Hitgeheim Country Lodge

Positives: - Staff very nice & forthcoming - The modern rooms are nice & great view (the ones shown on the pictures) - generally nice view Improvements: - Our stay started with the hotel shuttle to the hotel and the owner picking us up with a 35y old Mercedes, then driving through a big township. We didnt feel very safe. The Hotel charges 100 Euros for this 1h Drive, and a normal VW Bus is available - A lot of things like furniture etc a bit outdated and colonial for a 5 star hotel - Food: Dinner is a set 4 course menu and feels like good homecooking but certainly Not Restaurant quality, particularly for the price (550 Rand pP!!) for that you get much better in tourist places. Lunch (small wrap and salad) cost 230 Rand and is mediocre. The only free food is the breakfast but way below 5 star, rather 3 star Hotel - First we were assigned a room we actually didnt book (judging By the pictures), which was very old fashioned, dark and Not nice and smelled like our grandparents lived there. Only after asking we got what we booked - The place is quite off and they close at night (only hotel that does that even in a remote location), hence your completely reliant on the hotel for food etc - We feel the owner is taking advantage of that Situation with the high charges on food, Airport shuttle etc. - Owner is generally bit dubiuos and claims that everything is the best, even told us the tap water is fine to drink, but staff tells you the opposite. We had bad tommies for 2 days If the owner wasnt so dubios, food was better and things not overpriced plus getting what you booked the place would be quite nice, staff and the renovated rooms plus Location certainly are

Very eclectic colonial feel. Large bedroom suites and public areas with great views over the valley to Addo. View slightly spoiled by a few farms with plastic sheeting. Breakfast was excellent, however, evening meal more like good home cooking rather than fine dining. Picking small faults here but it is classed as five star and quite pricey. Soup course was luke warm, prawns were hard and a tomato & mozzarella salad was tiny & tasteless. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Had a small problem with the water in the room which was quickly resolved. Arranged an excellent safari through the hotel to Addo. Best to drive to the hotel from the Addo side. The road is rough but only takes about 5 mins to the hotel. The other approach is rough but about 30 mins.

I cannot speak highly enough about Hitgeheim, our stay was incredible. The location was gorgeous, the food was excellent, and the staff were extremely kind, professional, and helpful. Martha and Edwin went above and beyond to ensure that we had everything we needed at all times. We also had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know the owner, Archie. His passion and dedication to Hitgeheim, his staff, the animals, and the surrounding land were evident within moments of speaking to him. The Schotia safari is a must!

Great, friendly, professional service. Enjoyed a delicious dinner (kudu fillet) & a beautiful breakfast. Guided tour to Addo was great. Our guide (Saul) was great, got us close up with the elephants. Everything beautiful, neat, clean and provided for (every little detail). Staff very friendly and helpful. We felt so welcomed and taken care of. Our car was even washed as a courtesy service. 5 star service and accommodation. We really enjoyed our stay.

What a marvelous place. A beautiful room in beautiful nature. Friendly and attentive service. The food was excellent at every meal. What more could you ask for?

Our stay at Hitgeheim was the absolute highlight of our trip through South Africa. The location is absolutely beautiful, set against a hill with fantastic views. We had a beautiful suite with private pool and would have liked to stay there for a week. Unfortunately, we had only booked 2 nights, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The suite was also really nice and fully equipped. We took advantage of the opportunity Hitgeheim offered to do a safari through Addo. Again, unforgettable. The guide was incredibly enthusiastic and had so much knowledge. He managed to find 4 of the big 5, a top achievement. Furthermore, the food was also delicious. We had breakfast and dinner and it was of excellent quality. Really above expectations. Tip: order the croissant with scrambled eggs and salmon, or the poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce! Finally, a big compliment to Martha. We were received incredibly warmly by her, nothing was too much trouble and she was fantastic with our daughter.

Unfortunately the 4.6 score is highly misleading - the hotel is not bad, but definitely not a 4.6, rather a 4-4.2. From all hotels we have been to during a three weeks vacation, this was by far the least good one. The rooms are medium clean, the airconditioning/heating didn’t work, the breakfast was not more than OK, it was cold everywhere (travel in November, yet some sort of heating would have been required), and the hotel is in the middle of nowhere without any option to eat outside instead of in the very average (not even) and still relatively pricy internal restaurant.

Awesome location, have been very flexible in rearranging our reservation due to a flight cancellation. Dinner was awesome (BBQ). We have booked the safari tour on top which was also a great experience and our driver and guide Saul was funny.