Reviews of Bushmans Kloof

"A truly breath taking wilderness lodge set in stunning rugged beauty of rocky outcrops, and veld vegetation. Fantastic bird life and incredible flora.

Well worth the 3.5 hour drive from Cape Town passing citrus groves and stunning scenery which reveal the massive scale of the country - it is huge! Definitely worth the effort to get there!

The organisation, service, food and wine were out of this world. Staff were exceptionally helpful and engaging.

Stefan the sommelier was outstanding. Our guide Evan was the best field guide i have ever used. ( I have been on prior safaris in Tanzania, Nambia and Kwazulu Natal.) While Bushman's Kloof is not a safari lodge Evan's, knowledge of birds, flora , fauna as well as wild life was exceptional and a true highlight of our trip." See all these reviews: 8n in South Africa

"We have given Bushman's an excellent rating because it is a truly beautiful lodge set in a stunning landscape. We were not put off with the offer of luxury as that is one of the reasons we chose it. However, we feel that while the owners aim for 5 star luxury, they fall short on the detail. It was a low occupancy week and therefore no real excuses.

Our beautiful cottage had curtains falling off the rails and a tap in the bathroom clearly seizing up and almost impossible to use. Maintenance was unable to repair it and had to order a replacement. A simple check between guests should have noted these faults. On our last morning the lodge wide ground sprinkler system had been reprogrammed for a camp schedule time change. It failed badly, no one checked and all the sprinklers came on full bore preventing us from leaving or returning to our room without a soaking.

Kitchen management and meal timing also fell well short of the 5 star aims. Constantly changing meal venues and clashes with a senior management meeting led to hiccups in service that should never have happened. We shared an exotic dinner event at a restored shepherds hut out in the reserve with the only other two guests at the lodge. It was a truly magical location and starlit evening but the chef cooked enough of all the offerings on the menu for an army then served it in a poorly lit place in the dining room where we could not see what we were eating. Moreover, the red meats were overcooked and too tough to cut. Overall the food was a disappointment with very small, barely noticeable daily changes to the dinner menu.

All that said, most of the staff were 101% focused on providing a memorable experience. We loved the game drives, walks and rock art excursions. Elsewhere in the world such rock art is given world heritage status and protection but here there are several sites within a short walk or drive.

Our guide Martin was a young, wonderfully knowledgeable, enthusiast who rapidly understood our love of all things natural and constantly provided us with totalling absorbing activities. I believe we saw all the wildlife, birds and flowers we could have reasonably expected and then more. Memorable experiences in a stunning place making the shortcomings more obvious. Needs work? NB The eland sightings were both of large herds of 30+ animals. Zebra usually more than 6 each time." See all these reviews: 12n in South Africa

"Our return here was if anything better than our first.

Be prepared to eat lots of very good food" See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia; 5n in South Africa

"Beautiful place but would be better in the flower season. Long drive back to Hermanus" See all these reviews: 15n in South Africa

"Very much off the tourist route, but an oasis of luxury in the middle of a barren, but stunning landscape. Little to see or do, except relax. We very much enjoyed seeing the rock art but, for us, it seemed as though the staff were trying almost too hard to please, which felt a bit unnatural. A beautiful place, but not really our cup of tea." See all these reviews: 21n in South Africa

"One of the best places we have ever stayed - the location is magnificent, guiding superb, facilities excellent as is the food." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia; 10n in South Africa

"A great location with wonderful rock formations around the camp and around the roads to and from the area. Very comfortable and spacious room. Food was very good and the people very friendly and helpful. All in all a great experience. The place was partly camp with group activities including a barbecue and partly hotel with individual dining tables.

A bit confusing especially when the rain on our second night meant that the planned outdoor drinks were abandoned with no back-up as the bar was closed (although we managed to have a drink at the dinner table).

The drives provided an interesting tour of the area with very good sightings of Eland and Bontebok, but game viewing is not the main focus of this area. We also enjoyed the marked walk around the rocks opposite the camp and the early morning trip to see the rock art was a highlight of the trip." See all these reviews: 9n in South Africa

"Voted Best Hotel in the World 2009. There is nothing more to say.

Beyond excellent. They even washed our car before delivering it back to us at reception on departure." See all these reviews: 13n in South Africa

"Our first stop, we enjoyed it greatly although felt that we had stayed just the right number of days. Food and hospitality were really good and it is definitely a very good place to begin an African holiday. Other guests were congenial and it made for a very happy Christmas.

Would have been wonderful indeed if they had mobile coverage although their land line phone charges were very reasonable. We wanted to talk to daughter, elderly father etc on Christmas Day.

Very beautiful, we enjoyed the walks and the rock paintings.

Had a good massage and the toiletries in the room were superb (I am fussy but was very impressed)" See all these reviews: 18n in South Africa

"We were late arriving and had to phone to inform them. Unfortunately our phone did not work in Clanwillian, and I think this is quite common, as the lady working at the Shell garage phoned them for us, and didn't seem surprised by our request. Excellent welcome despite the very late arrival. Our late arrival was mostly due to road works. Not sure what we could have done to anticipate this.....

3 night is the minimum, I wish we had stayed 4.

A most amazing place. There is nothing that I would change, except the extra night!!" See all these reviews: 12n in South Africa