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Management at Mopane Bush Lodge is non existent.
Before booking, I tried to get information about the difference in all inclusive and full board rates - sent a message - no response, called the lodge - the person who answered the phone said she didn't know, but would find out and send me an email - no email arrived. I sent an email repeating the questions I had - no response for a week, even until the day we traveled.
We took the Comfort room all inclusive package which we finally learned after arriving there that it included all meals - no game drive, no drinks included. Ok, we could live with that.
When we went for the buffet dinner, one day the soup had run out (we reached at the time we were told dinner would begin to be served), no cutlery, no place to sit. Just absolute chaos.
There were just 2 serving staff and 1 bartender to manage 50+ guests seated in 4 different spaces. The same staff was on duty when we left for our game drive at 5:30am, throughout the day and until we finished dinner at 8:30pm. And I suspect the same people were on duty until the other guests closed up around 10-11pm.
The price difference that we paid for all 3 meals included vs the rate for only breakfast & dinner included was about 500Rand per day. The lunch that we paid 250Rand per person per day for? We were given the same a la carte menu as guests that hadn't pre-paid for lunch - price per meal 60-100R.
The coffee machine had broken down and never got fixed our entire stay.
There was no lemon to be found on the property! Not for our water, not for our cider, not for our tea, not at the bar.
We were assured a fridge in the room - no fridge, no apology, no alternative!
The water in the taps is terribly salty water, so prepare to have your skin and hair ravaged.
To enter the property, you need to buzz in at the gate. The buzzer - not working. However, there was a phone number pasted on the buzzer to be called. Fortunately, we have a local cell phone and could call - no problem.
On the second day, the cell phone networks failed, buzzer was still not working. We blew the horn, no one appeared. We waited 15 minutes at the gate for someone monitoring the gate camera to notice us and open the gate, no luck. We drove all the way back to Mapungubwe park, used the land line at the park gate to call them, they assured us someone would come to open the gate from inside, we drove back, another family was also waiting there for the gate to be opened. Nobody turned up for an hour after our phone call when we were assured that someone would be sent to open the gate to paying guests!
This was from 8:30am-10am! Finally, some guests departing the lodge, opened the gate from the inside and we requested them to hold the gate open for us to enter. We asked to speak to someone in management, the F&B manager was the only person who spoke to us, he aplogised, said someone is always watching the gate (but didn't notice us for 2 and a half hours!) knew nothing of the situation.The manager never showed his face. The other car had a little 5-6 year old child who was stuck in the car at breakfast time for an hour and a half with no access to a bathroom while we waited for someone to open the gate.
The 3 staff members serving everyone were doing their best, but were woefully overworked.
The chef dished out tasty food, but even that was a bit chaotic - on the day that potjie was served at dinner - we were told by different people that it was beef, venison, game meat etc. We eat everything and it didnt bother us, but there were a lot of guests with dietary restrictions who did not know if they could eat it or not.
Honestly, for the price we paid, this has been the worst managed safari lodge we have ever stayed at...
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Very nice rooms with comfy beds,tea and coffee provided,enjoyed sitting on our terrace overlooking the vast grounds.On arrival we had a water problem with it running brown and stuttering but Camilla soon arranged for maintenance and it was swiftly sorted.|Good swimming pool overlooking a large watering hole that different species of animals kept us entertained especially the baboons playing and fighting.There is a lot of seating provided to enjoy the animal sightings but could do with more sunbeds around the pool there were only three.|Food can be tasty but on some occasions we didn’t like the choices such as cold soup or carpaccio (raw meat) as a starter.|Leaving the lodge to visit Mapungubwe park got monotonous after a few times because of all the pot holes making for a very slow journey.We didn’t see that many animals at this park but enjoyed other activities such as walking the Heritage Trail with two knowledgeable guides.Unfortunately after the walk we were not picked up for one and a half hours later until we managed to get reception to telephone the lodge to remind them.It is a long time to sit on a wall.There was a problem with an injured lion but at least a phone call to tell us would have been nice.We also enjoyed a bush walk with Michael ending up at a nice viewing place...
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Mopane Bush Lodge has left an imprint on our hearts.
We got a travel agent to book the stay for our 5 year anniversary and we were enchanted.
We received a complimentary room upgrade with a wonderful private pool view facing on the Mapesu reserve.
The room was spacious, we had an indoor and outdoor shower as well as a bath. All was very clean and the space is beautifully decorated with local artists.
The staff was very nice and attentive, they managed to fulfill all of our requests. Everything went smoothly.
Mr. Quinten & Lindy were very kind and helpful. Chris, our tour guide made our game drives the best experience yet! He knew all the animals, birds and trees. Thanks to him, we managed to see the cheetahs 3 times.
The food was delicious, the chef makes the best sauces and the menu alters daily. They even make take away boxes and orders directly to your room.
The location is perfect next to the Mapungubwe park and the Mapesu reserve.
Truly an unforgettable experience.
I recommend Mopane Bush Lodge to anyone looking for a...
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