Protea Hotel by Marriott, Kruger Gate

We spent 3 nights in Chalet 4 and the accommodation was fine. We also had very good service from Ralph and both the restaurant, reception and chalet maintenance/cleaning staff. What really spoilt our stay was nothing to do with the local staff but everything to do with a lack of proper senior management control and guidance. Our last night was a Saturday, we had reserved a table in the Lapa and our name had been put on that table by Ralph. When we arrived at about 7.45pm we found that our table had been taken up by someone else. It took some 15 minutes for an alternative table to be found and when we went to the buffet we found that most of the food had finished. We asked to talk to the management and this turned out to be Ralph who was extremely embarrassed about the situation and admitted that the problem was with the influx of many non residents at the weekend who do not have to make reservations. I showed him the name sign he had put on our table earlier in the day which I had found on the floor by the Lapa reception desk. He agreed that this was disrespectful and unacceptable. Ralph was extremely helpful but was at a loss to know how to resolve the lack of food so we suggested that we choose from the Room Service Menu. This was agreed but we still then had to request someone to take our order having waited for another 10 or 15 minutes. When our food eventually arrived we were hardly in the right mood, added to which, one of the 5 orders was incorrect. This sad experience ruined our last evening in the Kruger area and leaves us with a very negative feeling about the Paul Kruger Park Lodge and by extension the Protea/Marriott organisation. May we stress that we hold senior management wholly responsible for this and were very concerned for the local staff who, whilst doing their best, had both hands tied. Read less

The hotel is a stone's throw from the Kruger Gate entry to the national park so an ideal location for visiting. It is very busy with lots of tour groups passing though - but that's the reason you stay here, not to spend all day by the pool! Our room was very comfortable with two king size double beds, a safe, TV, tea/coffee making facilities and free WiFi. Dinner in the restaurant is buffet style self service with a good variety of salads, main courses and desserts - not sure how vegetarians would fare though. We missed out on the breakfasts because we had very early (5:30am) starts for the game drives. But that was a small sacrifice because the trips into the park, with really excellent guides, made it all worth while. Watch out for the baboons and velvet monkeys who are regular visitors around the site! Read less

The hotel has the ‘pefect’ location overlooking Kruger Park BUT if it wants to capitalise on the huge financial investment that’s happened it needs to stop being a hotel of contrasts and respect individual travelers as much as it does the regular and frequent tour company ‘safari’ groups Contrasts ..... well if you’re fortunate to have dinner in the stylish Lapa, it’s fabulous in every way, but because of the weather, we had 3 nights dining in the restaurant - which was like eating in a well lit small town cafe with monotonous food to match. Breakfast staff work as a great team - at dinner in the restaurant we had to ask to get our plates cleared and apparently we could have had tea/coffee at the end of our meal, but we were simply not asked ! Room cleaning team couldn’t be more helpful - reception staff didn’t ask us if we’d had a good stay or help with our luggage when we checked out ... And as for being Marriott Bonvoy members ... we had a tired room that was ‘sandwiched’ between 2 tour group residents who got up noisily on their 5.30 am alarm call All sooooo disappointing from a supposedly locally rated 4 star hotel Read less

We stayed for 4 nights in a king room. The location is fantastic, right outside kruger gate - you will have to pay an entrance fee to the park daily. The exterior is superb with a very rustic feel. Its surrounded by bush and the pool looks into the kruger. The staff were friendly - no problems with service. The food was good but the buffet repeats itself so if you stay for more than 2 nights dinner becomes repetitive. If you plan to leave early, before 6.30am, they organise a breakfast pack to take with you that consists of: a boiled egg, yoghurt, juice, fruit, fruit salad, a muffin, mini cheddars, digestive biscuits, a sandwich and some cheese. I found this to be very convinient and often helped during a full day of game drives. The restaurant also made a delicious birthday cheese cake for me - thanks! The rooms need a bit of an update, the bathrooms in particular. There is no wall stand in the shower, so there is no place to put your soap, shampoo etc while showering. The bathrooms also have a gloomy feel with low lying ceilings and little ventilation. Overall this hotel is excellent value for money, considering the location and what you get for what you pay. Read less