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5.0
#1 of 3 lodges in UKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Montusi is a four-star, family-run lodge in the Northern Drakensberg World Heritage Site offering Space, Comfort and Peace in uncluttered, unpretentious luxury. Each free-standing suite enjoys stunning views of the Amphitheatre Mountain. Suites have one or two bedrooms, all en-suite with bath and walk-in shower, and lounge with patio, fireplace, fridge and tea/coffee facility.Imaginative gourmet cuisine makes for sumptuous dining.Activities: hiking, fishing, tennis, swimming, horse-riding, birding, mountain-bike and 4x4 trails (bring your wheels), relaxing.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TGCSA - Tourism Grading Council of South Africa.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Romantic
Languages Spoken
English, Afrikaans
Location
District Road D119, UKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park 3350 South Africa
Firstly, the manager allowed us to move our booking due to a family emergency in April. We were so looking forward to our weekend away! And boy did it prove to be worth it. The service from management to staff were amazing. we stayed in a family lodge (2 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms, one with a shower and with a bath tub). The lodge was immaculate. Having 1 vegetarian, a son that has an egg allergy and the other that does not enjoy red meat, the chef went out of his way to accommodate us. After the first dinner I spoke with the Chef and mentioned a few things to him about vegetarian meals, and the very next day I could see he listened and accommodated me. This shows that Montusi Lodge is serious about making their patrons happy and comfortable. The grounds, facilities and gardens are perfect, well maintained and with the views and blooming aloes, the scenery was magical! A hike is scheduled each morning and our guide, Victor was so good, considerate and knowledgeable. Our waitress, Analete (please forgive my spelling) was entertaining and very good at what she does. Overall the weekend away was just what we needed and we will recommend Montusi Lodge anytime.
Keep up the great work!
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Date of stay: July 2022
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â easy walk to lodge
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 Lindsay Du Plessis, Owner at Montusi Mountain Lodge
Responded 25 Jul 2022
Dear Amisha, Thanks so much for choosing Montusi for your family getaway. It was wonderful to host you all. Thanks for communicating your needs with us so that we could provide you with the best possible experience - it is such a help when our guests give us on-the-ground feedback so we can make the necessary changes. I will pass on your compliments to Victor and Amilette - our staff are what make this place! We wish you all the very best and hope to welcome you back again soon, Lindsay
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A welcome note and 'a little something' are waiting for you. The lodges are roomy, very comfortable and spotlessly clean with a lovely terrace to sit and lap up the wonderful views, while relaxing in the peaceful surroundings. At mealtimes, owners / staff make a point of visiting every table to have a little chat and ask if you need anything. (Only staying longer, if you want them to, of course) Everyone is extremely friendly and helpful. The food is just excellent - tasty, fresh and well presented. The views from the property - including the large pool area - are incredible. There are lovely walks, whether short or long, on the property but with the Royal Natal just down the road, you can explore even more. Thank you for a wonderful experience. We hope to return.
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Date of stay: January 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â Make sure to visit the rock-art and the birds nesting at the dam.
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 Lindsay Du Plessis, Owner at Montusi Mountain Lodge
Responded 01 Feb 2023
Dear Helen, Thanks so much for sharing this happy review of your time with us. We are absolutely delighted that you enjoyed your stay and you were able to visit special features of Montusi's estate. It was wonderful to host you and we hope to welcome you back again one day. All the very best, Lindsay
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We spent three nights at Montusi and this was probably our 5th or 6th visit. We first visited Montusi whilst living in SA but since moving to Europe we have continued to visit SA and have returned to Montusi twice. The chalets are comfortable and ours had a new bathroom. Food is a good standard and service is excellent. The walks around the property are well marked and there is a daily complimentary guided walk. I also had a massage which was great after a long walk. Great views.
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Date of stay: February 2020
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.
Response from LindsayMML, Owner at Montusi Mountain Lodge
Responded 12 Mar 2020
Dear Caroline, Thanks for your lovely review and for coming back to visit Montusi again and again:) It is wonderful to be a haven for you when you are back in South Africa. We've had all our bathrooms upgraded, so every suite has smart new bathrooms! We look forward to hosting you again. All the best, Lindsay
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This was my first post lockdown holiday and it was an ideal starting point and a much valued holiday. The lodge is located in magnificent surrounds in close proximity to the Royal national park for those, like myself, that appreciate early morning hikes. The lodge is beautifully maintained, aesthetically pleasing, modern with character and to top it all provides fantastic service. The food was amazing both for dinner and breakfast. Dietary needs were met without reverting to boring and the meals were delicious - with generous portion sizes! I had a wonderful stay and will certainly pay a future visit and hopefully a longer one visit next time.
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Date of stay: November 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Â All the rooms have amazing surrounding views which one may appreciate from the patio
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 Lindsay Du Plessis, Owner at Montusi Mountain Lodge
Responded 28 Nov 2020
Thank you so much for your lovely review of your time with us! It has been quite a year, and providing guests with the space to restore their souls is an honour. We are so happy that you enjoyed your time here and had the opportunity to explore the mountains. They will be waiting for your next visit! Kind regards, LiIndsay
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We enjoyed virtually every aspect of this lovely lodge. The setting is truly stunning and surrounding grounds beautifully immaculate. Sitting on one’s tranquil cottage terrace looking out across the valley was a real delight. The cottage was cosy, inviting, comfortable and spotlessly clean. We very much enjoyed having a few early evening drinks on the main lodge terrace; watching the swallows and taking in the wonderful views: the open air dinning room proved to be a charming and atmospheric place to have dinner. Both breakfasts’ and dinners were good although we did find the dinning room service a tad disjointed and slow at times. Would we go back and would we recommend to friends and family ? Yes to both !
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
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.
Response from LindsayMML, Owner at Montusi Mountain Lodge
Responded 02 Mar 2020
Dear Lee, Thank you for your review! We are so happy we managed to provide a returnable/recommendable experience:) There are areas where we need constant work and the dining service is one of these, especially on busy nights. Thanks for being patient with our team:) We hope to see you again one day! All the best, Lindsay
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1) There is a very bright outside light right next to the door that does not have a switch as it goes on automatically when it becomes dark outside. The door has frosted glass, and there was no door between the living room and the bed room. So the bedroom was not completely dark at night. It was a bit bothersome as I am sensitive to light, so I had to throw a blanker over the door to be able to sleep .
2) The french press is very small if you want to make coffee for 2 people
Those were really the only 2 drawbacks. Apart from this, our stay was splendid!
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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.
Response from Lindsay Du Plessis, Owner at Montusi Mountain Lodge
Responded 05 Apr 2021
Thanks so much for your review! We are so pleased that you enjoyed your time with us. We will look at fixing the lighting situation in the Mountain Suites. We are phasing out the small coffee plungers and are replacing them with larger ones:) We hope to welcome you back again to see the improvements for your anniversary! All the best, Lindsay
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We spent 3 nights at Montusi - we had one of the garden suites with the most stunning views of the amphitheatre. The food and service were outstanding and the hosts were very knowledgeable in helping us plan hikes both locally and to the top of tugela falls. Would highly recommend Montusi to people looking to explore the drakensburg but also for relaxing in fabulous surroundings. And for stargazing on a clear night!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
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.
Response from LindsayMML, Owner at Montusi Mountain Lodge
Responded 02 Mar 2020
Thanks very much for enjoying your time with us! It is the best for us when people adventure into the mountains and love the magic Montusi offers - well done of getting to the top of the Tugela Falls! Our clear skies (day and night) and the peaceful atmosphere are 2 of the things we find it difficult to explain to people before they get here, even though these two things are among the most the striking. We hope to welcom eyou back again one day. In the meantime, we will do our best to keep Montusi and our mountains fabulous. Kind regards, Lindsay
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The Montusi Mountain lodge was the final destination of our SA round trip. We spent 3 nights there in a lovely tiny house with a large comfortable bed, a modern bathroom with tub and shower, a terrasse and a living room with our own fireplace. Everything was very clean and the whole lodge was well maintained. During our stay the staff was always friendly and helpful, the food was delicious and there was a good selection of drinks for cheap prices (from a German point of view). :) We had a nice guided walk one morning with a great guide (this is inclusive every day) and the staff also helped to arrange a mountainbike tour and spa treatments easily. I definitely recommend booking a picnic lunch by the small waterfall! We really enjoyed our time here and would 100% recommend the lodge to everyone.
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip 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.
Response from Lindsay Du Plessis, Owner at Montusi Mountain Lodge
Responded 08 Jun 2022
Dear Lena, Thank you very much for choosing Montusi as part of your great South African Adventure! We are so excited to have our international visitors returning and it was wonderful to have you use your time at Montusi so fully! There is indeed a lot on offer around Montusi and at the lodge so it is lovely for is when our guests take part. We hope the rest of your trip was beautiful and you will be able to return to South Africa in the future. All the best, Lindsay
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This was our 3rd visit.we noted a gradual indifference.I suppose we visited during Covid when tourism took a knock and there was need to be extra nice to guests. Sad in that there was not even a cursory greeting.The lodge itself is very comfy and squeaky clean.I aske for some fruit yoghurt for the kids.no response. Drove to Bergville to purchase.For 6 nights we paid 65.000 rand but yoghurt was a problem.for a non pork/beef person chicken was the staple diet.fish was served only once yet I heard the chef saying to a group of foreign white guests that he could make what they wanted.on one morning the request for 5 waffles materialised but at great inconvenience it appeared.The owners had guests who drove recklessly in the complex Drew this to the attention of the manager but no apology yet .we could have been knocked over that night.The breakfast team is ultra slow and easily confused . seemed ill equipped to deal with a family of 6.The wi.fi is a total curse.no reception most of the time No aircon....reason about carbon footprints is not acceptable especially during very warm nights.overall a great disappointment
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Date of stay: January 2022Trip 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.
Response from Lindsay Du Plessis, Owner at Montusi Mountain Lodge
Responded 10 Jan 2022
Dear Mrs Naidoo, Thanks for choosing to visit Montusi again. We hugely appreciate your ongoing support. I am terribly sorry that we let you down on this visit. I'm afraid that my accident on the 30th of Dec (your arrival day) definitely shook our operational ability. It shouldn't have impacted your experience, but having Mic and I removed so suddenly in the middle of the Festive Season left a management vacuum. While Cath and Andrew did their best to cover all our responsibilites (both at the lodge and in our personal lives), they did miss the opportunity to talk to you directly about the yoghurt and speeding car, leaving our manager Catherine to be the go-between: You requested strawberry yoghurt mid-morning on Saturday the 1st of Jan and then at midday on Sunday the 2nd you sent us a message through our website enquiry form that you had already purchased it. The message was up-beat in tone and so we did not know that you were disappointed. The reckless driver was not a guest of ours (as owners) - they were members of the public. It has highlighted the need for a speed limit sign at the entrance of the complex and we have put that on the list for this month's missions. Chef Russell would've made you fish every night, had you requested as much. We were not aware that you would've liked more fish. When I chatted to you upon my return from hospital on the 2nd, I see now that you, very kindly, didn't want to burden me with your requests, but I so wish you had. We could easily have added fish to your menus, rather than just doing the vegetarian options. The request for waffles for the birthday breakfast was a tricky one as we don't have a proper waffle machine at the lodge - this isn't one of our usual offerings. Thankfully we managed to get a waffle machine in time and produce the birthday waffles. I am very sorry that we as the owners weren't more available to you and that when we were we didn't pick up your dissatisfaction. At the end of the day the miscommunication cost us both. Please accept my apologies and best wishes for 2022. Lindsay du Plessis
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We enjoyed 3 nights at Montusi. The chalets are well furnished, provide all home comforts and have a stunning view of the famous amphitheatre mountain range. The lodge is family run and the service and attention to detail was excellent. We enjoyed a couple of strenuous hikes whilst there . The Tiger falls route in the national park, where we were lucky enough to see the falls in full flow due to the torrential downpour that had occurred overnight and the hike up Montusi mountain behind the lodge which afforded a magnificent 360 degree panorama after an energetic climb! The menu for dinner each evening was small with just a choice of main and desert but the food was delicious, locally sourced and well presented. Staff are local , very friendly and wanting to make your stay enjoyable. If you are looking to spend time in the Drakkensburg mountains we would recommend a stay at Montusi.
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Date of stay: February 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.
Response from LindsayMML, Owner at Montusi Mountain Lodge
Responded 02 Mar 2020
Dear Ron and Claire, Thank you very much for loving your time at Montusi - it really makes all the difference to us all. We are delighted that the mountains offered you a space to extend yourselves. We hope the rest of your trip was fantastic and all the rain came at night only;) All the bvery best, Lindsay
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Tzaneen, South Africa34 contributions15 helpful votes
Dear Neuwe,
Thanks for your question.
We do local shuttles (within a 30km radius of Montusi). Long distance transport is best organised in advance with a transfer company (The Baz Bus, Golf Got Your Tours and Transfers). Mini-bus taxis do come to our area from Ladysmith, Hariismith and Bergville, but they are quite unreliable.
We hope to see you soon!
Lindsay
Tzaneen, South Africa34 contributions15 helpful votes
Hi Whirly,
I hope this answer isn't too late. There are many amazing hiking opportunities in the area at and around Montusi Mountain Lodge. Depending on the duration of your visit, I would recommend doing the guided morning walk with our guide, which will give you a nice introduction to the area. The Montusi Peak, via Bushman's Cave is a definite highlight of the Montusi Experience.
The Royal Natal National Park offers longer hikes. The Policeman's Helmet is beautiful and very underrated. The Tugela Gorge trail is the most popular.
These trails are all accessible for moderately fit people, even those in their 60s:)
I do hope you will be able to visit the Drakensberg - it really is a magical place to explore on foot!
There are more places to choose from in the UKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park area.
PRICE RANGE
RÂ 4,320 - RÂ 5,427 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
montusi mountain hotel ukhahlamba-drakensberg park
LOCATION
South AfricaKwaZulu-NatalUKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
NUMBER OF ROOMS
16
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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