Unembeza Boutique Lodge & Spa

We spent a magical week on our honeymoon at Unembeza Boutique Lodge & Spa, inside a privately secured wildlife estate. The grounds were beautiful: giraffes grazed at dawn, zebras passed our villa, and warthogs trotted around as if they owned the place. The villa itself was new, only 6 months old, and we got a complimentary honeymoon upgrade. Mariam greeted us with chilled champagne and a personalized itinerary. Our villa had a private side deck overlooking the bush, a luxurious outdoor shower, and rose petals scattered across the bed. The couples massage was another highlight, relaxing, professional, and tailored to what we wanted. Jeremiah, our driver and guide, picked us up with a warm smile and so much energy. By the end of the week he felt like a friend. He was smart, kind, and turned every outing into a lesson in local culture, nature, and connection. On the Panorama Route tour we saw God’s Window, Potholes, and Mountain View’s and learned about the area's history. On a sundowner drive across the estate we learned about indigenous plants and animal behavior while sipping wine as the sun went down. He also insisted we try bobotie, and we’re still craving it. The best part of our trip was two guided safaris in Kruger National Park with Attest. He was patient, had eagle eyes for spotting animals, and shared lots of knowledge and stories about the bush. We saw elephants cross the road just inches from our vehicle, a massive buffalo herd staring us down, and a whole family of hippos. His passion and respect for the animals made each sighting more special. Ziggy joined us on our first trip, and we’re grateful he shared the experience with us too. We loved the food as well. Breakfast meant fresh pastries, tropical fruit, eggs made to order, and bottomless coffee. Lunch and dinner mixed South African flavors with fine dining, with venison, Kudo, and Impala, plus vegetarian dishes and food for different needs. Shoutout to Ziggy, Stanley, Solli, and everyone in the kitchen and service team. They were warm, attentive, and proud of each plate. Thank you, Jeremiah, Attest, Mariom, Stanley, Solli, Ziggy, and the whole Unembeza team. You made our honeymoon unforgettable!

Lizzy was wonderful to communicate with and made sure everything was set for our arrival. We were welcomed so warmly, and the hospitality continued throughout our stay. The transfers were easy to arrange, and our safari with Dave was an experience of a lifetime. My husband and I had an amazing time at Unembeza Boutique lodge and spa. We’d love to return someday and would recommend it to anyone looking to stay in Hoedspruit.

We had a great time at Unembeza. The rooms were beautiful, the staff friendly, and the food delicious. We booked both the Panorama Route tour and an afternoon Nature Drive through the lodge, and loved them. The spa massages were great too. I’d highly recommend a stay here.

The bedroom was really nice, but the staff side of our stay was a disaster. One night while I was showering, two women came into my room and found me naked. They scared me, said they thought I’d gone out for dinner, and then locked me inside. I had to get my friend to come and let me out. At breakfast the next morning, nobody acknowledged us or explained anything when we came in. Then a waiter named Said served us with a terrible attitude. He got the order wrong, forgot things, returned with the wrong items, and was rude again while wiping his nose. He then said he would charge us for things he’d said were included. It was so bad that we left everything on the table and went to a decent restaurant.