Hluhluwe Hilltop Resort Reviews

Our stay in Mtwazi Lodge and the game viewing were truly memorable. Yathi - in charge of the Lodge - was excellent. We all loved him, unassuming and helpful as he was.
I can truly recommend Hluhluwe to my friends for a visit to a safari park in South Africa.
Regards,
Angela.

We hired a 4 sleeper bungalow at Hill Top Camp and it was fantastic. The magnificent trees in the camp allowed for great bird watching. The service in the restaurant was top class and we were made to feel very special. A highlight was getting to see black rhino twice in 2 days!
The one area that's needs to be looked at are the endless potholes on the roads leading to both Hilltop and Mpili camps..

We had a really great time and a wonderful experience. The self catering accommodation was clean and well presented and was more than adequate, supplying everything we needed for our two night stay.(Even down to ice cubes in the fridge.) The only "down side" was there was no view to the beautiful countryside. Being a "Hilltop" position we thought there may have been one but all the chalets were amongst the trees. However, that was a minor point as we were out and about most of the time encountering all sorts of natures creatures. Saw three of the "Big Five" on several close encounters but unfortunately none of the cats. Maybe next time as we do intend to return. Many thanks to all at Hilltop.

The chalet was clean and perfectly equipt. We had a fantastic stay and I would definitely go back. the staff were friendly and helpful and all in all it was a very pleasant weekend.

we had a wonderful time at hluhluwe zulu nyala heritage hotel, the view, the activities the service we received it was wonderful wish we go there every month, its a wonderful place to relax

Having been to Hluhluwe for a number of years it is always a pleasure to return. the private lodges are excellent and Simon cookedd as well as ever.Samura??? was also excellent and did everything required with great professionalism and good humour.

we will return

We had a good time and enjoyed the beautiful nature.
We did not see the cats but what a wonderful place.The birds were aboundant and we enjoyed the Bosbokies around our house
WE stayed in house number 14 and that was beautiful. But I walked along the other rondavel accomodations and would not like to stay there.
The roads in Hluhluwe have on some places potholes.
The map we bought was not clear and there are no road numbers.
The water was brown and we did not feel confortable to drink it.
We asked about the hide of Munywaneni and heard WE CAN NOT GO THERE as it belongs to that bushlodge.We were disappointed that it was exckusive for the people at the bushlodge. Also the Ekhozini Crocodile pool did not exist any more although these two places were nicely advertized in the Maps
What surprized us is that we had to fight for a key of our house. We did not want to leave our house open while we drive . We had valuables and we insited for the key but that meant "our house was not serviced."
The monkeys were a great problem and we could not eat outside. They were agressive and we were scared of them as they came very close and did not seam scared of us.
We ate buffet at the restaurant and that was a treat. Nice people and the food was so nice.The dances of the waiters and cooks was funny and gave a nice atmosphere.

We arrived late, 7pm. staff booked us in and then told us that the restaurant was closing at 8pm.As we had booked 2 x 2 person chalets this was not a problem, except that we had been given 2 x 2 person flats. when I explained the error, the attitude was ' Tough, accommodation direct have got it wrong, sort it with them'. After suggesting that they pay not only for all of our meals, and the food we had in the car, it took reception staff an hour to give us a 4 person self catering chalet. After this the view was fantastic, the other staff were more than helpful. BEWARE nightly game reserve fee is 40 rand per person per night, bit of a shock!!

In check procedure not that good. We came at 13.30 and were ask to be back at 14.00 standing in a row for all the paperwork. In Umfolozi we could check in, doing the paperwork already saying that at 14.00 o,clock we could enter our house.

This is our second time at Hilltop and we enjoyed it very much. We did have a few maintenance issues with number 34. The fan in the bedroom was broken, which was known by the management before we came. And the kitchen faucet was falling apart.

The chalets there are very nice. Much better than Kruger. I think calling them two bedroom is a misnomer. They are one bedroom with a sofa bed in the sitting room

We had a wonderfull stay in a cottage with a view, nr 12. The food is very good in the restaurant and the gamedrives are full of surprises. One note to the operators: We have come for a wide view and not for a terrace enclosed in trees and we wfeel that swe are not the only persons who like openness. We were lucky that we could change nr. 39 for nr. 12 house.
Our stay of four nights was very satisfying.

Our first visit to Hluhluwe-Umfolosi was wonderful. From day 1 we saw most of the Big 5. However, the antelope and elephants especially were scarce. Here and there an impala or Nyala but not in great numbers. I am passionate about wildlife and having grown up in Kruger and visited many parks my expectations were more than satisfied! When I finally did see more than one elephant it was a huge herd complete with baby pachyderms and a hot-tempered matriach who was shooing off some dodgy hyenas! The wild dog pack was a delight to see 2 days in a row on the Memorial Route. Despite being nippy and a bit rainy, we were comfortable and did not feel hedged in nor harrassed by over-zealous tour-operators (as is the case in other parks). A great pity is the state of the roads that are sorely in need of pothole repair and some grader work.
Our stay at Hilltop was superb. The rondavel was comfortable ans tastefully decorated. The ablution block and kitchen was modern and clean at all times. We had breakfast and afternoon tea at the Mpunyane Restaurant. The breakfasts were superb but the scones for afternoon tea were dismal. The staff are friendly but spend much time conversing with each other a bit loudly in earshot of the guests. Front desk is efficient and attention to detail is much appreciated.

I would return in a heartbeat. A wonderful getaway, a jewel in the KZN Crown.

A wonderful stay with lots of game even though the Imfolosi section of the park appears to have more game this is probably due to the more open terrain. Travelling at less than 20 km /hr is essential.
The Chalet was clean, well equipped and comfortable
N.B.The shower in the Paraplegic chalet is not well enough drained with water running down the shower curtain falling outside of the drained area and therefore running onto the remainder of the bathroom floor.

The lady at reception (unfortunately I have'nt got her name)is not capable or able or equipped to handle the reception desk. My booking got mixed with someone else as well as the reservation number and she could not sort it out with her "head office". I eventually took the phone over from the reception desk and sorted it out myself!

Just come back from a trip to SA. Spent 3 nights at Hilltop. Could not fault anything. Staff all very helpful and friendly. Chalet clean and comfortable. Game fantastic.I can only highly recommend it to anyone.

WE HAD A COMFORTABLE STAY EXCEPT FOR THE TOILETS AND BATHROOMS WHICH WE HAD TO SHARE. iN THIS TIME OF HIV/AIDS IT WOULD BE PROPER TO HAVE ABLUTION FACILITIES IN OUR OWN HUTS. ALSO THE LADIES NEED SHOWERS AND NOT BATH TUBS. IN SUCH LOCALITIES A SHGOWER IS MORE PRACTICLE. TO BE HONEST WITH YOU ALL THE LADIES IN THE CAMP USED THE MENS SHOWERS. .........THE WHOLE HUT SECTION NEEDS UP GRADING.

Our bookings were professionally handled in a most friendly manner.This included the bookings for two American friends who joined us on the visit to the game reserve.They agreed with us that ALL was spent in very special surroundings, the service was excellent and the accommodation equal. The game viewing too, proved great excepting for the cats which chose to remain hidden.All in all, a very special experience which the USA visitors would like to repeat.

Unit very clean & comfortable. Items that were unsatisfactory were: In the kitchen there was only 1 (one) 15a PLUG. A double 15A plug would allow one to boil water and use the toaster at the same time. In the bathroom, the toilet paper was of poor quality. Although nothing can be done about the toilet itself, it was in a very awkward place (cramped) while the seat was extremely low. In general it was pleasant, staff very friendly. The restaurant was good. One problem there was that after the night drive we arrived at 8pm and were asked to leave at 9.30 pm as the restaurant was closing. This was not a problem, but thinking of all the visitors arriving for 2010, I do not think that overseas people will appreciate it to leave a restaurant that early.