Top Hotels Near Hoedspruit Reptile Centre in Hoedspruit from AU$91

"Start with the good things...the setting is beautiful and the receptionist was very kind. The roads were well maintained and parking was easy. The place has a lot of potential. The disappointing issue was that the Expedia listing is not accurate and the owners were completely non-responsive. The restaurant is not open as described in the listing (breakfast is provided, though). Also, the tent I booked said it had a private pool. That was not the case at all. The listing for both tents listed a private pool but it was only available to one of them. That would not have been bad if the owner had given me the courtesy of a response. When I brought it up, they ignored my message. I know they read it from the read receipt. Later, when the power went out, I notified them. No response until morning when they curtly informed me of the time it came on (just maybe 10 minutes later). Coincidentally, I was fully aware of that time and didn't intend my message as a complaint. I felt they were offended by it since they didn't respond until 8 hours later. Finally, the 3 spiders in my sheets were the last straw. It was a tent, so maybe understandable, but I did not feel confident that I found them all. I checked out early and they obviously did not offer a refund. I did notify Expedia of the listing discrepancies and they attempted to contact the owners with no success. Beautiful place, but know what you are getting. As an experienced traveller, this is the first negative review of my life."

"Very friendly staff. Very spacious room with nice view and selection of food. Hotel and pool are in good condition. "

"Lovely rooms, nice communal areas, helpful staff and a delicious breakfast by the pool. Great for a stop over or longer. They recommended a driver called Peter who took us on to our main destination in Sabi Sands. He was excellent and really good company for the drive."

"Communication between Gem in the Bush and us before arrival was good and clear, providing detailed entry and check-in instructions to enter the estate. Room was clean and in good condition but very basic. Staff were polite and courteous. The reception area, dining room and kitchen are all in one room as you enter so it is not pleasant to be checking in whilst other occupants are dining. The walkway from the parking to the front entry is not lit up at night so a torch is necessary. Maybe some garden lights along the pathway could help."

"The stay was perfect, better than I remember from my last stay 12yrs ago... The staff were incredible and the attention to detail is flawless, breakfast was superbly presented and of course the room in the fantastic location made the stay so wonderful "

"Lovely accommodation plenty of room all around excellent "

"The rooms are lovely and a decent size, however Khiwane is set up and feels more like an apartment block than a hotel. The cupboard is very small and is only made for one person, the hanging rod is very low and you can’t hang dresses properly. Although it says they offer breakfast at their restaurant and on doing online check-in you’re asked to choose time for dinner, Khiwane does not have a restaurant. They work with another restaurant, Arugula in the area where you walk to for breakfast. Minimum wait for breakfast is about 40 minutes so don’t go if you’re in a hurry to get elsewhere. You will have to find another restaurant in the area for dinner as if Arugula is open their kitchen closes at 19:30 and it’s not really set up for dinner, in any case. Also, Khiwane is in a built up area with lots of other businesses around, the pictures and statements of mountain views makes you think that you are in a place with a lot of property around it away from the city but in fact you are right off main road with the sounds of traffic coming clearly into the room. Our room also had an issue with the sliding door to the garden as it wouldn’t open so trying to get some fresh air into the room proved difficult, we had to open the door that leads outside but then could hear everyone walking past and dragging their suitcases in the corridor. Lastly, there was a constant pong in the bathroom, I think there is something wrong with the drainage system."