Phumula Kruger Lodge

Considering the huge amount we paid for a 5-night stay, we were not impressed. Problems started immediately when we arrived: there is no proper reception - I walked into the attached restaurant and asked one of the staff where reception for the accommodation was - they had no idea what I was talking about. Outside we finally found a faded sign pointing to reception - BACK AT THE RESTAURANT! A different staff member finally managed to call someone sitting at the restaurant tables with patrons, to help check us in. Upon first entering our unit, there was an overpowering dank and musty smell that we had to contend with throughout our entire stay. Marloth park is supposed to be a destination to come and enjoy the peace and quiet of the bush - in fact, rules posted on the chalet's wall warned us that loud music, shouting etc was prohibited. Ironic then that the restaurant (only about 20m from our chalet) blared music from the early afternoons until about 9pm every night. We weren't expecting any major cleaning service but after 3 days our rubbish bin was overflowing and the single rolls of loo paper provided at each toilet were finished and no-one was around when we wanted to ask for re-supply - we ended up buying our own extra toilet paper, refuse bags and dish washing liquid (they provided about 25ml of useless dishwashing liquid). The fridge/freezer was barely adequate for 5 people for 5 nights, the little stovetop/grill filthy inside and out and the lack of a multiplug in the kitchen meant you could only operate one appliance at a time - quite a pain when there are 5 people to cook for.