Reviews of Bagatelle Game Ranch

"Once again a game ranch with detached accommodation set amidst the red sands of the Kalahari.

Spacious bedroom and nice deck outside where the various animals walk past.

Meals and cakes at tea time were very good and there was plenty of space to sit and relax. the shop also had a range of quality gifts / souvenirs available." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia

"We loved it! Especially all the 'local' animals - springbok, eland, meerkats, goats, donkey - all visited!

We really enjoyed the bushman trip.

The night drive was a little disappointing. There was no guide. The driver had to drive and hold the flashlight. He did his best, but not ideal!" See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia

"Good place to stay while getting over jet lag.

Saw lots of meercats." See all these reviews: 23n in Namibia; 6n in Botswana

"This is a hard review for us as the location and approach to the ranch is stunning, and on arrival we were advised that we had been upgraded to a chalet with an outside jacuzzi which was greatly appreciated. The chalet was in fact one of our favourite rooms during our trip, beautifully decorated, well equipped with a large deck area with exceptional views.

Whilst we gave this lodge an excellent rating because we very much enjoyed our stay and would return, there were some areas that perhaps could be improved and streamlined.

During check in we felt the staff to be rather detached and very commercially orientated. Whilst its obviously important to be informed of all activities on offer, in fact I had called the previous evening to enquire and had reserved a game drive for that afternoon, we did feel that they were over pushing the sale of their tours of which there were several options.

The lounge and communal areas were lovely, very comfortable and with a well stocked shop. Wi-fi did not connect in our chalet but was useable in the communal areas.

Our game drive that afternoon was just the two of us plus guide and a lady from reception joined us saying that she needed "familiarization". The drive was enjoyable and the guide perfectly pleasant and informative and we saw plenty and enjoyed the scenery. This activity included the cheetah feeding and sundowner.

Dinner was a buffet with the exception of the starter and dessert which was served at the table. Unfortunately it would appear that they vastly underestimated how busy they were. Three roast chickens are insufficient for a dining room full of people.
I had reiterated my dietary requirements upon check in (no red meat) and the waitress confirmed that they had that information noted, however when I went to the buffet to get some chicken I was informed that it was all finished and would not be replaced. We were not eating particularly late, in fact people arrived after us and running out of chicken was unexpected.
There were also two large salad bowls which were almost empty and when I asked for these to be replenished new dishes never appeared, at least during the time that we were at the restaurant. Eventually after I addressed this with the waitress they prepared me a chicken breast with a fresh bowl of salad. This was a shame and I hope just a "one off" as the dining room and setting were beautiful.

The outside bar area was also very nice and comfortable and we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink sitting enjoying the environment. We did not use the pool as we stayed only one night plus there appeared to be some sort of renovation under way around the sides but there was water in the pool.

Later in the evening an Eland was encouraged to come close to the dining area with food laid out for it. Perhaps it is a tame animal and frequent visitor, however I'm not sure how I personally feel about an animal being fed and encouraged to come close to the building for that reason, but that is just my opinion, others were very happy to photograph it. Whilst I know and understand why the cheetahs are in captivity this is another area that I was not especially comfortable with for my own reasons, however we did very much enjoy watching the meerkats.

Unquestionably this is a beautiful ranch amongst the stunning red dunes and perhaps we are being overly critical. We would happily stay there again despite our experience in the dining room.

This was also the only place where we were asked for a tip and that was by the gate man as we were leaving." See all these reviews: 22n in Namibia

"Really good start to the trip with plenty of opportunity for relaxing or activities. Ideal location on route south or on dogleg to Sossusvlei if wanting a couple fo nights downtime or avoiding a stay in Windhoek.

Check-in welcoming and efficient. Stayed in strawbale room which was plenty big enough for 5. Inferior setting to dune chalets but perfectly pleasant. Accommodation very comfortable and of a good standard.

Nice pool area, restaurant and bar. Kids particularly liked donkeys, goats and springbok around the tables!

Breakfast buffet was good and had a wide choice, Sandwiches and salad available for lunch. Dinner was a buffet with several options - all very good and with enough choice to keep children largely happy, but no specific kids menu.

Mongoose, ostrich and meerkats around lodge very approachable.

Easy self-guided short walks into the dunes.

Did sundowner drive which was very interesting and typical of Kalahari. Some low density game - oryx, springbok, eland, wildebeeste etc - good scenery, great sunset. Guide was good and informative if unspectacular. Owing to numbers on other activities, this was combined for us with cheetah feeding free of charge. Two cheetahs captive in 12ha enclosure not able to be re-released as orphaned as cubs - certainly not 'wild' and fed from a bowl, Might not be everyone's cup of tea, but nevertheless, kids very excited at being in with them and being able to touch them.

Bushman walk with three bushmen and interpetor very interesting, even for kids. Walking group was a little large at about 15-20 but they still managed to keep everyone engaged." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia

"Maruska, our Expert Africa agent, suggested this accommodation to us and it was fabulous. It was the perfect place to start our Namibia holiday. The Dune Chalet was wonderful and the view across the Kalahari was amazing. It was definitely worth the extra cost to be in a Dune Chalet rather than on the valley floor.

The food at the lodge was very good.

The staff were attentive and helpful. We had a great Nature Drive and saw our first Oryx and Giraffes. Loved it.

Being able to see so many Meercats around the property was also a special bonus.

All in all, a great stay." See all these reviews: 24n in Namibia

"Your rep at Windhoek - very nice - told us Bagatelle was a 2 hr drive away.

Maruska's paperwork - suggested 3.5 hrs. Maruska was correct! But we slowed down so we could see he animals on the way - to the point that we missed the cheetah feeding at Bagatelle - and were only there one night - and also had to drive in dusk / dark. Might be useful for guests staying anywhere for just 1 night to have some idea of the itinerary at their destination so they can plan accordingly?

Place good - wine expensive - but OK. Freezing on the early morning drive!!!

did not see the rooms much as we arrived so late and had the early start - but the rooms were very cold first thing in the morning. great safari drive in the morning - loads of deer things -" See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"This was our lasts to and a bit of a filler in our itinerary, as we booked quite late and had been unable to get into another camp that we wanted to stay at. The staff were friendly but the young white woman who we took to be the owner - or at least was managing the staff - was only interested in them and not in any contact with the clientele, which seemed odd. What's more, while most of the staff were smartly dressed, an older white male, who seemed to function both as a guide and odd job man, was as scruffily dressed as you can imagine and definitely gave off a totally wrong image. Give the man a uniform and tell him to wear it! Another odd experience was that we booked a cheetah feeding tour (half an hour, two cheetahs and five minutes of action, not worth the money) but the guide wasn't around as we arrived too late! Went again the following night. So overall definitely a bit hit and miss on the staffing front, with more consistency needed
This part of the Kalahari seemed in no way like a desert during our visit, which was shortly after an unusually wet rainy season. It was more like prairie grassland. However the riding was excellent for the experienced riders in our family, and they were very happy with that.
Rooms are pretty basic and not up to the standard of other camps we stayed at. However the food, especially dinner, was excellent
to sum up. like the curate's egg, good in parts. But this isn't the most exciting part of Namibia we saw, and this location is probably best as an overnight stopover, or two nights at most." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"This property is a three and a half Drive south from Windhoek airport and is a lovely introduction to Namibia. Two nights would be ideal as we felt we had not truly appreciated what it had to offer in just one night.

The evening meal was served al fresco and the quality was good.

We stayed in a Dune chalet which had a wonderful view as they are elevated but are the furthest from the reception area.

You can ask to be driven to and fro but the walk was nice and not difficult unless you have a disability.

As with most accommodations in Namibia, you need to ask reception for a hairdryer to borrow during your stay." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia

"this is fine for an overnight stay. dinner was good, service was good, room was good pool was good" See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia