Name: Thandeka Game Lodge & Spa
Address: Rooiberg Road, Bela-Bela, Bela-Bela, Bela-Bela, 480, South Africa
Rating: 8

Smoke-free property

Garden

Terrace

Express check-in

Reception desk

General

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Concierge services

Dry-cleaning

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Restaurant

Meals

Picnic area

Sun Deck

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Pool facilities

Pool and beach

Event facilities

Meeting and presentation facilities

Conference Hall

Business

Beauty and wellness

Babysitting and childcare

Kids

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the resort

Thandeka Game Lodge & Spa

Bela-Bela

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

This is a jewel of a place to stay. The "tents" are great, the guide (we had Sam) is terrific and the hosts (Kareen) gracious. We keep kosher and for us they had a separate kitchen opened with delicious food prepared fresh for each sumptuous meal. We saw all of the animals on our "list" with the exception of elephants and had a fantastic time. Not a single negative aspect to our entire three day stay there

terrific place

Company 10th anniversary experience of 20 pax (adults/parents and kids) - 25 to 27 August 2017. Warm welcome by management on arrival, all booked into tent accommodation no hassle. Excellent game drive late afternoon followed by a private braai (barbecue) the evening in the bush- decor was exceptional, relaxing and program well presented, food was fine but could improve, too many starches?. Service was fine. Great relaxing evening with fellow colleagues. Saturday the group interacted with cheetahs and white lions followed by game drive the afternoon.  In 2 days viewed 95% of animals on site. Thanks to Mel and Remember who excelled in their role as guides thus seeing so many animal species and being knowledgeable on the same. The group visited ''Adventure with Elephants'' next to Mabula and had an awesome and very inspiring interaction with elephants - an event everyone should participate in. On the side, highly recommend improving the food variety ensuring balance, quality and presentation. A return visit is imminent.

Memorable Experience

I booked a luxury tent for our weekend away. I notified the lodge that we have a 9 month old baby and was told this is not a problem! In fact this was the best thing ever. The staff were amazing, they looked after our bub so well and showed her so much love that we were able to go out on multiple 2 hour private game drives, to have intimate dinners and to enjoy being ourselves! My only gripe is that we were not there for longer! 

I want to say a special thank you to Catharine for looking after our baby, to Peter who was very knowledgeable as our guide and to all the staff that provided us with an unforgettable weekend away!! Oh, the Chef, we can't forget the Chef, truly fabulous food!!

I would recommended Thandeka Lodge to everyone! 
Down to earth and just good people with a great vibe!!

Wife's birthday weekend away

We booked online the day prior to arrival & were chased for pre-payment before receiving confirmation, the booking site said only "one room available" so we thought it would be busy but we were happy to go ahead.... little did we know.
We followed the instructions on the confirmation & called ahead to advise of our impending arrival - the call went to voicemail but we were still 30 minutes out so thought nothing of it.  When we arrived at Thendeka the gates were locked & there was nobody about, calls to the number given were still going to voicemail, we called the head office to be told to call the mobile no. again.  Eventually we called the booking agent who managed to chase someone up to come & unlock the gates - after an hour's wait we were eventually let into the farm.
It soon became evident that we were the only ones there & the Lodge staff had not been informed of our arrival, there was a lot of scrambling about to get the staff together & cobble together some sort of program.  The game drive that evening - which we had to insist on - was short with a promise of a longer drive in the morning (this was not forthcoming), there were no drinks or snack on board despite them being supposedly included in the package - nor were there any refreshments on any of the subsequent drives.  No tea/coffee/water, nothing.
The lodgings were comfortable but on closer inspection there are a number of maintenance issues that need addressing - holes in the tents, water leaking into the tent form the outdoor shower, decking around the pool needing attention along with all of the sun-loungers.  
The food & service too were basic with us training the team how to serve wines & make coffee - the service staff were exceptionally friendly & enjoyed the opportunity to learn.  
With them being caught off guard on our arrival there was a lot of apologising which became a little grating in the end, would have been better focusing that energy on training & development of the team & fixing the maintenance issues.
On the plus side....
* The team were very friendly & welcoming & eager to learn
* The main lodge & dining room are spectacular & very comfortable
* The wine cellar is jaw dropping with a huge & varied selection of wines
* The Timbivati White Lions are simply stunning, so beautiful
* The Walking with Cheetah experience - offered free due to our challenges - is very special
* A lodge to ourselves made it a special time for us to catch our breaths in a beautiful African Bush environment... much needed after the stresses of the previous weeks.
We wish the team all the best for the future & hope that the plans for maintenance are put in place soon, we would also encourage the training & development of the service staff, the rewards will be beneficial to all.

Shambolic but with huge potential

Lovely tented rooms.  Friendly staff.  BUT.  no hospitality training across the board.  Meals shambolic at best.  No system, no choices, guests often treated as an inconvenience if you want something a bit different.  Obvious bits missing.  No wine list, go to the cellar to chose (nice) - but no process and staff don't know them.  ...just clueless.

Also (my suspicion) the real reason for the place is rare animal breeding, buying and possibly hunting.  So the reserve feels like a zoo...(big - but still a zoo!).

I'd go somewhere else!

Thandeka Game Lodge & Spa

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Available rooms

Location

Description of the hotel

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