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This was our second visit to A Day in Africa Lodge, just 5 weeks apart as we were in Sodwana Bay doing PADI diving courses with a company called ReefTeach.
The accommodation has good quality facilities, a shower, toilet and wash basin block that had plenty of hot water and spotlessly clean whatever time of day you used them.
This was a good value base for our diving holiday, the food was traditional South African and freshly prepared.
Our hosts, Andre and Doris were great, very helpful and friendly and flexible when it came to preparinl meals, especially if we called to say we were running late on the beach when diving, they just held on till we got back and then put the final touches to our brunch.
We staying in the 'house' , a thatched roof cabin which was huge with a really comfy double bed and separated space with 3 single beds.
Andre is in the process of building a swimming pool which will really add to the Lodge.
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Date of stay: January 2009
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Staying at A Day in Africa was one of the most relaxing holidays I have had. Andre was really accommodating and was always willing to help with everything. The food at their restaurant, The Elephant Waterhole was fantastic, the rooms were clean and comfortable, staff friendly and we loved swimming in the pool
We loved diving with Andre as he was really patient and understanding with us as beginers.
All in all it was a fantastic few days.
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Date of stay: January 2016
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My new wife and I stayed at a day in Africa to get married and from the outset Andre and his staff were fantastic after a long drive from Johannesburg Airport we were shown to out lovely presented room and had a delicious evening meal at their restaurant the waterhole. Now I should say that I stayed at the lodge in Mar 14 as part of a large diving expedition and this was why I chose it to get married. Its remote position, the feeling of being close with nature and Andre' nothing is too much trouble attitude says it all. We got married at private location on the beach and it was wonderful with a beautiful cake and evening meal after. We then spent the next five days diving the spectacular reefs of Sodwana and still managed to fit in a private game drive at Tembe elephant park with Andre. If you are adventorous but still like that luxury touch with great service go here, the big lodges there just can't give the same level of service, just be prepared to leave that bit heavier as the foods fantastic too. From us both I have to thank Andre, Melitta, Dino and Carol and the rest of the staff for something we'll never forget.
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Date of stay: December 2015
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Speak to Andre
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
All I can say is do not be fooled by Andre! You will be told that it is R750 pppn which include 3 FULL meals, this is a lie! You get breakfast and supper,that's it. Upon arrival we were at the gate hooting for 30 Min without anyone opening the gate, this was the norm everytime we wanted to enter the place which was only twice daily. Then we get told that he decided to move us to another lodge as he had unpleasant guests and did not want us being kept up by crying babies, so we agreed to move to the other lodge only to find out that the accomodation there was way cheaper than his, so basically he charges me his fee and then he pay the other lodge their cheaper fee, this is very unethical!
We were told that we need to inform him on food preferences, this is where I asked that one person does not prefer any sauces/gravy with their food and Andre just had alot of nasty word to say about this request. We were also told that food can be kept warm for us if we would prefer to eat later than 17:00. I did ask Andre to keep our food warm the one night as we will only arrive for dinner between 19:00 and 19:30, upon arrival we we were not even greeted even after we greeted him, the plates of food was basically thrown down infront of us, this is where I asked him if there was any problem as he is being extremely rude, he turned around and walked away without saying a word, very cowardly!! After this we decided to not go back for meals there again.
This was the worst accomodation experience I've ever had in Sodwana!
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is the most awful camping experience of all time. The owner Andre had no plan of any arrangements what so ever of our campsites, he just gave you options of sites to choose and after 3 days it came to his attention that he gave us the wrong site and then wants us to move. The ablution is an unisex which weren't excepted by the elderly persons. His dogs run around in the campsites which scared the small children and during the night they will destroy the dustbins and tear all the dirty nappy's in the bathrooms which was then only cleansed after 08:00 or after someone reported it. We will not recommend this place as a nice camping place in Sodwana its awful!!
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Date of stay: December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Andr_HSodwanaBay, Owner at A Day in Africa Lodge
Responded 16 Jan 2015
When a client booked a stand for two caravans and a tent and 8 people and they arrive with 18 people and two caravans and 6 tents…….. This is what we have to endure with this client. The verbal abuse that I had to go through because they pitched their tents on a site that was destined for a caravan. I will not go into an argument over this as I know the quality of client we dealing with. All I can say is thank you but I will do the same as the other 3 facilities in Sodwana that kicked them out and don’t want them back.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We have travelled through southern Africa with painting groups the last 7 years, and A day in Africa lodge was yet another great experience. The lodge offers a great atmosphere, the rooms are nice and rustic and not having a private bath and wc gave no problem whatsoever - We had full board all week and the food was wonderfull. The restaurant "Elephants waterhole" served us lovely english breakfast, delicious tasty dishes for lunch and dinner. The table was every day layed beautifull. Our hosts went out of their way to make our stay perfect. They took us on late night walk along the beach to look for turtle eggs, drove us around and up to Sibaya lake to see the hippos and served us a wonderfull Braai in the excotic boma. A day in Africa definitely need to be more than just "a day". It is a paradise of beauty, peace & quiet, at the beautiful Sodwana beach area. André is busy building a hugh swimmingpool - so next time will be even better. For a group of artists like us - it offered lovely covered areas next to the rooms just perfect for paintingworkshops. A true African Paradise. We want to come back.
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Date of stay: January 2013
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:All the rooms are identical.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed over with our tent for a couple of days to explore Sodwana bay. The camping spots are big enough for a proper tent and car. The terrain is clean and well maintained as is the big dinning hall. Andre and Dorris are super friendly and flexible; you can decide on the spot if you feel like diving (with their good staff) or not and they arrange lunch for everyone joining for a dive. We could use the kitchen for some of our stuff and she even arranged a small Christmas dinner for us. Very sweet. Andre took us on a ride through the fields, looking for game and even to a nearby lake to see some wildlife. Staying over with the two and all their dogs was a real pleasure and one of the highlights of our vacation. Take the chance if you are nearby to visit them and enjoy their company!
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Date of stay: December 2012
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed for 2 days & all employees including owner & his wife were exceptional! The place is a little out of the way & is not 5 star but the service is. I f you are in for some r&r then this fits the bill.
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Date of stay: March 2011Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A day in Africa is quite a special place. It is like a home away from home, just better, rolling out from your bed and into your wet suite to go diving , friendly and helpful staff, Andre the owner is always ready for action, diving, talking, advising regardless. The best is one don’t have to worry about cooking as there is three course meal included in the accommodation cost, the food is well prepared and presented, if you like you can even have brunch on the beach in between dives – yeah! The accommodation – “A day in Africa” says it all, it is a step ahead off the competition, the rooms are serviced daily, the styling is rustic with plaster patches purposely left off to add to the atmosphere - a day in Africa – nice one Andre; The restaurant, bar and pool is central to the facilities and very well suited to learn or advance your diving career or if you choose to just relax next to the pool to soak up some lushes South Africa sun. Friendly professional staff, dive instructors and they come well recommended! The best kept secret is the tented accommodation that is very luxurious or if you want to get close to Africa you can bring your own tent or caravan and camp with great central facilities.
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Date of stay: August 2016
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Tented room are very luxorious
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We really loved this accommodation. The owner is a super great host with lots of fluffy doggies, who will all make you feel like you have arrived at your new home. Sodwana Bay is a great location for divers and this accommodation is perfectly equipped to host local but also international divers. We slept in the luxury tents which are brand new and offer rustic luxury at its best. Unfortunately, it was too cool to jump into the pool but it definetly looked very tempting. I think what impressed us most was the dinner. We had bunny chow in homemade bread and i can not describe how good it was. We were in bunny chow heaven.
Thank you so much for your hospitality - we can not wait to come back and learn with you how to dive :-)
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Date of stay: July 2016
Value
Rooms
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:book the new luxury tents to make the most out of your stay.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good morning Martin, Yes you can drive there with your camper. The beach is about 4 km away from us. It's a lovely tar road to the beach.
Regards Andre
There are more places to choose from in the Sodwana area.
LOCATION
South AfricaKwaZulu-NatalSodwana
NUMBER OF ROOMS
7
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