View from property

Reviews of Acra Retreat, Mountain View Lodge

3 out of 5
Acra Retreat, Mountain View Lodge
Farm 88 Doornhoek, 5th Street, Emgwenya, Mpumalanga

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 35 out of 56 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 16 out of 56 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 56 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 56 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 56 reviews" "

9.6/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

9.4/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

10/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Thibaut

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tranquil retreat
Beautiful well kept lodge in tranquil surroundings. The host Holger was very hospitable.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Holger on 17 Sept 2023
Thank you for this great review. :) We are looking forward to welcoming the next time.With best regards,Holger & Sacha

8/10 Good

Justin

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Acra was out of the way but a good halfway point between Jo and Kr. Rough road. A very mom & pop operation. Lovely sunrise. Missed dinner and breakfast due to our schedule. Communication issues between the two proprietors (we told one when we checked in that we'd be leaving early, which he says was okay, but the woman who is usually up early apparently wasn't informed so nobody was around when we needed to check out) led to a delayed and awkward early-morning departure.
Response from Holger on 7 Apr 2023
Sorry about the miscommunication

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022
Response from Acra Retreat - Mountain View Lodge -Waterval Boven on 18 Oct 2022
Hi Daniel, Thank you SO much for the kind review. It was so nice having you here, and we really appreciate your review ! Please come again,Kind regards,Norma

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Pratyush

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
one night stay en-route
Was really great. Beautiful locations. Lovely family too Dinner and breakfast was great. Needs a bit of maintenance and TLC, but we will be back.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from Norma on 31 Dec 2019
Thank you so much for taking the time to do a review. Please come again !

10/10 Excellent

Lior, Tel Aviv

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Charming, friendly, and a wonderful view. Wish we could have stayed longer.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Norma on 15 Oct 2019
Dear Lior, Thankk you for the review. We really appreciate it. Hope that we will see you again. Kind regards, Norma and Holger

10/10 Excellent

Thomas, London UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Holger on 21 Apr 2019
Dear Thomas, Thank you so much for this great review ! 😊 So glad that you had a wonderful time here at Acra. We are looking forward to hopefully welcome you back soon. With best regards, Holger, Norma and the whole Acra Staff

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff was extremely kind, property was splendid and secluded, perfect place for a getaway from all the noise of the city! Thoroughly enjoyed my time spent here, incredible views of the mountains, an absolute pleasure to wake up to.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Norma on 3 Apr 2019
Thank you so much !

8/10 Good

Charles, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would really like to have better bath towels & bed linen.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018
Response from Holger on 11 Sept 2018
Dear Charles, Thank you for your review. We will definitely make sure, that in the future our towels and linen will be up to date. Thanks to your review we have now ordered new linen, duvets, and towels. With best regards, Holger

8/10 Good

Ofer

Great loctaion.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

SUE&JERRY, JHB & VEREENIGING

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
somewhere to recharge your batteries
We only stayed overnight, but the experience was wonderful. Even though virtually the middle of Winter, the Accra Bed & Breakfast was an experience that I would love to live over again and again. The views were stunning and the attention from the staff was exceptional. The food was great and we ate dinner next to a open fire place. It was wonderful. I have never seen my partner smile so much.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018
Response from Holger on 4 Aug 2018
Dear Sue & Jerry, Thank you so much for this great review. We are also looking forward to your next visit. With warm regards, Holger and the whole Acra Team

10/10 Excellent

Richard, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful experience
Perfect half way stop for the Kruger - great attention to detail and customer service - will return
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018
Response from Norma on 6 Feb 2018
Hi Richard, Thank you SO much. we really loved having you here ! Please come again. Kind regards, Norma, Holger and Quinton.

10/10 Excellent

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing View, warm hospitality.
Amazing View, Warm hospitality. Breakfast was GREAT!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018
Response from norma on 6 Feb 2018
Dear David, Thank you for your fantastic review. I hope that you will come again so that we can spoil you ! Kind regards, Holger, Norma and Staff

10/10 Excellent

Olebogeng

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was so amazing to be there. The treatment we received was so perfect. Surely I will come again and invite more people. Thank you so much Acra.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017
Response from Norma on 3 Apr 2019
We hope that you will be coming to South Africa again... we would love to see you again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A wonderful, relaxing mountain retreat.
A fabulous place to stay, with wonderful views over the countryside from a private balcony. Excellent service from our host Holger and delicious homemade food from the kitchen. The pool is truly idyllic and I would recommend this as the place to stay in Waterveld Boven.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cozy room with stunning view
It was an excellent weekend spent in absolute peace amidst nature. The hosts were very nice and the breakfast was hearty. But the best part was that the views of the mountains from the room was stunning. The bar was lively with Norma churning out heady mixes. All in all a perfect weekend.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017
Thank you guys. It really was a pleasure having you here. We hope we will see you back on your next trip in this area :) With warm regards, Holger & Norma and the whole Acra Staff

10/10 Excellent

Tiffany

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The Best!
This is the most relaxing and beautiful places we've stayed! The staff was exceptions and pampered us. We had dinner with them and would highly recommended. Don't eat anyplace else! Plan to get there in time to just relax, enjoy the scenery, sip drinks before eating a delicious dinner, and then sleep in comfort. Breakfast was on the deck and so delicious. Don't miss this place! I would come back to South Africa just to stay there!
Response from General Manager on 6 Jan 2017
Thank you so much ! We really appreciate you taking the time to review Acra. Norma and Holger

8/10 Good

Matthew, Johannesburg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Surprise breakaway to mountain retreat
We stayed one night in the cottage at Acra Retreat in November 2016. The cottage is spacious, easily big enough for a small family and has self catering facilities. Dinner and breakfast were delicious and beautifully presented and the service was excellent. The resort is well situated, with views across the valley and Waterval Boven. Acra Retreat is a perfect stopover for people travelling to the Kruger National Park or looking for a quick escape from the city. For those looking to do day excursions, expect a few hours driving to most attractions. The last few kilometers of the drive to Acra are poorly maintained, but the destination makes it worth it.
Response from General Manager on 6 Jan 2017
Thank you for taking the time to review our Crocodile Cottage. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay, and hope to see you again one day. Norma and Holger

8/10 Good

Gordon, Cape Town

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Acra still a good option for transit to Kruger
We had stayed at Acra Mountain Retreat 2 years ago and enjoyed our stay on that occasion. Not much had changed since then, except that the maintenance of the property and gardens had not been kept to the same high standard we experienced previously. The room we were given was accessed through the toilet/bathroom which was rather odd, but it was spacious and comfortable. The dinner (you need to pre-book 24 hours in advance) was excellent and the choice of wines interesting and varied. The bar area is very relaxed and cosy, and you are made to feel very much at home by Holger and Norma, the owners. Breakfast was fairly basic, but adequate, taken on the veranda with great views of the surrounding bush. Overall, the guest house is good, and benefits from being out of town, so its peaceful. We would stay again if passing through Waterval Boven.
Response from General Manager on 6 Jan 2017
Thank you Gordon, we are always pleased when guests visit us again and again. We are very busy with our decking outside.. it seems to be a never-ending task. The sun and rain really destroy the wood, and we have to replace the decks every single year. We sincerely hope to see you again one day, Norma and Holger

8/10 Good

Charles, Brisbane, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
A warm welcome awaits
Great personal and friendly service. Magnificent dinner and breakfast wad equally good. A beautiful view of the mountains.
Response from General Manager on 6 Jan 2017
Thank you Charles for your kind comments. We hope that next time you will be able to stay a bit longer. We loved having you. Norma and Holger

8/10 Good

Ayanda, Vosloorus, GP

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Warm/welcoming place
This was my birthday weekend away with hubby and Acra retreat staff made it an unforgettable one. From the 1st day we arrived, we just felt at home, the staff, the place on its own is very welcoming. No hustles, great food and a beautiful, peaceful place overall. We are definitely coming back soon!

8/10 Good

Dirk, Pretoria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Weekend special occasion.
It was for a wedding and use Arca retreat as stay over. Beautiful place with a lot of warmly hearted service. Only the weather play along, a bit on chilly side. Would rather enjoy breakfast inside that outside on patio. Will recommend.

8/10 Good

CAROL, Randburg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
waterval Boven
Lovely, friendly atmosphere. Good food, clean - a great stopover on the way to the Kruger National Park.

10/10 Excellent

Perrine, Belgium

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice ood and view!!
The B&B was really nice and comfy, the people were very welcoming, and the food at the hotel was delicious.. The city is not the most beautiful city that I've seen in SOuth Arica though, but the region is beautiful

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect weekend away
This must have been one of the friendliest places i have stayed over in a long time- holger, Norma, Lawrence and crazy lia kept myself and girl entertained, and constantly laughing, I definately recommend this one - lb

10/10 Excellent

Fanny, Montreal

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice.
Very nice hotel with a beautiful view on the mountains. Relaxing. Breakfast are amazing, as well as the bar. Rooms are really pretty. Nice staff. This hotel is perfect to relax after Kruger, before going to Jo'burg or the airport.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Thanks
Great place, fantastic location and view. Hospitable staff. Only downer was the check in experience, where our room was initially changed from the booking and also pricing at variance to our booking. All was eventually solved by calling Hotel.com who promptly got in touch with the property owner to resolve.

10/10 Excellent

Peter, Scotland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Acra stop over
Excellent guesthouse with great hospitality and good food. Ideal for our stopover between St Lucia and Kruger

8/10 Good

Lizl, Pretoria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
We went there to rest and we did rest. It was beautiful and very quiet, and we will definitely stay there again.

10/10 Excellent

Richard, Basingstoke UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
En route to Blyde River and the Kruger
Good directions to the property, just outside small village with limited facilities. Our accommodation was the Zebra Room - absolutely magnificent huge space, well appointed with doors out onto the huge verandah overlooking the garden and pool, with excellent countryside views. The en-suite bathroom included his/hers sinks. shower and separate bath, again with excellent appointments towels etc. Breakfast was served on the verandah - an excellent breakfast with fresh fruits, freshly cooked foods to order, and all the usual breads, jams etc. Excellent. A very secure environment in an impressive welcoming home..

8/10 Good

DG, Israel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great guesthouse on the road
We were upgraded to the Zebra room, which was great. It is very apparent that Holger and Norma enjoy having the guests around and pampering them. Dinner was great, with plenty of tasty dishes. Breakfast was very rich, and also tasty.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic place to stay on the way to Kruger
Stayed 2 nights on the trip between Kruger and Johannesburg Airport. Our host was super friendly and even took us for a tour of the waterfalls nearby. We stayed in the Zebra room, It was huge, clean and really comfortable. The room had a walk-out to a big deck with a terrific view. I would highly recommend this hotel.

10/10 Excellent

Gregers

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect stop between Graskop and Johannesburg
We only stayed a single night on the way to Johannesburg airport, but we enjoyed all of it. Wonderful room with fantastic views and a G/T on the terrace. Nice homecooked dinner and breakfast and overall just great service. We felt very welcome. Only downside was that the mosquitoes were as happy to see us as Holger and Norma. Glad this is not a malaria area.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Heiko

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Tolles Zimmer ( Zebra) Tolle Gastgeber, Tolles Essen. Ein rundum schöner Aufenthalt. Absolute Empfehlung!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023
Response from Norma on 26 Mar 2023
Dear Heiko,Thank you so much for the kind review. It was such a pleasure to have you stay with us, please come again.Kind regards,Norma and Holger

10/10 Excellent

Annie

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Goede tussenstop tss Joburg lhvn en Krugerpark
De kamers zijn enig .Prachtig uitzicht vanuit elke kamer. De keuken is heel lekker zowel ontbijt als dinner. Personeel super. Norma de eigenares is een geweldige vrouw. Geeft raad voor trips .
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022
Response from Acra Retreat - Mountain View Lodge -Waterval Boven on 18 Oct 2022
Hello Annie, Thank you so much. It was lovely having you here (twice). We sincerely hope that you will visit us again in the future.Kind regards,Norma

10/10 Excellent

Annie

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022
Response from Acra Retreat - Mountain View Lodge -Waterval Boven on 7 Oct 2022
Dear Annie, thank you so much for your review. We LOVED having you stay with us, and sincerely hope that you will come again one day.Kind regards,Norma

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Diese Lodge liegt inmitten der Natur und bietet den perfekten Zwischenstopp von Johannesburg zum Krüger Nationalpark (je ca 2.30h). Es ist einfach fantastisch, entspannend und das Abendessen und Frühstück wird mit Liebe zubereitet. Top Lodge!!
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from Norma on 6 Nov 2019
Dear Anonymous, thank you for the wonderful review !

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Tolle Unterkunft in den Bergen mit sehr freundlichen und hilfsbereiten Gastgebern. Perfekt für einen kurzen oder auch längeren Zwischenstopp auf dem Weg von Johannesburg zum Krüger oder für einen entspannten Aufenthalt in der Region. Wir behalten den Aufenthalt in bester Erinnerung und bleibe in Kontakt bzw. kommen auch sehr gerne wieder!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Norma on 17 Nov 2019
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review. We really appreciate it. Please come again. Kind regards, Norma and Holger

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Heerlijk prettige atmosfeer. De cottage is iets gedateerd, maar prima bedden. Mooie tuin en uitzichten.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Holger on 1 Aug 2019
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for this review ! We will definitely try to better ourselves at the topics that you criticized! With best regards, Holger, Norma and the whole Acra Staff

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Holger on 1 Aug 2019
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for this review ! We will definitely try to better ourselves at the topics that you criticised! With best regards, Holger, Norma and the whole Acra Staff

4/10 Poor

Gabriele

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Insgesamt in Ordnung, netter Service, aber das Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis war nicht angemessen. Dazu eine ärgerliche, überraschende Preiserhöhung vor Ort.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Norma on 6 Jun 2019
Dear Gabriele, We are so sorry that you did not enjoy your stay with us to the full. We do try to please each and every guest. The reason for the extra R 360 was because our room price for 2 people sharing is R 950, however, you arrived with 3 people. We only charged R360 for the bed, INCLUDING breakfast for the 3rd person. A total of Euros 20.00 which we thought was a very fair price. We hope that you will return one day, and wish you all the best. Kind regards, The Acra Team

10/10 Excellent

Mahé

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2018
Response from Holger on 19 Mar 2018
Thank You so much for this great review. Your Acra Team, Holger, Norma and the whole staff

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tolle Lodge in den Bergen
Hübsche Lodge mit sehr schönen Zimmern und super Essen!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018
Response from Holger on 16 Mar 2018
Herzlichen Dank fuer diese tolle Beurteilung. Wir hoffen euch bald wieder begruessen zu koennen. Mit besten Gruessen aus Waterval Boven, Holger & Norma

6/10 Okay

ハル, 東京

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
宿自体は快適だが支払い関係は要注意。
ここは友達4人で泊ったが、宿の設備等もいいし朝食もフルーツが盛りだくさんでよかった。 ただ、チェックインの時にやたらとドリンクのオーダーを進めてきて今特に要らないと伝えるとこれはノーマネー、フリーだからなんでも注文していいと言ってきた。 ウエルカムドリンクなのかと思ったが、サイトにそんな記述はなかったしなんでもオーダーできる時点で僕は疑問だったが、同行した仲間たちがオーダーしはじめたので僕もジュースをオーダーした。 翌日チェクアウトの時、明細にちゃっかり昨日のドリンク代金の記述があり問い合わせたが、昨日のオーナーは今居ないからわからないと言われた。 どうやらこの宿は3人のオーナーがいるらしい。 1人数百円程度なのでま~いいかと思い払ったが、やられたと思った。 あと宿代の50%が予約時にカード決済されてるはずなのに全額請求された。 朝食代も込になっていたはずなのに1人約1400円請求された。 この二点は金額も大きいのでエクスペディアサイトの英語記述とカード決済画面を見せて納得させた。 これらの点は注意して宿泊した方がいいです。
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018
Response from Holger on 7 Feb 2018
Thank You so much Hope to see you back soon, Holger Norma

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Prachtig gelegen
Hartelijke mensen, ruime kamer. In omgeving niet veel te doen. Goed doorreis adres
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018
Response from Norma on 6 Feb 2018
Thank you for your review, we hope to see you again, kind regards, Norma

6/10 Okay

Sjoerd, Amsterdam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Acra retreat
We came back for the second time. The first time we had an exallent room and it was just great! When we came back, we got the secret room, which was dissappointing. A strange shower, a toilet next to the hall where everybody can hear you. The beds were great and the deck was good and the people were nice. The breakfast was fantastic and dinner was poor.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017
Response from Norma on 22 Jan 2018
Dear Sjoerd, Thank you for your comments, we have taken measures to ensure that this does not happen again. We now have a 5 star cook on our team, and the meals, and quality are first class. We sincerely hope that you will come again, and be very impressed with our dinners, kind regards, Norma

8/10 Good

sergio

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
pousada tranquila
pousada ideal para quem procura uma parada estratégica entre JNB e Kruger. lugar tranquilo com uma bela vista para um vale. piscina e jardim bem cuidado. serve um delicioso jantar e variado cafe da manha. Atendimento carinhoso da proprietária Norma e sua equipe.

10/10 Excellent

Ingela

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Response from General Manager on 6 Jan 2017
We wish you could have stayed longer, we loved having you. Thank you for your kind review. Norma and Holger

8/10 Good

cindy, La Réunion

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Vue magnifique sur les montagnes! Le jardin ainsi que la terrasse sont très agréable. Petit déjeuner copieux et varié!
Response from General Manager on 6 Jan 2017
Cindy thank you for your review, we do appreciate it. We hope that you will come again, we would love to have you. Norma and Holger