Melton Manor

We visited Kwandwe with our family in December for 5 nights. My immediate family stayed at Melton Manor, but our extended family stayed in the Great Fish River Lodge. This was my third time to Africa, but first time with children and first time at Kwandwe. At Melton Manor we had 5 small children with us, including my 5, 3, and 1 year old. The accommodations were perfect for our family. From the moment we arrived, the kids felt special. One of the 4 rooms was setup as a kid's room. They were all given stuffed animals and safari games and activities. The grounds in the middle of the manor were also great for the kids to run around, kick balls, fly paper airplanes, etc. Unfortunately, the pool was a bit to chilly for them when we were there. The staff was incredible. Silvia and Patrick provided top notch service. The food was absolutely delicious. They also provided a babysitter for my 1 year old since we didn't feel comfortable taking her on the game drives. The game rides were amazing and so much fun. Chris and Grant did an awesome job finding all of the Big 5 while also providing a fun an informative experience for our kids (they became professional "Poopoligists" by the end). There was a bull elephant that hung around the manor for most of our stay and our kids nicknamed him "Draggy Draggy Rose", which was a fun addition to the trip since our kids became "friends" with him and got a kick out of looking for him every day. The highlight for the adults was a night drive (without our kids) where we saw a pack of juvenile lions attempt to hunt a mother rhino and her baby (spoiler - they failed). We also did the rhino conservation excursion, which was truly a once in the lifetime opportunity. My 5 year old was able to administer medicine to the (sleeping) rhino and still talks about it to his friends and teachers. We also went to the Great River Lodge most nights for dinner to be with the rest of our family and I can say that the staff and food there is also incredible. I don't think anyone in our entire group of about 20 people had any complaints! All in all an amazing, once in a lifetime trip. If you can handle the 20+ hour flights from the US with children, I HIGHLY recommend Kwandwe!

Nine of us stayed in MM for 4 nights- 6 adults and three children aged 9,7, and 15 months. A family treat. We had a magical few days and saw the big 5 and masses more: giraffes, zebras, 12 different buck species, hippos, 35-40 different bird species, monkeys, baboons, a puff adder etc etc Silvia and her team at MM were brilliant and very welcoming and looked after us wonderfully. The accommodation was sumptuous and the food excellent. It was lovely to come back to a roaring fire (it was winter and chilly at times) and snug rooms. Lots of little touches-hot baths awaited us after one particularly chilly game drive. Ivan and Jason (ranger and tracker) were fantastic and their knowledge of animals, birds, and plants extensive. We learnt so much. Their persistence in finally finding a leopard in the last few minutes of our last drive was amazing. An experience our granddaughters will remember for the rest of their lives. My wife and I have visited many game reserves-Selous, Etosha, Wankie, Moshatu, Phinda, the Kruger but this Kwandwe experience was the best overall. Thank you Team Melton Manor.