Hopewell Private Game Reserve

German above, English below! Am Ende unserer Südafrikareise war das Hopewell private Game Reserve ein besonderer, magischer Ort für uns: vom Pool aus konnte man die Elefanten am Wasserloch beobachten, das Essen war auf die persönlichen Bedürfnisse angepasst (Danke an John und sein Team) und der Service einzigartig (auch hier: vielen Dank an Nceba!). Ganz besonders hervorheben möchten wir das Engagement von Nicole die unser Ansprechpartner während des Aufenthalts war. Sie geht definitiv die "Extrameile" für ihre Gäste und hat für uns als Familie mit zwei Kindern den Aufenthalt unvergesslich gemacht: mit Fachwissen und Einfühlungsvermögen für die Kinder hat sie uns so viel über die Pflanzen- und Tierwelt erzählen können, dass die Kinder (und wir!) heute noch über Hopewell erzählen. Der Aufenthalt war der perfekte Abschluss der Reise. Nicht nur wegen der wunderschönen Natur, sondern wegen den überaus freundlichen Mitarbeitern. Ein großes Dankeschön an das großartige Team. Wir werden es niemals vergessen. Fam. Delwig At the end of our South Africa trip, the Hopewell Private Game Reserve was a special, magical place for us: from the pool you could watch the elephants at the waterhole, the food was customised to our personal needs (thanks to John and his team) and the service was unique (here too: many thanks to Nceba!). We would particularly like to emphasise the commitment of Nicole, who was our contact person during our stay. She definitely goes the ‘extra mile’ for her guests and made the stay unforgettable for us as a family with two children: with expert knowledge and empathy for the children, she was able to tell us so much about the flora and fauna that the children (and we!) still talk about Hopewell today. The stay was the perfect end to the trip. Not only because of the beautiful nature, but also because of the extremely friendly staff. A big thank you to the great team. We will never forget it. The Delwig family

Na ons verblijf in het Kruger park hier 2 nachten doorgebracht en mede daar ik er al eens eerder was geweest. De eerste keer was echter zonder mij gezin. Op basis van het eerste bezoek is toen de wens ontstaan hier nog een keer met het gezin naar toe te gaan en bijna 1,5 jaar later was het zover. Het is een kleinschalige maar zeer persoonlijke accomodatie, waar de gast op Nr. 1 staat en het personeel er alles aan doet de gast de tijd van hun leven te geven, en daar slagen ze meer dan behoorlijk in. Qua wildlife is het natuurlijk anders als in het Kruger park, maar het is zeker meer dan de moeite waard en dat gecombineerd met heerlijke lodges met een privé zwembad waar het perfect toeven is, alsmede een formidabel keuken maken dit echt een enorme aanrader.

I had the trip of a lifetime at Hopewell! Traveled with my Fiancée for 3 nights and the whole stay was a 5 star Experience! From check-in, our suite was very clean, spacious and luxurious with all that we needed. On the first night we had dinner in the Boma whilst the elephants were drinking water about 100 metres away, this was a perfect start to the stay. The meals from Chef John and Chef Kuhle were divine, always something to look forward to. Game drives were exciting and very informative from Tim, who made sure to tell us all the interesting facts about plants and birds as well. To summarise it all, Hopewell ticked all the boxes and will definitely return !

Hier war alles super! Von der Lage über die Unterbringung bis hin zu den Mitarbeitern gab es wirklich nichts zu bemängeln. Koch John und sein Team haben uns 3 x täglich kulinarisch verwöhnt und unser Ranger Timothy hat die Drives zu unvergesslichen Erlebnissen gemacht. Wir kommen bestimmt wieder!!

From the pleasant and friendly welcome from Daniella, to the outstanding information provided to us by our ranger, Timothy on each of our game drives. To the wonderful food prepared by John and his team. All the staff were exceptional - I just can't remember all of their names. The room was just so relaxing and had everything in it you could possible want. Thank you all so much for such a wonderful two night stay...we all agree it was the favourite part of our holiday in South Africa!

We greatly enjoyed our 3 night stay. The reserve is exclusive, with a maximum capacity of 12 guests, meaning you are passengers in the only game drive vehicle on the private reserve. We were initially on our own, and then joined by another couple, and four was the total number of guests. You’re certainly the centre of attention. The pool villas are spectacular, and the food is excellent, with a choice available upon request. The single hardworking ranger, Timothy, who doubled as barman and waiter, is both enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We only missed out on one of the species available during our six game drives. Overall, a definite 5* stay, but I give it 4*. My 1* deduction, however, is due to our seeing a FB promotion available only to SA residents during our stay, at ONE THIRD of the price that we paid! This upsetting discrimination would not be legal in Europe, and such a covert two tier pricing system is very unfair to overseas visitors. I raised this as a feedback comment on their website, but did not receive even the courtesy of an acknowledgement, let alone a defence. I guess there isn't one.