Broadwater River Estate

Upon arrival the campsite was not ready. When we eventually arrived at the campsite it was in a terrible conditions we couldn’t even access our stand, it took us an hour to figure out where to stand, I know things happen but to expect your visitors to camp on stands where there are holes and mud because of burst pipes is outrageous. There is no pride at this resort. The restaurant didn’t even had a lot available on the menu. We waited a long time for just our starters. Almost daily there were times with no water or no warm water, the first night we couldn’t even shower. There are no dustbins in the camping site bathroom. You can clearly see that maintenance has not been done in a while. Other visitors came in and go because of camping sites that is not in a condition to camp there. We couldn’t locate water taps around the camping site to connect a hose only the kitchen area. Dustbins not been empty or a garbage bag put in. It has been so muddy with not much grass to sit outside and enjoy camping. While we were camping they wanted to cut grass which is for me unacceptable do the maintenance when there is no visitors. The chalets is soooooo expensive then there is not even bedside lamps or hand soap in the bathroom. The baths are so deep it is very uncomfortable to bath in there. There is no permanent wifi code you get tokens that expires. The swimming pool was okay also not tip top shape. Even the slide at the swimming pool is broken. In festive time it should be functioning and your restaurant should not be out of stock on every second item on the menu. Unfortunately I will not go back again. I regret spending my festive time at Broadwaters. The only positive feedback I have is that the staff is friendly and help out where they can, but clearly management/owners fail them.

Absolutely appalling – avoid at all costs

We booked an overnight stopover at this “resort” while travelling from the Western Cape to Johannesburg. We were informed that no rooms were available but that camping was an option. We booked and paid online and even secured a restaurant reservation, trusting that this would be a straightforward overnight stay.

On arrival, we were astonished to find the entire resort taken over by a wedding and reception. This crucial information was conveniently omitted at the time of booking. Despite this, we were repeatedly assured that the wedding would have no impact whatsoever on us, as it was supposedly confined to a lower hall.

This was the first of many outright falsehoods.

The campsite itself was disgraceful. Long grass, weeds everywhere, and clearly no maintenance for months. There were no demarcated stands, no signage, and no guidance. It took nearly 30 minutes to locate a camping spot in a campsite with barely a dozen stands. Completely unacceptable.

We arrived at the restaurant at 18h00 for our confirmed dinner reservation, only to be told there was no chef available. Why take bookings at all? Nevertheless, we were assured food could be provided, so we ordered.

At this point, a visibly intoxicated woman entered the restaurant, shouting, playing videos at full volume, and generally behaving outrageously. This continued for over two hours. Staff made no effort to control the situation and, unbelievably, continued serving her sweet red wine. Only after we asked staff to intervene did she briefly stop—only to resume shortly thereafter. At 20h40, still without receiving our meals, we left hungry and exhausted.

Then came the wedding music.

Despite repeated assurances that it would not affect us, the music blared at full volume for hours on end, only stopping at 05h30 the next morning. We had absolutely zero sleep, entirely defeating the purpose of a stopover on a long-distance journey.

To cap it all off, the next morning the resort looked like a landfill: beer bottles, wine bottles, cans, and general rubbish strewn across the lawns and entrance areas. No cleanup, no apology, no accountability.

This was, without exaggeration, the worst camping experience we have ever had. Poor communication, appalling maintenance, nonexistent management, and complete disregard for paying guests. Avoid this place unless you enjoy sleepless nights, chaos, and being blatantly misled.

Hands down: never again.

Reading the other reviews I feel like we arrived at the wrong place! On arrival the room was not ready to to a burst water pipe in the estate so we’re still doing beds which I can understand- what I do not understand is how you hand over a unit to a customer where the outside was not cleaned at all! Beer bottle caps, cigarette stubs everywhere. Patio was not swept in days. Braai area was filthy covered in the fat and mess from the previous customers braais. Table and chairs so filthy had to use own cloth to clean it to have place to sit. The self catering unit has no kitchen cloths and now drying towels. The utilities for self catering is poor so best you bring your own pans, proper knifes and not too much thing that need refrigeration as the fridge is very small. The surroundings are stunning but don’t think you will be hearing the sounds of nature only loud music from neighbours who would turn it down for a while only to slowly increasing volume again! What a disappointing experience- maybe the owners or managers should get more involved and come and see what is going on here as this was a gem some years ago!

Place is located on the banks of a beautiful river, nice conference and dining facilities. Only challenge is that the place is not suitable for people using wheelchairs and people having leg 🦵 problems/challenges. There are lot of stairs to all these facilities .

On a recent road trip I decided to visit Douglas in the Northern Cape. Couldn't find any accommodation I particularly liked in Douglas itself but came across Broadwater Estate about 15kms outside Douglas. I had a Double room , en suite, which had a view of the majestic (and huge) Vaal River. The staff at the estate were all very friendly and very polite. The bar and dining room are both in very good condition and spotlessly clean. My room too was very clean and comfortable. Had very good breakfasts and the one dinner I had was also most enjoyable.
I would not be honest in my review if I did not mention the road from the main road down to the estate. It is a 2.3km gravel road and not in a good condition. A small car with not much ground clearance could battle over that road.