Mabula Game Lodge

We visited Mabula for just over a week with Newmarket Holidays, transfer included which was great well air conditioned and we had a stop half way through. We can had Francs as our guide who was amazing, he went above and beyond to ensure we saw all the animals, answered all of our questions, made sure to go into details with everything and returned to any that were requested. He had a lot of experience which set our jeep at ease when out and about including drives and bush walks. The drives were amazing and every drive got better, we couldn’t believe how close we were to all the animals including the elephants and lions! Although we were up at 4:30 every morning, meeting by 5:10am and setting off by 5:30am returning back for 8am for breakfast! we did have 8 hour gaps in the day before our afternoon safari at 4:30pm which does give you enough time to nap, chill round the pull and do further activity’s. the early mornings are not a problem because of the time we have to catch up on sleep but also still plenty of time to enjoy your day. We did the quad biking which was the best experience would highly recommend. We did also use the tennis court but they did only have two rackets one of which was broken. For future when expanding a simple gym would have been great, a few treadmills something simple just to pass abit more time as you cannot run round the lodge due to the many great animals you can see wandering around (it was amazing to see out of your rooms so this is not a complaint) The food was great for all inclusive, breakfast was the same every day with a wide selection and dinner/teas changed every day which was great. We were lucky to be within one of the first groups to be part of the grand outdoor opening which was fantastic. One thing to add about food in the bush nights, atmosphere was great but a little more lighting around the food so you could see what you was choosing would have been better as the bush teas were rather dark and of putting when you don’t know what your putting on your plate. The waiting staff were fantastic including Sammy who went out of his way to make us feel so welcome, Tohdo (sorry if misspelt) was also very lovely and they were both well worth the tip! Rooms were very clean and the turn down on a night time was nice to come back to after been out on safari and having tea. One thing I would add is a do not disturb sign. Due to the very early mornings after breakfast we went back for a 1/2 hour nap at around 9am. House keeping would return and knock on the door and even walk in even though we had said no thank you and that we were sleeping, we left the curtains slightly open so they could see we were sleeping but we were disturbed every day. One of the days they did not return at all but they did to the rooms around us (every room within our row returned at this time for a nap so it was very common to do so) as everyone’s morning safaris were at the same time possibly house keeping times would have been be

This lodge was excellent the food the staff room's superb you can't fault it I've stayed in some top lodge's over the years and this is up with those and your new builds will make it even better the drives were excellent saw everything Jimmy our driver was excellent with lot's of knowledge would really recommend this lodge if you've never been on safari excellent 7 days thank you

So, we have only been here for 24 hrs, and will be here for a week. My wife will review at the end of the holiday. We’ve been treated amazingly well. I’d highly rate the service and food. My wife is vegetarian and has had great options. It appears to hotel is being remodelled and the public areas are all beautiful. With lovely areas to relax. We are last night in a brand new restaurant and it was stunning. We’ve relaxed by the pool all day and our first safari is in a few hours. After reading reviews we were nervous over some things but it has all been amazing. All the team here work very very hard to make the guest experience amazing. 5 stars very easily given.

My wife and I have just returned from our honeymoon at Mabula and we have severe post holiday blues as this place was amazing. We stayed in a suite (room 46) which was spotless and cozy with excellent facilities. Our housekeeper Johanna even left African bedtime stories on our pillows every evening which was a nice touch. The food at Mabula was fantastic with 3 all inclusive buffets a day ensuring we didn't go hungry and had plenty to choose from each day. Our field guide for the week was Ruan and he was excellent. His knowledge and passion for the animals shone through every time he spoke about them and he provided a detailed answer to every question we asked him. He also went to great lengths to ensure we got the best sightings. We also booked an additional night drive which was taken by Monea who was also extremely knowledgeable and skilled at spotting animals in the dark (she even got us a sighting of the extremely elusive Leopard). I believe this shows that all of the guides at Mabula are extremely skilled and knowledgeable. There were some minor issues during our stay. The organisation of the egg station in the morning caused large queues at the rest of the buffet, the all inclusive drinks did not start until 1200 hours (which felt like a long time after being up early for the first game drive), there was also some construction work throughout our stay which caused some noise and unsightliness but we understand that renovations have to be made. These issues did little to detract from an amazing trip that is easily the best holiday I have ever been on and has been a dream come true for a life long wildlife enthusiast like me. In addition to all of this we were part of a group from Newmarket holidays in the UK and everyone we shared this holiday with was fantastic and we all got along so well. This can't be guaranteed for every group that goes but it was certainly nice for all of us.

Outstanding service, beautiful lodge, great food - not repetitive as per other reviews, comfy bed, safari guide Mashudu was so knowledgeable and great fun. Top tips - tip at the end of your visit, the animals are plentiful but remember this is not a safari park, they are not waiting for you to rock up, your guide will do their best to find them, take insect repellent and a hat! That sun is hot! The only tiny things we would change was that we would have appreciated a do not disturb sign for the door as housekeeping will let themselves in which can be a surprise if you did not hear them knock or if you're resting, milk was not replenished in our room but we could have asked at reception so no biggie. Overall, a wonderful experience in a beautiful part of south africa. We will visit again!

We have just returned from a week at Mabula (booked through Newmarket Holidays) i am a firm believer in giving an honest unbiased review so here we are. Mabula is about 2.5 hours transfer by bus, the driver stopped for 20 minutes at a service station which was welcome for a loo break, sandwich or icecream. On arrival at Mabula we were welcomed by a team who ushered us to get checked in with a lovely aromatic hand wash and towel and cold drink. Our bags were taken to our room for us. The rooms are spacious and traditional in design. We had room 17 which was behind some rocks which was home to some fluffy Hyrax and lizards. We didn’t have any unwelcome visitors in our room (spiders) but it is Africa so it is possible as some of our group witnessed. There is a fridge and aircon in the rooms, and daily room servicing with a turn down service at night with a little surprise left on the bed. The rooms are spread out around the grounds, at night the paths are lit by low lighting but we were ok with this. If you are worried take a torch. There are some improvements being made to the lodge at present but the work did not affect our stay in any way. We were on an ‘all-inclusive’ package, we were given a list of what was included to avoid any confusion. Included drinks started at 12noon, i think this is fine for alcohol, but soft drinks could have been served earlier or water even. This isn’t a party place and people were not drinking to excess. The included drinks end at 10pm, and that is late enough as the game drives start early. Sadly the bar staff at both the pool bar and terrace bar are not the fastest or most friendly (Moses and James) and even refused to serve us at 21.55 one evening. We aren’t big drinkers but were celebrating a friend’s birthday. The restaurant is a lovely space serving fabulous meals, the meals are all buffet style with such a great choice, from cereal and fruit to cooked items at breakfast, Theo on the egg station is so friendly and hard working but possibly this should be the start of the cooked items as by the time you have your eggs the other items on your plate are not as hot as when you got in line. Before the morning and afternoon game drives you are served tea/coffee and biscuits or cake. Our drives lasted 2.5 hours. We had Frans as our driver who was always well presented and super knowledgeable, he went out of his way to make the experience fun and we saw so many animals. We were the ‘naughty’ van but appreciated everything he taught us and can now differentiate elephant and rhino poo although that skill won’t be able to be put to use on the streets of the UK. One improvement that needs looking at are the sun loungers, there are a lot of damaged ones and they are quite uncomfortable. There is a new curio shop being built but there was a lack of quality items to buy. You have a captive audience so why not have us spend our money with you instead of at the airport. Although there was no rain umbrellas to buy along