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

What a wonderful experience. Thank you to all the staff at Mabula who looked after us so we'll. Our guides Khathu, Apollo and Colin were a joy even at 5am. Bush walking with Frances was fascinating and impala poo spitting should definitely be in the next Olympics. Well done to the chefs and the lovely waiting team - always there with a smile. The meals were fantastic and the range of dishes were varied and very tasty. The safaris were a truly superb with Khathu so knowledgeable and so keen to show us as much as possible. Our 2 bush suppers were great fun with the authentic music adding to the occasion. Lorissa our tour manager was always on hand to look after us and did a perfect job. I would have appreciated a trip concentrating on the fascinating bird life and it would have been nice to get a smile out of the pool bar man. All in all the holiday of a lifetime . Thank you all.

We stayed at Mabula game lodge last week as part of a group. Overall it was an excellent week. The game drives and walks were superb. It's the most managed reserve we have been too, but it's understandable why. The accommodation was fine, not quite as luxurious as the pictures would have you believe but the beds were comfortable and the shower was always hot and powerful, so what more do you need? The food was good if a little repetitive. But most guests only stay between one and three nights rather than a week. There was a good selection of dishes. The service in the restaurant at times was a little ineffectual, staff stood around chatting rather than serving, cutlery just dumped on your table rather than actually set. That all sounds a bit negative, but these are little things really. The thing that made the holiday great were the staff we had most interaction with. Frans our guide and driver was superb. He was funny, knowledgeable and most importantly respectful of the wildlife. Dineo in the spa was brilliant. Some of the best massages I have ever had. She was caring, technically brilliant and had a great sense of humour. The quad bike guide, I think his name was Philip, made the quad biking great fun, and interesting, he stopped and talked about the plants and animals a few times and judged our experience well. Sophy on front desk was great. Professional, efficient and again had a great personality. I would definitely recommend Mabula, for a mixed experience of things to do on a game reserve. We went on two game drives most days, two walks in the bush, horse riding, quad biking and the spa. Come home for a rest! Overall a brilliant holiday.

This was our first experience of safari in South Africa and we were certainly not disappointed. The resort is beautiful and the staff and facilities very welcoming. We were visiting for 7 days in an all inclusive basis which allowed us to make the most of the food and drink on offer. We have both visited many places and the standard of food here was exceptional and the best I have had anywhere; full marks to the hard working catering team. The safaris were fantastic and all the guides very knowledgeable and engaging. All in all an amazing experience and we both really enjoyed it. Thanks Mabula.

The rooms were very good - ours was No 10. The bed was big and comfortable with an impressive bathroom and not too far from the main buildings. All the staff were helpful and friendly. Cleanliness was good and the food was very good, especially for breakfast, and included many choices of style. We had 2 dinners (in our 1 week stay) in the Boma, which was very impressively constructed. However, in the low lighting, a single step between the inner and outer areas may not be noticed by the unwary. Some of the food was not labelled and the cooking pots on chains, while elegant, were too high for those of modest stature. Some of the steps, particularly those for getting onto the excellent decking area, have a larger rise than usual. And need extra care for those of us with some mobility issues. Morning game drives were earlier than we have experienced elsewhere - starting at 05:30. We saw less game than expected but two factors may have been responsible - firstly, due to heavy rain, some routes were out-of-bounds and, secondly the ethos of the reserve seems to be based around conservation, protection and breeding programmes. That ethos meets with our thoughts on the role of a reserve. Despite my earlier comment, we had some excellent viewings that allowed me to take numerous photos and videos. The rangers were knowledgable and very capable. Several species shared the grounds around the lodge and rooms with us - Rock Hyrax, Nyala, Vervet Monkey and Chacma Baboon, as well as numerous bird, insect and reptile species were all seen during our stay. Some are habituated to people and take little or no notice whereas others will leave the area quickly. We travelled with Titan (Saga) and the communications and arrangements all worked well.

This hotel is a great place to have a saffari holiday everyone just can't do enough for you.The best part of our holiday was going out on the saffari game drives and bush walks we were very lucky to see lots of the animals and learn about the culture of south affrica.We must have had the best guides ( Eathan,Jimmy and Mash ) these guides were very knowledgeable about all aspects of saffari's. We always felt very safe in there hands. The room we had was close to the restraunt and reception as if you were in the bush as some of the animals were aloud to roam round the camp ( they are will not harm you it is lovley to see these animals the monkeys are mischiefs. ) If I had a complaint the open to air with fire in was not for me when this restraunt was open they closed the main restraurt this only gave you no choice.