Forest Lodge

“Average room, good location ”

Pictures look nice online but don't show the lack of maintenance over the last few years, which is apparent. Great blackout curtains in the room and quiet so sleep quality good. There is a pool & breakfast has lots of choice but no restaurant or bar. Having said that it's 10 mins max walk to town f… more

Pictures look nice online but don't show the lack of maintenance over the last few years, which is apparent. Great blackout curtains in the room and quiet so sleep quality good. There is a pool & breakfast has lots of choice but no restaurant or bar. Having said that it's 10 mins max walk to town for those things. If you want a basic, clean place for exploring iSimangaliso this works. When tourism picks up I'm sure it'll get back to being proper 4*

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“Could be so good, but....”

Let's start off by stating that the staff were very helpful and understanding and that in general the facilities were quite good (although in need of updating), but here is the big but..... 1. The room was generally clean but smelt of damp and there was mould on the bathroom ceiling and around the … more

Let's start off by stating that the staff were very helpful and understanding and that in general the facilities were quite good (although in need of updating), but here is the big but..... 1. The room was generally clean but smelt of damp and there was mould on the bathroom ceiling and around the shower area, the shower also overflowed into the bathroom. Basically, there was no ventilation in the bathroom and the window was not lockable and had clear glass. The simple solution would be to put an extractor in the bathroom, or a lockable stay on the window with opaque glass so that the room can be aired. The room smelt like a very strong cleaning agent had been used to overpower the smell of damp and this in itself had an extremely pungent smell. 2. Some items of furniture were very old and broken and the hairdryer was sticky to touch, so not used. 3. Breakfast was luke warm with insufficent utensils to serve the food, so guests were using tongs meant for hot food to pick up fresh produce or bread. It was a shame because there was a fairly good selection of food. We also had to request cutlery which was missing from our table. The damp smell was so overpowering that we only stayed for one night out of the four planned, we found another B&B for a similar price around the corner. When we checked out the management were very apologietic and offered to move us, so we cannot fault them in these regards. We did not make a huge fuss or demand any refund as the staff were clearly embarrassed and it was not their fault that the owner has not invested money in the areas where it is needed. This was purely our experience and others might find the accommodation value for money, but out of the many locations we stayed in South Africa during our 16 night tour, this was the most disappointing, purley because of the damp smell, it's unhealthy!

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“Classy place but service levels low”

In a town where is probably an oversupply of accommodation, I would think that establishment would strive to give the best possible service. We went on a long weekend and most places were booked out but the main street didnt look too busy. Nevertheless, we chose Forest Lodge 2 streets out of the ci… more

In a town where is probably an oversupply of accommodation, I would think that establishment would strive to give the best possible service. We went on a long weekend and most places were booked out but the main street didnt look too busy. Nevertheless, we chose Forest Lodge 2 streets out of the city centre for some quiet. Quiet it was, definitely. Ours was a 2 bed, 2 bath self catered unit with a balcony but no real view except in to the central garden which was very beautiful. Our room was missing a few items like some towels and we had to ask repeatedly before we go them. Most of the time reception was unmanned, a bit puzzling for a long weekend. This lodge was built to a high standard. The outdoor lounge is next to the pool and full of character with its hanging chairs, built under the canopy of trees.. There was a second pool which was under renovation and its dirty water brought alot of mosquitos to our room, they could have drained the water out. Theres also provide a braai area at the far end, just watch the monkeys. We didn't take the breakfast option or use the restaurant.

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