Lodge at The Ancient City

Stayed for a couple of nights to visit the Great Zimbabwe Monument. The proximity to this world heritage site was the draw. Received an excellent guided tour from Ernest, who also serves as the bar man in the evening. He makes good cocktails too ! As for the hotel, the architecture and layout is amazing but the condition of our rooms and common restaurant/bar area, whilst comfortable, are definitely past their best and looking a little tired. The staff are very friendly and go out of their way to make you feel at home. We ate breakfast and dinner at the restaurant, both of which were good.

The pool was green and we could not use despite being told it was cleaned and chemicals used. Rooms were dark and unclean. Bed linen was worn and stained. Showers mouldy. Overall sadly the place felt unloved and not maintained. No attention to detail. Areas like the bar and outdoor area by the pool were not set up nicely- had storage items scattered about, Not like how I remembered it 25 years ago.

The ambience and unique architecture of the Lodge provide guests with a sense of true immersion in the Great Zimbabwe experience. Not to be missed!

Extremely spacious and comfortable room in a lovely setting. Very friendly, helpful staff. Not many guests but slightly off-season. Would warmly recommend this place as a comfortable option at Great Zimbabwe full of character. Slightly over-priced food, but worth it for the quality of setting, staff and facilities.

Amazing staff. The lodge design and accommodations are incredible

This lodge is amazing. If you were to build a castle in Africa, it would be like this. This establishment is on the scale of European castles but in an African style - made to mimic the nearby Great Zimbabwe ruins. The architecture is impressive with its high ceilings and everything on a grand scale, with many stone walls built among the boulders that are characteristic for this part of the country. Even the individual rooms are palatial in size. We chose to eat dinner at the lodge's restaurant on the night we stayed there. It was a bit pricey but in line with what you would pay at a higher-end lodge like this. However, the atmosphere of the restaurant was a bit awkward. It was in a huge room, and our family wasn't sure if we should engage in conversation because the atmosphere felt like we had to be hushed. The service was excellent, but the wait staff hovered in the corner and watched us while we ate - kind of creepy and part of why we didn't want to talk much (we felt like they were listening to everything we said). The general manager greeting us a couple times and wanting to engage in conversation was a bit too much and added to the creepiness factor of the staff here. This place has great amenities and spaces - a swimming pool, indoor and outdoor bar areas for watching the sunset, seating areas inside and outside in the rooms. The only thing lacking seemed to be the choice of stations on the TV.

The architecture of the buildings was sensational as were the surrounding gardens and overall integration of the lodge into the natural geological rock features. The lodge has a ‘wow factor’ was a standout place to stay. The menu and food could be improved to match the their aspects of the lodge.

Very spacious rooms, nicely decorated. Super pleasant staff and delicious food. Memory and Chimms were very nice to us

Nice resort fare a family weekend getaway. Beautiful architecture and excellent customer service. Menu and pricing can be updated a bit to get the hotel to a five star rating. ie. no wine menu, instant coffee to barista made coffee. Very minor cosmetic changes to make the last mile.

There was a strong chemical smell in the room. I think from what they used to treat the beams. The food was ok. Staff service was excellent.

This place has a unique setting and design for every room. Every detail considered. Bar and restaurant area are dramatic and superb. It is half an hours drive from Mavingo but hotel were happy ton organise car and driver to help us throughout our stay.

Parking was too far from the lodge rooms

Marvellous view, very nice surrounding

Great location, great architecture, spacious rooms, good food, some of the amenities look a bit tired, but overall to be recommended.

This was my second stay at The Lodge at The Ancient City - I returned because I found the location and facilities spectacular. Service was friendly and food was also tremendous this time - as a vegetarian, my preferences were taken care of. I will return again and highly recommend this wonderful lodge!

The lodges are unique with a great potential to recover when Covid 19 goes down. I didn't like the fact that paying residents were kicked out because there was an outside Birthday on Saturday and the noise was terrible. The amenities paying residents were supposed to stay by the pool side was reserved for a noisy outside Birthday Party. The meals could have been better especially for vegans when the lodge were informed about the person. Best not to go for full-board because the meals didn't match the price being paid

Loved everything about the property especially when it rained

What an amazing place!!! Food is really good, rooms and beds are very comfortable and set in a beautiful location with some stunning architecture. Two problems though, their location on google maps is incorrect and it was a struggle to find the property. They need to update the property address. Also, I had no hot water!! Not good.

What a great experience! Staff accommodated our late check in and early check out. Warm reception and an amazing room!

Very well maintained property. The rooms are exceptionally clean and so refreshing! Beautiful views, trees and relaxing atmosphere. However, the food was underwhelming. Not much variety on the menu. A little bit of planning from the chef and seasoning can transform their meals. The drinks and meals are overpriced.