De Zalze Lodge

What a bargain! I got a bottle of wine and a wine tasting with my reservation. The security is great. The front desk is so helpful. They let me check in early, printed something for me, and arranged airport transportation. I love that each building is named for a wine - I stayed in Merlot. The restaurant isn’t open for dinner, but UberEats is convenient and affordable. The warming towel racks are great. The shower has excellent water pressure. I brought my own adapter, but they advertise having adapters to borrow if you need one. They sent me a picture of the outlets ahead of time so I could make sure to bring the right adapter. I know they mention possible power supply issues, but I didn’t experience any of that. The view is spectacular.

We thankfully only stayed 1 night. Ceiling and walls showed plenty of damp, bedding was "falling apart" as the duvet was not in a proper cover. Worst was the breakfast. The area itself just plain sad. One kind of cheese only - colour orange and pre sliced!! Considering we were surrounded by wine farms and plenty of places supplying a vast array of wonderful cheeses, this came as a bad surprise. Coffee was bad too. Breakfast bowls the size of thimbles so you had to eat your cereal/fruit salad/yoghurt out of 3 separate bowels. Service also bad, considering only 2 tables were occupied. Carlo at reception was very helpful.

Beautiful setting, golfer heave, wine lovers parad Lodge set in vineyards and working winery with tasting room and a complimentary wine tasting. Just on the outskirts of Stellenbosch which is a short Uber journey away. The lodge also overlooks the adjoining golf course where meals can be taken if desired. Onsite restaurant for breakfast and lunch or excellent self catering facilities. Also a lovely pool. Clean and comfortable bedroom. There is a new restaurant being built (with no noise from the site) which will soon make the experience even better. The staff are all wonderful, friendly and helpful and security is excellent.

We have stayed at Zalze Lodge about 5 or 6 times in the last 15 years, each stay for a week. The last visit in February 2026 will probably have been the last. Unfortunately, as a guest you no longer have the feeling of being very welcome. Bored indifference at reception. Nobody asks if you need help with your luggage - you heave it down the stairs yourself. Simply zero service orientation. For example, getting a corkscrew was a big deal since there wasn't one in the room. This on a winery! There was a big discussion about whether there really was no one there and I should have actually put down security deposit for the corkscrew that was then handed out. It finally worked without it. Incredible! We tried to prolonge the check-out time from 10 to 11 because we had a tee-time at 7. The answer: No! We had to cancel last day golfing therefore. Disappointing. The constant gardening with loud equipment in front of the room or next to the breakfast terrace got on my nerves. Do you have to mow the lawn all day from morning to evening? Daily? The construction site next to the lodge - which no one told us about when we booked - was added to this. When we finally left, no questions about whether we liked it, no friendly 'Glad you were there.' You could actually expect a little kindness with a room rate of 300 EUR per night. When we left, the security lady at the barrier asked us if we would come back after we left. We said no, it was our last day here. Opens the barrier, turns around and leaves. That was it for us and the lodge. Too bad!

Faultless. Utterly, faultless. Faultless, absolutely faultless. From the friendliest reception check in, to the wine tasting and lunch we had whilst waiting for our room. From contacting the reception team about a buggy up to the golf club house for dinner. Every aspect is covered. The location speaks for itself, in a tranquil valley, we had 48 hours of bliss. The food in the Kleine Zalze restaurant is some of the finest I’ve ever eaten in South Africa. Thank you for making our stay so lovely.

We arrived Boxing Day and were able to check straight into our room , each room is named after a South African wine and has a vine growing over the entrance. The room was smaller than expected but had a lovely view over the golf course and mountain range even if the balcony was also smaller than expected. The bed was firm but comfortable with nice bedding and a choice of pillows. The shower was great hot and powerful although it did take a while for hot water to come through. The fridge was big and great to stock up on cold drinks and wine etc , hairdryer was fine , safe and hanging space and drawers and shelves for clothing. Also tea and coffee which was restocked daily. Breakfast was a short stroll away and pleasant enough with a choice of hot options and the usual fruit,yoghurts , bread , cheese and ham to help yourself too. The cups for tea and coffee were tiny , a mug would would have been better. There is also juices and water available. For us the best part was the swimming pool set in lovely grounds overlooking the golf course with towels provided and the option to buy wine and cold drinks from reception. You could nearly always get a lounger and most of the time it was lovely and peaceful. You could take walks or runs in the vineyards or around the golf course once play had finished , and even watch the sunset from the top of the vineyard. Reception were always available and friendly and helpful if you had any issues. We regularly walked over to Lievens the restaurant at the golf course and the setting and food and wine were perfect - steaks to die for and klein zalze wine which was delicious. Golf wasn’t cheap but the course was in top condition the front nine wider fairways and back nine was more challenging. You were given a QR code to enter and exit the property which needed updating at reception every few days. The lodge was well placed to get to from the airport and plenty of vineyards close by to visit - the wine tasting on site was very enjoyable too. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and hope to return next time we are in Cape Town.