Fugitives Drift Lodge — Hotel in Msinga Local Municipality

An absolutely outstanding place. Everything about this lodge is perfect. We came here for the Battlefields obviously but this establishment is worthy of a trip on its own merit. The only negative would be the dirt track road you have to drive up for 30 minutes to get here, it's okay, even in our VW Polo rental car it was okay as long as you take your time but from the moment you arrive the place is fabulous! Every single member of staff is completely on their game, I've been fortunate to stay in many fine hotels but this was easily the best and the most friendly and genuine service we've ever received. It would be impossible to single out any one member of staff as all of them are exceptional. The views around the property are gorgeous and then there's the bonus of the game, such as giraffe and antelope that are roaming around. You receive full board here and breakfast and lunch are lovely but when it comes to the evening meal they really excel. We stayed 4 nights and every course, of every dinner was exquisite. Meals were served communally and we loved that too as fellow guests were all friendly and interesting too and it was so nice to spend the evening making new acquaintances. There's a lovely little pool on the premises, which we used several times plus there are various areas such as a small museum and a charming library area to pass some pleasant time in. Drinks are reasonably priced and always served with the broadest of smiles. Finally, the reason we came here was for the proximity to the Zula war battlefields and the lodge run 2 excellent tours from here both of which were also fabulous and highly informative, you do pay separately for these but they were worth every penny. There was also a free walking tour each afternoon which we also enjoyed. I really can't say enough positives about this property, it really was a perfect stay and we were sorry to leave. (BTW, they even washed our rental car for us on the day of departure!) 100%...

An immersement into South African History

One week into my South African vacation was now about to turn from mainly cuisine and wine which I gorged myself on in Cape Town, to the history of South Africa. Now I wasn’t crazy, I still intended to enjoy some great food, and get some good wine. I flew from Cape Town to Durban on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The city was known as the Beverly Hills of Africa. It also has the largest Indian population per capita outside of India. This part of the tour, my full intention was to immerse myself in Zulu history. As I kid, I had seen the movie Zulu with Michael Caine, and how the British Army massively outnumbered, won the battle. Later on I fell in love with the television miniseries Shaka Zulu, which went into great detail about the life of the Zulu people and the Napoleon of Africa as he was known. As I planned my trip for South Africa months before, I set aside several days for the Zulu. I could not imagine anything better than what I had found. A lodge with all the comforts of a five star hotel, on a reserve with wild animals, great food and wine, sitting right next to two battlefields which were the pivotal points in colonial Africa that brought about the beginning of the end for the Zulu Empire, and the reign of the British and Boers in Africa. This location was called Fugitives Lodge.

When I arrived at the lodge a group of folks welcomed me, took the luggage to my room, and parked my car. They escorted me to the main dining room and offered me a beverage of my choice.

The dining room was a very large area with more than just a few tables set up for the guests, but also a living room area. Covering the walls was memorabilia of the two great battles that started the Ago-Zulu war Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. To read the full review visit the Wine, Dine and Play blog, search for Fugitive's Drift under the blog archives for...

We are about to leave the lodge after what has been a simply outstanding three-night stay. From our warm initial welcome on arrival through every aspect of the stay, we have felt like welcome family guests as opposed to paying visitors. Grace, the lady in charge of looking after guests’ food, drinks and well-being within the grounds, is such a wonderful lady, thoughtful, constantly smiling and singing, and she remembers those little details that make all the difference.|Our room is huge and comfortable, with literally the largest bed I have ever seen! The indoor seats, like those on the good-sized verandah, overlook the reserve within which the lodge is set - wonderful view! The bathroom is enormous, with a vast indoor shower, outdoor shower and separate bath! |The lodge as a whole feels spacious and luxurious but equally like a large family space. Sitting round the fire together before eating dinner round a large communal table, plus lunch with the owners and selected staff, adds to the family feel. Meals are uniformly excellent! |We did the two flagship tours, to the Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift battlefields, on consecutive days. You can do them both on the same day, and other guests we met were doing that, but I can imagine it would be a pretty tiring day from sheer information overload! Both tours were superb - I am not particularly into battlefields, but was totally taken in by the wonderful, evocative storytelling of Bryan (Isandlwana) and Stewie (Rorke’s Drift).|We also had time to do the Graves Walk with Simiso (also well worth doing, and it rounds off the story of those 24 hours or so in January 1879), plus two of the self-guided trails around the reserve, which were clearly signposted and both really enjoyable to do.|These three nights have been a slightly unexpected highlight of our South Africa trip, and I would unreservedly...