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Reviews of Hlosi Game Lodge - Amakhala Game Reserve

4 out of 5
Hlosi Game Lodge - Amakhala Game Reserve
Amakhala Game Reserve, Grahamstown, Paterson, Eastern Cape

Reviews

9.2

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 22 out of 29 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 3 out of 29 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 29 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 29 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 29 reviews" "

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Smallish lodge with informative game drives. Staff really nice a friendly. Accomodation was clean and comfortable. Nice to have a couple of Hippo's hanging out the front. Food good without being over the top. Given the weather, didnt get to make much use of the outdoor area, but would be nice in summer. My only gripe is when I neede to cancel and rebook, it took almost 2 months and the commencement of credit card chargeback to get my refund (which was not disputed).
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2020
Response from The Hlosi Team on Apr 26, 2021
Hi there, We really appreciate you taking the time to share your rating with us. We look forward to seeing you again soon. Warm Regards, The Hlosi Team

6/10 Okay

Roland

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
one night was enough
not a four star operation. asked for wake-up call. did not get one. Asked for ice. zero. The waitresses were excellent. the ranger was top. but the welcome person not. and some staff not. the cooking was mediocre. the hut spacious, but unspectacular.
approaching resort
back side hut
hut
dining hall
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020
Response from The Hlosi Team on Mar 12, 2020
Dear Roland, Thank you kindly for taking the time to rate your recent stay with us at Hlosi. We are sad to hear that you did not get to experience the warm hospitality and excellent service that we are known for. We normally receive such outstanding reviews so the below is completely unacceptable. We will look into all comments mentioned and hope to have you back at Hlosi in the future so that we can better your experience with us. Warm Regards, The Hlosi Team

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My husband and I visited South Africa for our honeymoon. We drove along the Garden Route before arriving at Hlosi. W O W. Where do I begin? On the day we checked in, we arrived about 45 minutes late for the evening game drive. Luckily, our driver, Jean Luke, waited for us! The staff at Hlosi is on another level. The second we arrived, they took our car and our luggage and told us to go to our game drive and enjoy! We returned to our delicious dinner waiting for us. Each day, we were spoiled with excellent service and food. Our room was beautiful and in between drives we enjoyed wine and watched animals from our deck. At dinner, the staff graced us with song and dance! The entire stay was an absolute dream. Our drives were amazing. We had Jean Luke as our driver for our entire stay. He is so knowledgeable and truly enjoys his job. He makes sure the guests see each animal at least once during their stay. The sunrises and sunsets were magical and we saw them each day out on the reserve. Our stay at Hlosi was the highlight of our honeymoon in South Africa. The food was excellent, the staff was spectacular and the actual hotel was a dream! Thank you so much!
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019
Response from The Hlosi Team on Jul 29, 2019
Hi there, Thank you so much for your 5-star review. It was so great meeting you and hosting you on this very special occasion. We are so pleased to hear that you had such a wonderful stay with us and we look forward to hopefully seeing you again in the near future. If you are ever in our area again, please do pop in for a coffee. Warm Regards, The Hlosi Team

10/10 Excellent

Fiona, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
amazing safari experience. fantastic guide, Ty, was so friendly, funny and informative. i learnt support much and saw some beautiful animals as well. really relaxing and much better than i was expecting.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

kate, uk

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing, amazing, amazing!!!!
Truly magical experience, book here and you will not be disappointed it will be everything you hope for and a lot lot more!!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Helene

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent getaway- super spoiled! Five star!
It was amazing! Excellent service, friendly staff, great ranger, food was outstanding...we will definitely be back and encouraging friends to book- especially through booking.com!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2018

10/10 Excellent

Mariana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We booked for one night and stayed for two!
Great service, good food and fabulous game drives!
Stayed 1 night in May 2018

10/10 Excellent

S, Yorba Linda, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great safari experience!
It was an amazing place. The staff was very attentive and friendly. The game drives were very informative and our Ranger, Nathan, was both knowledgeable and funny. We got to see all the animals except for the elusive Leopard. Although it seemed expensive at first, when you figure out what you get, it was a good value. It was all inclusive, which meant an early morning tea before the drive, hot breakfast after, lunch, high tea, afternoon drive snack, dinner. There was no lack of food or drink... it was fabulous!! I highly recommend it.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017
Response from Hlosi Game Lodge on Jan 5, 2018
Hi there, thank you for your wonderful compliments, we'll be sure to pass them on to Nathan and the rest of the team. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your game drives, it sounds like you had some great sightings! We hope you'll return again soon! Best wishes, the Hlosi team.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent safari experience
Great trip Lots of wildlife Varied habitat Staff gracious Good photography tips from ranger
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2017
Response from Hlosi Game Lodge on Sep 15, 2017
Thanks for the kind review! We're pleased to hear you enjoyed the game drives so much. We hope you'll return again someday and wish you all the best, the Bailey family and Hlosi team.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Place
An amazing place to stay and go on safari. Can be very cold in the early morning safari's rides - so wrap up warm.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017
Response from Carlos on Sep 15, 2017
Hi there, thanks for the lovely review! We're really glad to hear you enjoyed staying with us and enjoyed the game drives. We hope you'll return again someday and wish you all the best, the Bailey family and Hlosi team.

10/10 Excellent

Simon, Hampshire, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great lodge and excellent safari
Stayed for three nights at Hlosi. Game drives were great and we saw the big 5. On one drive we were less than 5 metres from the pride of lions! Staff and ranger were always helpful. Accommodation was very comfortable and food plentiful!
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017

10/10 Excellent

WFellows, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Safari choice for families
We enjoyed a 2 night safari at Hlosi which we felt was about right. They arrange 2 drives each day, each being 3 hours. Make sure you check in early enough to join the afternoon drive - 3pm at this time of year. Our check in information didn't tell us this and just said check in between 2 and 5pm. We arrived at 2.45pm and only just made the afternoon drive! If you miss it this is your loss and will only then only enjoy 3 drives on a 2 night stay. You are able to enjoy the morning drive on the day you check out, then have breakfast before leaving. There was no pressure from the hotel to check out by a certain time. However, if you are flying home after checking out you may have problems if you have a morning flight! You arrive back from the drive about 10am and then need to allow 1 hour for breakfast. We were concerned our 9 year old daughter would be bored on the drives of 3 hours, however we were seeing lots of animals and she loved it! Saw 4 out of the Big 5, the leopard being the missing one. We were told sightings are rare on this reserve. Overall a great experience and would definitely stay here again!

8/10 Good

Yek Wan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice game lodge & safari
Had a nice stay here.
Response from General Manager on Nov 30, 2016
Thanks for the review, we're very glad to hear you enjoyed your stay!

10/10 Excellent

Ben, New Jersey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Outstanding choice for safari
Hlosi was an amazing experience. The staff are the nicest people and will make sure you are comfortable during your stay. I have told so many already that we have never been treated in the way we were treated at Hlosi. Our car was parked for us and luggage brought to room, while hot towels and hot apple cider were waiting for us as soon as we arrived. Room was stocked with water, beer, snacks, tea, coffee, brandy, and basically anything else we needed. The lodge grounds were beautiful. We had two options for dinner each night and two options for breakfast. All food was delicious and all alcohol was included. The game drives were great and our guide was extremely knowledgeable and passionate. She even brought some hard ciders for us for our afternoon drive. We also did a boat ride on the river as part of our game drive experience. When we returned from our morning game drives, more hot towels, hot chocolate, and a perfectly set table for breakfast awaited us. What astonished me the most about Hlosi was that despite us being their only guests during our stay, the lodge was set up and run as if it was full. They had lounge chair cushions out IN CASE we wanted to sit on them. We didn't even ask. They had a lovely array of light snacks prior to our morning game drive as if 10 people were partaking, even though it was only for us. I HIGHLY recommend Hlsoi to anyone considering a luxury safari experience at an affordable price. Thanks Hlosi!
Response from The Bailey family and Hlosi team on Nov 30, 2016
Wow Ben, thank you so much for the glowing review! We really appreciate you taking the time to write down your experience of Hlosi Game Lodge and could not be more thrilled to hear you enjoyed your stay here. We will most certainly pass on your comments to our team, it means so much to hear so positively from our guests. We hope to see you again!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Absolutely Awesome Hotel
Fabulous hotel with 5 Star service in a wonderful setting - cannot rate high enough
Response from General Manager on Nov 30, 2016
We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed your stay! We hope to see you again in the future.

6/10 Okay

Jasmin

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Die angebotenen Game-Drives haben sehr viel Spaß gemacht und waren dank des engagierten Rangers informativ. Die Lodge ist stilvoll eingerichtet und toll gelegen, v.a. mit dem Wasserloch, in dem sich Flusspferde und andere Tiere gerne aufhalten. Allerdings stimmte für uns das Preis- Leistungsverhältnis nicht. Das Abendessen und die Weine war aus unserer Sicht nicht 4-Sterne-würdig (schräg gedruckter Zettel zum ankreuzen der Auswahl - die dritte mögliche Nachspeise war schon nicht mehr zu sehen - die Vorspeise war ein liebloser Salat, Platzsets und Tischdecke fleckig). Unser Zimmer hatte kein Warmwasser, bis der Reparaturservice sich dankenswerterweise mühsam darum gekümmert hat. W-LAN hatten wir in unserem Zimmer während des gesamten Aufenthaltes nicht.

8/10 Good

Nathalie

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff is very friendly and service was great. The game was amazing! Highly recommend that lodge.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2021

4/10 Poor

Barbara, Schweiz

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service
Die Unterkunft entspricht in keiner Weise dem absolut und massiv überhöhten Preis!!! Für diesen Preis erwarten wir andere Dienstleistung und Qualität!
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019
Response from The Hlosi Team on Nov 17, 2019
Hi there, Thank you kindly for taking the time to review your stay, we are very disappointed to hear about your experience. We would also like to take this opportunity to apologise that you did not receive the exceptional service that we are known for. As we normally receive outstanding reviews and commentary we would really appreciate some more details about the service experienced during your stay so that we can understand what exactly it was that caused you to feel this way about our lodge. Thanks, we really do appreciate it, The Hlosi Team

10/10 Excellent

PAULO, Rio de Janeiro, BR

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Uma experiência maravilhosa em família, toda a equipe muito atenciosa, quartos limpos e a agradável surpresa de ver o elefante beber a água da piscina.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019

10/10 Excellent

Jens, Bonn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Schöne Lodge und viele Tiere!
Afrika wie man es sich vorstellt: Große Weite und viele Wildtiere!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Hannelore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hlosi Amakhala -immer wieder gerne da
Hlosi ist eine Lodge im Amakhala Game Reserve und liegt optimal für eine weite Aussicht. Die Unterkünfte sind sehr schön und es gibt sogar einen kleinen pool nahe bei der Bar. Das Restaurant bekocht die Gäste super und der ganze Staff ist freundlich. Schade nur, dass es zu viel Rauch vom Kaminfeuer in den Räumen hat, das Problem kennen wir schon vom letzten Besuch. Da man aber auf der tollen Safari ja im Jeep sitzt verluftet man ja wieder gut. ;) Die Ranger sind super ausgebildet und können viel über die tolle Tierweld erzählen. Amakahla bleibt eindeutig einer unserer Lieblingspärke und wir werden wieder kommen.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017
Response from Hlosi Game Lodge on Jan 5, 2018
Hallo, danke für die wundervolle Kritik. Wir freuen uns zu hören, dass Sie Ihren Aufenthalt bei uns und Ihre Safari-Erfahrung genossen haben. Wir hoffen, Sie werden bald wieder kommen! Bis dahin, pass auf dich auf. Viele Grüße, das Hlosi Team.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tolle Safari Lodge
Die Lodge ist gepflegt und das Essen landestypisch gut zubereitet. Könnte etwas mehr Auswahl geben, aber man befindet sich ja Mitten im Busch. Getränke sind fast alle inklusive, was uns sehr gefreut hat. Die Safari und unser Ranger war einfach nur PERFEKT!! Super freundlich, sehr viel Wissen und unglaubliche viele Tiere! Wir haben sie alle gesehen und vor allem mehrfach!!! Die Zimmer, wir hatten die Zelte, sind sehr schön mit Badewanne ausgestattet, die man dankend nach einer Safari im Frühling, annimmt. Was man bei den Zelten beachten sollte, das sie, dank ständigem Wind, laut sind. Also die "Wände" sind in ständiger Bewegung, wem das zu rustikal ist, sollte lieber ein "richtiges Zimmer" wählen. Bitte auch beachten, das Sie niemals zu warm angezogen sein können. Der Ranger sagte uns das dort nahezu immer Wind weht. Im Frühling kann das wirklich frisch sein, im Sommer vermutlich angenehm. Alles in Allem waren wir sehr zufrieden und begeistert von einer Wahnsinns Safari.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017
Response from Hlosi Game Lodge on Jan 3, 2018
Hallo, vielen Dank für die wunderbare Bewertung! Wir freuen uns, dass Sie Ihren Aufenthalt in Hlosi genossen haben und wir danken Ihnen für Ihr Feedback. Wir hoffen, Sie bald wieder zu sehen! Alles Gute, das Hlosi-Team.

10/10 Excellent

Marcio F

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Maravilhosa experiencia no Safari Africano
Uma experiencia maravilhosa de safari num otimo Lodge
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017
Response from Carlos on Oct 11, 2017
obrigado pelo elogio! Esperamos te ver novamente em breve.

6/10 Okay

Harald, Germany

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Beautiful complex,doubtful management
According to our reservation we arrived around 2pm, at check-in time, have been warm welcomed, informed about the timetable (e.g. game drive in August at 7am an 3pm) with the information, that the manager will bring us to the room shortly. Until 5 minutes before 3pm the manager have not appeared. When she arrived, she welcomed other guests, who arrived considerable after us and avoid to bring us to our room, although an employee informed her about this and the stressed timetable. So we were not able to check in, change clothes and collect sufficient jackets and caps, which are needed these days. An other employee brought us to the room later, other guests of the game drive had to wait, since we were delayed. First diner was good, second average. First breakfast was good, but we missed the service for the second breakfast, before departing, since nobody has served us. Meals have been provided after multiple request and cutlery partly get from other tables by ourselves. No questions if e.g. additional drinks are required. Additionally we had not been informed about the tip rules, and had favored our ranger direct, instead of the pool. Nevertheless the game drives were fantastic. Unfavorable check-in have been confirmed by other guests. Additional remark: It is only possible to recommend the hotel or not. I would not recommend the hotel at standard room rate, but at a discounted rate. I would recommend the game drives, which is not mentioned in this review.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017
Response from Hlosi Game Lodge on Sep 15, 2017
Thank you for taking the time to write a balanced review. We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed your game drives with our talented rangers. Although tough reading, we appreciate your feedback on the food and check-in service, so we can take action and sort this out as quickly as possible. We hope to see you again soon. All the best, the Bailey family and Hlosi team

10/10 Excellent

M, M

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Alles Schöne auf Hlosi
Wir hatten die letzten zwei Tage auf Hlosi zum Abschluss unserer SA Tour gebucht. Das Hotel ist toll - wir hatten vier der fünf Big Five. Zimmer und Essen waren gut. Ich kann das Hotel nur jedem empfehlen.
Response from The Bailey family and Hlosi team on Dec 2, 2016
Vielen Dank für die Bewertung. Wir hoffen jedoch, dass sie bei Ihrer Reiseplanung weiterhilft. Es klingt wie Sie hatten einige tolle Besichtigungen. Wir hoffen jedoch, dass sie bei Ihrer Reiseplanung weiterhilft.

10/10 Excellent

Kjell, Oslo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay
A great stay at the Lodge. Everything was perfect the 2 days we stayed at the lodge. The accommodations are great, and the game drive was top notch. We saw all the great 5, and the ranger where very knowledgeable. Food and other services was really first class as well. Would highly recommend a stay at this lodge both for the safari and the accommodations
Response from Shane on Jun 11, 2016
Hi there, thank you so much for your lovely review. We are so pleased to hear you enjoyed your stay so much at our Game Lodge. We hope to have you visit us again.

10/10 Excellent

conny

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Rundum super
Es hat uns alles sehr gut gefallen, wir würden jederzeit wieder hinfahren.
Response from Shane on Apr 7, 2016
Thank you so much for your review of our little Game Lodge.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Safari: un'esperienza indimenticabile
Siamo stati al Hlosi Lodge due giorni partecipando a 4 safari. Ranger molto preparati e disponibili. Bellissima l'esperienza del safari anche per i bambini. Hotel accogliente. Buono il brunch e la cena anche se la scelta di vini per essere in Sudafrica era scarsa. Consiglio questa esperienza più che altro per la bellezza dei luoghi e degli animali.
Response from Shane on Jun 11, 2016
Ciao, grazie mille per aver trovato il tempo di scrivere noi la tua grande rassegna. Siamo lieti ti è piaciuto le unità ranger e di gioco. Speriamo si può visitare di nuovo.