Malewane Lodge at Royal Malewane — Hotel in Maruleng Local Municipality

As I begin to make arrangements for a return stay, I thought I would share the experience of my first visit to The Royal Malawane in September of 2015. It was just my dad and and it remains the greatest adventure I've ever had.

The atmosphere of the property is singular in beauty. From the moment my father and I were greeted at the landing strip by our tracker and guide, the spell was cast. We made our way toward the lobby along a winding cherrywood boardwalk surrounded by lush vegetation bustling with wild life. It hit me that I had found the majestic Africa I dreamt of. The property and surrounding wilderness have joined my very short list of places that no photograph, video, or description can do justice to. My jaw dropped as we rounded the corner and were lead to the Royal Suite. Situated at the very end of the walk way, the first thing that strikes you is the extraordinary view of the reserve. Long crystal clear sliding doors stretch the full length of front and back of the suite. An astonishing effect is created by the symmetry of the structure and makes the building seem an inseparable part of the landscape. Every amenity you can think of is available. The decor is grand and luxurious, yet the tall ceilings and massive windows let the beauty of nature take center stage. Every room has its own appeal and unique vantage point of the reserve. You can't lose no matter where you end up staying on the property.

The focal point of the experience is the Safari. The Royal Malewane employs the greatest experts in the field to provide safe but intimate encounters with the wildlife. I had the extraordinarily rare experience of witnessing a pride of lions stalk and kill a buffalo. It was not something I sought, and it isn't something to hope for. The sounds of a large mammal being eaten alive don't leave the memory so easily. We had been searching for the pride that ultimately made the kill soon after we arrived. The lions hadn't eaten in over 5 days. With several cubs to support it was essential that they find food soon. After a precarious drive through the mud soaked terrain, our determined team, Bennet as tracker, Nicola guiding at the wheel, we found the pride resting on a perch above the road. They were blood soaked having already made a kill. We got close, very close. I'll never forget the sensation of the male lion coming out from the thick bush, approaching the vehicle, and looking us all right in the eye. Not long after we had stopped, a cry rang out in the distance. Nicola informed us it was likely the distress call from a lone buffalo, isolated or injured. The lions took off after the sound and we followed. We were shadowing them on their hunt. The second cry came and the pride bolted into the bush. Nicola found a tiny access point and came in at an angle to meet the pride just as they ambushed the Cape Buffalo. What followed is hard to describe. It was profound and unsettling. It was also just one of many unforgettable moments to come.

I learned things being out in that beautiful wild that can only be learned by witnessing untouched nature in action. I will carry these insights with me for the rest of my life. Thank you Nicola and Bennet (our Ranger and Tracker) for continuously guiding us to the places where we could observe nature at her most intimate. Thank you for refusing to give up searching for an elusive animal that moved into impossible terrain. Thank you for gently nudging us beyond our levels of comfort. For teaching us the subtle languages of leopards and lions and elephants and rhinos and imprints in the earth. Thank you for enduring the sting of thorns and the countless obstacles standing between us and the striking gaze of a wild animal. Thank you for your limitless enthusiasm and passion for nature. You became masters through the hard work and love of craft that is so rare. You both have my undying admiration and respect.

To anyone planning a visit to Africa, you need look no further. This place is the stuff dreams are made of.

Hopelessly in love with The Royal...

I thoroughly enjoyed my stays at La Residence and Birkenhead House (hotels under the same ownership as Royal Malewane) so when the manager at La Res heard I was going to Singita in Kruger, I was open to his suggestion that I stop for a short stay at their Waterside lodge en route.||My alarm bells should have started ringing however, when I discovered, after several hours of WhatsApping their reservations department, that the manager's claim that they "price slightly under Singita" was simply not true - in fact, it wasn't even close to true. The property is far more expensive than Singita (which itself is a super premium bracket). The price seemed so ridiculous to me that I cut my intended 2 night stay to a 1 night stay - which was directionally correct, only what I really should have done was given it a miss altogether. But at that point I had invested so much time in back and forth with Waterside and Singita that I stupidly went ahead with the booking. I somehow duped myself into thinking that in order to justify by far the highest price I've paid at any lodge in the last several months of travelling in Africa, it must be exceptional.||It isn't. It's far less nice than the other properties in the Royal Portfolio (not to mention the vast majority of other places I stayed too) - the location is really quite unremarkable (especially now that I'm at my next stop, Singita Lebombo, which by contrast has an absolutely stunning vantage point and surrounding views of Kruger), and the design style that works really well in La Residence, just doesn't have the same effect at Waterside, with much cheaper materials used throughout the property (especially the very canteen-like floors, compared to lovely natural thick wood planks I've seen at countless other camps on my trip). My room (4) was very spacious, but otherwise so uninviting that I really didn't want to spend any time there, and it had a very dull view. It also had a really awful smell to it, that I assume was meant to be some sort of incense or fragrance, that was totally overpowering and for me pretty nauseating. ||The one good thing that Waterside has which is a rarity, is a properly heated pool. But even that turned into a disaster, when one of the side jets had such a bizarrely strong suction mechanism that it caught my finger in a really painful way as I walked past it, and tore some of the skin off. I've never had an experience like that in a pool - there's a much worse accident waiting to happen than what I got away with, the force felt strong enough that it could possibly break someone's finger if caught at an awkward angle. ||In short, I am utterly baffled how Waterside is getting away with pricing the way it does (although maybe it isn't entirely, since it was nearly empty when I was there, while my next stop in Singita is at max capacity). The amazing thing is, I paid a so-called "discounted" rate to their regular price (according to them at least), but even that rate (which was roughly $3,870 for a ONE NIGHT stay during off-season, with transit from Joburg) was by a mile the highest I've paid anywhere, and the camp is not close to the atmosphere of places I've paid less than 1/3rd of the price to stay at. Even more incredible for the price point - it doesn't even come with a private vehicle! It really just left me wondering where on earth all that money went. The only reason I am not rating it 1 star is because my guide, Nik, was excellent and made the game drives enjoyable. Maybe the other properties in Royal Malewane are better - I don't know, but after this experience, I'm not planning to find out. If you are in the area, go to Singita Lebombo instead without a second thought. It is far, far better for a...

If I could have given the Royal Malewane a 6, I would have done so without hesitation. Whilst we have travelled extensively we looked at going on a Safari as a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience for my wife and I and our 5 and 10 year old children. Royal Malewane Riverside made what was going to be a special trip beyond what we could imagine a trip like this could be. We stayed 4 nights which on reflection was the perfect amount of time to explore and experience the area and wildlife. |What made the Royal Malewane so special was the attention to every detail required to make the stay perfect . The list could go on for pages but a few examples; the staff greeting us on arrival and ensuring they truly understood what would make our stay special, washing our clothes everyday (pack less then you think you need), endless food choices, an understanding of our children’s favourite dishes, the extensive personal bar or customised wine tastings the sommelier/bartender put together to sample S.African wines, our own vehicle, guide and tracker (Andre,Chris) who were amazing and with us for the entirety of our trip. And when I got a minor eye infection Jon the manager bringing someone to the camp and retrieve the appropriate prescriptions and when I asked what I owed he responded with “it is all part of the service”. Even the beautiful short video of the highlights that they sent us a couple of days after we left was a detail that made a difference.|Of course the star of the show are the drives. Having our own vehicle meant that we could adapt drives to look for animals we hadn’t yet seen and that with children ( last day started later because the kids were exhausted from the night before) we could adjust the start time to make the drives more enjoyable for the whole family. This made a massive difference. In the ads they claim to have some of the best guides. Don’t have a comparison but we saw the big 5 and much more. We had lions walking within a meter of our vehicle, countless giraffes, and elephants as well as a wide array of other animals including leopards in trees and at night. Going into the last day the only animals we had not seen were Zebras and Hyenas and of course Andre and Chris tracked them down to finish off our last drive. |The ‘icing on the cake’ are the evening stops for cocktails at sunset and a Braai. I don’t want to give away their surprises but suffice to say they will take your breath away. |So yes, the Royal Malewane is expensive but it is an amazing value for money and truly made the trip a once in a...