Stayed for two nights on a break fron J'burgh. It was like a different world quite, attentive and efficient staff in all areras of the Lodge.

The peace, quiteness and tranquility was delightful after the intensity of J'burgh.

Loved everything about Bakubung, especially their affirmative employment policies for persons with disabilities.

Would happily recommend.

saw rhinos, hippo, elephants, lions, fox,and others on two safari drives. feel more like going on a circus ride as there are about 10 lorries and a dozen other cars going into the park at around 5.30pm. no chance of seeing leopard and buffalos. The breakfast n dinner is fantastic good but the room is definitely not worth 310 euros a night in fact the room is way below expectations

Arrived very late on the 23rd/24th (due to flight delays in Europe) but hotel were great with efficient check in, welcome drinks, and food provided - at 2am - Even kept the bar open for us til about 4am!
Some of us got up early on Xmas Day for the balloon ride - but for me 3.30 was a tad too early so went for the early morning game drive instead. Wasnt disappointed with great views of lions and rhino's -(as well as the rest) but the highlight was a lone cheetar under a tree. The lions and rhinos were only about 15mins after leaving the lodge!
The Xmas day though was a mixed experience - it was great as we were in a large family group - but there was a mix up over the food - we'd been told that our slot was 2 til 5pm - but when we turned up at 2.30 (after drinks in the bar) we were told that the hot buffet would finish by 3pm (extended from 2.30!). Not the leisurely xmas lunch that we were expecting - which did spoil it.
The one non buffet lunch that we had (on xmas eve) was a very good standard for things like chicken burgers - but have to agree with a previous reviewer that the evening buffets are uninspired. The roast meats are good but the veg was lacking.
The other strange thing is that the bar area was very quiet - dont know where everyone was - perhaps it was that our large group took it over - or that everyone else was at Sun City - but if we hadnt been there it would have been empty!
Re the rooms - we were in the chalet type block - std type rooms with 2 double beds so quite large. Air conditioning was quite noisy - although at least ours worked.

When we mentioned that we were going to Bakubung for the weekend, quite a few people told us how good it was, unfortunately when we arrived we found that the ambience was more that of a conference centre than somewhere cosy..
Things didn't get off to a great start when it turned out that the Game Drive we had asked for during the booking process was actually full, and they had no record of our request. We were not the only ones either - another couple of guests at the reception were having the same problem. The guy in charge wandered off muttering something about 'more orphaned bookings' into his cellphone. I understand that these things happen, but at no point did anyone actually apologise, in fact their attitude was that we were inconveniencing them! We ended up doing to the drive at 05:30 the next morning (as did the other guests).

When we were shown to our room the towels were missing, and had to be requested twice before they all turned up. The room itself was pleasant enough, although the plastic bath and tired looking shower curtain didn't suggest that we were staying somewhere costing R3,400 per night!
The balcony was tiny - standing room only, and the view of the bush was heavily obscured by trees. If you go, I'd suggest asking for a room on the ground floor.

We went to the Bush Braai in the evening as an alternative to the buffet in the restauraunt (Wednesdays and Saturdays) - the food was excellent, the waiters friendly and attentive, and although it's more 'restauraunt' than 'bush', we had an excellent evening. However, even here there was a lack of attention to detail that came as a surprise - around the central camp-fire were discarded drinks cans and rubbish that had clearly been there for some time. Where's the romance in that? (See pic.)

The next morning we were up at 5am for the Game Drive.. you travel in something more akin to a lorry than a 4x4, and the height gave an excellent view. We saw elephants, giraffe, hippos, rhinos, and various interesting birds, and plenty more besides. No big cats unfortunately, but these things cannot be guaranteed. Peter1 the driver was fun and informative, and all in all it was a good experience.

Breakfast at Bakubung is very good, plenty of choice and lots of it.. after that it was off to the spa for some pampering.
Despite the impression given by the literature and adverts for the spa, it is in fact tiny. It doesn't have any showers either, so it's maybe not something you would want to use unless you were a guest. The treatments were done well, and the products used were of a high standard, but one was left with the feeling that it was all still very expensive for what you get..

A late lunch (a la carte (think snacks), not the buffet) at the restauraunt was definitely a disappointment - the food we had was below par and the service was pretty slow. It was quicker to go and get the menu yourself than wait for someone to bring it.. same with the bill.

It's fair to mention some positive things at this point - the tennis courts looked to be in good condition (and are lit), the pool is large and has a great view across to the National Park, and there are plenty of sun loungers to go round. The parking is convenient for the rooms and also covered, so your vehicle doesn't cook in the sun. Sun City isn't far, and nor are the shops if you find you have left something at home.

When it came to checking out, the bill was was incorrect - they had charged twice for some spa treatments, which took a little while to sort out. I didn't mind that too much, it can happen anywhere, but what really annoyed me was that they initially 'forgot' to return the R200 deposit for the room key, (until I pointed it out..) I got the impression somehow (maybe wrongly of course) that this probably happens quite a bit. Considering that we had nearly been overcharged a total of R500 there wasn't much forthcoming in the way of an apology. Sorry, but that's quite a bit of money.

Somehow Legacy Hotels seem to have managed to suck all the charm out of this place and turn it into a conference facility for business people too busy to read their bills.. South Africa has a welll deserved reputation for hospitality, and there were some examples of it to be found here - the bush braai staff, the minibus driver (Dennis), and the Game driver 'Peter1'.. but many of the staff didn't appear to actually enjoy working there at all.
Really, for the money, Bakubung was a let down. I wouldn't go back..