Melozhori Private Game Reserve — Hotel in Langeberg Local Municipality

we stayed in the valley pod and really liked the design of the place and the external deck etc. It was well finished and a nice place to stay. Having stayed in dozens of places like this up and down south africa we were surprised though to find that there was no housekeeping for our three night stay, so no washing up done for us, no beds made, no bins emptied etc. We found out later that this was another 'extra' which you could pay for, but no-one told us that when we arrived and it is not in line with the offer at better lodges and parks we have been to recently( Thembe, Ithala etc - all included).

Melozhori is also not designed for walking amongst the animals as they don't supply even a simple schematic or map of the whole area - so when we walked on both days we tried to guess where the loop walks were and both times we ended up having to go across the bush for long distances, hoping that snakes were hearing us coming and getting a few scratches here and there. A fairly trivial problem i know but such an easy solution. Print out a map. I guess they don't do that because they want the income from pushing all guests into going on their 'game drives'. They also ban you from driving your own vehicle to explore the area, which was a sad surprise for us .

Another very tedious thing was that the gate doesn't work properly, so you drive up to it, going in or out, you ring them and they say they will open it, you wait ten or fifteen minutes, ring them again, and eventually you and the two cars behind you either creep in or you finally escape. A small thing again, but a very poor welcome and goodbye. They need the basics like a camera for the gate and a rethink of their tech for opening and closing the gate from reception or wherever - another basic thing that may have compared to the norm 20 years ago but feels very stupid in 2023.

so, a pretty good area and the bones of the place and the cabins etc are good, but i think they are resting on their laurels and not getting some of the important management things right for their price point. And please sort out the hiking option - it doesn't work right now and not everybody wants to sit for a long time in the group truck gazing at...

Last weekend we visited the Melozhori private game reserve.

Let me start off by saying... I usually travel with Jik and Domestos (cleanliness of accomodation is big for me) but our accomodation at Melozhori was spotless... even the sheets were smelling fresh and clean. There are two pods... waterfall and valley. We stayed in the valley pod and it was incredibly serene. It was literally just our pod in the valley. The first day we saw some kudu and springbok from the deck but we didn't see anything on the last two days. My husband really enjoyed lying on the 14 meter long hammock and daughter spent most of the weekend in the wood-fired hot tub. Aside from these amenities, you can also relax in the bathtub with the amazing valley view. The pod has towels, soap, shampoo, and lotions that are more than enough for the entire stay. There's no TV but there is wifi. There's a built-in braai on the deck and inside the kitchen, a built-in pizza oven which we were really excited to try. The kitchen had all the equipment to make your pizzas, from a rolling pin for your dough, to a pizza slicer and serving boards. There's one bed and a sleeper couch for a kid. The fire place was really awesome for the cold mornings and nights.

On Saturday morning the very friendly ranger Sam came to pick us up for a 3-hour game drive... it was really awesome... we saw zebras, springboks, giraffes, deers, kudus, wildebeest, and much more - although they don't have any large predators. She stopped often to show and tell us about all the wildlife that we saw. She also stopped midway and made us some hot choc and cappuccino and let us get off the vehicle to stretch our legs for a bit.

The weekend was too short. Usually we get tired of a place and are ready to head home but I could easily have enjoyed that awesome pod for much longer. When we got home, My daughter cried to go back. It's really worth every penny! They even had a freshly baked bread waiting for us which was a really nice touch too.

If you're looking to get away from the hustle and bustle for a bit, this place is it! It's a mere 2h15m drive away from Cape Town. We're all ready to go back for our...

Oh my goodness… where to start?!!! One of thee most amazing places I’ve ever stayed. We arrived after spending 3 days celebrating a family wedding so the seclusion of the cottage was much needed. The cottage was gorgeous and the outdoor spaces were amazing. The hot tub was a big hit with us all! Melissa was really lovely checking us in and taking us on our game drive - this was so much fun and a very relaxed experience for taking our children on their first game drive. The highlight of our stay was when 3 horses stopped by for a feed and drink from the hot tub… a magical experience for our children. I will 100% be back and will recommend it to anyone I know going to South Africa! The small touches were brilliant too - the bracelets, hot chocolate, corn to make popcorn and the delicious homemade cookies & bread. The price also makes it great value for money - you’d pay so much more for this quality in Europe! Thank...