Reviews of Bagatelle Game Ranch

"Whilst our dune chalet was very nicely appointed with a modern bathroom and a great big bath tub, we were very disappointed to find the water in the evening barely warm and the flow was so very poor that a shower was not practical and a bath definitely impossible. Surprisingly we were asked to spare the scarce water but there was no plug in the wash basin!

We understood the dune chalets were the best accommodation at Bagatelle, but the long walk in the sand from the main building together with the difficult trek up over the deep sand dune, made the location not ideal for our very short stay. We noticed the next door chalet had proper steps built into the dune and how we would have loved to have swapped rooms!

We arrived at 4pm and immediately swapped vehicles and went straight out onto an organised sundowner game drive arriving back after dark and left at 8am next day. We therefore had no opportunity to enjoy other attractions such as watching the waterhole near our room nor the meerkats and cheetah we had seen advertised.

Our evening meal was taken outside and because of the cold, people had to dine in their coats with blankets - not very practical but it would appear the indoor dining room was not big enough to accommodate all the guests. Dinner was buffet and it was disappointing to find that early on, the variety of salad items had run out with only lettuce being available. The kitchen was not very geared up to accommodate Mr L's dietary requirements despite them being advised of it in advance.

Breakfast was taken early at 7am and was in the indoor dining room - a much nicer experience altogether." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia

"We were in Dune Chalet 3 which had a fabulous view over the waterhole. We only stayed one night but had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

I'm glad we had a 4WD car otherwise we would have struggled with the sandy parking area near the chalet.

The D road that accesses the property was one of the most challenging we encountered on our whole trip." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"An amazing location, really friendly and helpful staff and beautiful food.

Met the owners of the ranch who were so enthusiastic and welcoming towards us.

Taken to see the local family of meerkats - a highlight of our trip." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia

"Basic but very good experience. Friendly staff." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia; 6n in South Africa

"An excellent lodge to begin our two week photographic trip. Wonderful location and the evening BBQ dinner was wonderful.

A pity we were there for only one night." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"an excellent way to start the trip. saw lots of meerkats, bat eared foxes etc etc.

only comment is that they tried to downgrade us to a standard room when we arrived and only put us into the dune chalet once we insisted that this is what we had paid for." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"This was an amazing place to stay for New Year.

Everything about it was superb right down to the goats drinking from the pool & the donkey nuzzling up to the guests around the pool side & the pet springbok!

Superb views & stunning sunsets from our very private Dune chalet. We had excellent trips from knowledgable guides, it was a shame that the 'bushmen' had to resort to telling us what their lives used to be like but not any more.

Wonderful outdoor dining area with great freshly cooked food, all the staff were great." See all these reviews: 27n in Namibia; 1n in Botswana

"Let's start with the positives - great location in the Khalari dunes; meerkats; good evening meals; and the helpful attitude of some of the staff.

Negatives - the off hand attitude of other staff; the disappointing breakfasts; finding the three cheetahs in an enclosure that seemed no bigger than a tennis court; the fact that on the morning scenic drive most of the creatures ran off as the vehicle approached (this suggests that someone had been shooting animals from vehicles); the "tame" springbok in the dining area with a length of hose pipe stuck on each horn; and the way that the water & electricity failures were dealt with by the management.

We understand that there can be problems with power and water supplies - this was not the issue. Our criticism concerns the way the management failed to keep guests informed. It would have been really helpful if the staff had told us about the electricity problem when we arrived. We reached our room then had to go back to reception to try to find out what was happening. (5 minutes walk downhill then 10 minutes back uphill). The electricity eventually was restored at 7.00 pm. The next day there were more power cuts. Once again no one came to inform us - so yet more walking to/from reception. Then the water supply failed - there was no water from mid-afternoon to 9.30 pm. Once again we had to trek to/from reception to ask staff what was happening. They seemed ill informed and indifferent. By the evening management were offering free wine as compensation but in the end we suggested that not charging us for the game drive would be more acceptable.

We did not enjoy our stay at Bagatelle. Building chalets on top of sand dunes when temperatures reach the high 30s is not sensible if there is no back up generator. The lodge's website says "The design and décor, materials and furnishings, gardens and natural settings, all combine to ensure our guests live their dream of an African Safari." Certainly not my dream.

Too gimmicky, too hot, too poorly managed and, given these factors, too expensive." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia

"Used as a brief overnight stop en route south to Fish River - pity as we could easily have stayed longer." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia

"Once again a game ranch with detached accommodation set amidst the red sands of the Kalahari.

Spacious bedroom and nice deck outside where the various animals walk past.

Meals and cakes at tea time were very good and there was plenty of space to sit and relax. the shop also had a range of quality gifts / souvenirs available." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia