andBeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge
Phinda Private Game Reserve South Africa
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#1 of 5 lodges in Phinda Private Game Reserve
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Rates from ZAR 11,400 per person per night. Phinda Vlei Lodge is an intimate and romantic safari lodge, overlooking a unique vlei (wetland system) on the edge of Phinda Private Game Reserve’s rare sand forest. Phinda Private Game Reserve showcases one of the continent’s finest Big Five game viewing experiences and displays a magnificent tapestry of seven unique landscapes across an impressive 28,555 hectares (70,560 acres) of protected wildlife terrain. Guests at Phinda experience unforgettable interpretive game drives in open 4×4 safari vehicles, led by professionally trained andBeyond rangers and Zulu trackers, as well as a wide range of optional adventures in the bush and on the beach. Phinda Vlei Lodge’s unique location offers ever-changing game viewing from the comfort of your suite. Set on the edge of a sand forest, and overlooking a vast grassy meadow, each of the six thatched suites ensure exclusivity and incredible wildlife sightings. The air-conditioned suites each feature a beautiful, plantation-style bedroom, with a luxuriously spacious ensuite bathroom and dressing room that effortlessly blends a sense of old-world luxury with quirky, contemporary features. The suite’s interiors showcase a mix of curated antiques and collectables combined with bold fabrics. Take advantage of a private lap pool and game viewing deck that overlooks lush plains and observe antelope and other curious wildlife grazing nearby, as well as a variety of birdlife. Unwind in the beautiful surrounds of the main guest area, which also includes a handsome library, as well as a fire pit setting, ideal for pre-dinner drinks. Choose from a range of exciting Phinda Adventures such as a specialist walking and tracking safaris, a sleep out under the stars, an infrared Night Eye drive, and other participative conservation experiences such rhino notching or pangolin tagging. Also within easy access of the reserve are Zulu village tours, Africa Foundation community visits, a Maputaland exploration, Maputaland beach trip, night turtle drives (seasonal), scuba safaris, or an incredible ocean safari that offers you a host of marine life sightings. Specialist safaris can be arranged in advance and focus on special interests such as birding, photographic, family and private safaris.
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Property amenities
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Free breakfast
Airport transportation
Massage
Concierge
Non-smoking hotel
Laundry service
Wifi
Infinity pool
Outdoor pool
Private pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Outdoor dining area
Butler service
Ironing service
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Air conditioning
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Private balcony
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Seating area
Minibar
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Private bathrooms
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+1
Beautiful lodge, the room was the best of any safari lodge I’ve visited, with private pool and terrace overlooking the bush. The staff were great, nothing was too much trouble and we had dinner and lunch on our terrace a couple of times away from the main dining area. It’s a really intimate setting with only a small number of rooms so felt really personal. The safari drives were good, it’s quite thick bush around the lodge in the sand forest so you have to go south or north to get to more open plains but the drives were good. If it is your first time at Phinda, and you have 4 or 5 nights, I would recommend staying at Mountain or Rock lodge and then Vlei lodge so you get the best out of the experience seeing all areas of Phinda. Overall, a great stay!
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: If 1st time at Phinda, and you have 4/5 nights, I would recommend staying at Mountain/Rock lodge...
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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.
Helpful
Property's Favourite Review
What an amazing experience. My husband and I arrived for our four night stay and were greeted by Shannon, Tasha, and other members of the Vlei team ... little did we know of the magic that was going to happen. The service was wonderful and the accommodations were great - lots of glass for viewing game right from our own deck. Stephen was delightful and finally got us to learn some Zulu (thank you for your patience). Happiness was truly the magic in the kitchen - her daily menus were delicious! The Vlei team surprised us on more than one occasion with special touches. Our ranger, Dino, and tracker, Tock, gave us the most exceptional game viewing - female cheetah with two cubs on our first day (right outside the camp), lions, white rhino, elephants, bush walk to view the giraffe, elephants, and so much more. On our final game drive we saw two male cheetahs in a truly remarkable African setting: sitting on a termite mound with a backdrop of dark African sky. Words cannot describe how truly amazing it was. Thank you, Vlei.…
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Date of stay: April 2022
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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.
Helpful
+1
It’s a beautiful lodge that speaks of understated luxury, impeccable service and amazing food. Shannon is the lodge manager who manages everything like clockwork. The chef ‘happiness’ is what she serves through her meals; pure happiness. I stayed there for 2 nights and had an amazing time. My first game drive with my ranger Chris and tracker Dan was delightful. We say lions, cape buffaloes, elephants and a leopard within a few minutes! The rhino eluded us (but I say about 12 at the other lodge) . Back at camp I met some amazing people from the usa who were very kind to me and invited me over to have dinner with them. John, Madeline, Chris and Shannon (there were 2 chris’ and 2 Shannons !) were wonderful guests and made me feel like I was family. Later Ewan, Jessica and Marilyn welcomed me during our game drives and I had a fabulous time with them all. I can’t praise the whole experience enough! The forests are not like the savannah grasslands and some drives were underwhelming but the experience was memorable nevertheless. Thank you Phinda Vlei! The cheetahs that I saw on day 2 were the piece de resistance 🥰🥰🥰…
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
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.
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+1
This was our first stop of 3 lodges in what I can describe as a trip of a lifetime that was everything my husband and I dreamed of. The staff, lodge, food and wildlife viewing was superb. Our guide, Ross, was so enthusiastic it was contagious. The highlight was on our last night drive. Ross and 4 other guides were determined to find 2 elusive cheetah. One of the other guides found them and Ross drove us to the location. Within a few minutes of arrival, we watched them take down an Impala. Right after, we went to a watering hole for a sundowner and lying on the road was a male lion. We watched in awe as the lion drank from the water and then started his evening roar. The most incredible sound we have ever heard. Thank you to , Shannon, our host and a special thank you to Happiness for the delicious food. …
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Room Tip: Travel lite, they have daily complimentary laundry. April as a beautiful time to go
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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.
Helpful
We had such a lovely time at Andbeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge and we highly recommend this lodge to anyone looking to experience a luxury South African safari, especially any honeymooners. The lodge itself is beautiful, clean, and well maintained. When not on our game drives, we enjoyed lounging at the pool in our room and watching wildlife stroll by. While the environment speaks for itself, the staff at this lodge is what truly made our experience unforgettable. They also went above and beyond to make the trip special for our honeymoon by adding little touches throughout our stay like a candlelit bath and a welcome card. Our guide, James, and our tracker, Thouks, worked so hard to ensure we saw all of the animals on our must see list. They kept us entertained with facts about the wildlife at the reserve and stories of their time working at Phinda Vlei. Our butler, Michael, made sure that we always had everything we needed/wanted. We loved getting to spend time with him at lunch each day to get to know him better. Chef Sabelo is truly talented at what he does. My husband and I both have different dietary restrictions, and he went out of his way for each meal to make sure we had plenty of options to eat, and everything was delicious. The rest of the staff was so warm and made us feel at home. You don't want to miss this lodge! We can't wait to be back again soon!…
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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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.
Helpful
Wow we loved Vlei lodge! We did part of our honeymoon there and it is so so romantic. The rooms are gorgeous and the private pool is lovely. The staff are all so amazing and helpful. We had a private dinner on our balcony for two of the nights which was just heaven! Food was also excellent - would definitely love to come back to Vlei!
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip 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.
Helpful
We stayed at Vlei as a part of a 3 lodge safari (Mountain and Kirkman’s). We stayed at Vlei first and we’re glad we did! Facilities: By starting at Vlei, we were immediately immersed into the Safari vibe. Since it’s such a tiny lodge, you feel like you are walking into your own living room. Shannon, the manager, is welcoming. There is always someone in the lodge to take care of you. Food: Happiness is their chef who has been there 15+ years. The food she makes is made with love and care. She even customized things for us based off of random conversations. One morning she made soup for my in-laws, just because she overheard them saying they liked soups. I would describe her food as “awesome home cooking” - it’s not restaurant fancy, but you will feel happy just eating it! Game Drives: We saw the Big 5, including the elusive Black Rhino. Nuff said. I think North Phinda is easy better than South Phinda. In comparison to Sabi Sabi, we didn’t see huge herds of animals on a daily basis, but in Phinda you can see Cheetah and Black Rhino, whereas those are rare in Sabi. Our ranger was awesome with our two young boys and even took us fishing one afternoon (no cost). Rooms: The rooms are luxurious, but this is one area where they could improve. They are showing their age. It’s not a dealbreaker - especially if you are immersed in the feeling of being in the middle nowhere. But you can tell the difference from some of their other lodges that have been remodeled recently. Service: Top notch. It’s the smallest Phinda Lodge and they treat you like family. Overall: Vlei is a special place. It’s private, luxurious. The staff go above and beyond. Highly recommmend.…
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Date of stay: December 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.
Helpful
First visit to Phinda and split the stay between Phinda Rock (4 nights) and Phinda Vlei Lodges (4 nights). Both were spectacular. It was inspiring to visit where &Beyond began. The history and commitment to the original vision of “A Return” is evident. There was a Ranger Training class on the reserve and it was fun to encounter them throughout my stay. Arriving at Phinda Vlei after an amazing stay at Phinda Rock, it was as if I stepped into the world of “Out of Africa.” The terrain of the northern part of Phinda is sand forest (unique to this part of the world) and wide-open spaces. Walking into the main lodge you wanted to get a G&T and just settle in. Timeless, elegant, and welcoming. No rush here, this is about being present in the moment. The rooms are what you expect, luxurious, private pools and you never know what animals will stop by to say hello or drink from your pool. Several guests reported regular elephant visitors, I had hyena, many types of antelope and TONS of very cheeky monkeys. They can be aggressive, but also understand a slingshot. Beds are super comfortable, linens perfect, the &Beyond bath products are top notch and the minibar will stocked. Meals were exceptional. By this point of the trip, after nearly 10 days on safari, I was at a bit of a safari food overload. I asked if it would be possible to have some more simple things at dinner and the answer was ‘of course.” I love small lodges as the vehicles are less crowded. My vehicle mates included a couple from Hong Kong who had been on more than 20 safaris and a honeymoon couple from the US that this was their first safari (they were actually headed to the lodge I stayed at in Sabi). One thing I really liked about Vlei was the how they brought everyone together around the fire before dinner. It was nice to connect with the other guests and share the stories of our days and sone good natured teasing of the Rangers. It was just enough connection to build camaraderie without forcing it and of course you didn’t have to engage. Vlei also provide some great bush experiences, but I don’t want to give that away. Lodge manager Shannon and her team truly felt like you were in their home. Really can’t say enough great about them! Just superb! Now for the drives. In a word….CHEETAH. Phinda is known for its cheetah and the visit to the north didn’t disappoint. Our Ranger James and Tracker Vele were quite likely the most determined team I’ve ever had on safari. The first afternoon drive featured an amazing interaction with a HUGE lion pride with a wide age range of cubs, an exhilarating experience with a grumpy male elephant (we think he may have had a crush on James) and one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve experienced in the bush. Each day with James and Vele was an adventure and joy. Their enthusiasm, passion and ability to meet the expectations of the entire vehicle each day was incredible. The Phinda reserve is HUGE and offers great diversity in terrain and game and that makes it very special. I’ve yet to encounter a bad or mediocre Ranger on a safari. But there was something special about James. He never lost his sense of wonder or excitement when we would find our goal for the day. One cheetah encounter almost didn’t happen and when it did, by chance, his joy transferred to all of us immediately. Of course, I teased that he hadn’t topped the Pangolin from Phinda Rock lodge, but in reality, he more than did. James and Vele created a connection to the place that is lasting and deep. Phinda means “the return” and I have no doubt that a return to Vlei is in my future.…
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Date of stay: August 2022
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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.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
+1
Excellent luxurious Safari lodge. Top quality food and service. The game drives were amazing and instructional. Not to mention filed with wildlife. The rangers communicate well when an animal has been spotted and are able to track them down quickly. Our guide Brian managed to get us some amazing encounters with very elusive animals. And it feels like every corner revealed something new - a herd of elephants, a family of rhino, a journey of giraffes, etc. You will even see animals from the lodge including baboons, impala, Nyala, hyena and apparently the occasional elephant.
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Date of stay: September 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.
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+1
We worked with &Beyond (Jacqui) to book our honeymoon. We started out thinking we would do Kenya but after talking about our priorities and budget, Jacqui recommended South Africa (Phinda Vlei) and &Beyond Benguerra Island for our beach portion (reviewed separately). The itinerary was perfect, all of our travel was so seamless, and we wouldn’t have changed a thing. We spent four nights at Phinda Vlei and were able to do eight game drives. What an incredible experience!!! Our ranger, Dino, and tracker, Jabs, found us amazing sightings. We saw everything we wanted to and then some. Highlights being: cheetahs, numerous lions with cubs including one female vocalizing, hyenas, giraffes, zebra, a leopard and cubs feeding, a huge herd of elephants with babies, and more. Dino was so knowledgeable - even when we weren’t viewing something he was sharing interesting stories or facts - and he went above and beyond in taking us to different areas of the reserve and finding us animals that we wanted to see (we were on the hunt for the elephant herd with the babies for days). Being on the private game reserve was also an advantage as the &Beyond rangers would radio sightings to each other and have a process in place to make sure there aren’t too many people at each sighting. This was our first safari so I can’t speak to others but I imagine this contributed to our excellent experience. Every staff member made our stay so special; &Beyond truly takes hospitality to heart and it shows through its employees. Happiness, the Chef… she is so sweet and omg her food is amazing!! I wasn’t hungry the entire time we were there between all of the delicious multi-course meals and snacks. Michael was our butler and he checked in with us often, took good care of us, and made sure our stay was comfortable. Phinda Vlei itself is so beautiful. I loved the design of the main building and of our individual suite. Highly recommend!!!…
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Date of stay: July 2022
Rooms
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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.
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ALSO KNOWN AS
phinda vlei hotel phinda private game reserve
LOCATION
South AfricaKwaZulu-NatalPhinda Private Game Reserve
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
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Frequently Asked Questions about andBeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge
What are some of the property amenities at andBeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and a pool.
Which room amenities are available at andBeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge?
Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and a seating area.
What food & drink options are available at andBeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Are there opportunities to exercise at andBeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does andBeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge have airport transportation?
Yes, andBeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.