Reviews of Ndedema Lodge
(92%) From 17 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Ndedema Lodge review
The owner has booked us a meal in a local restaurant for the night we arrived, which was very thoughtful. She was very helpful in providing information about the local area and amenities, and helping us choose places to eat.
The room was fine, but a bit dingy. The outdoor space immediately outside our room was not an attractive place to sit (unlike some other rooms).
Wonderful hosts at Ndedema Lodge
The drive from Fish River Canyon, Namibia to Clandwilliam, South Africa was about eight hours. There was almost no place to stop between the two, so I realized why the overnights were arranged this way. We had no trouble going across the border into South Africa.
The parents stayed in the lodge, and our children stayed in a cottage behind the lodge. The breakfast each morning was wonderful. The Inn Keepers made our stay in Clandwilliam a success by arranging an eco tour of a rooibos tea farm, making dinner reservations, and suggesting a place to see the San rock art. The Inn Keepers also helped us understand the history of the different people living in the area, and the current political climate. We had read a lot to prepare for our trip, but the personal touch of the Inn Keepers gave us a much deeper understanding of life in South Africa.
We were sorry to hear the Inn Keepers were retiring in January 2015, and hope the new Inn Keepers will be as welcoming.
What a Lovely B&B
One of our favorite B&Bs in the world!!! We arrived and said our names and that we had a reservation. The lady smiled and said, "I know, we were waiting for you!" We immediately felt 'at home'.
We had a gorgeous two-bedroom suite that was extremely comfortable. The owner was so attentive and helpful. It made our one-night stay in Clanwilliam excellent! She gave us some recommendations on what to do for the evening. Breakfast was delicious! I wish we could have stayed at least one more night.
2 nights at Ndedema Lodge
A very warm welcome from Wilma to her lovely house after the car was parked through the electric gate, so very secure.
Our room was lovely with period furniture, the bathroom massive. A relaxing beer in the shady garden on arrival. Pool available though we did not use it.
Wilma organised our trip to the Rooibos estate the next morning and pointed us to the rock art trail for the afternoon.
Breakfasts were eaten in the garden from a substantial choice laid out inside. Long chats with Wilma and Johan who were excellent hosts making for a most enjoyable stay in Clanwilliam.
Ndedema Lodge review
A really welcoming guest house only providing B&B (unless full) but breakfast was good. They reserved a table for us at a local restaurant/pub which served good but basic food. Nonetheless making us feel special. It was some walking distance from the lodge.
The town is well placed for the mountains, Lamberts bay and the rock art trail.
They have WiFi which they give you a password for if you ask. It's free but you need to sit close to the owners' cottage.
Welcoming, comfortable place to stay
Large comfortable room, with very welcoming hosts.
Read more about the whole tripStimulating stop-over at Ndedema
The lodge gave us an excellent overnight stay. It was quiet, conveniently located and securely operated. We arrived at dusk, having journeyed circuitously from Cape Town, via the West Coast National Park and the river-estuary at Velddrif (here on the North bank, by the way, there is a public, roomy, but apparently scarce-frequented bird-hide, built on its own 30-metre pier into the waterway - it provided wonderful close-up viewings of flamingo and other water-life).
The owner, Wilma, had thoughtfully booked us a table at Emil's Place, a restaurant some 10 minutes walk back into Clanwilliam (fortunate for us, as we found the premises full and the dining excellent). We proceeded to have a good night's sleep in fine surroundings with all necessary facilities - followed by a hearty breakfast.
We had curtailed our stay at Clanwilliam to one night, in order to help fit in extra nights elsewhere. This worked well for us. On Wilma's recommendation the following morning, we briefly visited the Rooibos tea factory shop (which, strangely, had scarcely any of its products on sale - there was a better selection at the local SuperSpar).
She also recommended a brief side-trip into the Cedarberg Mountains, which was much more rewarding. We drove up the Pakhuis Pass and visited the poet, Leipoldt 's grave, with its overhang of bushmen's painting. Here we also encountered a large bunch of ageing Hell's Angel-style bike riders. With them and the backdrop of the monumental and eroded rock formations of the Cedarberg, we felt we had been transported to Arizona. We traveled a little further to take a look over the other side of the Pass, before - feeling fulfilled with what was on view - we retraced our steps.
We were back in Clanwilliam by 11.30am, only to find the Hog-riders hogging the town's sole petrol station. Nevertheless, we were well placed for the next stage of our journey towards Springbok, which we reached by around 3pm.
A great place to stay
We had a lovely room at the front of the main building, with an amazing bathroom which was bigger that the bedroom. The welcome and information available was excellent, and the breakfast with fruits fresh from the garden was wonderful.
There wasn't much open in Clanwilliam on the Sunday we arrived, and our host booking the only available restaurant for us was a nice touch.
Wonderful hospitality at Ndedema Lodge
Clanwilliam is an easy drive from Cape Town, we travelled the coastal route. As a stopover en route to Namibia it was great, would have liked an extra night to explore the surrounding area. Ndedema Lodge is just lovely. We were welcomed by Johan and Wilma into their gorgeous old Victorian home. The rooms were all beautifully decorated and nice comfortable beds.
Special touches included sherry in the rooms, and a complimentary bottle of champagne for our 25th wedding anniversary. Wilma also arranged a special dinner reservation in town for our celebration. We enjoyed relaxing by the pool and the lovely garden area, chatting with Johan over a few beers & wines, listening to his stories, and appreciated his advice on our pending adventure through Namibia. Wilma served a great breakfast for our early start the next morning.
The security is excellent behind locked gates, plenty of room for vehicles. Would highly recommend this lovely place.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
