Ndlovu Lodge

We attended an event on the east of Pretoria and Ndlovu Lodge was ideally situated. The location is beautiful set against the Bronberg Mountains which give one a chance to escape the bustle of the city. The lodge seems tired and in need of maintenance with some room numbers indicated on printed paper, and a few broken facilities here and there. We had room 14 which had amazing views but felt awkward having to walk past the front of two other rooms to get to our room. We booked a double room but were only provided one bottle or water, no milk for coffee facilities and the room required some deep cleaning. I would recommend Ndlovu Lodge but pictures online of rooms don’t always align with reality.

I just spent a night there earlier this week. The lodge itself is beautiful. The receptionist was overly friendly (alcohol smell) and since I was the only one staying they they gave me the best room. I was told, the lodge is usually closed Mondays for renovations, which did not make sense to me. Nice view, beautiful setup, good furniture, big shower... The linen is synthetic, unfortunately. I was told, they will call in the chef who is remarkable and actually on leave but he makes steaks like never heard of from the best butcher in the area. A short while later some elderly lady and what seemed her husband came into my room with the menu. I told them I would come down to the restaurant as it seemed beautiful to eat there. They both then were standing a bit helpless around my table when I ordered. They had never heard of a Rock Shandy before which is a very popular drink in South Africa. They then both were searching the fridges to find out, what they actually could offer me. They seemed to not have done that before. They were even struggling with the difference between Windhoek Lager and Windhoek Draft. The steak then came with a handful of chips. No greens, no veggies as that would have cost me the chips. It was edible but nothing to be remembered. The most interesting was the next morning. Nobody was around. I had made clear what time I needed some breakfast and when I will be picked up. Eventually, I just helped myself in the kitchen. Although clean, I had not seen such an unorganized place before. The cutlery just thrown into drawers, pots, pans, and kitchen tools have no system but I did find some lonely long-life milk in the fridge and a tea bag in a box. After I then called the number for the lodge from Google just for the security code to get out, eventually the same couple appeared to make me some fruits and some instant cappuccino for which I didn't have much time anymore. In short, beautiful place, staff and food, not the greatest, and synthetic linen is a no-go for me.