QWANTANI

About

4,5

Excellent

394 reviews

#2 of 10 Speciality lodging in Harrismith

Location

Cleanliness

Service

Value

Travellers' Choice

Situated on the banks of the Sterkfontein Dam, 43km from Harrismith, Qwantani Berg and Bush Resort has 53 luxury 3-bedroom self-catering chalets. This resort is the perfect destination for all types of getaways, including conferencing, team building and weddings and is uniquely pet-friendly. On-site facilities include; Wi-Fi, Restaurant, Bar, Pool Side Bar, In Room Dining, Wellness spa, Jacuzzi, Sauna, Daily Entertainment, Wild Game, Swimming Pool, Swimming pool - Kiddies pool, General Store, Adventure golf, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Bird Watching, Horse – Riding, Bicycle Hire, Badminton, Netball, Tennis, Squash, Volley Ball, Kid's Club, Playground, Animal Farm, Child Minding, Board Games, Games Room, Trampoline, Pony Rides, Boma, Braai Area, Hiking, Open air Chess, Canoeing, Snorkelling, Barge Cruise, Dam – Lake, Private jetty and Laundry.

Full view

Property amenities

Free parking

Internet

Pool

Bar / lounge

Horseback riding

Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)

Kids club

Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )

Outdoor pool

Restaurant

Business Centre with Internet Access

Meeting rooms

Spa

Laundry service

Room features

Safe

Kitchenette

Kitchenware

Flatscreen TV

Good to know

HOTEL CLASS

HOTEL STYLE

Mountain View

Great View

Location

Full view

Contact

598 Craigielea Farm, R712, Harrismith 9880 South Africa

Getting there

Moshoeshoe Intl Airport178 kmSee all flights

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Nearby restaurants

The Phatt Chef Roadside Diner and B&B

51 reviews

9.9 kmBar

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Nearby attractions

Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve

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394Reviews15Q+A100Room tips

Reviews

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MOYENI wrote a review Feb 2021

Greater Johannesburg, South Africa93 contributions45 helpful votes

A wet week.

We manged to book a week at Qwantani during a particularly wet period. The route from Harrismith though is simply stunning. The muddy 21km's unpaved road over puddled bridges and large potholes in heavy rain left me scant opportunity to view the stunning mountain range thereafter but occasionally I stopped so we could take in the huge vista. Do the same. It is well worth it. Qwantani is sited on a breathtaking property overlooking the Sterkfontein Dam and the cottages are arranged in rising circles to take advantage of this. We arrived at our unit to find the carport aswirl with mud and water and access to the unit impossible. Fortunately the alternative entrance via a sliding door was unlocked so we could unload the car albeit scurrying around like drowned rats. A quick floor mop and all was well. We managed a few hikes between the showers and can unreservedly recommend the "red hike" which leads one around the escarpment and dam. It's big country sky and panorama. Flora, fauna and grazing blesbok, eland and zebra add to the enjoyment. We were awoken by a very loud hailstorm at dawn the next morning accompanied by a deluge of note. A river of muddy water poured in under the kitchen door and flooded half the unit. Concerned that the furnishings would be ruined my husband and I sprang into action. I rushed out to see if I could prevent the flood from worsening by somehow waterproofing the kitchen door but was met by a torrent of water pouring down the driveway and banks straight into the carport area which was knee deep in mud and surging against the backdoor. I lost my flops in the mess. I found the mop and sped back to the unit to feverishly assist my husband in diverting the mud from the carpets and furniture. An hour of mopping and wringing saved the unit from flood damage apart from the lounge carpet getting wet along it's edges. Frozen and hail damaged I finally showered and warmed up. Of course we reported the episode to reception as we knew more rain was on the way and frankly didn't want a repeat of our experience. It was quite obvious to us that some sort of rampart and or gully needed to be built in front of the kitchen door if we were to avoid a similar fiasco. We had stuffed plastic bags around the edges of the door in the interim. We were met with remarkable apathy. However, a half hour after our visit we did receive a call from reception. To advise us of the departure time for the following day (sic). A small maintenance crew arrived about midday and the gentleman in charge was astounded we had dealt with the flood ourselves. He informed us that 5 chalets had flooded but we were the only guests who had prevented damage. We've yet to receive any semblance of appreciation from management. 2 stars would be a reflection of the service from front desk. 5 stars would be a reflection of the views. 4 stars would be a reflection of the comfort and standard of the unit but our bedroom smelled rather overwhelmingly of dog.…

Date of stay: February 2021

Rooms

Cleanliness

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Room Tip: Choose a unit with a paved carport area.

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Response from General Manager, General Manager at Qwantani

Responded 2 days ago

Dear Moyeni Thank you for choosing to stay at Qwantani and for taking the time to share your feedback with us and other travellers. We value your constructive feedback and appreciate your kind words. I must agree that the rain and storms that we experienced during your stay are some of the worst that I have seen in a very long time and they certainly did cause a lot of destruction. Your efforts in assisting in curbing the flooding of the unit your occupied is certainly appreciated and we have since re-looked at the storm water measures that we have in place, most especially around this particular unit. We take all feedback constructively and yours is appreciated and taken in the same light. We believe in improving wherever we can and improving we certainly are. Other than this we are delighted to hear that you got to enjoy the spectacular scenery and magical hikes. Qwantani and Sterkfontein dam is truly very special and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Kind regards Craig Hill General Manager Qwantani Berg & Bush Resort

Shabnum Karbary wrote a review Jan 2021

8 contributions

+1

BEST Fishing Trip EVER

What an AMAZING WeeK😍💐.. 70 Fish Total Caught... 59 Yellows 4 Carp and 4 Muddies and 3 Catfish 🐟🐟🐟 (PS.. I'm a Female Fisherwoman) The Staff were Very Helpful... The Resort Very Clean... ALWAYS a GREAT Gewataway to Qwantani for an OUT OF THIS WORLD EXPERIENCE.. Thank you Mr Craig HiLL and CreW

Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Travelled with family

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HayleyG wrote a review Jan 2021

1 contribution

What we keep going back to Qwantani!

To state the obvious, 2020 and 2021 (so far)has not been easy. Regulations and restrictions do not make life or holidays easy! Or at least what we are used to. BUT Qwantani is a breath of fresh air. Beautiful location, stunning setting with loads of space and fresh air! Yes, the usual COVID regulations apply however, you can still get on with that well deserved holiday! Craig and his team do their very best to help you relax and enjoy your break. Certain activities and facilities have been cut back, through no fault of theirs but rather to keep compliant with the laws. But, if this is the new normal, I would still go back tomorrow if I could! This was our 5th year in a row going back and it did not disappoint! It’s 100% relaxing and our kids always have such an amazing fun time! You can totally shut off from the world and just be! Thank you so much Qwantani for the special memories and fantastic fishing! See you soon, miss you already! Skanky’s Parents 😀 …

Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Travelled with family

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Response from General Manager, General Manager at Qwantani

Responded 17 Jan 2021

Dear SkankyB Thank you so much for once again choosing to stay at Qwantani and for taking the time to share your experience with other travellers. The past year has indeed not been easy on anyone but we are delighted to hear that you once again chose Qwantani for that well deserved break and once again got what you expected. We are also always as happy as you are when the weather and the fish play along and although I know you did experience a rainy day or two that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay with us. We look forward to welcoming you back soon. Kind regards Craig Hill General Manager Qwantani Berg & Bush Resort

JPadman wrote a review Dec 2020

Johannesburg, South Africa30 contributions59 helpful votes

Secluded, Covid Safe , Unfriendly, No Management

I come to this resort annually and have done so for more than 10 years. Unfortunately, travel during these unprecedented times has required hotels and resorts to manage the pandemic in a manner that it makes people comfortable and confident to stay their. However, this is being massively exploited in that the pandemic induced safety measures is used as a ruse to cut costs. The resort is beautiful, secluded , our chalet was comfortable , clean and tidy. However, the check in time is 3pm, and check out time is 10am. The excuse is this is the time needed to properly dog the units between guests. Note massive hotel groups around the world and will clean rooms and have them fogged within an hour. Check in experience is lengthy as forms need to be filled that should ideally be sent by email before arrival so that it can be filled in ahead of time and verified very quickly on arrival. No human interaction in terms of management presence, welcome, feeling of being on a resort and the excuse is we want to prevent or minimize contact. I was on the resort for 4 days and never saw a manager from arrival to departure. No welcome nice to have you back nor a cellphone call to check you are happy, nothing. This has NEVER been the case in the past when management were visible, engaging, wanted to interact and were available at every opportunity. I actually have no clue what they do when guests are onsite. It is important to note some chalets have been refurbished and others have not and this is not indicated on the website nor when making a booking. My chalet was refurbished - lounge suite, beds, TV’s, chairs and that was appreciated. Another major change is the limitation of services - restaurant times, reception times, when games rooms equipment can be used, bar times and the excuse is the that to minimize human contact we have cut back on the availability of all of these services when in reality they have cut back on staffing and cut costs. The only time I used the restaurant to order some pizzas, several items were not available on the menu but I had seen a major food distributor delivering stock earlier that some day. It just shows the lack of management presence, involvement and care for the guests experience. Putt Putt golf course is in desperate need to repair. It is in a very poor state. Children’s playground facilities were in a poor state despite the fact that the resort was in a form of lockdown for several months and had the time to do a lot of the refurbishment. Weather has a massive impact at that resort in terms of what you can and cannot do yet no guidance or advice is given management upon arrival on how to plan your activities. They have added some activities which are welcome but no explanation of the events - the expectation is ask and then, if we are available, we will explain. Cleaning was curtailed in that cleaning of your accommodation was limited to certain dates or not at all unless requested. Again a disgrace. When I go on holiday I expect my chalet to be cleaned daily, my towels changed if required but cleaned daily. Why would I want to go on holiday and do the cleaning myself.? Why should I request it? It is like you are doing me a favor. Again the excuse is to prevent Covid spread. Once again all the major hotel chains around the world still clean all rooms daily and request the opposite,tell us if you would prefer us not to clean your room daily. After being a loyal client of this resort for many years, the complete lack of management interaction, the new regulations in place with the excuse being Covid and the overall maintenance of the public facilities of the complex, I won’t be going back. There are many other wondrous places in South Africa which will happily have us visit and give us a safe and secure holiday experience without cutting services and overall standards.…

Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Travelled with family

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Response from General Manager, General Manager at Qwantani

Responded 25 Dec 2020

Dear JPadman Thank you for once again choosing to stay at Qwantani and for taking the time to write and share your impressive review of your recent stay at Qwantani. In short I must say that most of your comments are justified in that you experienced something at Qwantani which you had never experienced before and this you found extremely unusual. The changes around post Covid and the current second wave that we are experiencing is unfortunately a reality that we are faced with whether we want to accept this or not. You may at this point now say that we are once again using Covid as an excuse but this is the reality of it. We have done a lot of research before making the decisions that we made to implement certain restrictions as you have so kindly pointed out and these were certainly not made in a hurry and without forethought. Management were present on the resort throughout your stay and I believe your concern of not "seeing" any management was simply because managers no longer do what they used to do but actually spend a lot of time around the resort doing manual labour. Slightly unprecedented but we live in unprecedented times. I also believe that the doing away of the "social events" such as high tea, sunset social etc. has been quite disappointing to you as this is where you would usually have met the managers. We have indeed curtailed cleaning services to limit contact, which is actually valued and quite readily excepted by most of our guests and accepted as a norm. I have looked into your comment regarding the lack of certain items on the menu and although I believe this was possible I can assure you that this was by no means intentional and an oversite on our part if indeed so. We continue to remain optimistic about eventually regaining some sort of normality and only request that guests bear with us during these unprecedented times. What does concern me or perhaps even placate me is that not once did you mention requesting to see a manager to discuss any of the issues that you have so kindly been willing to review the property about. Had a manager not been willing to assist during you stay then I would most certainly have been concerned. You however did not request to speak to anyone, of which we would have been most willing to assist and go to great lengths to do so. We at Qwantani pride ourselves in exceptional service and indeed, things are not normal but we will continue to deliver a service to the best of our ability under the circumstances. I do apologise for any inconvenience caused during your stay and trust that you may one day return. Kind regards Craig Hill General Manager Qwantani Berg & Bush Resort

Ryan wrote a review Oct 2020

Johannesburg, South Africa1 contribution

Extremely poor maintenance

We stayed in Wildebeest #6. Not impressed by the general lack of maintenance and cleanliness. Stove top was switched off at the DB board because the individual plate switches don’t work and thus with the DB switched on it’s all or nothing. You have to be extremely careful not to burn yourself or your food. Serious health and safety risk with young kids. The cupboard doors in the main room were filthy. Someone had spilt coffee on the doors and it hadn’t been cleaned. The toilet had pubic hair on it when we arrived and it’s not cemented in properly. There is long term damp in the bathroom wall, the walls are cracking and the wooden door frame is being eaten away. If they can’t do the basics what hope is there of them doing a good covid clean? I have a feeling they leverage off the spectacular natural beauty of this place and neglect basic protocols and maintenance. I’ve been coming here for years and this is by far the worst experience I’ve had. Hopefully it’s an isolated incident.…

Date of stay: October 2020Trip type: Travelled with family

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Response from General Manager, General Manager at Qwantani

Responded 04 Oct 2020

Good day Ryan Thank you for once again choosing to stay at Qwantani and for taking the time to share your experience on TripAdvisor. We take all feedback constructively and can assure you that this has been noted. The maintenance issues that you so kindly brought to our attention during your stay were immediately attended to by replacing the stove top with a brand new one and the toilet was repaired. Other items related to this will be addressed. This said, the other issues are all part of the ongoing plan to attend in the very near future and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused in this regard. As you so kindly mentioned, Qwantani is indeed situated in one of the most scenic destinations in our country and we will continue to strive to offer service to match. Please do feel free to let me know personally prior to your next visit and I will happily assist in making your stay as comfortable as possible. We do look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Kind regards Craig Hill General Manager Qwantani Berg & Bush Resort

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