The Good was our room (hut #2) which overlooked the waterhole, spacious enough and air conditioning was a plus. the common areas were nice, the pool was fine. This was our first safari experience so our expectations were high to say the least. I felt overall that the staff were burnt out. We were assigned to the Ranger Arland, who was at best socially awkward and at worse downright rude. While viewing the lions everyone in the jeep agreed that one looked pretty annoyed and we had seen enough, one guest said maybe we should move on and Arland snapped "I've been doing this for 20 years and I will be the one who says when it's time to move on" and he put the pedal to the medal and the jeep took off. He drove right past a buffalo and wouldn't stop when a few people said "hey, there's a buffalo". This bad attitude frankly tainted our trip. Some people only have the opportunity to do this once in their lifetime and unfortunately Arland's poor behavior will be part of that memory. We asked to change to another Ranger and Ashley was not accomodating saying she would "try" but that the jeep/Ranger assignments were done two weeks in advance. Be forwarned that there are alot of Americans going to the lodge and that all meals are communal meaning you will sit and eat with whomever. Thankfully we met a few couples that we hit it off with as you spend as much time with other guests at the lodge as you do game viewing. We saw the big five and lots of Impala. I dont blame the lodge for the flood that ruined roads and prevented us from any off-roading. In a nutshell I would not go back to this lodge and wouldnt recommend it. The food was Ok, the chef tried too hard to be "gourmet" rather than sticking to the basics. If you are going to this logde I would recommend requesting any other ranger than Arland. The spa was a wonderful experience, not to be missed. We also went on the bush walk, again with our assigned Ranger, and that was worth doing.

Our room by the pool was extremely spacious and was a beautiful location on the lagoon and close to the reception area. I liked being close to the dining areas, but it was still very private. Armond was our guide and he was so knowledgeable! We were there just after the January 2012 floods and we could only go on 5 - 10 percent of the reserve, so that was slightly disappointing, but we still saw the wonderful animals. A great experience and location for our first safari. They do charge for any water you take on the game drives, however. I thought they were complimentary and was surprised when I got my bill at the end of our trip to be charged. I would have just taken my own had I known that.

My parents included a safari on their bucket list, so my sister and I decided Arathusa would be the place to make their dream come true. And it didn't disappoint!

We booked late and the only rooms available to us were the luxury suites..which are incredibly luxurious. An outdoor dip pool, our own porch and lounge chairs, a jacuzzi, two showers, a huge living area and a luxurious king sized bed with lovely linens. It was, however, a long walk back to the main camp, so if you have mobility issues these would not be the place for you; although the staff made sure to take my parents to their door..not quite sure how they accomplished this, but my parents were very grateful. The walk didn't bother me, because I walked off all the calories eating the delicious food. In the future, I would want to be in the regular lodges as they rim the waterhole and you just walk out your door and can see all the animals.......resident hippos, elephants, zebra, antelope, etc.

Breakfast is at 8am after the morning safari and included a continental buffet of fruits, muffins/breads/yogurt/cereal and granola with the waiters then taking orders for a full English style breakfast. The rangers eat alongside the guests (where are guides?) and it's fun to get to know them. You are on your own until lunch at 2pm. Take advantage of the beautiful infinity pool and lounging areas in the main camp or catch a few more sleeps. Lunch is a hot meal followed by a 4pm safari. Dinner (a 3 course affair) is at 8pm; one night we ate boma style around a firepit; other nights at our own tables. You may bring your own wine for a corkage fee. Know that anything other than coffee, tea and water you will be charged for. Water is provided free for safaris, but you do pay for anything else on safari. I am a chef and the food, while not "gourmet" was always tasty, served warm and the meats were tender and cooked to order perfectly as were all the fresh vegetables and side dishes. My only complaint was that the kitchen needs a lesson on cooking soup...skip the soups.

All that stuff is great, but we came to see animals...lots of animals. When you arrive at the lodge you are given a ranger/tracker for the duration of your stay. Our ranger, Philip and tracker Rifus were able to show us the big 5 on our first drive. Their knowledge of the animals and bush is incredible and their genuine love of the bush shows when they are tracking the elusive wild dogs and leopards. Whether hightailing it back to the lorry after almost getting run down by some cape buffalo, or dropping Rifus in the bush to find a leopard, or helping another ranger get their lorry out of a ditch..they showed us all a great time..something we will never forget.

On our first afternoon ride, coming straight off a 3 hour car ride from Nelspruit, we jumped into the lorry and away we went. We saw giraffe ambling right next to us, a huge herd of elephants just materialized out of the bush coming withing 2 feet of our vehiclel two sleeping lionesses at dusk, zebra, impalas. Amazing. Wild dogs, hyenas, rhinos, cape buffalo, hippos, lions, leopards, kudo, zebra, impala, everyday. I know I'm missing some..but you get the picture. We frequently went offroad in the most incredible landscapes to follow game. It seriously took my breath away.

The entire staff were so gracious, always accommodating and courteous. We loved interacting with the other guests from around the world and made some new friends we hope to keep in touch with. Arathusa is truly a place where dreams come true.

Arathusa Game Lodge was an amazing experience. We had an amazing guide and tracker who taught us lots about life in the bush, the game, and the evolution.

We were particularly lucky, only having gone on 3 game drives we saw all the big 5 plus African dogs and hippos.

I am not entirely hedonistic when it comes to vacations, but I like my food and drinks and usually I wouldn't sign up for a 4:30 AM wake up - but I couldn't wait to get up because I was so excited and intrigued to be looking at animals again.

Expect long periods on the drive of seeing nothing while looking for game. It's not a problem though and here's my guide for handling it:

1. The drive through the African bush is interesting enough. Look around at the different plants.
2. Look deeper into the bush and try to spot animals the guide doesn't see. By my third drive I picked out warthogs and Kudu that we almost drove by. (Gold star for me?)
3. Talk and ask about the local wildlife behavior. It's more complex than sleep, hunt, mate.
4. Enjoy the wind through your hair in the back of the landcruiser.
5. Try to listen to the tracker and guide speak in their African language and see if you can notice any trends.

After this experience, all I want is more safari. I'm watching more nature shows than ever before. I suggest at least 4-5 game drives if you make a visit.

The food and drinks on site were also very nice, including a few meals with local game (kudu and warthog). The rooms were really cool as well, and the service was really kind.

Make sure to take advantage of the bug killing spray in the room. Just using the mosquito net for sleep is not enough to protect you.