"We stayed at Needles Lodge for 3 wonderful nights. The lodge was so relaxing and welcoming. The staff made us feel so at home and the accommodation reflected this high level of comfort with all it's facilities.
The food was exquisite, the wine cellar impressive and the service irreproachable..."
"Wow we had the best of times at Needles Lodge. Will most definitely return. Dennis a great host and all staff friendly and professional. "
"This is the place to go if you need any accommodation in this area! The lodge and rooms are stunning as is the deck area and pool. The hosts are such lovely people who really do a lot to make their guests comfortable. They really give the lodge its homely feel. All the staff is very friendly and the..."
more"We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Needles Lodge primarily because the host Dennis was so co-operative. We were a family of nine people with difficult dietary requirements - one of the party being strictly kosher, some only eating kosher meat and one vegetarian who only eats free range eggs and does ..."
more"A very pleasant lodge with great hospitality. Wildlife plentiful inside the reserve and interaction with kudu and zebra was a nice surprise. Very well situated between Malelane and Crocodile bridge entrances to Kruger National Park."
"My family & I ( 6 adults & 1 child) have just returned from a 5 night stay at Needles Lodge. We were treated like family by the owners, Gary & Alta, who went out of their way to accommodate us & to make our stay a memorable one. Nothing was too much trouble for them - their hospitality was outstandi..."
more"We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Gary and Alta Barltrop were excellent, friendly and attentive hosts. The Lodge is beautifully appointed in a bush environment with close contact with wild animals and birds. It is a good base for the Crocodile Bridge and Malelane gates to the Kruger national Park."
"We stayed there for two days and we will definitely be coming back again. The hosts are very friendly and the small size of the lodge makes one feel like members of the family. The food is great. Enjoyed having breakfast with the warthogs, an experience every one should really cherish."
"The tour guide for the Kruger park was also a professional. If we go back to this area in SA we will try to stay again at Needles lodge."
"Waking up to zebra's behind the fence, warthogs and Impalas all around and bush babies jumping around us at night, made the stay at Needles lodge an amazing experience for our whole family (2 children - 6 & 2.5 years old). Friendly staff, comfortable rooms, good food...
Recommended"
" It was a lovely experience."
"You drive up to this unattractive abode from the rear. We were greeted by 6 zebra! Once you enter what is the back door, the whole world changes. What a magnificent place! A huge lounge area with a large railed deck with pool. 10 minutes after arrival we were feeding wild Kudo by hand! Gary and his ..."
more"Seeing a male kudu within 3m was fantastic....food superb, great company, host and hostess cannot be more accommodating. Will return.
Thanks for your assistance."
"Gary and Alta are fantastic and our game driver Cliff was also great. The place is clean and the food is great. Recommended !!!"
"The staff were very welcoming
The service very good
The food was above the standard that we had experienced elsewhere
The air conditioning should be improved"
"We had a marvellous time at Needles Lodge. The place is beautiful and Mr Mike and his team made our stay unforgettable."
"Very pleasant Gary for the housing and cooking and Cliff for safari made it very good."
"Had a great time at Needles. Location was great (saw Zebras on way in), staff were very friendly and helpful. Rooms were fabulous! Food was excellent! Host was superb and helpful. Would love to come back again"
"Our stay was fantastic. We drove in, and although a little skeptical at seeing a lot of dirt roads, we were completely blown away.
It literally is a home-away-from-home. Mike is a fantastic host, always ensuring we were comfortable, giving us advice on what was around, getting strangers talki..."
"Only stayed 2 nights at the lodge but thoroughly enjoyed it. The first afternoon zebras and warthogs wandered into the grounds! The food was delicious, prepared by the lodge's chef, and all guests ate together which was good fun. Mike was an informed and very pleasant host. My park guide, Cliff,..."
more"It is my second time to visit Mike and would recommend to anyone, The food.... well it like eating in a 5* restaurant every night. We spent 4 days in the park with Cliff as our guide, he is great company and a fantastic spotter, would recommend you book him for your drives.
Thanks again Mike ..."
"Mike was a gracious host - and anybody who looks at the pictures on the webpage and thinks they are fake are WRONG. We had zebras in the garden along with kudu and warthogs. Our guide Cliff was a great guy and very knowledgable."
"Needles Lodge, Mike and his staff compliment really looked after us and made us feel at home. Very professionally run but with a family feel to. Both myself and Dean thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We have already recommended the lodge to friends who are planning a trip in September. We will definately..."
more"Our family had a wonderful time at the lodge. It has the right balance between friendly welcoming service and peace and privacy. Mike was an excellent host and the arranged game drives were fabulous. Our children are 5 and 7 and were very happy with everything."
"Our stay at the lodge,coupled with our two days in Kruger Park, was the highlight of our two week trip to South Africa. Before we even got to the Lodge, our host Mike suggested we drive thru the park for a few hours in the afternoon. We took a self guided tour, and we were richly reward. We saw up c..."
more"Needles Lodge has a great location and offers excellent accommodation, personal service and great meals. "
"We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Needles lodge, the ease and speed of booking, the special consideration for food, the friendliness of staff and of course Mike. The safari arrangement could not have been with a better guide-Symon was excellent, by far the most knowledgable and friendly guide for th..."
more"We very much enjoyed our stay at Needles. From being greeted by three warthog, to meeting people from all over the globe, it was lots of fun."
"Great food, welcoming hospitality, comfortable rooms and cosy beds which are needed after long days on safari. The guides (Simon and Cliff) provided comprehensive information and a great sense of fun and enjoyment. The communal dining and lounge areas are great for sharing experiences of safari and ..."
more"Nice food and accomodation. Only one slight downside....you couldn't walk around for a stroll....."
"Great facilities and warm hospitality. Zebra at the waterhole were an added bonus."
"This is an absolutely fantastic and SPOT ON place to stay...you have all the luxury and serenity of the more exclusive lodges but at half the cost. This lodge is highly recommended by me and everything from the team of staff, the food and Mike the owner is extremely friendly and will do anything to ..."
more"WE RECOMMEND NEEDLES LODGE TO ANYBODY WHO LIKE FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE, PERSONAL ATTENTION AND GOOD FOOD. WE HAD A VERY GOOD TIME. MIKE IS THE BEST HOST AND CLIFF TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF US DURING THE KRUGER PARK SAFARI THAT WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO DO. GREAT FOOD, GREAT WINES, GREAT VALUE FOR THE MONEY."
"Mike was very helpful and made us very welcome. The staff were excellent and attentive. Food excellent. Arranged game drives with Heinrich were excellent - very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Room facilities very good, clean and spacious. No complaints at all. "
"We stayed 3 nights at the Needles Lodge and enjoyed every single minute of it! Mike's hospitality, the cuisine and the overall atmosphere was marvellous. We had fantastic trips to Kruger park, Maputo and Swaziland with Cliff - an outstanding ranger! Hopefully we will return soon! "
"Couldn't have had a better time. Mike did an excellent job of putting together all of our activities, and was helpful beyond belief. The accommodation was great, and the food and staff were excellent! Would certainly recommend Needles to anyone preparing for a great South African Safari!! "
"The 4 of us had the most amazing holiday. We were very spoilt at The Needles by Mike & his attentive staff (the food & wine were wonderful!). Cliff (christened Trev by our teenage girls) was our guide during our 4-day stay. He has a wide knowledge of the area and its inhabitants and managed to bag u..."
more"My wife and I spent two days at the Needles lodge. Very warm welcome by Mike, the owner, and his staff.
Very nice room, good food and what a surprise to see Zebras and Kudu coming into the garden of the lodge !!!
We had a really good time there. Do not hesitate to book a room. "
"The lodge is a lovely place to stay, a beautiful and peaceful setting. The safaris were very well organized and conducted and you will certainly not be disappointed with the food!!"
"From the moment of my first inquiry to the moment we checked out, Mike was really attentive. The look on my parents face when they saw the lodge and the staff cooking our meal in the open kitchen was priceless.
The 20-minute drive from Kruger to the lodge is smooth and worth it, since you ar..."
"We really enjoyed our stay at Needles Logde. We thank Mike and his team for their warm welcome, comfortable accommodation and excellent food and wines. We also thank Cliff who organised two marvellous safari days in the Kruger Park."
"Our first trip to the Kruger Park was a great experience and we can recommend Needles Lodge to everybody, as we had a very nice room, met very friendly people and the food was excellent. It was absolutely fabulous.
Thanks a lot."
"This was a first visit to South Africa (Africa) for my Indonesian partner and what better place to introduce her to the African bush than Needles Lodge.
Mike is a gracious host and runs a tight ship. Vusi and Patricia are stars in the kitchen and catered for our every gastronomic wish. Hein..."
"The accomodation, the food and atmosphere enjoyed exceeded our expectations in this establishment which I would describe as a 'mirage' in the bush.
Truly grateful to Mike and his staff for making us feel so welcome and special thank you to Cliff for the game drive where we really obtained fir..."
"We spent four nights at the lodge and enjoyed the excursions with Cliff Butlin very much. "
"Needles really exceeded our expectations. Mike is a fantastic host, warm and helpful and at the same time unobtrusive. The rest of the crew were fantastic. Washington cooked wonderful meals every single night. My daughter has special diet needs and he was willing to accommodate her every time. Thand..."
more"We had a wonderful time at Needles. Mike is a very gracious host and Cliff was a wonderful tour guide."
"My mother and I had the most wonderful time at Needles. Mike is so very very accommodating and made our stay just worth everything. The food, the wine selection and the peace and quiet are fantastically in abundance there."
"My family and I had the pleasure to stay three nights at Needles Lodge. This was a very pleasant stay, with Mike being a very pleasant host, a very nice food and comfortable rooms. To make it better, Cliff the Ranger working with Needle Lodge will make your visit to the Kruger unforgetable. "
"We had a wonderful 3 days at Needles. We especially enjoyed sharing dinner with other guests on the terrace each evening and comparing our days experiences. Great food, fantastic game drives (thanks Cliff) and Mike was a great host."
"Thanks again Mike and Cliff for a wonderful stay. We will recommend it anytime!
ps. still no leopard spotted :-( better luck next time"
"I am delighted to add my very favourable comments to those of others who have stayed at Needles Lodge near to Kruger National Park. Although I enjoyed Cape Town very much our 3 day safari was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip. Mike was a very hospitable host and the food and accommodation were..."
more"The lodge creates the bush atmosphere with all the luxuries and the food is just fabulous. You have to taste those potatoes!"
"We did enjoy our stay at Needles. It was absolutely great, we were treated like kings both at the lodge and out on the game drives. The food was excellent, and the service was superb, hoping we can deal with you in the future.
Regards and thanks again "
"We couldn't have asked for a better place to stay while on our safari.
Thank you so much to all of the staff who made our trip a memorable one (especially Cliff.....thanks for keeping us safe when we got the flat tyre...and for showing us the elephants!).
Amazing accommodations, food ..."
"What a wonderful place. We were there on our honeymoon and we really enjoyed our stay at Needles lodge. The food is excellent and the service is outstanding. There are so many things to do and Mike and his team are always there to provide just the best service with a smile. Thanks for a wonderful ti..."
more"My family and I had an amazing trip to the Kruger Park and Needles Lodge. We had a terrific stay at Mike's place and enjoyed the excellent service, comfortable accommodations and delicious food.
Some of the highlights include, the excellent English breakfasts offered to those guests who do..."
"Needles Lodge is a beautiful and well situated location for visiting Kruger and the surrounding areas. Mike (the owner) is an excellent and convivial host and nothing is too much trouble to ensure that guests needs are fully catered for. Kids really are welcome (ours are 12 and 10 years old) and are..."
more"We are a family of 5 with 3 children under 10 - it was difficult for us to find a suitable safari for our needs. Thankfully both Mike at Needles and Cliff, the safari guide, have a lot of patience and have so far not been turned off taking children. We had a great time and really appreciate all the ..."
more"This was our first visit to wonderful South Africa and Mike and his team have turned it into an unforgettable experience. We enjoyed every moment of our stay. Needles is just part of nature with numerous animals parading by while you're having breakfast.
Dinners were delicious (thanks Washin..."
"Yes we generally enjoyed ourselves, however on reflection there were a coule of things which I think may improve the lodge. It would have been nice to make your own tea coffee rather than ask. Also a toilet door for us more uptight people.
Thanks to Cliff for a wonderfull 2 day safari.
"This was our 2nd visit to Needles and the service and welcome was just as great as the first time round. Mike is very freindly, the food is scrummy, the rooms are large and comfortable and the location is perfect. We took a game drive with Cliff and saw the big 5 which is a must for everyone. Do ..."
more"The accomodation and food was very good, the people are very friendly and helpful."
"I stayed at Needles Lodge in Marloth Park, at the Southern end of Kruger Park, the week of October 10th and had such a great time! The house is very comfortable and I loved the deck outside, where you can also see many animals in the bush. The staff provides excellent service and the food and drin..."
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