What I love most beyond the safari experience and access to nature was the thoughtfulness of care with staff. From having a bath ready for us whole we were in safari, to remebering my dislike of cilantro. Highly recommend staying here, the staff and property outistanding.
Our stay at 57 Waterberg was truly unforgettable and easily one of the highlights of our trip to South Africa. From the moment we arrived, there was an incredible sense of warmth, hospitality, and genuine care. The lodge manages to combine a beautiful, luxurious experience with an intimate, family-like atmosphere, which is not easy to accomplish—especially in such a remote and spectacular setting.
The lodge itself is absolutely beautiful. Everything feels modern, elegant, peaceful, and thoughtfully designed while still allowing you to feel completely connected to the surrounding African wilderness. Our room was modern, spacious, extremely comfortable, and beautifully appointed. I also really enjoyed spending time at the pool between activities. There is something very special about being able to relax in such a luxurious environment while knowing you are in the middle of a game reserve surrounded by nature.
One of the biggest highlights of our entire experience was Petrus, our game drive guide. Petrus is simply amazing. He has around 30 years of experience, and it shows immediately—not only in his knowledge of the animals and the reserve, but in the way he reads the environment and understands what guests are hoping to experience. He was professional, patient, caring, and genuinely passionate about what he does. He never made the game drives feel rushed or routine. He took the time to explain what we were seeing, answer our questions, and make every drive feel like a comple
Diese Lodge besticht durch alles!!! Ein perfekter Service, herausragende Küche und einen Tourguide, der seinesgleichen sucht. Von der Begrüßung am Westgate, dem Eingang zum Reservat mit Champagner für uns Gäste über den Empfang im Hotel, die Vollpension, die zwei mal am Tag stattfindenden Touren incl. Morgenkaffee und Sundowner in der Wildnis bis hin zum exzellenten Service aller Angestellten kann man mit Fug und Recht von einem Traumhotel sprechen. Wir hatten 5 Tage Zeit, uns ganz der Stille des Ortes hinzugeben. Mit nur maximal 10 Gästen fühlt man sich wie in einem privaten Ressort. Alle Mitarbeiter geben sich unendlich viel Mühe, diesen Eindruck zu unterstreichen.
Hier stimmt einfach alles. Die "Zimmer", eigene Bungalows, haben ca. 70qm Wohnfläche, also Platz genug zur vollkommenen Entspannung. Im Hauptgebäude sind die Gäste wie im eigenen Wohnzimmer untergebracht. Der Küchenchef leistet, wie oben beschrieben, eine hervorragende Arbeit. Sehr abwechslungsreich zaubert er vom Frühstück über Lunch bis hin zum Drei-Gänge-Abendmenü immer wieder Überraschungen, die er auch gerne selber am Tisch erklärt.
Das Highlight sind aber die Touren in das 35000 ha große Reservat. Jo, der Guide, hat einen Wissensstand über Flora und Fauna, der schon an sich herausragend ist. Sein Gespür für den richtigen Ort, um immer wieder einen der Big Five aus nächster Nähe zu bewundern, ist einzigartig. Und immer wieder verblüfft er mit neuen Highlights aus der Tierwelt. Unvergesslich ist das Result
My stay at 57 Waterberg was amazing. The food was better than some 5 star restaurants. Ephriam, our game driver, was the best. He made sure our drives were relaxing and enjoyable. I would also recommend a scheduling a massage with Witness.
We went here for my boyfriend's birthday and the villa is just stunning, very secluded, in the middle of nature has a private heated pool. The pool area at the villa does need some umbrellas for shade as it was super hot and unusable. The meals were great, I was very happy that they catered for vegan options. I'm just not a fan of artichokes and leeks so didn't enjoy those as much but still grateful that they chef catered for my needs. The game drives were great, we had really great sightings in the two days we spent there, the snacks on the game drive could be improved for vegans though.
I was also quite disappointed that we couldn't get a couple's massages done even though I requested them more than 2 months in advance. They could have told me and I would have booked else where. When asked about it, staff were quite rude and unprofessional as the manager said there's nothing he can do as the other lady didn't come to work. As we walked away, I heard him tell the staff that he's not going to get another lady in just got one couple. I think that could have been handled professionally. Anyway, that kinda rubbed me the wrong way especially since I've been planning this for a while.
I was quite grateful for the complimentary birthday cake and the chef even made it vegan which I didn't request, really really appreciated that. Thank you chef!