Accommodation near Hartbeespoort: |
Amanzingwe Lodge review
Amanzingwe Lodge is the best place we've stayed at near the Hartbeespoort. We stayed at Thuli Village in the Amanzingwe Lodge. According to the locals the word "Thuli" means "quiet" or "peaceful", and it lives up to its name. If you're looking for peace and serenity, with staff close by who want to cater to your every whim, then Amanzingwe Lodge is a good choice. The Lodge is well situated for a weekend of fun - take in hot air ballooning with Bill Harrop or balloon over the Hartbeespoort, enjoy the incredibly fun Ama Zwing Zwing zip line (the 2nd longest in the southern hemisphere) and visit the Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary on the far side of the Hartbeespoort.
Weddings
Amanzingwe has wonderful wedding facilities, with both an outdoor and indoor chapel and a spacious wedding hall.
The indoor Chapel at Amanzingwe |
Chapel and wedding hall at Amanzingwe |
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Welcome area for wedding at Amanzingwe |
Theresa's Garden Chapel at Amanzingwe |
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Wedding carriage at Amanzingwe |
Wedding hall, would normally be filled with tables and the podium on the left. |
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Bar area of the wedding hall |
Happily married couple with beautiful background |
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African-themed rooms
The decor had a touch of Africa in it, with dark woody cupboards, and elephant sculptures above the beds. I liked the prompt service after requesting a remote control for the TV, in the space of 10 minutes they replaced the entire TV!
Bikers paradise
At breakfast on Sunday there were dozens of motorbikes parked at the lodge, including the Pretoria Chapter of Harley Davidson. The hotel has a specific room set aside for bikers to leave their helmets, so clearly this is a strong focus.
We spent some time relaxing in the Zebra Bar Lounge.
Lost & found
I lost the pouch for my Blackberry, which costs quite a bit, and was delighted when one of the staff members returned it to me (I didn't even have to ask for it, he'd remembered where I sat).
Food
Food was delicious. I especially liked their potato skins with cheese sauce (they left out the bacon bits for me).
telephonic reservations |
address |
website |
012 205 8600 (ph) |
Plot 339 |
Ama Zwing Zwing
It was so easy to arrange a trip on the Ama Zwing Zwing, just asked at the Amanzingwe reception, and they organised a vehicle to drive me to the 500m or so there. Ama Zwing Zwing market themselves as being the longest zip line in southern Africa - what I can confirm is that it is a hell of a lot of fun.
Monkey Sanctuary
We did a day trip out to the Bush Baby Monkey Sanctuary, on the other side of the Hartbeespoort Dam. Was much enjoyed by the entire family, just watch out for Apie - the guy's a kleptomaniac!
Hot air ballooning
You're spoilt for choice with the hot air ballooning. You can either go ballooning at the Hartbeespoort, or go to the Magalies River Valley for Bill Harrop's hot air ballooning.
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