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Set in the breathtakingly picturesque Maluti Mountains between the Golden Gate Reserve and the quaint village of Clarens, Kiara Lodge offers an all encompassing retreat with easy access to explore nearby attractions. Large grounds ensure that you get to enjoy the peace and quiet, and with a choice of apartment style or freestanding self-catering chalets, there is a unit to suit everyone's needs. Certain facilities carry a nominal charge for the use thereof; however, an "All Access Pass" may be purchased at check-in for all unit guests to enjoy use thereof during their stay. The resort also offers complimentary facilities without any charge. Please refer to the resort reception directly for further details.
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
Modern
Languages Spoken
English, Afrikaans
Location
R712 Near Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Clarens 9701 South Africa
We had a 3 night stay and it was our very 1st time at Kiara and it really did not disappoint. Resort is situated in a beautiful setting that one can feel truly relaxed and even though we went during peak season, it did not feel over crowded (even the pool).
Overall we were very happy with our stay, we had booked a 6 sleeper self catering chalet and one non self catering unit for our group and both units were comfortable and spacious and clean. The self catering unit was equipped well, although the fridge just did not seem cold enough even though it was on the coldest setting. Beds and sleeper coaches were all very comfortable. The kids loved the facilities and games room. Overall the resort is clean and well kept. Staff are friendly and super helpful. We did have 1 dinner at Maluti Melts Restaurant (we did find the food average - not spectacular. We were disappointed with the cheese fondue as we expected a proper swiss fondue where you have a real taste of cheese and cheese strings stretching after you dipped your food but it really was just a cheese sauce. Resort is close to the Golden Gate reserve and to Clarens so it makes it an ideal spot to be close enough to everything.
My only suggestion is for resort management to please check the balcony wooden fencing on a regular basis as we found some of the vertical wood was loose and could easily be pulled off with not much force (we did phone maintenance to come fix this), this is dangerous as we had young toddlers with us and we had one of the upper units so had we not tested it (and it was really by chance as well that we decided to check), the toddler could easily pull it off and fit through and fall.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:The Traders store does not sell Bread Rolls - only sliced bread (so bring your own if you...
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 Beekman Group, General Manager at Kiara Lodge
Responded 23 Dec 2024
Hi ssford2711, thank you for your thoughtful review. We're thrilled that your first visit was amazing, and are so pleased to have left a lasting impression with our beautiful location, unique facilities and warm hospitality. Safety is indeed a top priority for us, and our maintenance team has been looking into the matter of the fencing. Can't wait to have you back for another memorable mountain retreat! 😊
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Beautiful location, and nice facilities for kids, but let down by the service. Despite our room being ready a bit earlier than the official check in time, we were made to wait until exactly 3pm before being allowed to check in. Our reservation clearly stated we are travelling with a baby we had no cot in our room. After asking 3 times for a cot, we eventually got one delivered by a security guard (not even housekeeping), and we had to assemble it ourselves, without really knowing how to. Restaurant staff were friendly enough, but the wait time for food was long despite eating outside of "peak" meal times. Not sure we will return here.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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.
Response from Beekman Group, General Manager at Kiara Lodge
Responded 19 Jun 2024
Hi Candice, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We really value your input because it helps us improve! It's also so great that you enjoyed our unique mountain location, and family-friendly facilities 😎. However, we are sorry about the inconveniences that you encountered. These have been noted by our management team, and we would really appreciate a chance in the future to exceed your expectations!
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We always been looking forward to go to Kiara Lodge, but when we got there our expectations vs what we saw was completely different.
1. Dirty dishes and cups inside the kitchen units that was pretty much disgusting. 2. Dirty pan inside the oven. 3. Mould in the bathroom. 4. Cracked ceiling in the living room.
It was bid annoying to constantly have to report this issues. It made me wonder if there's any maintenance and house keeping managers. Am on holiday, I don't really like to have so many challenges. This was the worst holiday place that I have ever had.
Then we went to paddle boat, you get to be given the key but there's no number as to which key belongs to which boat. There's no one on site, again am on vacation such hassles should be very minimal or atleast number your boats and keys, so that when one gets on site they can know which boat to go to.
Lastly the pool area and putt putt, isn't a way that you can expand those? Given the caliber of the lodge, it gets bid clustered that it has to accommodate most of the people that are on the Lodge. I don't mind the security gates, can't you give occupance access cards instead of pin? The gates are always stuck, I don't if this was caused by people punching in incorrect pin or what.
I hope our reviews are seriously been taken into consideration. I must express my deepest frustration and disappointment with Kiara lodge.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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.
Response from Beekman Group, General Manager at Kiara Lodge
Responded 09 Dec 2024
Hi Thabo, thank you for your feedback. We are truly sorry for the disappointment you experienced, as this does not meet the high standards we strive to uphold. Please know that management is actively investigating the concerns you've raised and we are committed to ensuring they are addressed promptly. We also appreciate your suggestions for enhancement and hope to welcome you back for a much better experience.
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We had a fantastic stay at Kiara Lodge 7-14 July 2023. The facilities are well maintained, the staff is friendly and helpful. The fireplace in the unit was well appreciated during the cold evenings. We especially enjoyed the hiking trails and beautiful scenery. On Thu 13-Jul, we made a booking at The Melt restaurant for dinner for our party of 6 people. The booking was written in the book for the previous day by mistake, so when we arrived, there was no table available for us since the restaurant was very busy. The team at the restaurant asked us to give them a few minutes to find a solution. Within a few minutes they prepared a table in the wine cellar, this was excellent customer service. I have one suggestion to make the stay even better. The shower in the main bedroom of unit 69A is designed without a door. The glass wall covers less than half of the width of the shower and this wets the floor of the bathroom quite a bit. The tile floor becomes very slippery when wet and requires a cleanup with towels after every shower. It will be good to re-look at the design of the shower, perhaps consider a sliding door. Thank you to the team at Kiara lodge for a lovely stay, see you soon.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:The fire wood in the shop is expensive at R60 per bag. If you would like to keep the fire place...
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 Beekman Group, General Manager at Kiara Lodge
Responded 17 Jul 2023
Hi ManusP18, thank you so much for staying with us and taking the time to leave us your review. We appreciate it! We are glad you liked the accommodation and the exciting facilities on site. Likewise, we also appreciate you highlighting areas that can use some improvement. Providing the ultimate guest experience is our number one priority, as such we're thrilled that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay with us. Thank again for paying us a visit, and we hope we get the pleasure of hosting you again in the future.🙂
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Been meaning go here for many years and finally went in Jan 25. The 6 sleeper chalets are fairly comfortable and well furnished. Ours was a bit far from the reception and pool but only a few minutes walk. We had a large balcony and braai area and reasonably sized rooms. the sleeper could have been a bit better. Cleaning services was good but none on Sundays. The indoor pool is a big attraction (esp during cold weather) - free usage for guests, and there are a number of other facilities including, tennis, mini golf, games room, etc - a little disappointing that you have to pay for most of them. The adventure activities can booked at the reception and some of them take place across the road. There is a quaint little dam at the top of the resort surrounded by a picnic area. There are a few hikes that can be taken from around the resort, one even has bushman paintings a few metres away from the nearest chalet. Thankfully the hikes are free. If you get bored, take a 15 min drive to the beautiful town of Clarens or to the Golden gate national park where more hikes await you
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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.
Response from Beekman Group, General Manager at Kiara Lodge
Responded 18 Feb 2025
Dear Guest, thank you for sharing your detailed review! We’re so pleased to hear that you finally had the opportunity to visit and enjoyed your stay. It’s great to know that you found the chalet comfortable and appreciated the amenities, including the indoor pool and hiking options. We also appreciate your feedback on the adventure activities and pricing, and we’ll look into this for future improvements. We hope to welcome you back soon to experience more of what our resort has to offer! 🙂
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Fridge didn't work, leaking toilet. No covid compliance. Cleaning staff walk freely between each unit, no sanitizing before cleaning, no fogging of rooms. Poor maintenance, poor cleaning, poor management.
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Date of stay: January 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.
Response from Beekman Marketing Department Beekman, General Manager at Kiara Lodge
Responded 11 Feb 2021
Dear NazMK25, Thank you for your review. Guests can rest assured that our resort fully follows covid compliance as all of our units undergo deep cleaning, sanitisation and fogging of all rooms before guests check-in. In addition all public use areas are regularly sanitised and fogged. Staff wear masks at all times. As part of the unit cleaning process, fridges are defrosted and thoroughly cleaned and will take a while to cool when switched on again. Kind regards Kiara Lodge
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We left the safety of our home to have a short break before school starts. We expected the resort to follow covid laws, however the staff walked around with no masks on and we witnessed cleaning staff cleaning rooms without masks on. I would have expected rooms to be fogged between guests, staff to sanitize their hands before entering each room and to wear their masks while cleaning the guests rooms.
Guests were also walking around without masks on. Nobody enforced any covid protocols. We wanted to play put put. We had to get balls and sticks from a basket inside a shop and when we were done the balls and sticks were placed back into the baskets without anyone sanitizing them. We did not enjoy our stay and certainly did not feel safe at this lodge. I will not be back here and I will not recommend the lodge to anyone.
I have taken plenty pictures and will be lodging a complaint about this lodge regarding non compliance with government laws regarding covid.
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Date of stay: February 2021
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 Beekman Marketing Department Beekman, General Manager at Kiara Lodge
Responded 12 Feb 2021
Dear Nasmanj, Thank you for your review. As part of our covid procedures, our accommodation units are deep cleaned and fogged before the arrival of new guests. Furthermore our staff are fully briefed on covid protocols such as mask wearing in and sanitisation. We encourage our guests to wear their masks in the close proximity of other guests and the vast majority do so. It is to be remembered that our accommodation units are scattered across our property with plenty of outdoor walking space for guests to maintain their social distance from each other whilst enjoying our fresh mountain air. Kind regards Kiara Lodge
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Kiara Lodge is located on the edges of the Golden Gate National Park, and as such is in a prime location to offer awe inspiring scenery and sublime sunrises / sunsets. The lodge is geared up for both cooler and warmer weather activities, for both the young and the "young-at-heart". The facilities are well maintained, the staff helpful and the estate very secure.
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Date of stay: April 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 Beekman Group, General Manager at Kiara Lodge
Responded 03 May 2022
Hi Samantha, Wow😍 , thank you so much for staying with us and taking the time to leave us such a great review. We appreciate it! We are glad you liked the beautiful views and scenery at the resort. It was an absolute pleasure hosting you and we hope to see you again soon. Regards, Kiara Lodge
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Well run resort. Clean, safe and good value. Beautiful views. There are several really good and easy walks from around the small dam. There are paddle boats to hire for a whopping R100 for an hour. We never saw one being hired. There’s a small useable gym and several things to do. For kids, there’s a lot of playground things to do. The chalets are well furnished and comfortable. There’s a basin and tap, so etc. in the small toilet, but alas, no towel. This should be addressed A small wood burning fire makes for a nice cosy, warm atmosphere. You can buy wood at the shop. There’s a restaurant with a fairly good menu, if it’s value for money, who knows? Clarens, nearby has an abundance of good places to eat. We will return to Kiara Lodge.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip 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 Beekman Group, General Manager at Kiara Lodge
Responded 06 Aug 2024
Hi Pat, thank you for your wonderful review. We're thrilled that you loved our prime mountain views and took advantage of the many family-friendly activities we have to offer 😎. Your comment about the towels is duly noted, and we'll be sure to address this immediately. And indeed, our local area has so much to offer as well! Looking forward to your next memorable stay with us 😊.
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Kiara Lodge is situated in the ideal location to explore the Golden Gate National Park and the small town of Clarens.
Our room looked exactly as advertised with modern finishes and decor. Every single thing in our room was in pristine condition and felt pretty new and well taken care of. My only criticism would be the shower head which was mounted on the ceiling, in a shower which is not big enough to get away with not having a door.
The facilities include a gorge swing, trampolines, indoor pool, putt-putt, gaming lounges, hiking trails and plenty more.
This Lodge is definitely more suitable for families with young children, but not too bad for couples in terms of location.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
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.
Response from BeekmanGroup, Manager at Kiara Lodge
Responded 31 Jan 2020
Dear Kaylinn, Thank you very much for reviewing our resort. It is great to know that we fully met of your expectations with the quality of the accommodation you stayed in. The feedback is most appreciated and your comments have been forwarded to our resort development team. We agree of course that our resort's location and onsite facilities are an added bonus in providing our guests with a fantastic all round holiday experience. We look forward to seeing you both again. Kind regards Kiara Lodge
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
There are more places to choose from in the Clarens area.
PRICE RANGE
R 1,424 - R 2,520 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
kiara hotel clarens, kiara lodge
LOCATION
South AfricaFree StateClarens
NUMBER OF ROOMS
46
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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