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Reviews of Bushwillow Collection

4 out of 5
Bushwillow Collection
Kuleni Game Park, Off R22 Sodwana Bay Road, Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal

Reviews

9.2

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 30 out of 41 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 7 out of 41 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 41 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 41 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 41 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Staff & service

9.4/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

10/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Wendy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We'll Be Back!
Bushwillow's Boutique Red Ivory self-catering chalet in Hluhluwe is a little piece of private paradise! Surrounded by the dense sand forest, with prolific bird-life and excellent walking trails, the chalet is beautifully designed and tastefully decorated, luxuriously finished and comfortably equipped. The private plunge pool and complete tranquility offer an unforgettable opportunity to simply "breathe", relax and ENJOY! We're already planning our return journey....
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ariel

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Just perfect
Spacious property, clean and fully equipped, do not hesitate - there is nothing not to like.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Cedric

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2022

8/10 Good

cedric

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was fabulous
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

8/10 Good

Joao

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice stay
We had a good stay. Very private. Pleasant accommodation. Good value.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
On arrival we were greeted by Ben with a welcome cold drink, help with our luggage and a quick tour of Red Ivory, which was very well equipped and so peaceful. Huge bi-fold doors opening out onto the bush and splash pool area.The only sound constant bird song. We'd booked db&b and learned that Ben was the chef. His cooking was superb, making even our breakfasts special and serving up his delicious personal recipes for our evening meals. Then there was De Wet who was such a great host, There was much banter with him regaling us with stories of his exploits. (Many times with frowns from Ben when our food was waiting to be served!) His daily advice and knowledge was invaluable, Another Ben appeared the next morning. He looked after us at mealtimes and expertly fielded our many fauna/birding questions with great clarity & wit. Ben 2 also took us on a night bush walk. His care and knowledge was extraordinary and insightful. Thoroughly recommended. Then there was 'Si' who took us on a morning bush walk to give us a taste of tracking and birding round the beautiful reserve. Again very knowledgeable with a keen sense of humour. Kuleni is a perfect location to explore from, with Hluhluwe national park just 3/4 hours away. What made this visit very special was the warmth, friendliness and helpfulness of Bushwillow's staff. Our four nights passed far too quickly and it was a sad parting on our last morning. Thank you again to the staff, seen and unseen who made our visit so memorable.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2019
Response from Leancha on Nov 20, 2019
Thank you so much for your review. We are pleased to hear that your stay was memorable. Hoping to welcome you again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Samantha

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Well worth the stay
We absolutely loved Bushwillow, we left feeling so relaxed and happy. Food was fantastic
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Was a very beautiful family room (two bedroom unit). Only issue is at night it was very dark and some of the decking had weak boards and one of the workers almost fell. It was lucky it wasn’t one of the guests as we were 50km from the nearest clinic.
Stayed 1 night in May 2019
Response from Bushwillow Manager on May 14, 2019
Dear Guest, thank you so much for taking the time to give us feedback. We are very happy that you enjoyed your stay. We will have a look at the weak deck. Kind regards

10/10 Excellent

Deirdre

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We had a lovely stay at Bushwillow collections. The accommodation was in great condition, the little pool much needed in the heat and being surrounded by the bush and wildlife was good for the soul. De Wet and Dane were great hosts, quick to answer any questions and always keen to engage and accommodate us. I highly recommend it and will be going back there.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2018
Response from Bushwillow Team on Jan 8, 2019
Dear Deirdre Thank you so much for taking the time to review us, we are very happy to know that you enjoyed your time here and hope that we will get the opportunity to welcome you back to Bushwillow again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Excellent
Beautiful place with excellent service.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018
Response from Bushwillow Team on Oct 17, 2018
Thank you so much for taking the time to review us, we hope to welcome you again at Bushwillow in future.

10/10 Excellent

Gert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice bushy stay
This was a nice stay in the KZN bush -quiet with well appointed rooms, excellent breakfast with the option of dinner if you wish. good security and easy reach of other activities in the area

10/10 Excellent

Victoria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very lovely lodge in middle of interesting reserve
Bushwillow is an amazing find and we have already recommended to friends that live in the region. Under new management but from reading previous reviews, has done nothing to detract from this being a special place.
Thank you for your review, we hope to keep up the trusted standard at Bushwillow and hope to welcome you here once again in future!

10/10 Excellent

maria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
outstanding wonderful experience!
definitely be back it was truly wonderful!
We are very happy to hear that, we hope to welcome you again at Bushwilliw in future.

10/10 Excellent

Sabine, Surrey, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Once is a lifetime experience
Our stay at Bushwillow was unbelievable: We had a very relaxing stay and enjoyed every minute of it. The giraffes that greeted her the first time we drove through Kuleni park to our cottage, the gazelles stopping by our windows in the morning and the monkeys occasionally playing in our "backyard" were some of the "neighbours" that have made us feel like we were living on a different planet for a few days (even the crazy thunderstorm we had one night contributed to a bit of a surreal experience)... The staff was very helpful and gave a us a lot of great recommendations / arranged for many activities. Last but not least, the cooking was flawless and gave us a chance to experience some of the local flavours (the peppadew chicken was certainly memorable!). We would highly recommend Bushwillow.
Response from Charlie on Mar 15, 2017
Thank you for your review, we enjoyed having you at Bushwillow and hope to see you again in future for some lovely meals and game drives! We hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip.

10/10 Excellent

Gordon, Dallas TX USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Private Game Park
We had a lovely time. You are able to walk around the game area without assistance and see the animals close up. Some wart hogs lived under our room. Breakfast and Dinner were provided and were delicious. We asked for the recipe and was given it by email, so we can now enjoy making dinner and remembering of the wonderful time we had.

10/10 Excellent

Stuart, Leeds

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Bush special!
What a perfect location, set in a very private "bush" area and near to so many places to canoeingWe were in the Yellowwood double self catering accommodation. It has bifolding doors on 2 sides which open completely allowing a feeling of outdoor living. The personal plunge pool looked inviting but was just a little too cold in mid October. We had one evening meal in the lodge (ZAR200/person) and found the Amarello lodge, 2.5 km towards Sodwana Bay, for our internet fix, pizza, cocktails & beer. Lots of suggestions from Bushwillow for things to do & would really recommend the canoing with Themba. A special place which we would love to revisit.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful self-contained unit away from it all
Very clean and attractive studio suite with full kitchen. Only negative from a comfort standpoint is that there is no air-conditioning! Wonderful deck with plunge pool where you can sit and listen to the sounds in the Game Park while watching for birds and animals. It is 16 km from the nearest grocery store on good roads and the closest restaurant is 3 km away. We had a great free guided tour/nature walk within the Game park and found it very informative about the area its flora and fauna. Gives good access to neighbouring Game preserves of Hluhluwe and Mkhuze.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stop looking, this is the one!
Had a fantastic time, the lodge has just two rooms and is situated in a small private game reserve making it quite unique, it was almost like we were the only people there with the friendly staff dedicated to just us! Would highly recomend to anyone looking for respite from the rat race. The rooms are lovely, from crisp linen to panoramic views and giraffe walking past whilst having our morning cuppa!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Idyllic
Wonderful location, great accommodation, fantastic food

2/10 Terrible

Sacha

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Horrible expérience
Nous navons pas pu dormir sur place Pas d'air conditionné ni de WiFi alors que cela était indiqué, il faisait 38 degrés dans la chambre. L'accueil s'est extrêmement mal passé car la personne ne parlait pas anglais. Le dîner devait se faire impérativement à 6h tapante. Nous avons demandé à voir le manager qui après 1h à daigné se déplacer. Il n'a pas pu régler nos problèmes et nous a proposé 50% de remboursement pour partir. Ce que nous avons fait à contre cœur...
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Man muss hier gewesen sein super Service, eine morgen Fahrt und eine Abend fahrt durch den Busch mit den ganzen Tieren ist inklusive! Es gibt sogar jedesmal ein Picknick abends mit Wein und morgens mit Kaffee! Super Pool und super Blick vom Berg! Am Ende ist diese Loge eher zu günstig. Super weiter so!
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Almuth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Von Sternen, Strom und vogelspinnen
Tief im Busch befinden sich etwa 5 cottages, sauber und freundlich eingerichtet, sogar ein Minipool gehört dazu. Um das Haus herum schleichen Antilopen, nyalas und kudus, hüpfen Affen und krabbeln geschäftige vogelspinnen. Abenteuer pur, wenn man feststellt, dass man völlig allein ist in der Anlage, kein weiterer Gast und auch niemand von den Angestellten und plötzlich für zwei Stunden auch noch der Strom ausfällt. Dafür gibt es dann einen sensationellen Sternenhimmel und ein urwaldorchester höchster klanggüte.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Komfortable Unterkunft, unweit vom Hluhluwe PArk. Touristische Attraktionen gut zu erreichen. Exzellentes Essen, besonders Abendessen.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Schöne Unterkunft, sehr ruhig gelegen inmitten der Natur. Tolles Personal und super Küche!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Amenities
We already knew Bushwillow Collection from a previous visit some four years ago and were very satisfied then. Unfortunately, the quality has decreased significantly: with the cleanliness, it is no longer everywhere the best order. There are some defects such as broken lights indoors and outdoors, stained dish towels, musty towels. The cutlery was very incomplete, so there was only a single teaspoon. Some information was missing, such as whether the water from the line was drinkable. The useful wheelbarrows to transport the suitcases were all broken, so that the suitcases were pulled through the partly sandy bottom - unsightly for the suitcase roles and the cleanliness inside. The staff was friendly and helpful. Overall, the system looks now pretty loveless. We hope that the management improves the negative points so the lodge will live up to its previous good ratings.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Manager on Apr 23, 2019
Dear Guest Thank you for taking the time to provide some feedback, we will pay immediate attention and make sure all of the issues raised above are addressed. We hope we can in future meet your expectations again.

6/10 Okay

Helena

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Remote lodge in wilderness type location
Friendly and helpful staff. We stayed for 1 night. The major draw back is the location : very remote in the middle of nowhere. No TV and no WiFi. Only suitable for people who seek to “ be away from it all”!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from Bhejane Team on Oct 31, 2018
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Being located on a nature reserve, our main drawcard is our remoteness, that offers a pleasant escape and nature experience. We are sorry that we did not meet your expectations but hope you enjoyed other parts of your stay with us none the less.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
In de bush
Geweldige locatie en service....vooral de kleinschaligheid, service en ligging zijn top
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018
Response from Bushwillow Team on Oct 24, 2018
Dear In de bush, thank you so much for taking the time to review us. We are happy to know that you enjoyed your stay at Bushwillow and hope to see you again in future. We noted your lower ranking for staff and will investigate to take note of your concerns.

10/10 Excellent

Petra

Wohnen im Busch!
Wir haben 3 Nächte in der Tambotie Lodge verbracht, ein Bungalow mit vielen Fenstern und Blick in die Natur. Wenn man dann auf der Terasse sitzt und Giraffen laufen in 3 Meter Entfernung an einem vorbei, ist das schon ein ganz besonderes Erlebnis. Zum Frühstück und Abendessen wurden wir bestens versorgt. Absolute Empfehlung!!!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018
Response from Bushwillow Team on Oct 17, 2018
Dear Petra, we are so happy that you enjoyed your stay at Bushwillow. Thank you for taking the time to recommend us. We hope to see again.

10/10 Excellent

Marc, Rheinland-Pfalz

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Schöne Lodge in einem kleinen privaten Reserve mit einigen Tieren. Sehr nettes Personal und sehr gutes Essen. Gutes Preis-Leistungsverhältnis. Würde ich wieder buchen.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2018

8/10 Good

Sven, M

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
SUPER
Wir waren das erste mal im Hluhluwe und hatten eine tolle Zeit im Bushwillow. Saber, super Lage und nette Mitarbeiter. Die Ausstattung ist sehr stylisch, aber nicht zu übertrieben. Wir kommen gern wieder.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018
Response from Manager on Mar 20, 2018
Dear Sven We are very happy to know that you enjoyed your stay with us, we hope to see you again in future. Kind regards Bushwillow Team

10/10 Excellent

Helmut

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wir hatten das Haus Red Yvory und es war einfach super. Das Haus hat alles was man braucht und man kann sich in dem Pool sehr gut erholen. Die Ruhe pur. Das Personal ist sehr bemüht und freundlich.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018
Response from Bushwillow Team on Feb 26, 2018
Thank you for staying at Bushwillow. We appreciate your feedback and hope to see you again in future.

8/10 Good

Peter, Epse

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Mooie lodge. Weinig 'wildlife'.
Prachtig ingerichte lodge. Vrijwel geen beesten gezien. Het park is niet écht bijzonder.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

ulla , Germany

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay, just too short
We had a great stay at bushwillow. The lodges are very comfortable with a great view. We had all kinds of animals right in front of our window, e.g. a giraffe. the staff was really nice and helpful and cooked a delicious 3 course dinner menu for us. Unfortunately we only stayed one night. It is a good place though to stay multiple nights and do things from there and come back at night
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

laurent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Très agréable séjour
Joli lodge cache dans la forêt Le lodge avait deux belles chambres reliées par un petit salon Environnement très calme, super dîner et petit déjeuner Suivre les indications pour trouver l'hôtel et prendre l option dîner car pas de Resto à Hluhluwe
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017
Thank you kindly for taking the time to review us. We are so happy that you enjoyed your time here and hope to be hosting you again in future. Kind regards De Wet and Alecia

10/10 Excellent

Ronald, Den Haag

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastisch
Prachtige locatie. Het personeel was erg behulpzaam en gaven goede tips. Het eten was heerlijk en wij hadden een prachtige kamer met een heerlijke badkamer. Een aanrader wat ons betreft!
Response from Manager on Jul 16, 2017
Thank you kindly for taking the time to review us. We are very pleased that you have enjoyed your time, and will relay your message to our staff team as well. We hope to hosting you again at Bushwillow in future. Kind regards

10/10 Excellent

Jean louis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Manfred

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tolle Anlage!
Diese schöne Anlage liegt tief im afrikanischen Busch und ist nur über sandige, ausgefahrene Naturwege erreichbar. Die Gebäude sind luxuriös. Die Speisen exzellent. Von dem Städtchen Hluhluwe aus kann man eine geführte Safari in den Hluhluwe-Nationalpark unternehmen. Empfehlenswert!

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
BUONO MA CON RISERVA....
Partiamo dai giudizi positivi: il parco in cui è situata la struttura è molto carino, è possibile fare lunghe passeggiate a piedi e vedere alcuni animali come giraffe, kudu, antilopi, facoceri etc. Posto molto tranquillo e con personale locale, specialmente ( o forse dovrei dire "solo") Victoria eccezionale, ha fatto la differenza! Sia la colazione che la cena sono stati ottimi. Ora passiamo alla parte che non mi ha fatto dare un giudizio ottimo: la gestione è cambiata da poco ( forse è un bene)... quando ho prenotato tramite expedia ho ricevuto una mail dal Bushwillow in cui mi si diceva che al check out Expedia avrebbe preso il 15% di commissione, non credo che i clienti debbano essere informati di questo, è logico che Expedia abbia il proprio guadagno ma dovrebbe rimanere tra la struttura ed Expedia, invece la stessa cosa l'ho ritrovata in fattura. Il cottage che abbiamo prenotato, bello esteticamente, ma con tetto in lamiera che in Africa non è proprio l'ideale, l'ultima notte faceva talmente caldo che abbiamo faticato a dormire e l'aria condizionata non funzionava ( non avendone avuto bisogno prima non lo sapevamo). Credo che in un posto che vuole essere "esclusivo" il controllo che tutto funzioni perfettamente dovrebbe essere all'ordine del giorno. E' sicuramente un posto con molte potenzialità ma che deve essere migliorato.

10/10 Excellent

Cor Westerduin, Rotterdam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Geweldige locatie
De lodge ligt op een geweldige locatie. Je kan het wild zien vanuit je bed. De twee dames maken heel lekker eten klaar. Zowel bij het ontbijt als het diner. Als het weer het toelaat eet je lekker buiten.

10/10 Excellent

Beate, München, Deutschland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wunderschöne Lodge mitten im Busch
Bushwillow Lodge ist etwas ganz Besonderes: Die runden, wunderschönen Bungalows haben großen Glasfronten, so dass man sogar vom Bett aus Zebra und Co. beobachten kann. Die Lodge liegt in einem Park, den man zu Fuß erkunden kann! - Tolles Erlebnis! Besonders herzlich aufgenommen und verwöhnt wurden wir von Jabu, die fantastisch für uns gekocht hat. Julian, der Besitzer kam jeden Abend vorbei, um uns Tipps für Ausflüge zu geben oder für uns zu organisieren. Die Safari in den Hluhluwe Park war großartig. Unbedingt empfehlenswert!