Mabula Game Lodge

We have just returned from a week at Mabula (booked through Newmarket Holidays) i am a firm believer in giving an honest unbiased review so here we are. Mabula is about 2.5 hours transfer by bus, the driver stopped for 20 minutes at a service station which was welcome for a loo break, sandwich or icecream. On arrival at Mabula we were welcomed by a team who ushered us to get checked in with a lovely aromatic hand wash and towel and cold drink. Our bags were taken to our room for us. The rooms are spacious and traditional in design. We had room 17 which was behind some rocks which was home to some fluffy Hyrax and lizards. We didn’t have any unwelcome visitors in our room (spiders) but it is Africa so it is possible as some of our group witnessed. There is a fridge and aircon in the rooms, and daily room servicing with a turn down service at night with a little surprise left on the bed. The rooms are spread out around the grounds, at night the paths are lit by low lighting but we were ok with this. If you are worried take a torch. There are some improvements being made to the lodge at present but the work did not affect our stay in any way. We were on an ‘all-inclusive’ package, we were given a list of what was included to avoid any confusion. Included drinks started at 12noon, i think this is fine for alcohol, but soft drinks could have been served earlier or water even. This isn’t a party place and people were not drinking to excess. The included drinks end at 10pm, and that is late enough as the game drives start early. Sadly the bar staff at both the pool bar and terrace bar are not the fastest or most friendly (Moses and James) and even refused to serve us at 21.55 one evening. We aren’t big drinkers but were celebrating a friend’s birthday. The restaurant is a lovely space serving fabulous meals, the meals are all buffet style with such a great choice, from cereal and fruit to cooked items at breakfast, Theo on the egg station is so friendly and hard working but possibly this should be the start of the cooked items as by the time you have your eggs the other items on your plate are not as hot as when you got in line. Before the morning and afternoon game drives you are served tea/coffee and biscuits or cake. Our drives lasted 2.5 hours. We had Frans as our driver who was always well presented and super knowledgeable, he went out of his way to make the experience fun and we saw so many animals. We were the ‘naughty’ van but appreciated everything he taught us and can now differentiate elephant and rhino poo although that skill won’t be able to be put to use on the streets of the UK. One improvement that needs looking at are the sun loungers, there are a lot of damaged ones and they are quite uncomfortable. There is a new curio shop being built but there was a lack of quality items to buy. You have a captive audience so why not have us spend our money with you instead of at the airport. Although there was no rain umbrellas to buy along

I was on an all inclusive group trip and thought the entrance was very spectacular but that was as good as it got. The room was ok and the bed and pillows comfortable, but I picked up several small shards of glass from the floor one day so was wary of walking around in bare feet for fear of stepping on something sharp. In the bathroom there were two bottles of shampoo and two bottles of shampoo conditioner but no shower gel and only one small cake of hand soap on the basin so I had to remember to take it between the two. Hand towels and flannels appeared and disappeared on a daily basis. There was a good variety of food in the restaurant but many of the “hot” dishes were cold as the warming plates that they were sat on weren't always switched on. The plates in the "warming" cupboard were also often cold. This was mentioned to the chef several times but nothing was done about it. Regarding the game drives, although we did see a few animals, we were very disappointed in the numbers of both animals and birds and felt that the drives were too short and that morning coffee was served just to waste time and wasn't necessary. Both reserves felt very over managed and not a true feeling of the wildness of the bush with for example only 6 elephants in the big area and 1 pride of lions in the smaller one. I was told by the receptionist at checkout that I owed for four drinks and when I said that I hadn't had them but even if I had, they were on the all inclusive list, she said she would speak to the manager but didn't have the decency to come back to me to tell me the outcome. Another lady was told she owed a gratuity that she hadn't agreed to and said she wouldn't pay, the manager said they would "waive" it. Do they target single ladies for these "additional" charges? Overall, I think Mabula Game Lodge is a very commercialised and the wildlife just a means to an end to make money. There are many other private reserves in South Africa that really do live up to the wilderness experience.

I came to Mabula for one night with a lot of expectations but with no information or details provided. I assumed that the two game drives would be available for us anytime on arrival but found out only when we arrived that they have specific time slots. We were there for only one night and while I understand that it can be a hit or a miss in terms of seeing animals, for the price we paid we would have liked more information from the hotel before we arrived. I got only repeated emails for my passport details and dietary restrictions but nothing else was provided.