Reviews of The Opstal
Wildlife sightings and reviews
25 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited The Opstal and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

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"De Hoop Opstal review"
"Pitty it is not finished"
Of course we spent most of the day out in the reserve, so we put up with it rather than requesting a move - and our room (the Dassie Suite) was lovely with a fine view over the lagoon.
The food is of a high standard, although the service struggles a bit to keep up with the numbers. and on our last night the restaurant was overbooked and despite being on half board our table had been given to someone else.
We enjoyed the walks by the lagoon (but a clear map would have been helpful) and did see whales! Eland, bontebok, zebra and ostrich wander freely around the homestead complex; a bit special." See all these reviews: 13n in South Africa
"De Hoop Opstal review"
Staff were generally pleasant and helpful, with two exceptions. Firstly the receptionist who insisted we had to eat at 9pm as dinner was served in two sittings; as we discovered it is actually FROM 7 to 9 not AT 7 or 9. Secondly the waitress who told us we could sit anywhere but, when we chose a table, told us we couldn’t sit there as it was a table for four. When we pointed out that they didn’t have any tables for two she seemed totally confused! She then insisted on presenting our bill before we were ready, ignoring the fact that another staff member was in the process of fixing drinks! The bill was then presented again before we had asked for it even though we hadn’t finished and had just ordered coffee. TIA (This Is Africa)! The manager then took care of us, and we spent some time with him over coffee talking about the history of the place and the plans for future development which was really interesting.
While our room was close to the main building some are quite a distance away (800m plus) and, whilst they have self-catering facilities it seemed as if most people wanted to eat in the restaurant which was quite a walk in the dark so a torch is a necessity.
The reserve is lovely with a variety of habitats, ranging from beaches and dunes to fynbos. The wildlife seems very calm; we have never seen so many eland – and so close to the roads; they didn’t seem bothered at all.
We took an afternoon boat trip which was good value and entertaining with good bird sightings and even a Cape Cobra sunning itself on a rock – as long as it stays on its rock we have no objection!" See all these reviews: 17n in South Africa
"Great Experience at De Hoop"
The camp buildings are well spaced out so there's a wonderful feeling of space and privacy, although part of the reason for this is that we changed our room on check in. We had been booked in the manor House which we understood could sleep up to six people, but we were not expecting to share with anyone else and without separate locks on the bedroom doors. Fortunately Florence at reception was able to relocate us into a Vlei Cottage which was also very comfortable, more private and had a great view.
The food was good and Dickson, our waiter gave good and detailed recommendations on the best wine to accompany the meal." See all these reviews: 9n in South Africa
"Well worth the detour to De Hoop."
Registration for accommodation takes place in shop where everything else is booked for all visitors to the Nature Reserve.
Chairs in dining room are ready for replacement - fine if you managed to get one with a seat intact or enough cushions for it not to matter. Good selection of wines." See all these reviews: 8n in South Africa
"a unique location"
However, once at De Hoop we appreciated its unique location although the rooms could do with an upgrade.
Our main criticism here is of Expert Africa's itinerary. This said we were self catering but when we got to De Hoop we were told that we were booked on a half board basis. Given that De Hoop is in the middle of nowhere and we were staying there for Christmas we had stocked up in Swellendam. Most of the food we bought went to waste so we are not happy about the expenditure we have incurred as this could have been avoided." See all these reviews: 17n in South Africa
"Nature at its best"
All this being said, we would still recommend De Hoop Opstal simply because of the wonderful opportunity it offers to get close to the Fynbos and some of its wildlife. Admittedly, the mammals may be a little too habituated for the taste of some; but we personally found it refreshing to be able to observe for lengthy periods the front end of zebras (Cape Mountain) and eland in particular! And the birdlife is excellent - we counted off 75 species in our three days including Denham's Bustard, Cape Vultures and Blue Cranes - reflecting the range of habitats in the immediate locale.
All the activities we did were well-organised and well run, with first rate guiding. We were particularly impressed by the marine walk with shark expert, Hannah, which opened up what was a completely new aspect of Africa's wildlife to us." See all these reviews: 10n in South Africa
"Remote and beautiful"
We enjoyed a drive to Kopje Allen with its magnificent dunes and a lovely beach from where we watched whales at close quarter.
6 a.m bird watching with Patrick was worthwhile and he's certainly at the twitcher end of the scale, with a good knowledge of other fauna to boot. A boat trip on the vlei was very good too but the wildlife is subject to the wind - of which there's plenty." See all these reviews: 17n in South Africa
"Out of the way place"
With three bedrooms per unit a second bathroom would have been useful. The children appreciated the freedom to move among (non-predatory) animals, the sand dunes and the beach.
An out of the way place which deserves to be better known, although that would spoil it!" See all these reviews: 13n in South Africa
"Tranquil stay at relaxing De Hoop"
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