Chalet, 2 Bedrooms | View from room

Reviews of First Group Midlands Saddle and Trout

3 out of 5
First Group Midlands Saddle and Trout
152 Hidcote Rd, Sub 7 of Farm Oatesdale, Mooirivier, KwaZulu-Natal

Reviews

8.0

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 25 out of 55 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 15 out of 55 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 55 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 6 out of 55 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 55 reviews" "

8.0/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

10/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Earl

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from First Family on Sep 5, 2023
Hi There EarlWe are delighted to hear from youWe cannot wait to welcome you back again :)

10/10 Excellent

Charles

Business traveler, Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very comfortable unit, will return again.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from First Family on Aug 18, 2023
We cannot wait to welcome you back :)

8/10 Good

EW

Business traveler
Liked: Room comfort
Nice
Stayed only one night. The apartment was nice and comfy, but the heating was insufficient. The restaurant was shocking
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

4/10 Poor

Zakiyya

Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
A disappointing holiday
An absolutely disappointing experience.. We came in early, our fault... We didn't realize check in was at 3.. At 3pm we were issued a key to a room that wasn't ready yet.. Went back to to reception and we were issued another chalet... There are no fans or air-conditioning units in the chalet.. The chalet was infested with flies.. Drove up to reception and was handed a can of doom... So, no air-conditioning or fan and we can't keep the windows or doors open cos the flies are a bother.. I counted 35 flies in the lounge and room... The kitchen had cobwebs, the blinds were taken off, probably broken.. I thought I'd use the spa bath to cool down. But when I switched on the jets fly lavae had filled my tub... The toilet had a constant leak.. After giving up and deciding I'm leaving early the next morning I decided to go to bed where I was greeted by a fishmoth good night... An absolutely disappointing waste of money... And on our way out we were told.. "see you next time" I very much doubt that, unless the resort has a major spring clean and upgrade
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Nana

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Lovely stay
Loved my stay here during my solocation. Only issue we had was the power cuts ontop of loadshedding but i guess that was out of their control.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2022
Response from Midlands Saddle & Trout on Nov 17, 2022
Dear Nana. Thank you so much for taking the time to review our property. We absolutely loved having you here with us and hope we see you back again very soon.

6/10 Okay

Werner

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022
Response from Midlands Saddle & Trout on Jun 21, 2022
Dear Werner. Thank you very much for taking the time to review our property. We hope you'll be back for another visit soon. Have a great day

6/10 Okay

Sarika

Traveled with family
Liked: Room comfort
Place is very relaxing however it is very run down and is in need of maintenance.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022
Response from Midlands on Jun 17, 2022
Dear Sarika. Thank you for taking the time to review our property. It is very peaceful and beautiful we agree. Maintenance issues will be addressed accordingly. We hope to see you back again very soon.

4/10 Poor

Carlos

I had to prove that my stay included breakfast. reception wanted to charge me for breakfast .
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2022
Response from Joanne on Jan 19, 2022
Good afternoon, I apologise for the inconvenience. Unfortunately all the reservation comments and information we had at property indicated that the stay was room only and did not include breakfast. This is why you were asked to provide correspondence that indicated that breakfast was included so that we could confirm and rectify as well as ensure that we can address this with the site you booked on to avoid it happening again. Kind regards, Joanne

4/10 Poor

Kavir

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Worst experience ever
Have been to this resort many times over the years. Will never go back. Too many complaints to mention. We did make the manager aware. Evan paid for breakfast but didnt eat on the 2nd day
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Joanne on Jan 11, 2022
Hi Kavir, So sorry to hear that your stay was less than expected. Thank you for making us aware of your experience, we will most definitely work on closing the gaps and covering the shortfalls.

10/10 Excellent

Mr Price

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2022
Response from Joanne on Jan 11, 2022
Thank you for the top rating. So glad you had a great stay.

8/10 Good

Raja

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2021
Response from Joanne on Dec 8, 2021
Thank you for the rating, so glad you had a great stay

8/10 Good

Mohammed

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Joanne on Nov 8, 2021
Thank you for rating your stay. We hope to see you again soon.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Shocking! Dirty, unmaintained. The only good thing is the refund we are getting from leaving early.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Joanne on Oct 20, 2021
Sorry to hear you had a particularly bad experience at Midlands Saddle & Trout. I believe the issues experienced have been dealt with at property with management. Kind regards

8/10 Good

Pieter

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
A great holiday destination
A massive upgrade since the last time i was there. Reception is great and the staff are friendly. The chalets are perfectly furnished, clean and equipped with everything you need. The only downside was the restaurant, as it closes at 18h00 and the menu did not have alot of options for dinner. It also only opened at 08h00 so breakfast was a no go. Nevertheless, my Burger were still great and my breakfast pack also good. I was on a business trip so i did not have alot of time to explore further but believe that there oe alot to do. Definitely a go as a holoday destination.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021
Response from Joanne on Oct 7, 2021
Dear Pieter, So thrilled you had a great stay at Midlands and have noticed the work that is being done to the property. We are in the process of upgrading our restaurant menu and have only recently extended the restaurant hours so will most definitely relook at this should the demand be there. Thank you for your feedback is ir really appreciated and we hope to welcome you back again soon. Warm regards, Joanne

10/10 Excellent

Sthulile

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Perfect
Everything was perfect, great location. The rooms had everything you will need,even though weather was gloomy we stayed indoors mostly couldn’t use the pool but overall stay was perfect. Nice views as well
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Joanne on Aug 24, 2021
Always thrilled to hear when one of our guests have had a great stay. Thank you so much for the feedback and lovely comments. We hope to see you again soon. Warm regards

10/10 Excellent

Vanessa

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
GREAT RELAXING WEEKEND
Stay was amazing... Place was super clean... Sanitizers provided... Friendsly staff.... Great getaway :-)
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Joanne on Aug 19, 2021
Dear Vanessa, Thank you for the great review and comment. Glad you had an awesome stay. Warm regards, Joanne

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021
Response from Joanne on Jul 1, 2021
Thank you for the great rating. So glad you had a wonderful stay at Midlands Saddle & Trout.

8/10 Good

Dumisani

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Joanne on Jun 26, 2021
Hi Dumisani, Thank you for the rating, glad that you had a good stay with us at Midlands Saddle & Trout. We hope to see you again soon. KInd regards, Joanne

8/10 Good

Rashnand

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
The Stay was amazing , only thing i suggest is that you guys change the firewood as it does not burn.Other guest also had the same issue
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Joanne on Jun 21, 2021
Dear Rashnand, Thank you for your rating and comments. I am thrilled to hear you had an amazing stay and hope to welsome you back again soon. We will definitely look into the firewood - thanks for letting us know. Kind regards, Joanne Deputy General Manager

4/10 Poor

Grant

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Idyllic stay marred by electrical fault
A lovely stay in most regards. Gorgeous view, well stocked and clean cottage... BUT a major issue with the electricityenat that both myself and my wife were shocked in the bath and shower whenever we touched the plumbing. It was really frightening and did not seem to be taken too seriously when reporting the incident the following day on checking out.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2021
Response from Joanne on Apr 3, 2021
Dear Grant, Thank you for your feedback. Please accept my sincerest apologies that you were made to feel this incident was not serious. Rest assured that we take this very seriously and have ensured to rectify the problem. I am sorry we could not have done this for you at the time. We appreciate your feedback and hope that we will see you again. Kind regards, Joanne

10/10 Excellent

Imraan

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Amazing getaway
Amazing
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2021
Response from Joanne on Mar 16, 2021
Thank you for the great score and comment Imraan. The MST team are thrilled you had an amazing stay.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
We had a beautiful stay . Love the serenity and clear air . Love that there's a jacuzzi in the chalet . Amazing .
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Tops Too good More than what we bargained for .
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Abdur Rahmaan

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Vote of Excellence
Place was scenic and beautiful. Rooms was exceptionally clean
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Ahmed H

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Awesome weekend away at Saddle & Trout!
We had a truly excellent stay at Saddle & Trout. The estate was so quiet and peaceful that it gave us the opportunity to really rest and recover. General maintenance was good but could be improved. It must be noted that these are COVID times so we have to cut the resort some slack as they are dealing with a wide range of issues. We were not bothered with flies as the other reviews suggest. This could be due the location of our cottage and the time we travelled (early spring). I would definitely return and recommend this place to freinds and family.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2020

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
staff were friendly and very helpful ,Horse ride was amazing
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Fiona

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

RICKSHANA

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Had a enjoyable stay. Will be back soon
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect location
Everything was perfect, great customer service
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019
Response from Juandre Marais on Jun 28, 2019
Good Afternoon Anonymous, Thank you for the wonderful review. We look forward to having you visit us again soon! Kind Regards, Juandre Marais, General Manager

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family and small children, Traveled with partner, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lots of activities for the whole family. Really friendly staff. Modern and comfortable chalet, with daily servicing.
Stayed 6 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Juandre Marais on Jun 29, 2019
Good afternoon Anonymous, Thank you so much for the wonderful review on our beautiful resort. I will relay your kind words to the staff. The MST Team look forward having you back soonest!! Kind regards Juandre Marais General Manager

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Well needed break
A nice break away from the hustle and bustle of city life .our experience was wonderful .we enjoyed our time at the resort .the peace and tranquility and views from our chalet were amazing .To Thandeka and her team thanks They were ever so helpful and accommodating to our needs . To Mbuyo and her team at the spa thanks they really made our experience wonderful . Although chalets need abit of maintenance overall it was a comfortable stay .
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2019

6/10 Okay

Mohammad, South Africa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
A Resort with great potential
The resort is nice with all the nice activities. My biggest issue is the chalets don't have fans in the rooms, so the room was absolutely hot even during the night. They need fans like desperately during summer. Too many flies, flees, coakroches etc during the night which becomes an annoyance when the windows are opened. I hope these things get sorted quickly because aside to all of this, the resort has great potential
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Maryna on Feb 2, 2019
Mr Mohammad Thank you for your review. Our sincere apologies for taking so long to respond. We had endless problems with this website! As for your comments - We have not experienced such a hot, dry summer for many many years and the flies have been a problem since it is so dry. We are happy to announce that we sprayed all the units again; hung more fly traps around the premises and it is certainly better. Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience you experience whilst you were here. Kind regards Maryna Albertyn Manager

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018

4/10 Poor

Sharon , Houston, Texas

Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Filthy!!!
We booked the 4 bedroom unit for a family reunion. So so disappointed that the unit was extremely filthy. When we complained, a cleaner was sent to beaten up however, we had to sit outside whilst she was cleaning. As a result, we could not be in the unit from 10am-3:30pm. It didn't help that my son ripped his knee in a torn sofa. One family left Friday night (upon arrival), as it was too dirty to sleep in. The manager was supposed to get back to me once he had a full investigation but 4 weeks later and I've not heard back. There were spider webs all over, dead flies on the floor and the toilets were messed when we checked in. Save your money and book elsewhere. Such a disappointing weekend!!!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Love little getaway
The refurbished units where clean and cosy.Lovely place to get away from it all. Lots to do although everything you have to pay for. But will definitely be back!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback! Kind Regards Schalk Enslin General Manager MST

10/10 Excellent

Tracey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was lovely, neat and clean and friendly staff.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017
Thank Tracey - Midlands Saddle and Trout is an awesome destination, but I agree with you, it's the staff that makes the experience special. Kind Regards Schalk Enslin General Manager MST

10/10 Excellent

Christine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous time! Units are excellent and kids loved the Jacuzzi bath. Service at the Restaurant was disappointing on the Saturday. Only 2 staff to assist and it took an hour to get our food and during that wait our waiter did not check up on us. That was the only issue during our stay. Most of the staff were friendly and helpful!
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017
Thank you for the great feedback Christine. The Jacuzzi bath and fire places most certainly makes us a great winter destination. And sorry about the over full restaurant - our third waitress was called away suddenly when her child fell ill - I do hope the inconvenience was eased over when the hearty food arrived! Kind Regards Schalk Enslin General Manager MST

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Thanks for the great feedback! Regards Schalk Enslin, General Manager MST

10/10 Excellent

Shahabaaz

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing place, will stay again.
Just awesome, this place give you happiness, luxury everything you want.
Thank you Shahabaaz - Great to get such positive feedback!

6/10 Okay

ailsa

Liked: Staff & service
Plenty of activities for childrenM
Thanks Ailsa - Family Fun is the name of the game!

8/10 Good

Lyndon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Quiet Getaway
Although the weather did not play along and we had fairly cold and misty weather while we stayed at the resort, we really had a great time, the staff are friendly and welcoming. The resort management are always around and very approachable. Although the resort is currently being refurbished the chalets are far enough apart that the work does not interfere at all. The new units look stunning, this veteran resort is being polished up again and it is great to see.
Thanks for the kind and honest review. The refurb will indeed be completed within a few months, but the weather will still be the midlands! Hence the fireplaces and Spa baths for the cooler months.

8/10 Good

Chris

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Hard work paying off
It was a good trip to MST. It is my first time back since early 2000's and the management are definately putting in the work to get it back to its high standard expected back then.
Thanks Chris for the great feedback – We will continue to work on that 5/5 before you visit next!

10/10 Excellent

Omar

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tranquil and comfortable
A tranquil and beautiful environment. The rooms were clean and efficiently furnished including the kitchen. We were sad to leave!
Response from General Manager on Mar 3, 2017
Thank you for the great feedback Omar. We are looking forward to your next stay with us.

8/10 Good

Reagan, mount edgecombe

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Midlands saddle great stay
GREAT STAY
Response from General Manager on Mar 3, 2017
Thank you Reagan - next time we will aim for 5 stars!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean and quiet
We just loved the area, the fantastic chalet and weather
Response from General Manager on Mar 3, 2017
Thank you for the great feedback! As you know we are well situated in the Midlands Meander, yet close to the N3 freeway, and the old school charm of our spacious units are awesome. Keep an eye on the Facebook's Snow Report - we are a great winter destination when the weather is not so great too!

6/10 Okay

Fahim

Convenient
A nice one stop venue

8/10 Good

Ismail

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Beautiful environment with much to do. Can't wait till the revamp is complete

6/10 Okay

AC

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The place smelled of smoke from the fire place that filled the whole unit. The ceiling etc was still black from the smoke. Was very unpleasant. Unit is spacious and views pretty. Enjoyed the horses at the resort.

10/10 Excellent

Ronaldo, Harties

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent
Midlands Saddle and Trout is awesome. Bee here twice now, never disappointed. Staff very helpful