Aquila Private Game Reserve & Spa

We absolutely loved the safari and our guide, but the admin and accommodation let the experience down. Our booking experience was painful! I messaged and asked if they had wheelchair accommodation and if so that would be great, but if not we could cope. They came back and said it was unavailable for the dates I wanted, so I asked for a different type of room and they kept coming back saying the accessible room was unavailable. I ended up getting a bit cross and saying I had said in my first email we could cope if it was not available. They then only booked one night, not two, despite the fact I had always said we wanted two nights. Getting this sorted and confirmed was also hard work. I have regularly stayed in hotels and this definitely was less efficient than hotels I have tried to book, and made me a bit concerned about what would happen when we arrive. When we arrived we checked in just after 1 to avoid the queue, so missed the welcome drinks sadly, therefore we went straight to lunch, which was not a great start. Service was slow despite we were there at the end and most people had left, we had to wait ages for our drinks order to come, and she had got every drink wrong. We checked into our rooms, which were basic but clean and comfortable then had some time to wait before the tour. The premier cottage had a stunning view across the land We had a private tour and that was fantastic. Our guide Nigel was so knowledgeable and interesting and really wanted us to enjoy our time with him. We had him for all 3 of our tours and truly could not have asked for anything more from him. Including holding Rhino poo which horrified my daughter, so he gave some to her to hold!! Cannot say enough good things about Nigel and our experience with him. We had people aged from 10 to 70 and we all thoughts he was brilliant. There is basically nothing to do in the day between the safaris other than sunbath, swim and spa. My daughter had her hair braided which she loved, but kids under 16 cannot use the spa, so that option was not available to us. We registered for the junior ranger program as there was nothing else to do in the day, and we thought it would be interesting and different, but it turned out to be another safari, which was not what we thought it would be. It also did not say there was a cost for it, we did not know until it appeared on the bill. They really need to communicate better what it is and that there is a cost. Also the dining situation is not brilliant, in busy times there is not enough tables for everyone, so we had to wait quite a while until a table was free. The buffet is quite chaotic, however the food was very tasty! The lift to the bar upstairs was broken, so if you are disabled and the weather is not great, there is not a bar to sit in. Fortunately we could carry our son up the stairs, but it definitely was not ideal. And it was too cold to sit outside. Also the path to the karoo cottages suddenly stopped and was full of holes and gravel, and not lit, so at night it was dark and harder than it needed to be! Premier and family cottages do not have this issue. If the weather is good you can sun bath and go in the pool, and there is a small child area, but other than that there is literally nothing. Two of our group ended up leaving and driving around the surrounding area as there was nothing to do at the hotel. I would strongly recommend just staying one night as you would check in, do a safari, get up in the morning, then another safari, breakfast and then head off. You would not waste a day hanging around a hotel. The safari is perfect for short trips as all the animals are close by, so you go round the same area on each trip. We were staying an hour outside Cape Town, and this seemed like the best option as it had the big 5. I am still glad we went and we did love the safari, so I would recommend someone goes for a night, but improvements can be made. Read less

The transport to and from the hotel was a big plus for this experience. The service at the reserve was fantastic but the best part had to be our guide. He was very patient and would stop and show us more than just the animals. He was very knowledgeable about their patterns and behaviors. We saw every animal he told us we would and more! He made us feel very safe and made sure we had enough time to take all of our photos. We also visited the spa which was nice but hanging out on the reserve was just as fun! Read less

GENERAL I appreciate Aquila's not the Kruger or the Masai Mara and can only offer a taster of a game safari, however it could be so much better in value. The actual game lodge is very commercial and in parts industrial. Having said that Aquila can be very enjoyable once you accept its short comings. ROOMS Don't opt for a basic Sandard Lodge which is 3 stories high. Rooms face the back industrial/service area and you may as well be at an airport. What little view you get from the small inappropriate windows is obscured as you need to draw the curtains in order other guests/staff dont look in, no privacy, very poor design! The main lodge is inappropriate with its outside corridors resembling old council tenement flats, for goodness sake you're meant to be in a wild African game park! MAIN SWIMMING POOL AND LOUNGER AREA Can be overcrowded and lack shade. When we stayed there were large groups of rowdy drunkern men, not pleasant or what you'd expect in a game lodge. Fortunately this does not happen everyday. However the spa pool and facility was a saviour and a far better option, lovely and peaceful. FOOD AND DRINK Albeit it buffet style the food is very good and tasty ranging from Babotie to Thai Chicken to Cape Malay Lamb Curry and good range of salad, deserts and a reasonable breakfast. If staying 3 days it may however become repetitive as reverts every third day! Restaurant drinks are a slow affair as they share the upstairs bar which is slow and somewhat bad for staff who have to continually climb the steep stairs. In general many (not all) staff tend to group together chatting and are not interactive with guests. They tend to concerntrate on stock taking or look at PC screens! We found this particularly so in the lounge bar, pool bar and spa. One to one they are great, however overall they treat you great. Overall staff need customer care training! Qu. Why TV screens showing UK football in the bar of an African game lodge? We've come here to get away from that. SAFARI DRIVES Overall good but I think you have to view it as a large zoo where animals have to be fed to supplement their diet, fair enough. There are only 4 lions but many White Rhino, Buffalo, Zebra, Hippocampus and 4 Elephants including a circus rescued one now reintroduced into the semi wild. You will not see a Cape Leopard but watch out for the opportunistic Baboons! Our first tour guide was really good and informative, the second was not so good, luck of the draw. Vehicles are old noisy bone shakers and hold 26 people which is far too many. If any animals spotted too many vehicles gather in one spot. Game drives may not be tranquil particularly if babies on board (!) but can still be very enjoyable and most people seem content. We opted out of some drives as staying 3 nights as they became repetitive but still highly recommended. Read less