Tutwa Desert Lodge

The guided game drives were a highlight for me. They gave me a deeper appreciation of the wildlife and plants. The landscape around the lodge is one of a kind, and the staff are welcoming while still giving you room to take in the atmosphere. It's remote enough to help you really relax and unwind.

A peaceful, relaxing place to unwind. The waitress, chef, and general manager all helped make the stay worthwhile. Thanks again, Tina, Mich, and Moyo...

Even though our visit lasted only a day, it left us feeling deeply restored. We came by plane after a trip in the Kalahari, then took a short game drive from the landing strip to the venue. The staff welcomed us with warm, wet cloths. Every one of them treated us like old friends, while respecting our boundaries, and did everything they could to make our brief stay memorable. Berto, thank you for opening your place to us for a day and letting us take in its beauty. We know what awaits and will definitely return for longer. I imagine a longer stay would bring real rest and leave you wishing time hadn't passed so quickly.

We were mostly stuck indoors during our December 2024 full-board stay, and we won't be back. It was above 40°C, walking near the hotel wasn't an option, and they wouldn't let us take our own 4x4 to the Orange River. We had to change our plans. The hotel said we needed to book its own tour, which we declined because we'd done it on our April 2021 visit. That earlier two-night all-inclusive stay had been wonderful. The package included house wine, local drinks, and two safari tours, for R4000 extra per night on top of the R9000 room rate. This time we chose full board. I also chose the hotel for my companion's important birthday and mentioned it to the manager at check-in, asking about a small cake or muffin at dinner. The request was overlooked. During Xmas week the only holiday decoration was a small silver tinsel tree at the entrance, and Xmas Eve dinner was unremarkable. A sandstorm knocked out the internet for a day. Once it came back, it was slow, around 2 Mbps, and intermittent. There is no cell signal at this remote location, so that matters if you need to stay connected. The pool was cloudy, with two empty chlorine floaters and black algae around the edges. The pump only ran on the last day, when the owner visited. We had a similar pool issue in April 2021, so this seems to be an ongoing maintenance problem. I also think the food has declined since then. One night we were offered steak or Portuguese chicken, and another night lamb shank, heavy meals for blistering heat. There were no menus. The two starter and two main options for lunch and dinner were read out at breakfast, so we had to choose early. On the first night, just two tables were occupied in the dining room, but they were next to each other. I asked for our table to be moved farther away and placed under the working air conditioner. The waitress did it, but with poor grace. That wasn't acceptable for a luxury hotel. After leaving, we stayed at Naries Namakwa Resort. Its service and food were excellent, and it had written menus. We arrived on Xmas Day to luxury crackers on the table and complimentary sparkling wine. Their luxury mountain suites cost R5800 per night. I bitterly regret choosing this hotel for such an important milestone. The owners seem complacent and presumably see it as a cash cow that no longer needs their time or attention. The many 5* reviews from previous years here and on Booking.com may make this one look like an outlier, but it isn't. For the price, it was very poor value. After reading the reviews and seeing the photos on booking.com, I feel as if I stayed at a different hotel. The carefully composed pictures of the pool and parasols, the giraffe, and the eggs benedict did not match what we experienced on our second visit. The owners also own Dundi Lodge closer to Augrabies. (FYI)