Silonque Bush Estate & Spa

Yingwe is titled on Airbnb as "Luxury bush lodge with a hot tub". Yingwe is in Silonque. Silonque is advertised as a luxury bush estate with a spa, two restaurants, pools and a tennis court. I had communicated with the host of Yingwe to enquire regarding the tennis court. My sons train daily and we needed a tennis court. The host said that there exists a tennis court that cannot host a tournament but can be used to play socially. The tennis court is uneven and in a horrible state (see photo). People can fall and get injured. The two restaurants are closed. There is no reception area or spa or curio shop. Silonque Bush lodge is a deserted area infested with rodents. 1. On arrival at 'Yingwe Luxury Bush Lodge with a hot tub' the tv, dishwasher, hot tub and bathroom light were not working. I reported these issues to the host and requested a refund. I was told that if fixed within 24 hours then the refund policy doesn’t apply. a. I was told that the amenities probably broke with loadshedding. Had there been transparency in this regard, I would have cancelled my reservation. I would not have planned or taken this long trip. b. The cleaning service at Yingwe is R600 per day which is way too expensive. The advertised dishwasher did not work. There is very limited crockery and cutlery to use. When I informed the host, he explained that the previous visitors probably stole them. The host should have replaced them for us. This did not happen. c. The TV got fixed the next day (Wednesday, 4th January, 12h00). d. The dishwasher, hot tub and light did not get fixed. We were told a number of lies with regard to the temperature gauge on the hot tub. Then we were finally told that the pump doesn’t work. Why advertise a hot tub when it doesn’t exist? 3. Yingwe lodge is infested with rodents. On our first night, we discovered them in our food. We reported to our host and the lady who had checked us in. On our second night, the rodents were all over the kitchen and living room area. We couldn’t have supper in peace. They jumped on my 5-year-old while we were watching tv. The host had promised to close the holes and be rid of the rodents. On the 5 January, we went to the KNP. We had paid R600 for cleaning service for this day. The host had sent me a WhatsApp message stating: “Today, I received videos of the house with all the squirrels. I was flabbergasted! Please believe me that we stayed there in November without any of them. They have been busy all day taking them out and closing the holes. Of course, we have stayed there quite often and had some squirrels, but never so many. I apologize for this. Earlier this year, we had the roof wrapped with chicken wire to keep them out, so that is why I also did not expect this.” 4. We got back to Yingwe at 7 pm on Thursday 5 January. The place was flooded. Our bags, beds and everything were wet. I communicated with the host and he moved us to a guest house in Phalaborwa. We got there at 21h18 exhausted and hungry. 5

We spend 5 days om Silonque Bush & Spa estate. I had spent some time in this resort about 6 years ago and the magic of this place still exists, what a wonderful staff! We have done a riversafari, a jeepsafari, a social tour including the local community and visited a church. We also had excellent massages (and sauna!). For food you should try the breakfast with the poached egg (!) and the diner was amazing. If you have the chance, ask for the carrotcake, they'll be happy to make it especially for you. The pool has a great view of the Krugerpark!

The staff was friendly and always willing to assist when i needed anything from them. The property was very clean and neat. Peaceful for someone that is in a bad space. Very relaxing. The pool was very clean and depth of it is such an advantage for tall people like me. Spotted my favorite animal a elephant.