Mont Eco Private Game Reserve — Hotel in Langeberg Local Municipality

We stayed as a family - 2 adults and a teen child. Mid July 2025. |Of note is that for the entire duration of our stay (3 nights) we were the only guests at Mont Eco.|Positives: |The accommodation was excellent - large suites, top end fittings, very clean and very well serviced, with a turn down service that included placing a few hot water bottles in the bed while we were at dinner. Staff were all very friendly. Game drives led by ranger "Professor" were entertaining and he obviously has a broad knowledge of flora and fauna. Afternoon "tea" was lovely - a different cake every day! Breakfasts were good - not true buffet style, but then likely as a result of us being the only guests during our stay. Game drives are cold during winter so be mindful of that - we were fortunate in that we could dictate the times of both morning and evening game drives, being the only guests.|Less Positives:|It was very cold at night and in the morning. They are "off grid" so that the warm air-conditioning in the suites automatically switches off at 9pm every night . There is a log fire place in every room which does help, while awake. |Some animals are fed in winter so they can reliably be found near a watering hole, a short drive from the lodge. It allows one to get close to these animals, but at the same time, does not have the "feel" of a true "safari", but rather that of an open zoo of sorts. Conversely, many of the other animals are quite sparse and on one occasion, we drove for 3 hours without seeing anything other than springboks and finally some elephants - probably due to the fact that no other jeeps ever went out during our stay, and so no reported sightings were sent over radio.|Lunch and dinner - these were a bit inconsistent. Occasionally the orders placed were different from the food which arrived, and there was a tendency to over-season the food - either with salt or chilli type spice. This could and should be improved as a 5 star facility. Pastries were very good both at breakfast and afternoon tea. Given the not insignificant cost, I think that water and soft drinks at meals should probably have been included in the cost|Lastly, as a self drive, there is a 24 km dirt road to navigate off the main roads to get there - use a 4 x 4 or other similar SUV - anything less will...

The good things about Mont Eco The rooms are beautiful and quiet. The location is isolated and you are constantly immersed in the noises of nature. The game drives with the professor are amazing. He is knowledgable and friendly. The staff will make things personal for you. The room had a bottle of champagne on ice when we entered, and they made a special dinner arrangement for our anniversary away from the normal dining room.

The bad things The food was not 5 star quality. It is luxury everything else but the food just fell flat. We flew across the world and drove to the middle of nowhere for a tranquil environment, which was advertised by Mont Eco. When that did not happen, Mont Eco essentially told us sorry tough luck. We had booked 3 nights but only stayed 2 and left because of this. If we had wanted a bunch of noise we would have gone to Krugar.

We had the misfortune of being there at the same time as a couple families with young children in a big group. This is not an issue with families, there were other families with children there during our stay but they were not loud. The lodge is extremely tranquil with only the sounds of beetles and birds, so when the high pitched yelling of children starts, that is all you can hear. Between game drives we just heard screaming kids around the pool for hours for multiple days. The first hour or so on the first day, the parents pretended to care by telling them to stop (which they didn't) but once us and all the other couples left the pool, they stopped pretending and just let the kids go. We could hear the yelling from every location in the lodge, even from the deck of our suite (which was the furthest away).

I brought this up with management via email and the staff/manager observed the scene and apologized for it. They said this has never happened and it was beyond their control sorry nothing they could do. Other luxury resorts that emphasize tranquility handle this in a different way, like not allowing children in and around the pool. Or at least telling the parents this kind of behavior is not permitted and stopping it.

If you are planning on taking the expensive gamble for tranquility expect Mont Eco to do nothing for you if you get...

We have truly enjoyed our three nights at this gem of a game reserve. I was travelling with my wife and my four-year old daughter. We stayed October 26th to 29th 2024. To start, the facilities and rooms are straight out of a luxury magazine. It is simply stunning. The attention to detail is second to none. The staff was great. I want to note Shaun, who took such particularly good care of my daughter, bringing her treats and making her laugh. Alvin was a true gentleman, taking charge of all our needs while at the lodge, from food to drinks to firewood for our beautiful woodburning stove in the lodge. Terrence was our guide, and we absolutely loved him. We did four game drives with him, and loved them all. We saw lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, springbok, baboons, eland, and other similar herbivores. He was nice and attentive, informative and engaging. My daughter really liked him too. I wish we could have seen the hypos, but they were shy. We did not do night drives or bush walks, as we did not have the stamina for them with our four year-old. It's a very beautiful landscape, and it's an interesting place to see the animals. They are much easier to see in a certain way, though you do have to chase them and spot them. Given that the lions are hunting on their own grounds (for now), it makes it easier to see the other animals. There were diluvian rains when we were there, and it was particularly magical because the dry rivers were flowing for days (this doesn't happen in the summer) and the landscapes was particularly colourful. We also have to commend Paulina who oversaw the lodge for her kindness and attentiveness, as well as Professor, another guide who was on tour with us from time to time and proved a wonderful duo with Terrence. And let us not forget the food. It was a ten out of ten, consistently. Absolutely amazing. It was our first experience, and we would recommend it. We loved it, and we would like to go on another safari when we go back to Africa ;-). Thanks to everyone...