Arriving at Hoedspruit Airport, you could easily make the mistake of thinking you had landed at a small private airfield. A minuscule airport that would only comfortably deal with one flight arriving or departing at a time.

As you walk past the wire fencing to the awaiting lodge transfers, the Royal Malewane’s gold-plated welcome sign stands out well amongst the crowd of signs listing the lodge names. 

Greeted kindly by my guide for the stay, Nik, with a kind smile and a friendly Hello, I felt welcomed instantly. He grabbed my carry-on and placed it in the car, ensuring I had a nice, shady spot to hide from the sun while I waited for the tractor and trailer to deliver my luggage to the dirt patch which they call the arrivals area. 

Arriving at the lodge after a short 30-minute drive, you could easily have thought you were driving into a barren camp site. After a harsh winter, the terrain surrounding the property was desperately in need of rain. It consists largely of dry African ebony, black monkey thorns and Weeping Boer Bean bushes that have recently been trampled by a herd of elephants and now are not resembeling much more than broken sticks and trees. 

Pulling up to reception, you are welcomed with a warm towel, cold drink and the smiling faces of staff who instantly fill you with a sense of relaxation and warmth that you would only think could be felt at home.

The main lobby area of the lodge features huge open spaces allowing views over the water hole, directly in front of the lodge where a hippo was happily calling home during my stay and the banks of which, at times, attract a large herd of Buffalo. The waterhole is known to have frequent visitors including most of the animals that call the reserves home, which make for some amazing sights right on your doorstep. Decorated in traditional colonial décor with hints of vibrant African colours, it is easy to find a snug corner to tuck up and read a book each evening while enjoying a cocktail.

I was welcomed with an incredible lunch menu with multiple choices for all three courses. The issue while on safari in South Africa is that you never have a chance to feel hungry. I found myself turning down many meals as there was no way I could eat again after what had seemed like only a few hours. I can almost guarantee you would never go hungry during a stay at the Royal Malewane!

After a short walk along a boardwalk, you arrive at your little piece of paradise. The walk to the rooms is a mini safari in itself, with the property well-known for the variety of animals you can experience within the lodge boundaries. Each time I walked out of my room, I was welcomed by a small group of nyala orbushbuck meandering around the rooms and munching on whatever greenery they could find.

The rooms are decked out in a luxury colonial style with a large mahogany four-poster bed facing floor to ceiling windows that allow for safari watching from bed. Lavish limestone bathrooms with a freestanding bath in front of sliding doors open up onto your private deck and an infinity pool. If you have ever had a peak on the internetat this property, you would have likely come across a few photos of elephants drinking from the overflow from the pool! An incredible sight to see, but unfortunately during my stay the elephants did not pop over for a visit.

Come early afternoon, it was time to head to the lobby for a drink and afternoon tea. Due to the incredible privacy the lodge offers, this was really the only time I saw all of the other guests who were staying at the lodge. After a quick snack, for those who could possibly fit anything more in after lunch, it was safari time. 

The Royal Malewane allocates each guest room with a private guide, and tracker where possible, for the duration of their stay. This means you have enough time, even over a two-day period, to create one on one relationships with your guiding team. 

The Royal Malewane proudly have the most qualified guiding team in Africa as part of their safari experience. Most guides at the property hold an SKS DG (Special Knowledge & Skill with Dangerous Game) qualification, which requires, an exorbitant, 1200 hours minimum experience on foot and over 600 encounters with members of the Big Five. The trackers who work alongside the guides are equally as talented and passionate. The way they track animals with anything as small as a day old paw print in the sand, or the movement in grass that has been compacted from a hungry rhino is a skill to be reckoned with.

As I was fortunate enough to stay at several properties during this trip, I can honestly say that the experience of the Royal Malewane guiding team is worth a visit alone. The passion the guides have for their jobs shows not only through their longevity with the lodge but also the love they have on a day to day basis while “working”.

After having been on safari in Kenya for nine days, I sarcastically asked my guide Nik if he could please ensure I saw a leopard by the end of the night, the final tick off my Big Five list for this trip.

With an under-promise and over-deliver, we had the Big Five right beside our vehicle within a few hours. 

The absolute highlight would have been the large female leopard, who had positioned herself up in a tree with her fresh nyala kill. Two eager hyenas were pacing around the base of the tree hoping for the leftovers.

Returning back to the lodge again, you are welcomed with a refreshing towel and drink along with the smiling faces of the lodge staff asking how your afternoon safari had been.

After a quick dip in the pool to cool down, it is somehow meal time again. The property is incredibly flexible with its clients’ requests and uses its array of dining locations around the lobby area or in room dining and even offers a bush dinner experience to create a variety of dining options. There is every chance that you won’t eat a meal in the same space during your stay. It also ensures that, should you wish to have a romantic and intimate dinner with your loved ones, you can do so easily.

Similar to lunch, dinner was a four-course meal consisting of a small tasting plate, an entrée of Springbok or Kingklip tartare and a selection of lamb or fish for mains.

The food was absolutely to-die-for and you can experience from the first bite the passion that the chefs’ carry to ensure every single guest is satisfied at every meal.

Along with their incredible food the Lodge have an extensive wine list showcasing some of the best wines South Africa have to offer, and a whisky bar by the waterhole where they boast to have the largest whisky collection of any safari lodge, with over 60 whiskies on offer. 

After a picturesque dinner with my guide Nik (I was travelling alone so they went above and beyond to make sure I was entertained and had company), we sat by the watering hole and over a few hours watched the current resident hippo make his way back into the water after his dinner time stroll and witnessed a leopard along the banks of the watering hole. It is surreal to know how close the animals get to the lodge without most people even knowing.

Waking early the next morning it is Safari time again. We start the day with a much needed coffee and a snack to get through the next few hours of driving.

There is something quite magical about a Sunrise over the Greater Kruger area with the Blyde River Canyon in the horizon. Even with a drizzle of rain resulting in most animals taking cover and hiding during our drive, or the 4.45am wake call could not take the smile off my face while driving through the Fresh South African morning air.

There are a few flights a day from both Cape Town and Johannesburg into Hoedspruit, which is the closest airport and only a 30-minute drive to the lodge. 

Alternatively, if a Cessna and pebble runway is more your style, you can fly into Royal Malewane’s private airstrip, Jackalberry Airstrip, which is located within the reserve.

There are also a few options for lodge hopper flights from Kruger Airport (KLIA), which would take you direct into Jackalberry Airstrip.

If driving to the lodge, staff can provide personalised directions depending on where you are coming from. After my recent visit, I would likely self-drive between properties, if staying at more than one next time, as road transfers can be quite pricey. Apart from the odd animal you come across while driving through the parks, self-driving between the properties is not as scary as I had originally thought: just use your common sense, of course.

From the moment you arrive at the Royal Malewane you experience the incredible luxury and sophistication that only one of South Africas top luxury lodges can offer. With repeat guests amongst the likes of Oprah, Elton John and Justin Bieber, the Royal Malewane is quite literally fit for royalty.

I can honestly say that I have never stayed anywhere that feels so much like home. The incredibly welcoming staff from the General Manager, Guest Relations, the guides, kitchen staff and housekeeping. If you ask any of the staff how long they have worked at the Royal Malewane, one thing you will notice is that most will tell you they have proudly been with the lodge for four, five, ten or eleven years. The way they speak about not only the property, but the owners of the Royal Portfolio, Lize and Phil Biden, shows that not only do they feel at home, but they want every guest who enters the property to feel like part of the family.

My stay at the Royal Malewane left a smile on my face for days and a passion in my heart to get back to South Africa as soon as possible to experience more of the warm hospitality and incredible landscapes.