Monate Lodge

We recently attended a wedding at the Monate Game Lodge where we also stayed for 2 nights in one of the main lodge double rooms. The room was decorated in a modern way with an open plan bathroom area, and included all your modern amenities such as air-conditioning, a TV, coffee machine and more. The main lodge building consists of a dining room where we had our buffet style breakfasts as well as a bar / lounge area where you could relax and enjoy some drinks. We also had the privilege of having dinner in their natural cave the first evening which was quite a unique experience. During our stay we went on a game drive where we saw multiple different animals including some lions, but it is good to note that the lions are not free-roaming as they are kept in a separate enclosure from the rest of the animals. The wedding itself was very beautiful with the ceremony held outside under a beautiful rock-fig tree and the reception was held in the reception hall (as it had started raining). The wedding was very beautiful and if you are looking for a venue this is a very good option. Overall we enjoyed our stay and the friendly staffs were the cherry on-top.

As a wedding venue it is absolutely fantastic, but the prices charged for the additional services are outrageous. How do you charge double the price for a room, just because two people are sleeping in the room instead of one? A coffee machine is wonderful, but tea drinkers beware: you have to specially request a kettle for the room. Not quite 4 star, is it? The mattress on the bed was hopeless and the sheet did not cover the whole bed. I have had better breakfasts for half the price in 3 star accommodation and the special potjiekos dinner in the cave was also only worth half the price. Sadly these conditions detracted from the lovely wedding we thoroughly enjoyed.

Short version: Do I recommend a stay over or getting married here…most definitely, you will not regret it!Long version: We stayed over at Monate wedding venue a few weeks ago for a weekend wedding. We stayed in a beautiful one bedroom (open plan bathroom, shower, toilet, double basin – note – the toilet does have door to close you off from the room…with an extractor fan :). The rooms are thatched and tastefully decorated. Each room has it’s own veranda/stoep (as we say in South Africa). Some rooms do share adjacent walls with other units, but no noise is transferred. The venue has a few swimming pools so take your costume and towel along. On that note…bath towels, hand towels, soap and face cloths and evening gowns are available. The rooms have a small TV and bar fridge (not stocked). Kids can play putt putt…I think…there’s a small layout. The venue has some lovely walkways between the rooms, but be aware there are crocodiles, rhino’s and other wildlife on the property…so you cannot go for a morning run or evening walk outside of the main venue area. Monate offers great meal options, a fully functional restaurant and bar, and a cave (which is not underground as such…it is an elevated rock enclave with the most stunning view (over the lion camp enclosure). Game drives are available. Personally, I find these boutique venue’s lovely but once off experience, however having said that, if I had the opportunity to go back I would happily do so. I must say, this venue’s staff were exceptional!!! Probably the best service, most attentive and friendliest team I’ve ever experienced – well done Monate!

Everything was excellent except the room service. I slept with dead insects for four nights. There is a lack of supervision for room cleaners. They will give you one soap for the whole week without changing the used towels ..

The wedding venue was great and we enjoyed the wedding very much. The issue I had is that our room was not functional.Our shower head was basically completely broken and not working in addition to the shower spraying water at the rest of the room with no barrier to stop it. The tap pressure was very weird and exploded every few seconds if it was on. One of the sinks was blocked and unusable because the water just stayed in it. The toilet was too weak to flush correctly sometimes.We were only there for one night an as we were checking out the next morning we told them about the issues and they said they would fix it. There was no other action taken to compensate or anything.The whole thing wasn't that bad but for the price point I would at the leastt expect the shower to work. Other people had no issues with their rooms so it really is a gamble and I wouldn't take it again.The breakfast the next morning was nice and as I said the wedding itself was nice.

wedding venue was perfect. I do agree with its 4-star rating however am also compelled to say being charged 500rands (£24, roughly) for a double gin+tonic is a complete rip off. No prices were displayed throughout the hotel and at it’s various excursion spots (eg. the hippo dam) and we were just charging things to our room. Only when we checked out today did we discover the price for drinks. Our bad, I guess! However, this review is written so that other future wedding guests are forewarned. It did take the edge off for what was a happy celebration. Not the fault of the happy couple but it will not be a venue I would recommend.- couldn’t help but feel they exploited it’s (largely) international clientele this weekend.

Lovely experience. We attended a weekend wedding this past weekend. Accommodation is absolutely beautiful, neat, luxurious and homey at the same time. I rained the whole weekend so the wedding was indoors. Still beautiful. Staff were super friendly and food was mouth watering delicious! Beautiful viewpoints. Dinner in the cave was an amazing experience. Game drive was fantastic. There is a neat toilet at the sunset drinks area next to the dam. There are lions, leopards and Buffalos on the farm. I would love to come again. I would advise to drive a high clearance vehicle when its raining. Thanks for the amazing experience.

We had our wedding here and we loved it. Such a magical place!