Mbotyi River Lodge, South Africa

Dear Tourist,

Do not even think of visiting Mbotyi River Lodge.... The location is superb but the facilities and service literally stinks.... The pictures on the website are totally misleading and the information provided by the resort management is far from what you experience on your arrival. Booked three nights this week but left a day early 'cause I am not accustomed to such poorly maintained facilities.

Upon checking in, I had to ask for my "horribly" thatched room to be cleaned and curtains removed as they had insects living in them and seemed as though they were not cleaned for years. The rooms smell damp and stuffy and the baths (no showers available) are in a terrible condition. Also had to ask for the fan in my room to be repaired as it did not work.

The thatch rooms are not sealed and you therefore have every species of insect visiting your room in the middle of the night. Had to ask management to remove worms hanging above my bed from the thatch as I was afraid one would end up in my mouth during the night. Don't move the mirrors and picture frames in the room - you will have cockroaches and geckos running around your room after disturbing their habitat.

When making the booking, you are asked for any dietary requirements - not sure what happens to this information because my requirements were clearly ignorred. My family does not eat pork, yet every meal is served with pork and no substitutes for the port are available - this implies that you will have an egg and tomoto for breakfast because the egg is served with bacon and the Chefs Choice of the Day is Pork Sausage - no substitute for either.

There is no shop to purchase any food or drinks (other than from the bar or a fridge at reception) so if you are planning a trip and wish to ignore my warnings, make sure you pack snacks and drinks for your stay - sorry, forget your drinks because the rooms don't have fridges. The road to the lodge is not a pleasant one so you will think twice about driving back to Lusikisiki to buy anything - once you get to Mbotyi, you're stuck there and you will have to pay to get out.

To add insult to injury, I was forced to pay for the last night which cancelled due to the horrifying living conditions. Even though I asked to check ou a daily early, my deposit was not refunded and I was charged to pay for a night that I did not use - small price to pay for my freedom I guess....

I think the worst is the attitude of the resort management - or should I say; "I don't care attitude"... "It's the Wild Coast, what do you expect?"