The planned renovations on the restaurant began on the 12th of June 2023 and were completed in September 2023.
Kruger Gate Hotel worked closely with local developers, builders and service providers from the Lowveld region to complete this project. The new Kudyela Restaurant also features custom wallpaper art by Cara Saven Wall Design. “We are exceptionally pleased to have had great local partners in developing the new look and feel of Kudyela Restaurant, and to have been able to support and showcase the incredible work of a female-founded and run design business,” comments Anton Gillis, CEO at Kruger Gate Hotel.
Despite losses to the business during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel’s owners, Platinum Hospitality Holdings, took the decision to re-invest into the property as a considered long-term investment.
“It’s a great privilege for us to have this hotel location along the Sabie River right at the Kruger Gate. We consider it to be a trophy asset within Platinum Hospitality Holdings, which is why we made a considerable investment with this renovation into what has already been a successful long-term strategy that we have for evolving Kruger Gate Hotel,” reveals Gillis.
Guests at Kruger Gate Hotel will start the excitement of the day’s safari adventures at Kudyela Restaurant with its outdoor terrace set in the mid-canopy of the riverine forest and its contemporary, nature-inspired indoor seating.
The restaurant uses only the best of locally sourced seasonal ingredients and its menu caters to a wide variety of guest dietary needs and preferences, such as gluten-free and Halaal-friendly options. The restaurant boasts an array of breakfast options such as freshly baked pastries, croissants, artisanal breads, as well as cold meats and local cheeses. Live cooking stations include made to order eggs and omelettes, as well as grills for sizzling bacon and sausages. There’s an assortment of breakfast accompaniments including potato fritters, saucy beans, grilled tomatoes, smoked haddock, and savoury mince. If guests wake up with a sweet tooth, they are sure to enjoy the popular American-style pancakes crafted on the spot and topped with their choice of luxury syrups and sliced fruit.
The restaurant’s terrace is also home to the hotel’s wildlife sightings map where guests from far-flung parts of the world, as well as local South Africans on holiday, are able to pin their recent sightings of the Big Five and other wildlife in the park on the map.
Prior to the renovation, Kudyela Restaurant was not able to operate in adverse weather conditions; now the new restaurant will be open regardless of the weather.
“A trend that we have observed over the last year is that our guests are staying with us for longer periods of time. Therefore we want to ensure that they can enjoy all the hotel has to offer, such as our two bomas, the Pool Bar and Viewing Deck with its own pizza oven and delicious pizza menu and now our new Kudyela Restaurant. With the Kudyela Restaurant renovations plan we took into account that the restaurant would need to adequately accommodate guest requirements. We now have ample space to cater to our guests, we’re serving both breakfast and dinner in the restaurant, and we can ensure a luxury Kruger dining experience come rain or shine,” Gillis concludes.