Addo Elephant Safari Lodge - Bellevue Forest Reserve

What a great place.... Great rooms (ask for a refurbished one!), great location, exemplary staff and service, and a more than average chance of animal spotting close up. More personal than the larger Game Reserves, and helpful in every way to please.

Scenic view over the area from our luxury tent! Awesome sundown! On the giraffe walk tour we got very close to the animals, that was a great experience. We booked a tour through Addo Elephant National Park which we can recommend as well. The Safari vehicles fit 9 persons which creates a private atmosphere. The guides are passionate, the staff is very friendly, everything is cosy and clean. In the tents it is colder and quite noisy in the nights as you are in nature, the bed can be heated.

I must commend the staff for their exceptional service and helpfulness. The breakfast was average but being served outside on a lovely open deck overlooking the reserve made it special. The accommodation did not meet expectations. The room we were assigned was in need of significant attention. There was a noticeable large defect in the plaster, with an unrepaired crack on the exterior patio. Additionally, the room lacked air conditioning, and although a fan was provided, it was of poor quality, and far more efficient at making noise than providing effective air circulation, especially given that the temperature reached 37°C during the day. The bathroom was also quite dated. The shower featured separate hot and cold taps without a mixer, making it difficult to adjust the water temperature. There was only a small cabinet mirror, with no additional mirror elsewhere. To make matters worse, the toilet had a malfunction and only partially flushed. The front door's lock was ineffective, meaning the door could easily be pulled open even when "locked." Regarding the food, I was disappointed with the evening dinner on both occasions. Considering the price of the dinner, I felt it offered very poor value. There was in addition no beer selection with only one choice of beer - small cans of a local craft lager, which were expensive and not to my taste. Unfortunately, my overall experience was less than satisfactory.