Pestana Kruger Lodge

Stayed for one night before we went to Kruger which is just down the road. We stayed in a delux room which had a great view of the river. Food and staff let it down. Dinner buffet was supposed to start at 7pm, but was not ready at 7.30 pm so we were offered a burger instead which we were happy with. However on checkout they tried to charge me for the burgers as they were off the lunch menu & not part of the DBB package - we hadn’t even seen a menu! Breakfast was a bit hit & miss, as you had to know who to ask to get eggs & then wait around for them. Breakfast staff really not helpful, however watching the hippos from the deck made up for the poor restaurant experience. We would possibly stay again purely due to location & view.

I am a guide and operator and went to scout tourism product offerings in the Malalane area. I booked a midweek two-night stay at Pestana Kruger Lodge, but it was a horrible disappointment. On check-out I mentioned it to staff and a member of management (I assume) contacted me to for more information. On Monday 25 November I sent her an email (no reply or receipt acknowledgement) with the following: It took a while to get a clear indication of your establishment’s charges via email. Ironically, I resorted to email at the time, because I simply could not hear what the staff member was saying over the phone. And even then, an accurate reply took some time and effort. Booking in was a pleasant enough experience, with very clear directions to our accommodation. Our accommodation was satisfactory. The air-conditioner could almost keep up with the heat of the day. I want to suggest that this kind of amenity be serviced regularly to ensure its efficiency. Although the Tourism Grading Council expects even one-star establishments to have window dressings “large enough to draw easily and completely across the width and height of the window”, the curtains did not reach the bottom of the entrance sliding door. Your establishment is in Malalane, known for its heat. Surely you would understand that the idea behind this stipulation is also climate control, not just privacy. Maybe the air-conditioner would be more efficient if you had the correct curtains installed? The shower is a mess and has clearly not been checked on for quite some time. The Tourism Grading Council specifies that showers should provide “a strong and easily adjustable flow of water”. The shower in unit 210 does neither. The first night's dinner was a little disappointing, but that can happen anywhere and anytime, and I wrote it off to a possible overload of guests. The beef stew was tough and the chicken had obviously been cooked too quickly. But I need to mention that the dessert table was right next to the door to the deck, and it had been a fairly hot and somewhat windy day. The cakes on display had been dried out by the time that we got to dessert. I was informed that breakfast is served from 7:00 to 11:00 and did not think it would be necessary to rush in early. We arrived for breakfast at around 9:45, at which time the kitchen seemed to be busy with lunch preparations. My wife and I ordered eggs, and it took between 10 and 15 minutes for our respective orders to be delivered to our table. I find this perplexing, as the orders were simple and could, at best, be described as “short-order cooking”. The fruit offering was especially disappointing: summer and winter melons (not yet ripe), some watermelon and some grapes. This is the Lowveld, home of bananas. Is this fruit offering the best we can offer our guests in the Lowveld? On the way out after breakfast, we asked the front-desk officer for an information piece on the spa. She had taken a bite of something just as we arrived a

Very beautiful lodge to spend quality time with family, great facilities, fresh & delicious meals. The view into Kruger National park is breathtaking. Pool clean and sparkling. Very friendly staff from the security into the main lodge. Welcome drink from the reception desk, quick and efficient check in.