Before I comment on the lodge, I would like to say that my review is based purely on the hotel only and not on the game drives, as although the game drives were excellent and we were lucky enough to see all of the big 5 plus wild dogs and much more during our 5 night stay, it is unfair to judge the place on what we saw as it is on an unfenced game reserve, so there is no guarantee of seeing anything.
We stayed for 5 night immediately after the world cup final, and can not express enough how amazed we were by this place. We are a young couple, and this is by far the most expensive place we have ever stayed (it was around £600 a night, which very nearly put us off), but in hindsight, it absolutely made our holiday.
We were greeted by the manager, our tracker and driver, the chef and several other hotel staff, and taken to our lodge. The lodge was huge and immaculate. The double bed was huge and beautifully draped with mosquito netting. 2 sides of the room were glass, with a sitting area outside. On our arrival there was a herd of elephants right outside our room, and on our last 2 nights there was a small hippo eating just outside our outside shower. The bathroom was huge, with a double shower (leading to the outside shower), and a hot tub, again with big windows to watch the bush from.
Food was first class; 3 course meals twice a day of the highest standard, and a wide variety of choice catering for those who were willing to sample local delicacies such as ostrich and impala, or lamb, chicken and pork stews and more familiar dishes for those less adventurous.
On our final night, we were treated to dinner alone in the wine cellar, and on return to our room we discovered that the hotel staff (who went into the room twice a day; to make the bed in the morning, open curtains etc, and in the evening to prepare the bed for night by removing throws and setting the mosquito nets, and leaving a traditional african story on the pillow to read before sleep) had not only done as they normally do, but they had lit candles all over the lodge, and laid a patch of Rose petals leading to a bubbling jacuzzi with a bottle of champagne on ice.
The lodge itself was worth every penny that this part of our trip cost, but the service, food, and the luck we had on our drives has made those 5 days truely unforgettable and the new benchmark by which every other holiday will be measured.

Our group originally picked Jackelberry Lodge but was "upgraded" to Royal Legend due to Jackelberry being overbooked. We weren't happy at first b/c the previous Royal Legend reviews were less than flattering. We were pleasantly surprised and loved, loved, loved the Royal Legend! It is a small lodge, allowing for 20 guests, and the service is amazing. We went during the dry season and saw 4 of the big 5 except for the Leopard. The leopard was close b/c our porters pointed out leopard tracks in our lodge but he evaded us. We saw giraffes, zebras, warthogs, elephants, lions, rhino, hippo, impala, among others. During lunch at the lodge, girraffes, warthogs, kudus, and elephants were drinking from the pond. Our guide and tracker were knowledgeable and personable. The food was abundant and delicious. The rooms were large and comfortable. The only downside was no fitness equipment, ( i missed my treadmill), the spa didn't offer products to purchase, (though the massage was fabulous) and sparse gift shop. We ran out of batteries for our camera and though the gift shop didn't have them the manager drove to a store and purchased them for us...what service!!! We loved the Royal Legend. Hope you enjoy your trip!

This was our second visit to Timbavati on safari and our first stay (at Akeru, now Kumbaku) several years ago was truly exceptional and we therefore had high expectations. We were not disappointed! We were warmly welcomed on arrival at Royal Legend and shown to large and well appointed rooms with a real 'wow' factor. The bathrooms are huge and look out over the open bush as do the beautifully designed and decorated bedrooms. There's even an additional outdoor shower off the main bathroom if you want to shower 'al fresco'. All of the rooms have outward facing verandas giving you the chance of seeing wildlife from your own room. Whilst we were there an elephant wandered through the lodge and a hippo took up residence in a pool beside one of the chalets so you really are in the middle of the bush. The staff were very professional and friendly, made every effort to make us feel welcome and looked after our every need. The quality of the food was first rate and it was delightful to be able to eat overlooking the waterhole where wildlife regularly come to drink. On our final evening the staff prepared a braia for us and entertained us with local songs and dancing. Not something hired in for the tourists, just the staff wanting to entertain and please us. It was really nice. The ranger and tracker worked hard to give us a memorable game-viewing experience and in the 2 days we were there we managed to see 4 of the Big 5 (the leopard evaded us again!) as well as learning a lot about the bush and wildlife in general. There is very little about Royal Legend not to recommend.

We stayed for 4 days, 3 days as the only guests and did we get a good service.

The individual lodge is very spacious with a big bedroom and sitting area and a huge bathroom, all (even the toilet) with windows facing the (dried) out river.

We had the Landcruiser to ourselves for 3 days and were taken on 2 fantastic safaris every day. We saw 4 of the 5 big, missing the leopard.

The major problem we had during our stay was Max and his staff making too much good food. We were stuffed! One of the breakfasts was prepared and served in the bush (full breakfast) with the staff performing local dances as a dessert. The last dinner was prepared and services at their tent camp.

We were given royal treatment and enjoyed every minute of it.