Name: Xaus Lodge
Address: Dune 91, Off The Auob River Road, Rooibrak, Rooibrak, Rooibrak, 8340, South Africa
Rating: 9

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Heating

Gift shop

Terrace

General

Family room

Indoor Fireplace

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Wardrobe/Closet

Linens

Rooms

Breakfast

Restaurant

Meals

Airport transportation

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Transfer

English

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Tourist services

Parking

Parking nearby

Swimming pool

Outdoor pool

Beach/pool towels

Pool and beach

Conference Hall

Business

Playroom

Kids

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Temperature control for staff

Personal protection equipment for staff

Extra decontamination measures

Temperature control for guests

Personal protection equipment for guests

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the cottage

Room amenities

Xaus Lodge

Rooibrak

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

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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

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not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

The two stars are for Koos and Donovan, incredibly knowledgeable guides.  The rest of the two night stay was a big disappointment.  Dietary requirements forgotten (there were only two other guests so not a lot to remember), food absolutely awful.  The last morning you are whisked away by 9am so no morning activity.  This could have been communicated on booking as it messed up our plans for the next day.   The watering hole needs to be painted as the swimming pool blue colour is completely out of place in this setting.    Anyway don't come here to see animals because you won't.   When asked what the minced meat was at lunch we were told perhaps it was "donkey".   No alternative offered when they realised their mistake.  Two of the five meals I had at the lodge were inedible.  At our briefing the manager told us running a lodge is not "rocket science" - seems it is more difficult than that.

Big Disappointment

!Xaus is in a stark and remote part of the park. It has the potential to be a most amazing destination though it is not there yet. The night skies and view over a salt pan is unparalleled. The service and nature staff are absolutely sweet and giving. 

However there are issues. Firstly, insufficient game drive options and sparse game. Game is very sparse compared to SANParks locations. The main attraction is that lions etc come to drink at freshwater bird baths which allow guests to see them close up if they are lucky. That made the experience better for us But we saw very little game or birds relative to rest of park. Fine if you are expecting it. The scenery is amazing.
Also, management is not attuned to needs of luxury lodge guests.Antony has an abrasive personality and was entirely dismissive about our prior meal requests saying “it’s too hard”. It wasn’t since  they have those products where he shops in upington but he obviously didn’t care to try. We didn’t mind as we had an alternative but it was more the rudeness with which he dismissed it- far from experience at other lodges. They also would not write up our vegetarian menu on the the board even when we comprised 4 out of 5 guests at night- would write up menu of the other single guest and leave us having to ask the staff what things were. There is no choice in food and a guest asking for extra veggies was told it wasn’t possible.
The lodge is supposed to be about the Khoisan and this doesn’t come through. The indigenous staff are not involved in welcoming guests etc and, seem subservient to the abrasive manager in a very old fashioned way not reflective of South Africa in 2024 or other lodges. It was very uncomfortable. When someone mentioned giving smaller portions of food on plate so it didn’t go to waste the manageress said it wouldn’t as someone in kitchen was always hungry- are staff eating leftovers from guest plates? That’s depressing. Another staff member mentioned a part of the park that only Antony and his special guests were allowed in. I thought it was owned by the Khoisan? Why can’t they go there? The rooms are average and have no aircon which the SANParks camps have. However we left feeling that the land restitution has failed in true empowerment and we felt a bit depressed by the experience. 
Pros: night skies, pans, scenery, possible close up lions
Cons: average food and rooms, strange vibes

Mixed feelings

We stayed at the lodge for 3 days. This is beautifully located. The service and friendliness is excellent. Great game drives. If you are looking for a little paradise, you definitely have to come to this place. We'll definitely be back!

Days in paradise

A remote lodge with a perfect service and a super friendly staff. Our alarmbell was a roaring lion that lay in the shadow of our hut. We where here 5 times before. In fact that tells a lot. We for sure do come back. Thanks

Best place in the Kalahari

Great box on the dune 91
Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. A warm welcome and great food. 
Guides are knowledgeable, passionate and very flexible and helpful. The morning walk was very interesting and varied
We will be back

Pure relaxation

Amazing lodge in the Kalahari. Fantastic place to unplug from the world. No internet, TV or phone. Just pure silence of the desert. The views of the pan from the rooms is brilliant. Food was excellent considering the remote location. Room are not fancy but are comfortable and have everything you need. Game drives and nature walks were very interesting. While not the animal numbers of Kruger, high quality sightings. Cheetah, Caracal, Honey Badger and wildcat were big bonus items. 

We spent two nights in this expensive private lodge and had high expectations given by the photos of the site, unfortunately it didn't go that way. The location is certainly very suggestive and the chalets very beautiful, the cuisine very well cared for but there is a but. I state that we were the only guests which amazed me as at the booking it seemed fully booked so that we had to move the dates. The first night around 11 pm there were loud squeasing and noises of scratching nails, coming from the nests of bats in the roof inside the chalet, bats that then began to fly and emit verses throughout the night. They scare me a lot so I spent the whole night awake huddled under the blankets while my husband tried to get them out. In the morning I reported everything to Antony, the manager, who spread his arms saying that they don't bother him. I  expect such an answer from a staff member at Twee Rivieren where I pay 1000 rand a night, but not in a 22,000 rand private lodge. Although nothing would have changed, he should have proposed to change chalets since they were all empty and only 4 other people would arrive. The next night, same thing, however, I slept in the bathroom sitting on a chair with my feet on the toilet. In the morning when Antony the manager asked me how it went and I told him he smiled .... I'm a stupid tourist  ok course ...... Let's move on to activities. A 55 minute night drive, a 50 minute morning walk and a 1 hour and 30 minute sunset drive We have been going to South Africa for 23 years and we know the natural environment well and it is not the first time we have gone to a private lodge, but we have never had such a treatment. I wrote an email on my return to the company that manages the lodge, no answer Money really wasted

Bad experience

We spent 4 nights here and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Considering its extremely remote location (350km from the nearest town), they provide excellent hospitality and catering. The chalets were clean comfortable, and the beds have electric blankets for the cold winter nights.  Each has a view of the large watering hole in the salt pan that was visited regularly by antelope and jackal on our visit.  We were incredibly lucky to see lions on our night drive and again when they came to drink from one of the smaller watering holes near the entrance to the lodge.  We stood within a few meters of them on the lodge decking and I don't think I will ever forget it.  We also regularly had jackals and mongoose walking around chalet. The Kalahari park might not have all the big 5 but we saw more than enough to keep things interesting and plenty of things that we had never seen before (meerkat, honey badger and many different birds of prey).  It was probably the most peaceful and relaxing place I have stayed.

Loved every minute (apart from when it was very cold!)

!Xaus is a very special place where I was able to deeply appreciate the beauty of the Khalahari desert and the wisdom of the San people. The view over the saltpan from all rooms is incredible. 

This is not the usual touristic place. The silence of the desert is medicine. The guides teach all they can about the names and life of the animals and plants and how to read the signs they leave on the sand. 

Finally, the food is fantastic and the staff made my stay truly perfect for what I was looking for: to learn about the San culture and connect to nature.

Unforgettable

It is situated in a beautiful ands remote corner of the Kalagadi , There wasn't a lot of game but the remoteness and hospitality of the Lodge was super - maybe they can improve on the game drive experience  !!  

Xaus Lodge

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