Esiweni Luxury Safari Lodge

Esiweni Lodge truly exceeded our expectations for our honeymoon! From the moment we got there, we were greeted by the entire staff with a warm welcome. Not only was the lodge absolutely stunning, quiet, and peaceful, but the level of service from the staff we experienced was like nothing we've ever had before. They were extremely attentive to us, and anything we asked for, the answer was yes. There was a bottle of champagne and snacks waiting for us when we arrived. Alex, the manager during our stay was always there when we needed something and was super quick to assist us. Our stay wouldn't have been the same without him! The room was also cleaned and tidied up about 4x a day, and the staff set us up a bubble bath every night after our second game ride! The game rides started at 6am, with coffee and cookies given to us before we left. We came during a cold front, and the truck included ponchos and heated water bottles, which really kept us warm. Robert, our ranger was incredible from day 1. He went out of his way to make sure we saw every animal we wanted to, and got as close to them as possible. On our first game ride, we had a lion and lioness walk right by the car! Lastly, THE FOOD! Esiweni has their own chef, and he is absolutely incredible. Every single meal was tailored towards us - we told him to make some of his favorites, since we're not picky eaters, and it seemed like every meal got better and better every day, with the portion sizes being huge. He also came out to check on us after every meal. During each meal, the wait staff was incredibly attentive, friendly, warm, and welcoming. The food came out so quickly, they pulled out a chair for us every time we sat down, and everything was just perfect. On our last night, they set up a surprise traditional African BBQ where we sat around the fire and enjoyed the delicious food and drinks. Esiweni truly made our honeymoon an unforgettable experience. We would highly recommend them to anyone traveling to South Africa for a Safari experience. The level of quality and service was unmatched. We just got back a week ago, and we already miss the entire staff. We hope to be back one day soon!

Esiweni is an extremely special place! Sophie and the whole team are just amazing. Robert, our game ranger, took the time to ensure we saw all of the animals we wanted to around the reserve and we even managed a very special cheetah sighting. Babs, the chef, is also an absolute legend and we are convinced she is super human as she makes everything from scratch and it’s all absolutely delicious. Lucky, the lodge manager, is also wonderful and very knowledgeable about the reserve. They all went out of their way to make sure we had a super special holiday and we did. Not sure how we’ll ever top it.

Coffee grind low when checking into room. No welcome drinks back from game drive except apple juice . Guide had no enthusiasm or discussion of game plan. Stated “I’m just driving”. Service was slow in general to get anything . Guide didn’t even bother shining spot light during night time or talk for the first 45 minutes . No turn down service at night - unless you call just closing the blinds turn down . Guide drives around aimlessly . Reserve still has a good amount of construction . No fridge in room so don’t expect milk with coffee. Asked for a water bottle at front and they didn’t have any for us . Guide didn’t even introduce himself and never had a game plan for any of the game drives . Overall not a personable experience . Only 1 USB outlet worked in room . Hot water didn’t work . We had no clue what we were going to have for any meals they didn’t ask if we liked this or preferred this or anything . WiFi in room and phone to call lodge both didn’t work . The lodge itself and rooms are beautiful but to us a 5 star resort isn’t about the lodge but rather the full experience as a whole. We have stayed at many lodges and game reserves and for us it’s about learning and seeing the animals in their environment and connecting with the guide on a personable level asking questions and learning about the animal behaviors. It felt disconnected, a bit of a facade with the look not backing up the feel of the experience. My girlfriend and I cut our trip short bye two nights unfortunately.