ANEW Resort Wilderness Garden Route Resort

The upgrades look beautiful, and there’s so much for families to do: a massive swimming pool, putt putt, jumping castle, padel ball, tennis courts, and a kids club. The buffet breakfast is amazing too. Our room was comfortable and cosy, the lounging areas were lovely, and the poolside menu and ordering service were great. What really makes the place, though, is the staff. They greet you in the hallways, smile, and are incredibly friendly and helpful, so it feels like a home away from home from the moment you arrive. Well done to the new owners and the team. We can’t wait to be back in December!

My dad has recommended the Wilderness Hotel for years, so my sister and I finally tried it for an overnight stop on the way to Cape Town. We loved it. We booked at the last minute after walking in, so a little planning on our side might have got us a bigger room, but the hotel still found us a lovely one. The front desk staff were polite and helpful, and the hotel was clean and neat. Breakfast was the highlight, with eggs made how you liked, cereals, baked goods, coffee slushies, and a waffle station. We had so much to choose from. I’d love to stay again next time I’m in Wilderness. Thank you!

The chef deserves credit for looking after our dietary needs, lacto ovo vegetarian and without onions or garlic. I also liked the buffet’s many healthy options. Still, I hope the accommodation improves with future infrastructure and bedding upgrades. This is an old hotel, and a lot of the infrastructure needs work. Our standard family suite had old wooden furniture, which I didn’t mind, but the plumbing meant we couldn’t get hot water for showers. The lady manager kindly let us upgrade to an executive family suite with nice modern furnishings, and that fixed the hot water problem. The pillows in both rooms smelled moldy, like clothes that hadn’t dried properly. It may be time to replace the old pillow inners. We stayed over Christmas 2025.

Reception and the chef were absolutely amazing, but I can’t say the same for the management and lead team on the ground. For the price, the stay was disappointing. Our room was in very poor condition despite the increased rates, and the bathroom equipment was broken. We were still put in a room where the phone didn’t work because of a known network issue. At breakfast and in the restaurant, dirty tablecloths had simply been turned over instead of cleaned. A whole window pane fell out in the restaurant, and there were broken handles and doors. One chair had nails sticking out, which was genuinely dangerous. Basic maintenance and cleanliness standards weren’t met.