first exit to Ballito Lifestyle Centre we had a problem getting in as on of us left our original id doc in our room and the photocopy with the barcodes were not good enough. We were delayed about 20 minutes just getting back in and we had a 3 year old child asleep in the car. Never again will we visit or stay in this place as you are not treated as a guest but rather as an unwelcome visitor, although we paid a premium for our stay. Terrible experience.

Firstly the staff were brilliant and super attentive - 5 stars for them. The rest was a major disappointment. The room - it was so dark and musty, the carpets felt dirty, the coffee station lacked and there is no mini bar nor room service. The soap and body wash selection is very limited and basic. The linen was falling apart and had holes in it, the towels were thin and discolored. The door had swollen so you had to slam it to close. The shower was leaking out the pipes and water pressure was an issue. The facilities - the furniture outside is breaking and falling apart, the cushions are outdated and all of it just looks old. The bar area was playing music so loud from a boom box we left. The pool area had people come and use the space as a photo shoot and there stuff was lying all over the bathrooms including underwear and make up. The breakfast - the team at breakfast was lovely. The same breakfast was served three days in a row. The food was alright it just didn’t look appealing. The decor in this space is just strange. The area needs a serious overhaul at the end of the day. This place needs a serious cash injection and upgrade. It’s situated along pure bliss and lets itself down. I wouldn’t recommend this place.

The facility and services were well under par. Hotel is in desperate need of a revamp and is not worth half the daily rate we paid. Stay at the Capital in Zimbali if you wish to stay in Zimbali. Staff were brilliant and trying to work with the garbage they have on hand.

The lodge is beautiful with nice facilities. Slept in a 2 bed. The bedrooms looked nice but there is this awful musty smell in the rooms including the kitchen. The bed linen is old and tired. I did not enjoy spending time in the room which is a pity coz it had a nice view. The rooms need serious renovations & management should find ways to get rid of that musty smell in the rooms.

We were very surprised to see the condition of the Lodge. We remember when it was built and owned by Sun International. Buildings are in bad condition (i.e., rotted wood, poor paint. covered in trees, etc.). In addition, infrastructure was in bad shape as well as the vegetation and gardens. I know that Dream Resorts bought the property a couple years ago but they need to make some serious investment to bring this up to their typical standards.