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3.5
#5 of 6 lodges in Muldersdrift
Location
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Service
Value
Cradle Moon Lakeside Game Lodge is the resurrection of the previously beloved Heia Safari Lodge, founded in the 1970’s and the brain child of the dogmatic Franz Richter, which, after his demise, unfortunately fell into difficult times. Under the new ownership of Andy Dott and Kelvin van Niekerk, this spectacular hidden gem set under the Zwartkop mountain, is now being restored to achieve its’ full potential as the most sort after eco activity hospitality destination within the urban edge of Johannesburg. Although major renovations are taking place, care has been given not to alter the unique nuances of the original character. Set within the 1500 hectare Cradle Moon Conservancy, all owned and controlled by a handful of like-minded landowners, we are able to offer a secure and pristine natural experience for both young and old as well as both the ultimate athletes or those just seeking a breath of fresh air.
A pretty place to visit with different km trail options. The ticket office could be more organised, especially during these times keeping people from standing and crowding around. Otherwise, it's a pleasant place to visit for a nature walk 🌳
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
I stayed here for 1 night with a friend on new year's eve. This is such a lovely tranquil place to unwind. One is practically living with the animals which are freely roaming the grounds( zebras were my faves!) The is also a lovely river bordering the property, we enjoyed a boat cruise and were able to see a lot more animal and bird species along the way. We had dinner at the on-site restaurant; the food was ok. We sat under the stars by the log fire which was a lovely touch and everyone was is a great mood waiting to see the new year in.
The rooms in our chalet were spacious and well equipped. Very earthy, minimalist decor. The best thing was being woken up by the sounds of wild animals; I loved that the animals were very close to my balcony and was able to take some videos at close range.
All in all an enjoyable stay.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
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 spent a lovely afternoon at the restaurant situated on the dam wall at Cradle Moon. It was a super spot with delicious food. The views are great. The service was a bit slow, but as we weren't in any hurry at all we enjoyed the time relaxing and chatting.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Service
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.
There were 4 quotes sent before we checked in ( depending on the day) and all of them, until we checked in, INCLUDED the conservancy fee. On check in we were charged the highest amount, PLUS conservancy.
We also waited almost 3 weeks for the first refund and longer still for the second refund.
On one of the queries, and the last correspondence, it was stated that they would charge booking.com rate and refunded the balance - this never happened.
The server was blamed for the continuing price changes....one promise after another was reneged on.
Onto the facilities. The pool area is not being monitored. We witnessed children and adults chasing the zebra, throwing water at them and behaving badly in general. Children were kicking mud into the pool on numerous occasions with no supervision or repercussions, which made it unpleasant for other visitors.
There was drinking in the parking lots (above the beach area) out of boots, loud music and general public disorder which resulted in us leaving early. The noise levels of guests , both screaming and playing music all around the sleeping quarters was also unacceptable.
The booze cruise must inform guests to buy their own booze as it is misleading.
The receptionist told us that the bar by the pool was closed on check in and we found later that it was indeed open.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
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 for a day visit food is great, but be patient and order a few drinks while you wait.
3 Couples, 3 Rondawels - the rooms and bathrooms are spacious with a great patio to sit on. Shower/bath water has a strong pungent odour that puts you off from showering.
Can't make use of the pool or sun loungers as it's usually filled with day visitors and is situated between the tables of a very busy restaurant.
Wouldn't recommend going on a weekend as the lodge gets incredibly busy with day visitors filling the restaurant and activities, allowing guest little wiggle room and loads of randoms hanging around.
The stay (apart from the breakfast) is not value for money and the lodge should consider building a second pool or facilities which can be used by guests only.
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip 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.
We went for lunch at the "Lounge on the Wall" restaurant. After being seated someone gave us menus. However, no one returned for at least 15 minutes. After asking politely for a waiter we were simply ignored and had to ask a second person to serve us. There is clearly a lack of management at this restaurant.
During the course of our meal, we had 3 sepperate waiters that weren't serving us lifting our wine bottle out of our ice bucket to check if it was empty. It seemed like this was the only ice bucket available at the restaurant as our table and one other had a wine bottle on the table.
Furthermore, my mom brought a bottle of her own champagne to celebrate. When the bill arrived I noticed that there was a R300 corkage fee. We were shocked and so was our waitress that was unaware of the new exorbitant pricing. After speaking to the manageress, she simply replied that that was the price and that it was made so expensive to prevent people from bringing their own wine.
We were not made aware of this exorbitant fee and explained that the corkage fee costs more than the bottle of wine. The only compromise was for us to spend R212 on another bottle of wine.
We will not recommend this restaurant to anyone or go back there again. It seems like the owner is more interested in ripping people off than customer service.
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip 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.
We held a small memorial for my brother at the venue, and my partner and I stayed the night. From the get-go, the arrangements were wonderfully handled by Marleen. She understood our needs and was amazing about considering our budget. We were given the Zebra Room for the 'formalities' and tables were blocked off for us on the patio for afterwards. I travelled from Cape Town so had not seen the venue myself. When I realised how far the bar was from the room, staff jumped to our assistance instantly and brought in a table, drinks and ice buckets. The platters ordered for the deck were delectable and service there equally impressive. I had asked to be given a heads-up on the bar bill as the evening wore on to decide whether I would have to move it to own tabs, and I was (and I didn't need to). Our rondavel was exceptionally comfy and our late arrival for the buffet breakfast did not faze staff. We were allowed to order off the menu as part of our B&B charge. The final bill, including gratuity (though we tipped the serving and bar staff cash as well) was less than I had expected. It's a lovely venue, and understandably busy on weekends, but that did not intrude on our enjoyment. It seems a fabulous place for families and celebrations, with lots of activities on offer and a beautiful lake. Sadly, we did not see any wildlife up close (I think the noise levels were a bit high at the time) but certainly many tracks and we did disturb a herd of something walking back to our room in the dark. I would highly recommend the entire venue. Thank you to all at Cradle Moon for your incredible attention and kindness. My brother would have thought it the perfect spot for his farewell.
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Date of stay: March 2022
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:All the rondavels seem to be carefully positioned for privacy and views of the lake and wildlife.
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 great excellent place for hiking or biking. The place is well maintained and after hiking you may have a lunch at the restaurant.
It is ideal place for familu, couples, friends and even if you need a peace of mind as an individual.
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip 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.
It is actually with great sadness that I write this review. As a group we come together once a year to celebrate the birthday of our great friend. He always makes the day an 'event' for all of us. Researching, booking the entertainment / venue to make sure that all his guests are happy, and we can enjoy the time together. This year we spent the evening at Cradle Moon Lakeside Game Lodge. Upon arrival I was treated with disdain, arrogance, ignorance and lack of professionalism by the lady at reception. Sending me to two different directions because she didn't know and could not be bothered to figure out where our event was booked. Taken aback, I decided to visit onsite 'Deli'. The sign on the door clearly indicated 'Open'. When I entered, the cashier asked me to leave, since he was in the process of 'cashing up' for the day and I was intruding. Disturbed, I left deciding to wait outside until the rest our party arrived. When we finally left on our game drive, where we booked two full vehicles for a 'night-time' game drive. Our guide proceeded to tell us we have selected the worst possible time to take a game drive since we are not going to see any animals. 'Great' selling point. Our second vehicle did not even have a torch to shine a light on the animals for the other half of our party. This is by far the worst customer service experience I have ever had. Do not support Cradle Moon, unless of course you want to feel like you are doing them a favour by parting with your hard-earned money, since they clearly don't need the business if my experience is how they normally treat their guests. There are many other lodges in the same area that provide superb service.
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Date of stay: January 2023
Service
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 decided to visit Cradle moon because we wanted to take one of the hikes and afterwards relax at the restaurant . We arrived at about ten o’clock on Sunday morning only to find all the parking areas filled to the brim with cars and more cars, there were So many people on the hiking trails some in large groups, not keeping social distance, not all wearing masks. We were totally overwhelmed by the amount of people allowed to enter. We could not find any parking and had to leave. Despite this they were still letting in tons of cars in at the gate. We feel that the management is not adhering to the COVID 19 rules of level three.
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Date of stay: July 2020
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.
There are more places to choose from in the Muldersdrift area.
PRICE RANGE
R 2,769 - R 2,857 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
South AfricaGautengGreater JohannesburgMuldersdrift
NUMBER OF ROOMS
50
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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