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Emily Moon River Lodge

1 Rietvlei Road,, Plettenberg Bay 6600 South Africa
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Traveller (397)
Dining (93)
Room & Suite (91)

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Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.

About

#5 of 21 lodges in Plettenberg Bay
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Set on the banks of the Bitou River in Plettenberg Bay, Emily Moon River Lodge is an exclusive boutique hotel with a quirky attitude and a distinctly African air. The hotel comprises of sixteen exquisitely-appointed lodge suites featuring rare artefacts and found-items collected from the length and breadth of Africa and beyond. Each suite is set in an indigenous garden, with magnificent views of the river, mountains and the wetlands beyond. Emily Moon is also home to Emily's Restaurant and Simon's Pizza Bar.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Free breakfast
Bicycle rental
Canoeing
Banquet room
Baggage storage
Secured parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Pool with view
Outdoor pool
Saltwater pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Breakfast buffet
Kids' meals
Special diet menus
Wine / champagne
Canoeing offsite
Fishing
Tennis court offsite
Outdoor fireplace
Outdoor furniture
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun terrace
Sun umbrellas
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
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Room features
Bathrobes
Fireplace
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Safe
Minibar
Flatscreen TV
Bath / shower
Seating area
Bottled water
Refrigerator
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Room types
Bridal suite
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
4.0 of 5 stars
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Afrikaans
589Reviews0Q+A79Room tips
Traveller rating
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CSTE1963 wrote a review Jan 2024
Bielefeld, Germany18 contributions6 helpful votes
Very charming boutique hotel close to Plettenberg but not on the beach. Very good food both in Simon's bar (pizza!!) and the restaurant. We had a family apartment that was very spacy and with a modern but cozy design. Very friendly owner who greets each guest individually. The Plettenberg area is obviously a nice place for vacation with beaches, animal parks etc. Only minus: The pool was not clean, unfortunately.
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Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip: Do: Keurboomstrand, snacks at Ski Boat Club, Don't: Central Beach, Enrico´s (overrated)
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Jessica Greenwood wrote a review Jan 2024
12 contributions1 helpful vote
We had a wonderful stay for our honeymoon at Emily Moon. The room was lovely, the views were wonderful and we really enjoyed the unexpected Christmas market which was on during our stay! We found the pool area to be rather chaotic, so we went to the second one, but the pool was extremely dirty and we could not swim. We also did not get much support in getting drink orders as the second pool was away from the bar/restaurant. Simons restaurant was lively on a Friday night, though the food was good, and service was amazing, it would be nice to be able to make a reservation for guests staying at the hotel. Understandably its walk in only, but just for the hotel guests it would have been great not to fight for a space! Our only other feedback would be AC in the rooms - it was an extremely hot day! But we managed with the fan, thank you!
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Christoph wrote a review Nov 2023
Bad Lippspringe, Germany52 contributions21 helpful votes
+1
We stayed three nights in a beautiful Superior Luxury Suite with an awesome view of the wetlands of the Bietou River. The Suite was spacious and lovely decorated. Emily's offers beside it's restaurant with excellent food a more rustic Pizzaria "Simon's Bar". The whole area is decorated in a mix of the families traveling through Africa, Asia and Polynesia. This makes it easy to feel comfortable just in the moment you reach this lovely place. We are looking forward to come here again!
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Maxim V wrote a review Oct 2023
1 contribution
I'm extremely disappointed with my experience with Emily Moon's company. I booked a honeymoon package through their website, made a prepayment, and now they claim it's not available during my chosen period. This is due to their misleading website information. Their customer service is the worst I've encountered, and their website is riddled with technical issues. Avoid them at all costs.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Sunheri wrote a review Sept 2023
9 contributions
My husband and I stayed at Emily Moon as part of our Garden Route road trip. The lodge is located on a river, and is decorated in an exquisite manner. The reception itself is so tastefully done- I was very impressed. The rooms are beautiful, with a hot tub overlooking the river and marshy plains. We are vegetarians, and unfortunately, when it came to the food, we were let down. The menu at Emily's restaurant had very very few vegetarian main courses and the ones that were there were very uninspiring. So we thought we'd go to Simon's pizza bar for dinner instead. The pizza there was delicious, but we wish we had something to eat other than just pizza. The next night we went out to the city for dinner since we didn't want to eat pizza yet again. Breakfast was great, though. We enjoyed that- plated well, and very delicious. The staff were kind and gave us suggestions for hikes we could do, and gave us a map of Plet so that we could check out other things in the area. One thing to note is that the room gets quite chilly in the evenings. There is a fireplace though, and there are warm blankets provided for use. But even then, my husband I still felt quite cold inside the room. Would have been nice to come to a warm room after spending the day out in the cold. Overall, we had an enjoyable stay at beautiful Emily's.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Dont rely on the restaurants if you are a vegetarian! Very limited food options.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Keith M wrote a review Sept 2023
Bishops Itchington, United Kingdom49 contributions30 helpful votes
+1
On occasions words are not enough to express an experience. Emily Moon is a very special place with its location, quality of accommodation and food. The staff were so helpful and always greeted you with a smile and just couldn’t do enough for you. Our suite overlooked the river and the view was extensive and stunning. Inside was so charming and very comfortably furnished with lots of personal touches for any type of traveller. Opening the curtains in the morning was like gazing out onto a nature programme as the outside was framed perfectly. There was a choice of two restaurants: Simon’s Bar and Emily’s restaurant. The quality of the food in both was exquisite and was served with a smile. Simon’s Bar is more casual with pizzas to die for. Emily’s is more formal in choice but has a range of dishes all prepared with clear professionalism. We had a two night stay and were disappointed to leave. It really is a place to stay and eat.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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elizarenn wrote a review Sept 2023
Chattanooga, Tennessee413 contributions234 helpful votes
What a fantastic experience! From the luxurious and comfortable room (how nice to have a fireplace to come “home” to after dinner!) to the kayaks for our use on the river to the EXCELLENT restaurant to the peaceful atmosphere, we cannot say enough how much we enjoyed our stay.
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Date of stay: November 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Jane L wrote a review Aug 2023
Johannesburg, South Africa31 contributions22 helpful votes
Lovely environment but the meal was rushed - we had to ask to slow it down a few times. Staff were poorly dressed. Dirty sweaters, shirts with holes. But the food was the real disappointment. While some dishes were lovely like the liver and calamari starters, a lot was shocking. Mussels were not washed properly and were sandy leaving a layer of sandy grit at the bottom of the bowl. The rocket was unwashed and soily so not edible. Steak was a great cut but poorly cooked. No searing. And the Indian butter chicken curry was flavourless. All in all not the food one would expect from such a restaurant and at the prices. The food used to be much better. Just plain dismal.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Therese S wrote a review Mar 2023
3 contributions
We have just returned from a 3 night stay at Emily Moon. It is a beautiful quirky and relaxing place. The food was superb and the staff are very friendly and helpful, we particularly enjoyed the main restaurant, outstanding service and great atmosphere. We will definitely be back.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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leloaks wrote a review Mar 2023
London, United Kingdom7 contributions7 helpful votes
I booked to stay at this hotel but then covid happened and we were unable to travel to South Africa due to lockdowns in both countries. I contacted the hotel and they said that they would keep the money I had paid as a deposit until we were able to travel. Our other hotels had refunded us in full but assuming we would eventually travel there I didn't protest. We finally rebooked our trip but the hotel did not have availability on the night we had planned to stay in that location and so I asked if they would be able to refund the deposit given they could not provide accommodation. They agreed to this and after much back and forth I finally received some money from them, though when I looked at the amount it was half of what I was expecting. I emailed them to ask why and after chasing a few times they said it was due to bank fees (even though I confirmed with my bank they did not take any payment). When I questioned this, they did not reply so I had to chase multiple times and then finally got a curt email from someone saying they charged 15% admin. fee (for what I don't know), and the rest was bank fees which was 'my responsibility'. It still didn't make any sense so I asked for a copy of the bank transaction which was provided, along with a rude email about how they view the matter as closed and will not respond to any emails sent by me. I looked up the bank who completed the transaction and found out that their foreign currency fees are about 30% of the amount transacted. This in addition to their 15% admin fee has meant I have lost half my deposit. The full charges were at no point made clear to me, nor was I given a full explanation as to where all the money went. Why they could not refund the transaction on the original card and therefore have to pay no bank fees I do not know. It does not make sense that a hotel that presumably has many international customers is not set up to deal with them financially in a fair and straightforward way. Overall a very poor and rude customer service with terrible communication on the ridiculous and extravagant costs of refunding! International customers beware, if you have any issue of them you can kiss your money goodbye. We had hoped to stay with them on a future trip but that is definitely not going to happen now.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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PRICE RANGE
RM 1,042 - RM 1,604 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
emily moon river hotel plettenberg bay
LOCATION
South AfricaWestern CapePlettenberg Bay
NUMBER OF ROOMS
16
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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EMILY MOON RIVER LODGE: UPDATED 2024 Hotel Reviews, Price Comparison and 476 Photos (Plettenberg Bay, South Africa) - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Emily Moon River Lodge
What are some of the property amenities at Emily Moon River Lodge?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and a pool.
Which room amenities are available at Emily Moon River Lodge?
Top room amenities include a minibar, a flat screen TV, and a refrigerator.
What food & drink options are available at Emily Moon River Lodge?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Emily Moon River Lodge?
Yes, free parking and secured parking are available to guests.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Emily Moon River Lodge?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Are any cleaning services offered at Emily Moon River Lodge?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Emily Moon River Lodge?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English and Afrikaans.
Does Emily Moon River Lodge have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the river view available here.