A fabulous lodge in Addo Elephant National Park. Spacious and luxurious accommodation with a large bath, separate shower, even an outdoor shower. We were in cottage 2 but our friends were in 1 which included a private outdoor pool. There is also a good sized communal outdoor pool. The game drives were good, and our driver Ryan was excellent, although quite new to this area was still very knowledgeable of the park and was good at spotting the animals. Saw lots of elephants of course. To food was nice and well presented. Would definitely go back again.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Response from Debbie Carinus, General Manager at River Bend Lodge
Responded 15 Nov 2023
Dear Choward62,
Thank you for your great review, and for taking the time to put pen to paper.
Ryan is proving to be a great part of our team and I will definitely pass on your feedback to him, as I know it will mean so much.
We are delighted that you loved your stay with us , and look forward to the time when we will be able to Welcome you back.
Sincerely
Debbie & The RiverBend Lodge Team
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If you are looking for a place in Addo Elephant Park this is the place to be. Stunning lodge in the middle of a private reservation. Even though the just married is some 10 years ago we booked the honeymoon suite coming with a private pool. Entering autumn, we still had plus 30 °C and enjoyed the most relaxing days during our South Africa round trip. Needless to say that our daughter was amazed by the accommodation allowing her 24/7 access to a pool with wild animals walking by in close proximity. The lodge is beautifully arranged, clean and you’ll be looked after by friendly and helpful staff. And should someone not be in favor of the four course dinner with game meat, well, there is a great grill 15 min away in the public area of the park.
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Date of stay: March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
I was very pleased with the entire River Bend Lodge experience. Naturally, the highlight was our game drives. Our guide, Darlington, was outstanding. We saw so many elephants, including females, babies, and a bull with a big personality, all up close. Although the game drives were the heart of the experience, I should also mention that the rooms were exceptionally comfortable with a lovely patio where one could watch the monkeys play, outdoor shower, indoor shower, and bath, fine sheets etc. The pool was lovely, the landscaping was lovely, and we greatly enjoyed River Bend Lodge.
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Date of stay: March 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Response from MANAGER_RBL, Manager at River Bend Lodge
Responded 23 Apr 2019
Dear Guest,
Thank you for taking the time to send us a review, We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay with us at River Bend Lodge, Darlington our Guide is so enthusiastic and so well experienced, I will definitely let all the staff know of your stay in your room, We try to achieve and maintain the standard you experienced.
We hope to have you and your family join us in the near future
Kind Regards River Bend Lodge
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The first time we had taken our 4 children on a mini safari together. The wonderful team greeted us with great warmth and kindness. We had a fabulous game drive and the children were mesmerised by seeing 4 of the big 5 and by Darlington's knowledge of Addo and its wildlife. Back at the gorgeous colonial style house we swam in the pool and were then treated to a delicious feast by Sam the chef. Our stay was first class all round. Thank you.
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Date of stay: February 2018Trip type: Travelled with family
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Response from MP_RBL12345, General Manager at River Bend Lodge
Responded 02 Mar 2018
Dear Jeremy
Thank you so much for choosing River Bend Lodge, it brings us great joy that you enjoyed Long Hope Villa so much.
Fantastic news to hear that the little ones enjoyed the game drive so much, we believe that there is no such thing as too young to get them hooked on conservation.
I do hope we will welcome you, Lucy and the children back soon.
Regards, Leilani Serfontein General Manager River Bend Lodge
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A lovely spot with pretty gardens and a pool. We stayed for one night and did an evening and morning safari. We were taken out by head guide Darlington - he taught us so much about the landscape and all of the animals and birds that live in the bush and also about how the park is conserved. He knew all the species of birds that we saw and can make many bird and animal calls! We felt really safe with him at all times even though we were quite close to some big animals at times. We had two adjoining rooms at river bend - very spacious and with views down to the watering hole. Its luxurious accommodation but not excessively so. Our bath was long enough to float around in! Fabulous dinner and breakfast in front of a roaring fire. Hot chocolate on return from evening safari. Manager Lisa who is unbelievably a mere 25 years old made us so welcome and nothing was too much for her she even managed to find a spare charger for my daughters video camera. We would love to return to this place one day - thank you to Lisa and Darlington for an absolutely fabulous 24 hours.
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Date of stay: July 2015Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:I think all the rooms would be good - a view of the watering hole might be nice
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Response from AntLovell, Manager at River Bend Lodge
Responded 25 Aug 2015
As our guests, your happiness and safety are our primary concerns. We are privileged to have a team of staff that are highly skilled and knowledgeable and are more than happy and willing to go that ‘extra mile’ without any hesitation. We have no doubt that the camera was put to good use and that the memories will last a lifetime. Thank you so much for the amazing review! We look forward to hosting you and the family again soon!
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