Hotels near Hobby Box, Hoedspruit

This place is South Africa's best kept secret. I have never raved about a lodge like I will about this one. Everything was great and I highly, highly recommend you stay here. Before I get to my own experience, I would advise you to forgo, at least in part, the fancy schmancy safari lodges that cost up to $1,000 a night and stay here instead because it's just as nice if not nicer and you get WAY more value for your money and can still book guided safaris from here and see all of the animals your heart desires. What's more, you are near the world's third largest canyon here with a breathtakingly beautiful boat ride. Use eKhaya Bush Villa as your base to then explore both Kruger National Park and the canyon area. Now to my individual experience. To put it mildly, my trip to both Cape Town and Johannesburg did not go well and I was at the end of my rope. I had intended to stay at eKhaya Bush Villa two nights. Those two nights turned into four because it became my oasis of tranquility and beauty. I don't know how old the place is but everything looks BRAND NEW. Claire, the owner, is a hospitality goddess. Truly. Hearing of my unpleasant experiences in Cape Town and Johannesburg, she bent over backwards to make me - and all other guests - feel at home and she helped me salvage my vacation (my experiences in Cape Town and Johannesburg were so bad I was thinking of flying home to the U.S. early). I am a HUGE fan of Claire and eKhaya and you will be too. The rooms are very spacious, the beds very comfortable, the bathrooms are very spacious, the grounds are beautiful, the food is good and the staff friendly and helpful. AND it's in a secured estate so you are 100% safe!! This was important to me after my travails elsewhere. Whether you are a single traveler like me or part of a larger group, you should know you will be both safe and at home here. I can't recommend this place enough. My only regret is that Claire and eKhaya aren't closer to me in Los Angeles. I'd stay here as often as I could! Lucky you that you will get the chance to. Enjoy!

We took Conscious Package of 3 nights 4 days, which was great. All the activities were amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity. Rooms are big with open-air shower. Just that in-room shower doesn’t have a door. Housekeeping is good. Cottage is in a forest setting, one can see few animals roaming around, sometimes drinking water. Staff are very friendly and always smiling. Laundry charges are reasonable but quite slow. Best part of this package is trip to Kruger National Park, our guide Mike was amazing. His knowledge and expertise made us see big 5. They serve 3 course meal for breakfast and dinner, which is great. Only issue is, they should have more options for Chicken. Like chicken burgers or nuggets. There should be noodles or fried rice in the menu all day. These things are easy to cook. Overall very good experience and a BIG thank you to all in Unembeza 😀

I was a little disappointed about the communication. No one notified us that there was no power the first day of our stay. Our friends that arrived before us had to text us and keep us updated, till I reached out to the lodge myself. Our friends that we shared the villa with had to drive into town to charge their mobile phones. We only arrive the day after the power to the lodge was finally restored. The lodge is beautiful but our villa could use some needed maintenance, some baseboard tiles need repair. We could not use some lamps because there were no outlets or no converter plugs for the outlets. The housekeeper said the previous guests had stolen them. I had a lamp on my nightstand that was useless since there was no outlet for it. In the 3rd bedroom was no Aircon or even a fan. At our first breakfast we received a basket with toast and the toast was covered in maggots and other bugs. Give yourself plenty of time since it takes about 30min after placing an order since there is only 1 cook. Otherwise the English breakfast was delicious and the staff were very friendly. It would be nice if the lodge would have blankets for guests that find the thick duvet cover too hot for sleeping. The Aircon’s in the 2 main bedrooms worked great and the WiFi was strong and very reliable. The morning we drove to Kruger Park the cook was kind enough provided us with a warm breakfast and hot coffee at 5am. We really appreciated that. The Boma is a great touch and we enjoy an amazing braii by a fire two of the nights. The groundskeeper keeps the property very clean and presentable. The private wildlife estate was a little disappointing since the only animals we saw were warthogs, nyala’s and impalas. We drove around several times, but that was all we saw. I personally would not stay or invite friends to this wildlife estate again.

This place is outstanding. The River Lodge is in the middle of the private reserve and concealed within the natural surroundings. The facilities and amenities are contemporary and beautiful, making for a very comfortable stay. The safari drives do not disappoint. We took a total of eight drives during our 4 night stay and observed different animals in different situations each time. Our guide and assistant quide were the best and we felt like friends by the end of our stay. The food is outstanding and the entire staff is welcoming and helpful. You can't go wrong with this place for a memorable safari adventure. We highly recommend without any hesitation or reservations.

Blyde River Canyon Lodge should be on anyone's list of places to stay when you are in the area. The lodge is perfectly located at the foothills of the Northern Drakensberg Mountains in the Blyde River Canyon and the scenery is just wonderful. Dudu was on hand to welcome us and what a warm and genuine welcome it was. The accommodation was spot on and very comfortable. We enjoyed a fantastic 3 course dinner at the lodge. The meal was perfectly presented and the fillet steak for main course was one of the best I have had in ages. We had great and friendly service from Fortunate during dinner. WiFi worked perfectly in the rooms and the lodge's main area. A bonus was having our vehicle washed before departure. I can highly recommend a stay at Blyde River Canyon Lodge. 10/10 from me !