26.03.09Excellent private game reserve, close to Cape Town and Western Cape area. Plenty of animals in a semi-wild location. Game drives were good and the driver was excellent at spotting the animals.
Room was lovely with great views.
Food was good and lounge was very nice.
Highly recommended for a quick taste of a game reserve without having to travel too far.
26.03.04This is a game park that is trying very hard with the large number of guests and high turnover of people visiting. It manages very well in the area of activities and game viewing. We saw most of the animals and enjoyed the horse back game viewing as well. One day is definitely enough for this park.
Unfortunately the park is not managed well enough in the catering department. The buffet has a good variety of foods that appeal to most pallets, however, the food is often cold, uncovered and exposed to flies, birds (who love the small bread rolls) and the one cockroach that I saw crawling by the cheese selection. Hygiene is poor as far as the food is concerned. As a result 3 members of our group of 6 fell ill with D&V. When checking out at reception I learnt that other guests were also ill. This is such a shame as it could have been very close to an excellent rating with a few minor adjustments and attention to food hygiene.
The rooms were okay, but not as clean as would have liked. The beds were very comfortable with a good amount of pillows. A little bit of attention to detail will change a lot to the overall experience.
26.02.21We visited Aquila in Feb 2026 as part of our honeymoon and had a mixed experience.
Despite informing the team in advance since September 2025, there were no honeymoon arrangements on arrival and we were initially given a twin-bed room instead of a double. We also emailed about this but did not receive a response, which was disappointing for a special occasion.
Because of heavy traffic from Cape Town we reached around 5 pm and unfortunately missed the welcome drinks (only till 4 pm), lunch (12:30–4 pm) and the afternoon game drive at 4:30 pm. This wasn’t the resort’s fault, but it did dampen the overall experience.
The lodge room was comfortable with the basic amenities, but the AC in our room was not working properly and was leaking water, which was a letdown.
On the safari side, our vehicle broke down twice — both times inside the lion enclosure, once in the morning and once in the evening — which did raise concerns about vehicle upkeep. That said, the guides were excellent: knowledgeable, sharp at spotting animals and engaging throughout. We were fortunate to see 4 of the Big 5 (missing only the leopard) along with giraffes, ostriches, baboons and more, which was a real highlight.
The buffet meals were excellent with a wide selection, and the pool and sunbed area were lovely to relax in. The staff were warm, attentive and genuinely tried to help wherever possible.
Overall, Aquila feels more like a polished, large, curated private reserve experience rather than an immersive wild safari like Kruger or Kenya. Good for a convenient and comfortable wildlife outing near Cape Town.
26.01.15It was such a beautiful experience. The service was excellent. Christopher the bartender was particularly our favourite. The staff was so kind.
The food was plentiful and of good standard.
The room was very rustic and inviting.
25.12.26Whilst reasonably expensive, a really wonderful trip. Quite a long drive from central cape town. The staff were good, and the hotel and facilities were very nice. Food was OK, but not spectacular, rest was really good.