dolcevitanyc

Hi all,

I'm planning the honeymoon for myself and my fiance for next October 2011. Our itinerary is Cape Town -> Safari --> Mauritius and I'm having trouble figuring out what the best lodge is for our needs - any help would be much appreciated. We plan to stay for 3-4 nights, likely in Kruger or Sabi Sands. Given that this is a honeymoon and our first safari, our primary focus is finding the option with the best service, rooms and food.

Family members of mine visited Singita, but at $3k per night, that's just way more than I'd spend anywhere per night. My current top contenders are mala mala main, exeter/dulini and sabi sabi little bush camp, What do you suggest? Thanks in advance for your help.

Kindly,
Mike

cary999

Under $1500 per person per night (pppn), right?
MalaMala. Way under, stay another night

regards - tom

dolcevitanyc

Sorry, to clarify, $1,500 total per night for two people, so under $750 per person.

cary999

ahhh, so sweet, already you're feeling the two of you as one in bliss!!!!

regards - tom
ps - my answer still MalaMala

Lynneb

Take a look at Exeter Leadwood instead of Dulini. There were two honeymoon couples there when we stayed there and it seemed pretty perfect.

Safari_Craig

mike,

i have arranged a lot of honeymoons for people looking for the exact same circuit as you mentioned so here are some thoughts from my experiences and client feedback:

i love malamala but i would not take my wife to main camp on a honeymoon. i would only go to malamala rattrays for a honeymoon. unfortunately, the cost of rattrays for 2011 is $925 pppn so it is over your budget by $350 per night. so, if you are looking for a property in your price range i would consider lion sands river lodge on a stay3pay2 special. right now they have only extended this special through may 31. if it does get extended the two night price would prorate to about 4,000 rand per person per night for a three night stay (approximately $1,200 for two people per night).

lion sands has a tree house that i have been to twice. you can spend the night in the tree house and it was featured on the cover of conde nast in the august 2010 issue (two issues ago). also, lion sands was the place that jason and molly (if you watch the bachelor on ABC) spent their honeymoon last march.

mauritius - i strongly prefer mozambique for honeymooners. going to mauritius will "force" you to overnight in Johannesburg after your safari. you should consider finishing your safari on a tuesday, friday, or saturday and then take the direct non-stop charter from nelspruit/MQP to vilanculous. from vilanculous you can go to one of the following four island lodges (ranked in order of my personal choice): azura, benguerra, marlins, indigo bay. azura is an excellent honeymoon spot for pure barefoot luxury. they should extend their honeymoon special soon which means the bride gets 50% for a five night stay.

cape town - check our Cape Grace. if you are looking for more budget the cape cadogan is owned by the same people as lion sands. Other ideas: go from cape town to Johannesburg on the Rovos Rail then go on safari.

Skip the beach. Go to Thonga in south Africa to allow more money in your budget for safari. Or, simply spend two days at a beach hotel like the Oyster Box. Keep in mind the oyster box is an urban beach resort sort of like Miami beach.

Hope this helps.

Craig beal – owner - -travel beyond

dolcevitanyc

Thanks for the suggestions.

Craig - How does Lion Sands compare to andbeyond dulini and Sabi Sabi?

Thanks,
Mike

spassvogel

Sabi Sands:

- LONDOLOZI Varty (superior chalet) or FOUNDERS or PIONEER
http://www.londolozi.com/

- Lion Sands
http://www.lionsands.com/

Timbavati Reserve:
Ngala Tented
http://www.andbeyondafrica.com/luxur...game_reserve_2

Makalali Conservancy:
Garonga Camp - besides game the emphasis is on the SPA
http://www.garonga.com/safari_camp.php

Madikwe Reserve: (5 hrs NE of Joburg - malaria free)
MATEYA (the most luxurious accommodation you can find for that rate!). Excellent value for money! - Madikwe Reserve and the opportunity to encounter the "magnificent 7" = big five plus wild dog and cheetah. And maybe a brown hyena! You find the huge Kalahari lions here.
http://www.mateyasafari.com/

Choice is yours!

cary999

FWIW, and I know not that much to you because you want comparisons of camps, here is a map that lists and locates most all of the safari camps in the Greater Kruger area. -
http://tomgraham.smugmug.com/MAPS/Ma...7_HnkFD-XL.jpg

regards - tom

wildwings

To answer Mike's question:
Craig recommended Lion Sands River Lodge, which is indeed a very good choice because it comes in below the stated budget. I was at Lion Sands last week to take a look at the bigger, refurbished rooms at River Lodge and they are superb. If budget allows, I would recommend Ivory Lodge over River Lodge for a honeymoon. The suites are bigger and have their own private plunge pool. This is also the key difference between Lion Sand River Lodge and Dulini or Leadwood - no plunge pools at Lion Sands river lodge, while Dulini and Leadwood both have plunge pools. I would second Lynnb's suggestion to look at Leadwood lodge as an option - it is on the Sand River, very private and intimate with only 4 suites, each with outside shower and plunge pool as well. I was at Dulini for my own honeymoon in 1999 and it was fantastic.
Sabi Sabi - it depends which lodge you are talking about. Earth Lodge is the obvious choice (also with private plunge pool) but is above the stated budget.
So yes I think Lion Sands River Lodge is a good call if you don't mind not having your own private plunge pool. If you do want the plunge pool, look at Leadwood Lodge or Dulini instead.
Onne from Wild Wings Safaris

dolcevitanyc

Impossible to choose, thanks for all the suggestions. I'm considering 3 nights at ivory instead of 4 at dulini, hopefully that's enough time. If only the fx rate would improve.

christabir

Mike - as above, your budget and limited time could be better served with Thonga or Rocktail instead of Mauritius. Very secluded, private. I understand the draw of Mauritius, but I would consider the other options with such a short timeframe - so much time traveling.

Three nights is not enough, but that's from someone who thought our last trip with 10 nights on safari was not enough. No worries - you'll be back.

The One & Only just opened in CT. It sounds lovely. I stayed at the Cape Grace, and it was a great place, with excellent service.

Congratulations.

spassvogel

Very good choice! You certainly will LOVE it! Also 3 nights should be sufficient - nothing but everything guaranteed ;-)

wildwings

I tend to agree with christabit, 3 nights may be enough for some, but if you have the option of 4 nights at a less expensive lodge, I would always recommend a longer stay. If I had to choose between 3 nights at Ivory Lodge or 4 nights at Dulini, I would go for the 4 nights, even though Ivory is a more luxurious lodge. The game viewing will be about the same (more vehicles share the traversing area that Dulini uses, which some people don't like, but this also means more sightings to be called in over the radio).
One more thing about Lion Sands, I visited their tree house (sleep out platform) on my last trip and I would recommend this for one of the nights, if you choose Lion Sands. A romantic night out under the stars . If the weather turns bad a ranger will come and pick you up and bring you back to the lodge (it costs extra though, to book the sleepout)