My husband and I stayed there in August 2011 for 3 nights. We drove from Johannesburg after work on a Friday and there was a huge traffic jam. We got there at 10:30pm and the guard at the gate did not have our name on the list. We had booked and paid in full online at hotels.com so we thought we would not have any problems. After struggling with the guard for about 10 minutes, he finally let us in to reception. The man at reception looked on the system and told us we had no booking at the hotel and that they were fully booked out that weekend.

We showed him our confirmation from the website and he said that he would only be able to help us for that night and then the lady in charge of the bookings would only be able to help us the next day to sort this problem out. It was after 11pm when we eventually were shown to our room. The room was very nice n spacious and the porter was friendly and helpful. This room was a twin room so as it was late they just pushed the two beds.

The problem with bookings was eventually sorted out. When the lady came back she told us its fine,we could stay in the room,but we need to pay, as they did not receive payment from hotels.com. It then became our problem to call hotels.com so they could sort it out with them. What a lack of communication! Why offer online bookings through third parties if it cannot be handled?!

Moving onto the hotel itself. It's in a very beautiful setting close to Kruger national park. It's nice, but definitely not four star. Our hotel room was clean and spacious but the showers were horrendous! The water pressure was low and the water went hot and cold..was horrible. Some plug points were not working.

We decided to have dessert and wine at the restaurant one night...was very deserted and the power went off! We definitely will not be going back there!

Casa Do Sol is a beautiful hotel. With a very sort of Spanish/European idea of little stone walkways, lovely lush gardens, inviting swimming pools, and comfortable rooms.

They are perfectly located near the Kruger Park gates, and have a selection of fantastic restaurants and outdoor activity areas nearby.

Having said that, I now come to the part that unfortunately trumps all of the good parts of the hotel, i.e...horrible service!

After driving for +4 hours, we reach the hotel at around 9.30pm. We are a group of two couples and a 2 year old child. We are tired, have had a very stressful drive due to bad weather, and are very hungry. Let's put this into point form:

- we get to reception, and have to wait +/- 10 mins for the receptionist to end his chat with his colleagues
- we are given our room cards, and when I asked him which room is the room that has been set up for the child, his answer was "I don't know. I stand here at reception and so I can't see what is happening in the rooms. You will have to go and check both the rooms and see which is set up for the child."
- we then ask him if the kitchen is open for dinner - kitchen was closed and neither was there an option for room delivery
- as we were very hungry, we went to the restaurant while they were packing up to ask them to try and get us some left-overs. They were very rude and not at all helpful. We at least got some plain bread!
- the breakfast selection was not at all of 4-star standards
- once again, we received poor service at breakfast
- the All Gold tomato sauce was mixed with water, juice was not fresh juice but a juice concentrate mix, the fish gave my friend diarrhoea
- the staff at the spa were rude
- the shower head broke
- and the list goes on

For a 4-star hotel and the price you pay, the standards were very low, and the service was very poor.

Very disappointing.

Stayed at Casa do Sol for visit to Kruger N.P. You never know a hotel until you stay there. We were throughly pleased with the hotel once we arrived. Built on the order of a Mediterranean village, it was very nice. The grounds were very nice with outdoor settings throughout. Good for sundowners.
Our room was huge, with a sitting area, large bath, nice bed and an outdoor patio.
The minor problem we had were the cobblestone walkways. While they are nice, they can be ankle twisting, so you have to watch your step. In addition, the lighting at night could have been better because of the cobblestones. The staff were very good and we had no problems at all. The food was pretty good, and I did like the rusks for breakfast. One other thing, it is very quiet and peaceful. You can hear yourself think.

Casa do Sol is a wonderful hotel to use as base to do day visits to the Kruger National Park and the surrounding areas and its attractions and activities. The gardens, pool and spa are also attractions in their own right and a few days can easily be spent just relaxing at the hotel. The food is great, although dinner choices may be limited as the hotel operates mainly on a set menu, at R90 per person breakfast is a bit expensive, but the quality and selections are superb.

There are variety of excellent restaurants, pubs, bistros, etc in the immediate vicinity but a car is required for independent travellers.

This hotel is for quite relaxation in nature and not for those seeking city attractions and night life.