REVIEW : BREAKAWAY TO THE KINGDOM RESORT

Once a year we take a week or so off and try and visit somewhere new. Or we go back to where we know we last had fun as a family. Last year we visited Jeffery’s Bay and its surroundings. This year we drove up north and visited The Kingdom Resort in the Pilanesberg area. It’s literally a kilometre from Sun City.

THE RESORT

We arrived quite late on Friday afternoon. As usual, we lost time over packing and making sure we had everything we needed or may need. 

Our experience with The Kingdom Resort was phenomenal. From booking our accommodation online to check-in and staying at our self-catering villa was amazing. The staff at reception were super friendly, and always with a smile. The self-catering villa was spacious and modern. It had all the essential amenities one is accustomed to at home. They even have a dishwasher on hand, a first for us. The best part for us is that the villas or apartments are cleaned out daily by the resort staff. Allowing the guests to relax, besides as we all know cleaning during the holidays ain’t what we need. Our villa opened out to a rather large patio that looked out into the bush. The perfect setting for sundowners with a glass of wine. There were no wild animals when we visited, but I believe there are plans to introduce some wildlife soon.

Here are some of our likes of our Villa:

• Full DSTV Bouquet
• Decent WiFi
• Private (enough soundproofing to not hear your neighbour)
• Comfortable Beds
• Full Kitchen 
• Braai area that is cleaned out daily (8 am)
• Walking distance to all activities

THINGS TO DO

A mere two hours out of Jozi, it is a fantastic destination to completely switch off and enjoy some quality family time. There’s enough outdoor activity within the resort to keep the family happy. Here are a few of our favourites:

• Game Drives at the Pilanesberg Game Reserve (3 Options (early morning, mid-afternoon, early evening). We took the early morning drive, it was COLD! If there’s a recommendation for GZ Adventures it would be to include warm coffee halfway through the drive. All the other Game Drive companies had it, we were offered snacks only.
• Water Fun (for older and young kids)
• Quad Biking (so MUCH FUN)
• Archery
• Jumping Pillow
• Rock Climbing Wall
• FREE WiFi throughout the resort!
• Body Bliss Spa (it’s a small facility so BOOKING is strongly recommended, we learnt this the hard way)

WHERE TO EAT

If you’re keen on not cooking, note that there’s a limited selection of restaurants to eat at presently. The one available is not recommended by us. Our experience was not remotely ideal for us to recommend. We were told that there are plans in the pipeline to introduce a few more. Also, new management for the current restaurant is expected later this year. We braaied mostly. On one of the evenings, we ordered from Galitos. If you forget something at home, there is a convenience store at the Kingdom Resort. Alternatively, take a short drive to the local Spar, just after the turnoff to Sun City.

Would we recommend it? Definitely! It’s a wonderful breakaway for the family or even for a couple or single person looking to relax. Short distances from Jozi or Pretoria. They have enough activities to keep everyone in the family entertained.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way or form for this post. My family and I were at the Kingdom Resort of our own accord and enjoyed the experience. Great value for money we found.