Gardens were absolutely beautiful. Wonderful staff and the rooms were clean and spacious with everything a traveler needs to relax.

Stayed in April 2024

The staff were so helpful and friendly

Stayed in March 2024

The load shedding - but on the other hand and in that surrounding not really a problem, but a valuable hint not to waste energy!

A truly memorable stay, friendly and helpful staff and an experienced guide! And - of course - the vicinity to Addo National Park!

Stayed in March 2024

Nothing

Fine meals... but the wildlife is the thing. Our guide took great care to design long drives which took us all over the vast range of their land. We saw rhino as well as lion, but also had great encounters with smaller animals and birds.

Stayed in February 2024

Nothing

Old colonial style , beautifully furnished rooms in wonderful parkland . Antiques and memorabilia of past times abound.

Stayed in February 2024

Quiet luxury in the African bush

Very friendly staff and beautiful views of elephants at breakfast

Stayed in January 2024

Special Location with an unique atmosphere… We enjoyed the excellent kitchen, staff and the beautiful landscape…

Stayed in January 2024

Probably the finest place that we stayed at in South Africa. Rooms were large and comfortable. Food was excellent. Exceeded expectations.

Stayed in January 2024

My criticism has to do with a policy that seems to be commonplace in resorts. We never ate all the food offered to us at breakfast such as breads, meats and cheeses as well as many fruits. Uneaten food, no matter what good condition it might be in, is always thrown away. I think this is unconscionable, especially in S Africa. I think the owners of River Bend should feed their staff, but also find a way to fairly distribute food to the needy. River Bend is a rich peoples’ destination. Rich people have an obligation to share. I hope other travelers affirm these expectations.

The grounds were really beautiful with cottages surrounding artfully landscaped grounds that were filled with birdsong. The chef was truly excellent and we enjoyed our breakfasts and dinners. Our park ranger, Paul MacKenzie, was outstanding. He knew the wildlife really well and had many tales from his interesting life. Rafa, one of the elephants blessed us with his presence at the gate on the day of our game drive and were fortunate to spend a lot of time with one of the lions. The Park concession was very good because it gave us long views. In contrast, during our solo drive from the bottom of Addo to the top, there was large bush obscuring views. I found the staff at River Bend to be really friendly and enjoyed my many conversations with them, particularly time spent talking to Jenna. I also enjoyed talking to Gladys, who worked in the kitchen. She and I share an interest in sewing with Shweshwe. We highly recommend River Bend. It is truly a 5 star experience.

Stayed in January 2024

Just a couple simple observations (not really dislikes) - The facilities are definitely a little "mature", but simple, clean and rustic... just like a traditional farm stay should be in South Africa - If you want to go on multiple game drives per day and into the Main Addo side, and not have to worry about extra for meals and drinks... definitely worth considering the "all-inclusive" option - If you're looking to relax and self drive a little bit while enjoying a full hot breakfast along with a full breakfast buffet available, you can save a little by paying for your options without the all-inclusive

Uniquely Situated in the Addo Concession (extra fees & charges - but they're well worth it!) We booked Cottage 1 - Private Pool, Outdoor Shower Staff are excellent - from Veronique and Jenna right to the servers and our Game Driver "Micky-Lea" (sp? 🫣) 5 ⭐️ hospitality - they seriously are accommodating and seeking to make the guest experience, the best possible Beautiful place to relax and enjoy the early a.m. sunrises and evening sunsets on the property. The inner garden and courtyard are just beautiful... especially in the golden hours

Stayed in January 2024

1. Not load shedding proof - Given the price tag and the persistent nature of load shedding, it seems unfathomable that a luxury property wouldn’t have full backups for WiFi, some lights, if not the air con 2. The price for the all inclusive rate is a lot. In hindsight, we would have gone for the Bed & Breakfast rate and purchased everything else a la carte since the game drives weren’t that hard to secure.

1. The staff’s service was exceptional - both the knowledgeable game drive guides & the attentive service staff team 2. The rooms were large and spacious and well appointed

Stayed in January 2024

Beautiful scenery and excellent food. Staff very attentive and pleasant. Rooms comfortable and great game drives.

Stayed in November 2023

The game drive could have some improvement. Coffee was terrible and although the driver was very nice, appeared to have a health condition that prevented him to do the job and did not transmit much confidence of his capability to deal with emergencies, should they arise.

Breakfast was brilliant and in practice was a brunch. The living room and bar area were cosy and very comfortable. We could have easily have stayed for much longer.

Stayed in October 2023

The Staff was always looking out for us to make our stay special.

Stayed in September 2023

The park says it has the big 5 but it only has 3 lions so we never saw any on our trip. To get from one end of the park to the other it would take 6 hours so like finding a needle in a haystack.

We booked all inclusive in the villa for 6 people. It was amazing. We had a private chef and wait staff and 2 game drives per day. The chef prepared us breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. The food was delicious. On the game drives we also had homemade snacks and drinks. The villa had a large fenced garden and private pool. We came in winter so never had a chance to use the pool but it looked amazing and I’m sure a real treat in summer. After our afternoon game drives, we came home to a camp fire in the garden and were served hot drinks and aperitif. It was such a lovely experience. Our game driver - Leo - was excellent. Really passionate about the animals and super engaging. We travelled with 2 young kids - 9 and 12 - and he went out of his way to keep them included, showed them how to track animals and let them out the vehicle when it was safe to put their tracking to use. The resort also has a back up generator so load shedding isn’t really noticed. We were lucky enough to see lots of elephants, plus the buffalo and a black rhino. Plus lots of other animals like zebra, warthog, plenty of different type of antelopes, baboons, emus, velvet monkeys, meerkats, jackals and more.

Stayed in September 2023

a world class retreat in the bush. Really special weekend with outstanding attention to detail. the staff are amazing, we loved the game drives to the special dinner at the fireplace. thank you

Stayed in April 2023

All fine

Location, guide, personal, late check out, we saw elephants, rhinos, lions, buffalos and many more.

Stayed in March 2023

Didn’t feel ‘all inclusive’, with mini bar not being restocked at any point (apart from water), premium wines being the full price instead of a supplement, and it not feeling like you could get a drink at any point i.e no bar staff at the bar and unclear if there were opening times for this.

Great game drives, and our guide Leo was incredible!! So knowledgable and passionate. The location of the lodge and views were fantastic, with it being on the park - we saw monkeys and zebras from our room!!! Breakfast was lovely as was the regular cleaning of our room/turndown service

Stayed in March 2023

Loadshedding contingencies aren’t really in place. However, the property was still amazing without electricity.

Quiet, well kept,

Stayed in January 2023

Service in the restaurant was very charming, but slow. The hotel is not really promoting the spa because of staff shortages, though I am sure if you pre-book for treatments this is not an issue. Also, it is worth noting that the lodge is not situated within the main Addo park, although it does appear to be so on maps of the area.

The food was all excellent, with a very generous breakfast, and the location is beautiful. The room was large and very comfortable, and outdoor shower is a lovely feature. Although there was no socket suitable for the hairdryer, an adaptor was quickly provided when I asked for one.

Stayed in February 2023

Nil

Had an absolutely incredible time here as a family. Moses, Debbie and the staff are all wonderful people, extremely attentive, the food was excellent and our ranger Christiaan could not have been kinder. We saw lions roaring, wild Rhinos, water buffalo and lots of elephants. The garden is a magical oasis.

Stayed in February 2023

-

great spacious apartment. great breakfast

Stayed in January 2023

Nothing. I cannot praise River Bend Lodge highly enough.

Everything! River Bend Lodge is a truly wonderful experience from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave. We were warmly greeted by the Manager, Debbie, who makes you feel immediately at home. The main lodge and has a colonnial feel with a lovely lounge, library, bar and restaurant. The whole place is full of character and old world charm. I stayed in one of the lodges and it was a wonderful experience. The beds are huge and comfortable, there is a seating area and the ensuite bathroom is huge with a door leading to an outdoor shower which faces onto the wonderful landscape of Addo. Off the lounge area of the lodge the patio doors open onto a nice private patio and at the side is a small pool, lounge chairs and another seating area under a tree. The drives with Solomon are excellent and he is a very knowledgeable ranger who is passionate about his work and the highlight of our drive was seeing the male and female lions on the open land. It was magical! The evening meals in the restaurant are superb cooked by the chef, Sophie, and the dishes are original and inspiring. There are four courses in total! The breakfasts are absolutely fantastic with an amazing choice of foods, fresh fruit, cold meats, cheeses and then cooked breakfasts. In the afternoon you can have a high tea in the lounge area and Sophie makes the most beautiful pastries and cakes. Overall, staying at River Bend Lodge has been one of the most unique travel experiences of my life. The staff at the Lodge make your stay so special and memorable. I would like to thank all the staff we came into contact with along with Debbie who is a wonderful manager and person. This includes Nonnie in the reception, Connie the waitress, Sam, Moses, Shaun, Sophie, Nombie and, of course, Solomon. The nice thing is that all the staff have such wonderful smiles and are so naturally friendly and welcoming. I'll definitely come back to River Bend Lodge

Stayed in January 2023

Their generator did not power the rooms during the 8 hrs per day without electricity, ie no lights or air conditioning 8 hrs per day! The WiFi was off during load shedding, when working the WiFi was weak.

Beautiful older lodge great staff. Game drives were good. Dining was very fine and nice!

Stayed in January 2023