Maliba River Lodge

The lodge had a TV and streaming device but it played only for about an hour and then did not work thereafter. I honestly think its the connection on the TV itself because the wifi on our phones worked uninterrupted. The check-in process is long and tedious, first you fill in your info at the gate, then you go to another gate and have to psy R50 for each person plus R30 for your car, the R30 for visitors shown on the board we were told on only for locals. Then you drive up to reception where you are shown to a lounge and you have to fill in forms. Then you are told if you want to have dinner you must order during lunch time. I was annoyed because check-in is at 2 and after all of the processes it was almost 3pm so by then it was too late for us to have any lunch as their cut off is at 3pm. We had to order dinner upon arrival at the restaurant entrance and were not at all offered the option to have any lunch, although we might have liked to. It was a very rushed process and the options were very very limited, meat, fish or veggie main which is compulsory to order as either a 2 or a 3 course meal starting at R315 pp, just for meals. Kids menu Asian beef stir fry which I ordered for my kids is a very very small portion for which you pay R180. I was still hungry after dinner as we had not had lunch but unfortunately there was no option to order any more food as you don't get to get to order or see a menu again once you place your order for dinner at lunchtime. Dinner is very late, starting at 7pm. They did however offer us an earlier slot of 6pm. We arrived an hour earlier to have drinks and again were instructed as we walked in, to place our order at the bar entrance, and then were directed to the lounge which is on the opposite side of the dining area. We would have loved to sit out on the deck to look at the view while having our drinks but were unfortunately not allowed. It made me feel like an inconvenience as a guest and also deterred us from ordering any more drinks as the waiter was not easily in sight or available for us to place an order. Breakfast is at a cost of R220 pp. Egg station was poorly manned. I had to wait quite a few minutes to place my order as there was no one at the egg station. Eventually after someone did arrive and I waited for him to fry my eggs, I was then was told by a staff lady standing there that I could sit down and she would bring it to me. I walked away and realized that my food was almost done and still no eggs. I went back in only to find that the person at the egg station had handed my order over to the 2 guests who were after me. And to make matters worse, he had not even started frying my eggs again, he only started with it once I walked up to him. The staff member who had told me she would bring it to me was nowhere in sight until she saw me standing there. End result being I got to my food which was by then ice cold and very unpleasant to eat. They also don't toast the bread which is much more preferable fo

Incredible property. Ask for the room that Prince Harry stayed and the King of Lesotho stays. The guides are terrific and I really enjoyed my stay. The food could use tweaking.

I initially booked an economy room for my friend and I so that we could have a relaxing weekend in the national park, expecting nothing more than a clean bed to sleep in. However, upon arriving to our room, we immediately noticed bed bugs (both live and dead!) in the bed. We went to the front desk to let them know. They sent a worker to inspect- she swatted the bugs off the bed and told us there was nothing to worry about. She then gaslit us saying that there are bound to be bugs in the rooms because we are in a national park (to be clear, I’m fine with the odd centipede, spider, etc. because those are to be anticipated- I am understandably NOT okay with bed bugs as I don’t want to bring an infestation to my own house). We then asked the front desk/manager if they could offer us a room in a different part of the hotel given the economy building was infested with bed bugs. They said they would not offer any complimentary changes, that we had to pay the difference in room rate. Since we had driven 2 hours to the hotel, we decided to splurge and upgrade to the 5 star room instead of leaving. When we got to the 5 star room, we inspected the bed with the same worker and we immediately found SO MANY bed bugs. The worker again swatted them away and acted like bed bugs were just part of a national park experience. We then decided we needed to leave the hotel. We got no apology from any of the workers about the infested rooms (on the contrary, they acted like we were crazy and denied the existence of bed bugs). I would avoid this place at all costs as they are most likely still infested and even after upgrading to a 5 star room did not offer anything akin to 5 star service. If I were to go again, I would do a day trip as the park is beautiful and the food was actually pretty good.

We went for a special weekend with friends to Maliba Lodge to celebrate my husband’s birthday. When I made the booking, I asked if something special could be arranged, there was no creativity or option offered. I find this strange for a 5 star lodge. I was told it was fine dining and smart casual at night, this was not evident. We were not told that there was another restaurant. The setting and the scenery are what make the lodge. The view from the balcony is beautiful, and very tranquil. Unfortunately, it is clear that upper management is not present. Service is extremely slow. The quality of the food is mediocre, and there is no choice. I understand that being in Lesotho does give you limited options, there was no option of cereal or fruit. I had booked a spa treatment, when I came to the office. I was told that it was double booked, I was disappointed that no one had come to inform that this was the case. I will complement the lady at reception as she offered to do the spa treatment. I found that very kind, but not fair or appropriate for her to be taken away from her duties. When you arrive at the entrance of Tsehlanyane National Park, it is run down, you write in a book, no receipt and no knowledge when you make the booking that this is required. When making payment, no change given. My suggestion is that a registration book with a receipt is given, so that when you leave, you had in the receipt having been stamped by the lodge. This helps keep track of who paid what and what change was given On the website, it shows routes for 4x4, however when we requested information regarding the routes. We were informed that no one really knew which routes were still appropriate to take. We saw on the map, that it was outdated and had not be updated. We had Ernest offer to take us around, thankfully he had some knowledge and we managed to do some 4x4 adventuring. Maliba advertises that it is an Eco-friendly lodge, the water comes in plastic bottles, the amenities in the bathroom are good quality, however, I would suggest to buy permanent bottles that are attached, this minimizes the use of plastic. If you’re looking for natural beauty, then I would go, but limit you expections regarding Maliba being a 5 star lodge in connection with quality of food and service. The staff are friendly, they just need guidance.