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holiday to South Africa & Zimbabwe
Suzy James, 21st February 2026My wife and I booked our honeymoon with Mahlatini. The overall experience of every part of the process was beyond anything we expected. From initial contact, planning meetings and finalising details everything was made so straightforward and easy with a special thanks to Stuart Hall. I don't know where to start to try to describe how good the trip was. Our two weeks included the perfect balance of winelands in Franschhoek, city and cape peninsula exploring in Cape Town as well as safari in the Sabi Sands at Chitwa Chitwa and in Zimbabwe at Old Drift Lodge. Being safari newbies we were particularly looking forward to this part of the trip and the highlight has to be Chitwa. Neither of us have ever experienced anywhere like it. Unrivalled luxury without a hint of pretentiousness. Incredible memories to last a lifetime. Although we said before hand this would be a once in a lifetime holiday, given how much we enjoyed it, I can see we may end up back with Mahlatini to scratch the safari itch in the future! We both cannot recommend Mahlatini highly enough and already have close friends currently travelling with them in Africa after a recommendation. If you are unsure about whether to enquire or book with them - do it. You will not regret it.
Accommodation Visited
Mont Rochelle Hotel
“Incredible property in the idyllic winelands. The first stop of our trip and an amazing place to relax and unwind. From wandering the picturesque streets of Franschhoek to relaxing in the property gardens and poolside. There is no shortage of incredible wine and food around either! The food served in the hotel was perfect and having eaten out at different restaurants in Franschhoek during our stay our favourite meal was in Miko in the hotel. Delicious food, lovely wine and a fantastic view from the panoramic glass windows of the restaurant. All of the staff at the hotel could not have been more helpful. Nothing was too much trouble and they went above and beyond with tiny details to make our stay as special as possible.”
Dock House Boutique Hotel & Spa
“A quiet corner in the heart of the bustling V&A waterfront at city quay. Sitting in a separate building to but operated by the Queen Victoria Hotel just a few metres away this hotel offers quiet luxury. The spacious garden and pool area hidden at the back of the hotel is the perfect place to relax. Sitting by the pool with a view of the distant table mountain you do not feel like you are in the middle of a city. The hotel provides the perfect location to explore the waterfront by foot and a short taxi or uber takes you to other key spots nearby.”
Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge
“There really are no words to adequately describe how special Chitwa Chitwa is. Those that have been there will know how this feels.
We spent part of our honeymoon at Chitwa and it was the highlight of our trip. Unrivalled luxury with attention to detail that we have never experienced. Everything thought of and catered for. Dedicated staff who make you feel completely at ease. It is the perfect place to unwind, decompress and relax. Delicious food - everything we tried was so flavoursome and faultless. I hope we will be back soon!
And all that before I've even mentioned the safari! The days start early with a 5.30am depart for morning game drive - a quick coffee on the deck before hand to help waken the senses. Leaving the lodge on the 6 seater safari vehicle as the sun is rising over the bush you are immediately amongst an abundance of wildlife. We were looked after exceptionally by our ranger Colin and tracker Moses. Their knowledge of the bush combined with their enthusiasm to help guests see and understand the wildlife was second to none. Detailed explanations were articulately provided for the incredible sights we were witnessing unfold in front of us. A stop for coffee and a snack in the bush before heading back to the lodge for breakfast. Following breakfast there is plenty of time to relax in the surroundings of the lodge or to arrange for a bush walk which we would definitely recommend doing during your stay. Lunch is provided in the restaurant or can be brought to your suite. Delicious and pre-ordered at breakfast time. Afternoon game drives then depart to see more wildlife and a sundowner in the bush with a view provided before heading back to camp in the early dusk for drinks and dinner before bed!
Even thinking of being at Chitwa instantly brings a smile to our faces. I am certain that we will be back in the future.”
Old Drift Lodge
“Old Drift Lodge provides a lovely contrast of both river safari and game drives. Having already experienced game drives during the trip we particularly enjoyed the contrast of being able to cruise down the Zambezi spotting a variety of different birds and wildlife on the banks as well as the innumerable hippos! The luxury tented accommodation is present along the edge of the river with a decked area in front. Most of the suites, including ours, were surrounded by trees and shrubs meaning you were in the shade when sitting out. As the property is within the national park there is lots of wildlife that makes it's way through camp - a large heard of water buffalo came to visit during our stay as well as some elephants!
The integration of activities around Victoria Falls was slick. As the hotel is part of the wild horizons group you are provided with the opportunity to head for a guided walk of the falls with lunch at the Lookout Cafe as part of your stay. We decided to make the most of our honeymoon and booked a helicopter tour of the falls before our walk. The aerial view gave a great perspective of the scale of the falls before our walk and doing both was a great way to fully appreciate them. There was a great selection of food and drinks available at the Lookout Cafe and everything we ate was delicious.
The food at Old Drift Lodge did leave us a little bit disappointed and was generally bland. Even if we hadn't just stayed at Chitwa before hand I think we would still have felt the same way. Unfortunately our stay was also slightly tarnished by other guests. There were large groups of overly loud and obnoxious Americans who would consistently be video calling in the middle of the restaurant definitely detracted from the overall experience. I suppose nothing can be done about who else stays at a hotel but asking guests not to make calls in the middle of the restaurant would seem to be a reasonable suggestion.”
Staff Review
“Stuart helped guide us as safari novices through the entire holiday planning process from start to finish. Having a dedicated expert easily available to answer queries and have planning meetings with ensured the whole organisation process was slick, efficient and enjoyable! All interactions with Stuart were extremely positive with his experience in the sector and personal knowledge from travelling in Africa shining through. The suggestions were well considered in order to experience what we wanted to during honeymoon whilst staying within our budget. The website set-up to aid planning was polished and professional providing just the right amount of information to make big decisions on destinations, accommodation and activities. Stuart is an absolute gentleman, very personable and has so much enthusiasm for what he does to help design trips of a lifetime!”
