Beautiful in pictures, a little less so in reality... Houtbosdorp might have been a better experience, if we were better prepared for how little was provided... Communication from their side was poor from the forefront, so I'll clear things up for you... One pays to stay in a small Wendy house, there's no room services or inspection even, some of the stuff was missing from the room on arrival and when we told reception all they could say was not to worry about it -- it's not like they're worried... We had a communal kitchen and outhouses/bathrooms (only one of which was really spacious and decent)... There are only two dipping pools which require cleaning every day (fortunately, the groundskeepers, a.k.a the most friendly people around, considered that a priority), but there are no other activities or shops nearby... My family and I had to go 30 minutes out (15mins on a rocky dirt road) to get basics like dishcloths and toilet paper (2ply at least) and towels... The whole experience was awkward, like going camping except you forgot half your equipment at home and have neighbours with which you have to share what little you remembered to bring, and all I really miss are the dogs on the premises -- they were more amiable than most of the people and I don't even think half of them were supposed to be there. If you do decide to make a booking, I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay. Mostly because if anything bad happens to you during your visit, Houtbosdorp would like you to know that's not their problem. EDIT IN RESPONSE: P.S: To whom it may concern (Brenda, probably), I was referring to my own photos -- the nicest take away from our trip, I've added them for you. The rest is merely fact, so thank you for proving my point. Have a good night.

It was terrible! The photos and reality does not nearly compare. Our wendy house had a mold smell and the furniture is very outdated. We booked this place to spend quality family time together. Instead while we were braaing we heard a man shouting and swearing and a woman screaming with banging sounds in between. Next moment a teenager comes running up crying for help as her father is beating up her mother. From the looks of it these people are also permanently residing there. We could not wait for break of dawn to get going. The bed sleeps terrible, you have a unisex ablution which I did not like at all. The stay there was definitely not worth any cent.

Great getaway, affordable 👌 and 😌. Brenda and her brother were great hosts. We will definitely go back again.

This reminded me of the cottage that Red Hiding Hoods granny lived in, it was extremely quaint and really great person running it … We stayed here just to have a place to sleep as we had attended an event nearby, but it was a lovely, peaceful place… super rustic and beautiful grounds , The owner found and retuned my sunglasses! Thank you

Left with a bitter taste in the mouth! Paid in full 2 weeks before arrival date, emailed and phoned Brenda to make sure she had received my payments and she confirmed yes. Arrived on site and went to reception to collect keys and Brenda advised us that we owe her nothing as she had received all in full payments. Stayed for 3 nights, days were pleasant and enjoyable but nights were not so peaceful and quiet. We had loud music playing from other residents on the site till 2am(so much for silence is golden) in the morning with the dogs also barking. ON the Last night there was music playing from the local shebeen which echoed up the hill to the site. Last day we cleaned up and went to hand our keys back and requested for our deposit that is owed to us, but was advised from Brenda she now needs proof of my payments before she gives us our deposit! Why is it an issue now and not when we arrived? I had given her my dates of payments but still no guarantee on money been paid back. Stalling! Very tired and frustrating and this ending has left us with a bitter taste in our mouths! Pity - Won't be back in the near future!

Felt very uncomfortable upon arrival. We were welcomed by a confused host that just woke up from a nap. Fotos do not reflect the current state of the place. MIGHT have been nice a few years ago, but not very pleasant at this stage. Fortunately we have friends that reside in Magalies Park, where we rather spent the night. We didn't even bother asking for a refund, just left the place within 1 hour of our arrival. After reading previous reviews now (when I logged on to leave my own review), I felt very grateful that we decided not to stay over. Reading many reviews that stating that guests were robbed. Would NOT recommend at all.

Very bad place to visit,we visited it as group and the open one guest room which they stole all of our belongs,they really spoiled the trip.Dont bother to visit it.There is no security and no toilets in the room,only outside toilets,water was cold,rooms were not clean,it's a lot xem

I Booked with this Venue through a well known website and then after parts of my Group came across multiple Horrible reviews of Theft Breakins and issues at this venue we decided to cancel our Booking the Owner Yolanda offered me a full refund due to these issues and paid me 45% of my refund and is now withholding the rest of the money as she has stated she will be using it to upgrade her "Facilities" and i need to now wait for the rest of my Money

Stay away from this location! We were robbed of our belongings while sleeping. They don't even care about your loss. DONT VISIT HOUTBOSDORP!!

Don't bother going there, this place is dirty, we got robbed on our first night. They stole all our bags and cellphones. The owner didn't care, he didn't even call the cops. The pools are dirty and full of frogs 😞

Don't waste your money visiting this place, it is an old rustic unkept place, it was dirty with moulds on the wall, ants and frogs all over the place. The wendy rooms have holes where u can see the outside from the inside. The rooms do not have toilets inside, the showers are dirty. There's no security and we were robbed of our pbelongings inside the room at night while sleeping.

Everything is kept very clean and neat. The staff were friendly and even gave us the option for free firewood if we wanted. If you like camping you will like this place. The bathrooms were clean and neat, great hot shower facilities and overall just a very nice rustic feel around the site. Very relaxing and we didn't feel unsafe or uncomfortable at all. The only thing is that it is a bit of a drive to get to the town it's self. Not the place to go if you are expecting a luxury stay with spa visits and butlers, but perfect for a DIY camping get away.

Quite nice, peace place. Staff members are friendly and security (dogs) are always checking on us. I enjoyed every moment here. It was nice to visit Houtbosdorp and the owner helped us with visiting nearby places. THANK YOU VERY MUCH LEON

Serenity, Tranquility Away from the hustle of everyday life Everyone so warm and welcoming,

An awesome place to visit if you like the bush and roughing it a bit. Cute wooden houses fully equipped for self catering. Clean bedding and unit with tv. Unfortunately no complimentary coffee, etc. as it's fully self catering. Heaters for the cold weather, and a large fridge for your food. Outside bathroom and toilet, so a bit difficult in the cold weather to do your ablutions. Stunning views to enjoy. One downside is a local shebeen who likes to party until late, and dogs barking at night, which oddly also makes you feel safe and looked after. Sounds of the night, including jackals made it an all around good experience. Very friendly and helpful personnel, who gave us a second chalet even though we only booked one. Thanks!

Wow. Such a wonderful quite place. When we arrived , 2 little dogs welcomed us and escorted us in from the entrance straight to the reception. Good staff around. The sounds of the birds & nature around, wow that was awesome. Having a little bit experience of living in the woods. The site view is spectacular. The houses are so clean & fresh. I love this place

Rooms and shared ablutions were neat and clean, but very basic. The room I shared had one double bed, two single beds, a large refrigerator, very old TV and simple cupboards. The room had basic crockery and cutlery and some cooking utensils, but no stove or microwave oven, so this is cannot really be classed as self catering since there are no cooking facilities. There are oudoor fireplaces, but pots and pans may not be used on the fire. To be fair, I don't know how this compares with any similar facilities in terms of cost, since I have not visited any other venues in this cost bracket so it may be on par. The unpaved road to the venue is fair to poor. The facilities were fine for the bachelor party we attended, but in my opinion is not be a place I would go back to since it does not offer the facilities I usually look for, but if you want a cheap, clean place for a quiet break, this may be what you are looking for.

Very nice place to go an relax staff is very friendly

Friendly people. Quit place. Best place to be cut off the world. Just to be in the nature. Will see you soon again

So quiet and away from the busy city life. Back to basics with all the necessities. LoVe it!!!

Beautiful scenery, friendly staff and a bush experience delight. Outside showers, bush showers and a real power of getting away from the city. Take some extra towels. Rock pools and braai areas.