Royal Malewane exceeded our expectations in many respects. The rooms were wonderful - very large bedrooms and bathrooms and a nice sitting area. The outdoor deck was wonderful - although I regret we were so busy we had little time to relax in the room. (Also, I wish the plunge pool was heated). The overall setting is quite unique - the main dining area is set so you can see a water hole which always seemed to attract some wildlife. It was also common to see nyala walking around the grounds of the property and our friends even had a herd of elephants drinking out of their plunge pool. Our ranger Juan and tracker Wilson were fantastic. We saw all big 5 (including black rhino) in 3 days. Juan was amazingly knowledgeable about not only the animals, but also birds, the flora and the night sky. Service was top notch all around - everyone was very friendly and professional. The entire resort is also relatively small (which I view as a plus) so they really do get to know you by name. The sommelier (Jenna) was very helpful in selecting South African wines that we knew very little about. They also did a number of dinners outside, which were nice but could also be a bit chilly. The food as a whole was quite good, but occasionally some courses were just average. Everything however was always very fresh. There were a large number of choices for lunch and they were amenable to modifications in the offerings. Personally I wish they would have offered more local-style cuisine. (At some of the other lodges we stayed at they served more wild meats). They also had nice touches like drinks upon arrival and when you returned from an evening game drive and sun downers with treats while out on an evening drive.
We definitely want to return some day, and next time we'd probably skip a drive or two to enjoy the accommodations more. Also, I'd ask them to prepare a wine tasting and to be a bit less "western" in their menu - they were so service oriented that I'd bet they'd accommodate those requests.

Oprah and Elton John stay here. We heard that probably 20 times. There are many reserves in that small area and we rarely found something on our own. Usually we drove around until some other camp called with a sighting for us to come see. The food was only mediocre and for the price was disappointing. We stayed at Singita and here. Singita asked our food preferences in advance by email and we never saw our dislikes on the menu. Royal Malewane waited until we were there to ask and many times we had only one choice because items we didn't eat made up the rest of the menu. Every few minutes someone was at our table telling us how wonderful they were, rarely could we eat in peace.

My husband and I went to Royal Malewane for our honeymoon. We heard about it from an acquaintance, but I was a little worried because I couldn't find as many reviews about it as I did about other more well-known lodges. I had nothing to worry about, as it was the most amazing place we've ever been. Everything was just perfect . The staff were great (our ranger and tracker were fantastic), the spa treatments were amazing, the food was incredible, the lodge was beautiful, including our absolutely enormous "room", the game drives were superb, etc. Our main regret was that the days weren't longer as we didn't get to take advantage of our fabulous room (complete with huge private deck and plunge pool) because we were too busy looking at animals, getting spa treatments and eating gourmet meals. I can't wait to return there one day!

To celebrate several wonderful family milestones (my 50th birthday, one child gradauting from college, another from high school), our family of six just returned from a trip to South Africa; the safari spent at the Africa House at Royal Malewane. This was the MOST superb trip and experience of our lifetimes. The staff is dedicated, warm and friendly, and we actually cried together when we said goodbye at the end our five-day stay. The main lodge and Africa House are bothe spectacular and gorgeous and comfortable. The food was prepared for us specifcally and each meal was a unique culinary event--different settings and environments. Our dedicated driver and tracker team , Juan and Wilson, became our friends---they are wonderdful and talented and made our safari perfect (they are known with the celebrirties--we lucked out!). The Spa is truly great as well. No detail is left unattended; this hotel created an opportunity for us to experience the glory and treasures of Africa and have a hands-on safari while staying in a luxuruious and splendid setting. I cannot stop raving about this perfect place on our planet. We travel often, but this will remain in our souls forever. I cannot imagine a more majestic safari. experience.