First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge

3.0 star property

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your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge

Outdoor pool
Exterior
1 bedroom, in-room safe, desk, iron/ironing board
Beach nearby, beach towels
Chalet, 2 Bedrooms, Non Smoking, Patio | Terrace/patio

Reviews

8.8 out of 10

Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Bar
    Bar
  • Pool
    Pool
  • Housekeeping
    Housekeeping
  • Kitchen
    Kitchen
  • Laundry
    Laundry
  • Parking included
    Parking included

Explore the area

Map
Western Shore of Lake Shazibe, Shaka's Rock, Sodwana Bay, uMhlabuyalingana, KwaZulu-Natal, 3974
  • Sodwana Lighthouse
    11 min drive
  • Sodwana Bay Beach
    12 min drive
  • Lake Sibaya
    39 min drive

Room options

Chalet, 2 Bedrooms, Non Smoking, Patio

  • 980 sq ft
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 2 Twin Beds

Chalet, 4 Bedrooms, Non Smoking, Patio

  • 1367 sq ft
  • Sleeps 8
  • 1 Double Bed and 6 Twin Beds

About the neighborhood

Sodwana Bay

Located in uMhlabuyalingana, First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge is in a national park, within a 15-minute drive of iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Sodwana Lighthouse. .This lodge is 3.1 mi (4.9 km) from Sodwana Bay Beach and 9.7 mi (15.6 km) from Mabibi Beach.

What's nearby

  • Sodwana Bay Beach - 12 min drive - 3.1 miles
  • Mabibi Beach - 38 min drive - 9.8 miles
  • Lake Sibaya - 39 min drive - 12.0 miles
  • UMkhuze Game Reserve - 44 min drive - 22.4 miles
  • Phinda Private Game Reserve - 58 min drive - 26.9 miles

Getting around

  • Richards Bay (RCB) - 177 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Mseni Restaurant - ‬11 min drive
  • ‪The Snack Shack - ‬14 min drive
  • ‪Unguni's - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪Mseni Lodge Restaurant - ‬5 min drive
  • ‪Sodwana Take Away - ‬10 min drive

About this property

First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge

Lodge in uMhlabuyalingana with an outdoor pool and a restaurant
First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge offers 6 accommodations with safes and coffee/tea makers. Accommodations at this 3-star lodge have kitchens with refrigerators, stovetops, microwaves, and cookware/dishes/utensils.

Bathrooms include showers, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers. Business-friendly amenities include desks and desk chairs. Irons/ironing boards and hair dryers can be requested. Housekeeping is provided daily.

Recreational amenities at the lodge include an outdoor pool.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

Make yourself at home in one of the 6 guestrooms, featuring kitchens with refrigerators and ovens. Conveniences include safes and desks, and housekeeping is provided daily.
Enjoy recreation amenities such as an outdoor pool or take in the view from a garden.
Enjoy a satisfying meal at Leatherbacks Restaurant serving guests of First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge. Relax with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge or the poolside bar.
Featured amenities include laundry facilities, a library, and a safe deposit box at the front desk. Event facilities at this lodge consist of a conference center and a meeting room. Free self parking is available onsite.
Leatherbacks Restaurant - This restaurant specializes in seafood.

Languages

Afrikaans, English

Property amenities

Parking and transportation

  • Free self parking on site

Food and drink

  • A bar/lounge
  • A poolside bar
  • A restaurant

Restaurants on site

  • Leatherbacks Restaurant

Things to do

  • Library
  • Outdoor pool

Family friendly

  • Babysitting (surcharge)
  • Dining table
  • In-room kitchen
  • In-room microwave
  • In-room refrigerator
  • Laundry facilities
  • Outdoor pool
  • Separate bedroom

Conveniences

  • ATM
  • Laundry facilities
  • Safe at front desk

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)

Business services

  • Conference center
  • Meeting room

Outdoors

  • Beach towels
  • Garden
  • In a national park

Accessibility

  • Hardwood flooring in room
  • No elevator

More

  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Shower
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • TV

Food and drink

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Cookware, dishware, and utensils
  • Dining table
  • Electric kettle
  • Kitchen
  • Microwave
  • Oven
  • Refrigerator
  • Stovetop

More

  • Ceiling fan
  • Desk
  • Desk chair
  • Iron/ironing board on request
  • Safe

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: 8 PM

Check-out

Check-out before 10 AM

Special check-in instructions

There is no front desk at this property
Guests can access their accommodation through a private entrance
This property doesn't offer after-hours check-in

Access methods

Private entrance

Pets

No pets or service animals allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available

Property payment types

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property

National rating

Quality Graded by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) – South Africa's official quality assurance organization.

Property is also known as

First Group Sodwana Bay
Sodwana Bay Hotel Hluhluwe
Sodwana Bay Lodge Africa
First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge uMhlabuyalingana
First Group Sodwana Bay uMhlabuyalingana
First Group Sodwana Bay
Lodge First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge uMhlabuyalingana
uMhlabuyalingana First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge Lodge
Lodge First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge
Sodwana Bay Lodge
First Group Sodwana Bay
First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge Lodge
First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge uMhlabuyalingana
First Group Sodwana Bay Lodge Lodge uMhlabuyalingana

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 21 out of 42 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 17 out of 42 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 2 out of 42 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 42 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 42 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

6.6/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Glen

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotels.com poor service
Wonderful place , Very good product and very good service. However , Hotels.com were totally useless at responding or resolving my query of possible changes. No response to email or phone call. I will never book through hotels.com again.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sodwana Bay Lodge
The check-in was quick and the staff very friendly and efficient. The chalet was clean and neat with all the basic amenities. Would definitely recommend Sodwana Bay Lodge to anyone
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2020

10/10 Excellent

JP

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
The plug in the room had no top on it which could be dangerous for kids and the one sliding door didn't open which the staff knew about but didn't inform us utill we went to call them. but otherwise it was lovely.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020

8/10 Good

Melissa, Boston

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Self catering unit C2 had everything we needed, was clean and comfortable. Definitely recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent stay.
Really nice resort style accomodation. The girl on the front desk was very friendly and informative. Food was quite nice, but nothing special. The lodges are lovely, but not the most comfortable place. Dive centre on site was a huge feature for us, high standards and great dives. Would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Amenities
Cosy cabin in lovely grounds with antelope and monkeys. Despite wifi advertised there wasn't any because the owners were in the process of looking for new suppliers - think they should have done that before leaving their existing supplier!
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

Marcin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice and relaxing vacation
Nice place to stay with good facilities, though the beach is a bit far and it is expensive to pay the conservation fee for each visit.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Katie, Uk

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely chalet, roomy and light with good facilities.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Anthony

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay
Great lodge, great restaurant on site with very friendly waitresses & fantastic food.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent
Lovely chalet, clean, spacious, well equipped, comfortable beds. Serviced daily. Friendly efficient staff. Highly recommended
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2018

8/10 Good

Rita, Arlington, VA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice cottages close to Sodwana Bay
Reception staff were very friendly and cottage was large and clean. No shower indoors, just bathtub. Outdoor shower is available. Internet access is paid for, don’t waste your money though. The internet connection is really bad and slow.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2018

10/10 Excellent

Dave

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
If yo are looking for a great place to stay, then book here. Great staff, your cottage is cleaned every day and the staff are amazing. The restaurant and lounge are fun and diving and the beach is only a few km's away! Good security and just a wonderful place to stay!

8/10 Good

H abdool

Disliked: Room comfort
Chalet C13
I think we were unlucky to have chalet no.C13. it took time getting used to the gas geyser. Broken toilet roll holder. Sleeper coach very difficult to use.did not open without an effort, Opens halfway, slept with feet dangling in the air. Carpet in the loft very dirty. Huge tree in front of our balcony. Fridge not cold enough. Overall stay was Satisfactory.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2017

6/10 Okay

Christian, Düsseldorf

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Diving at Sodwana Bay
Good location if you want to go diving at Sodwana Bay. 10min drive to the beach/ dive camp. Good diving school within the complex.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

Barney, Johannesburg area, South Africa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Idyllic stay!
Well kept resort in natural surroundings. Many birds. Buck grazing on the lawn. Good restaurant! Very peaceful and wonderfully relaxing.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

patricia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location
A lovely chalet, with very good facilities. Very clean and comfortable.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Justine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fun family holiday - scuba, sea and sand
Had a wonderful stay. Great for scuba enthusiasts and the kids loved the beach!

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Scuba Africa
Typical African get-away facility with beauty and rustic feeling. The paid-for-WiFi was poor, but the 3G cellphone internet was good.

10/10 Excellent

ELSJE

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We stayed in C13. Awesome for romantic stay. Outside private shower made our holiday.

10/10 Excellent

Stephan de Wit, Dublin, Ireland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great for diving and vakue for money
I was pleasany surprised by the luxury of my house (C2) if there would be mosquito nets it will be the best. We had such a great time thanks

10/10 Excellent

Pantelis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relaxing stay in the wood cabin, Beautiful!
The chalet was clean and well set up, nice convenient gas braai on patio. It is very peaceful in the lodge and close to nature. The gardens and grounds are well kept. The restaurant in the lodge makes good food.

8/10 Good

Olga, Stockholm

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice house.
Good location and facilities. Nice clean bedrooms, large leaving room and dinner room. Good diving centre.