Dinokeng Resort

Loved the Main House, but Disappointed by Unfair Breakage Fee Deduction.
We recently stayed in the Main House at Dinokeng Resort. It wasn’t my first time visiting the resort, but it was my first time booking a self-catering unit. The house and the resort facilities were wonderful as always, and overall we had a great stay.
However, our experience was tarnished by the handling of the refundable breakage deposit. While I fully support paying a deposit to protect property, I was shocked to find that more than half of mine was withheld. It was paid out within about 2 weeks without any communication of when and also why money would be deducted.
Management claimed we broke a bed lamp and deducted the cost from our deposit. I am an honest person and take pride in looking after other people’s property, so being falsely accused was genuinely hurtful. I provided photos taken immediately upon arrival showing there was only one lamp in the room to begin with, but management refused to listen. Furthermore:
• No Inventory Checklist: Bed lamps were not listed on the unit's inventory list upon check-in. Had they been, I would have reported the missing lamp right away.
• Lack of Communication: Cleaners arrived late on our departure day, but no issue was reported to us. I only found out about the deduction after noticing that the payment received was less than the amount I paid and submitted a request for reason.
We truly love the resort itself, but this unfair process left a bitter taste. If you book a self-catering unit here, I strongly recommend requesting an in-person walk-through with staff both at check-in and prior to departure to avoid wrongful claims against your deposit.

Extremely disappointing experience with this resort, particularly when it comes to customer service and flexibility. I made a booking in good faith, but within just three days realised I had made an honest mistake regarding the location. Being based in Australia, I misunderstood the distinction between the resort and the nearby game reserve, which was the specific area I had intended to book. As soon as I became aware of the error, I contacted the resort immediately to request a cancellation and a full refund—well in advance of the travel dates.

Despite the prompt notice and the fact that the booking was very recent, the resort refused to make any exception to their cancellation policy. Their repeated responses stated that they “understand that plans can change,” yet they also insisted they “cannot deviate from the cancellation policy.” This was particularly frustrating because my situation was not simply a case of changed plans, but a genuine and understandable booking mistake that I acted on immediately.

This was not a last-minute cancellation, nor was it a casual change of mind. Given the timing, there would have been ample opportunity for the resort to rebook the dates, so it’s difficult to understand why a more reasonable or compassionate approach wasn’t taken.

What stood out most was the complete lack of empathy or willingness to consider the situation on its merits. Customer service should go beyond simply enforcing policies—it should involve some level of understanding and fairness, especially in cases like this where no real loss or inconvenience would likely occur. Repeating scripted statements about understanding “plans can change” while refusing to consider the actual circumstances only made the interaction feel dismissive and impersonal.

Overall, this experience has left a very negative impression. I would strongly advise anyone considering booking to triple-check all details beforehand, as there is no flexibility if something goes wrong, even in genuine circumstances.

Keeping 50% of my deposit paid under these circumstances feels completely unjustified and, quite frankly, like they are stealing my money despite being notified almost immediately of the error.

The resort needs some updating, certain things that could be better if maintenance were to be done. The road to there needs some tlc but thats not their fault. The stands are well laid out. There are places there that isnt on the map that they give. The finishings in the ablusions (private) could be better. Nitty gritty things 💁‍♀️. Overall a great experience though. Would visit again 🤌

Service extremely poor!!! Only excuses...send email...really...? How long do u wait for response...one cannot plan 😡Staff in reception difficult to find. Their excuse ...office hours. But it WAS office hours. Phones lie unattended on desks. No staff. Ringing but on silent!! My Personal experiene...have proof. Had to ask cleaners to get someone in office...one lady cannot run shop and reception. Where is the owner/manager. Yesterday was weekend. Today monday....no difference. A pity because the facilities are beautiful and clean. The owner should pull up socks...rely on location.....?

Resort has many places to stay in according to your budget, hunting, game drives and quad biking just to name a few. They have the big 5 as well. Was a lovely holiday 😊. We'll done