The Cavern Resort: A Family Friendly Holiday Destination (A Review)
When I say The Cavern is family friendly – I mean it. The resort has everything that would make your life easy if you are a family who lives an active lifestyle (a lot of walking). It was perfect for our family of four.
For me, family friendly is a destination that is built to entertain children and adults alike.
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The resort and its amenities are also built to give parents a little bit of a break to relax. Because, let’s face it sometimes a holiday with kids is still pretty much still work.
The Family Friendly Features that stood out for us:
- Safe and fun play area for kids (outside and inside)
- Kids’ dining room
- Free childcare and fun for kids while adults eat alone (don’t hide it, we all want to eat alone!)
- If you prefer, you may eat with your children
- Childcare for times other than meal times
- Structured activity times for kids (30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon)
- And last not least, three AMAZING meals per day for adults and children. My one-year-old and four-year-old both ate at all meals! Well, of course at certain times play was more critical to my 4-year-old.
Here is a full review of our stay at The Cavern.
A Stay At The Cavern Drakensberg Resort: A Family Friendly Holiday
Travel
Situated in KwaZulu Natal, the Cavern is adjacent to the Royal Natal National Park and the Amphitheatre. We live in Johannesburg, and it took us about 3.5 hours to get here. We also met a few families who flew in from Cape Town or overseas.
The drive was pleasant, and we made a stop or two along the way to stretch our legs.
Arrival
It was our second time visiting The Cavern. Again it has not failed to impress. From the moment you arrive, you feel welcomed. The beauty of the surrounding valleys and mountains is breathtaking.
Well kept and fresh rooms welcomed us after check-in. We stayed in a two bedroom cottage which was right for us! Coincidentally, it was the same cottage we stayed in when we came the first time in 2016.
Food
All I can say is that the food is delicious.
All meals were sit down, and the elegant menu caters for all tastes. Breakfast was sit down, and it also differed each day. From Eggs Benedict, Omelettes to Salmon and Crème Fraiche. Lunch was a buffet (different each day).
Dinner was a three-course meal.
The children’s menu was a kid-friendly version of the adult meals. With kids, you never really know, as it can be a hit an a miss despite your efforts. The kids were treated to a marshmallow braai on the weekend, which was EPIC for my four-year-old.
Eating times were set, but there was some flexibility.
Example kids eat breakfast at 7h30am, lunch at 12h30pm and dinner at 17h30pm. The only issue here is that Caitlyn was not hungry at 07h30am and only ate a bowl of cereal. A bowl of cereal would not last beyond 10 am. However, we usually kept her real breakfast of egg, bacon, etc. packed away in the fridge until she was hungry after 10h00am.
Activities
The cavern has a full range of activities available.
Activities we partook in were:
- Pony rides for kids aged 3 +
- 10:00 – 10:30 Structured activities for kids 3 – 7 years
- 15:00 – 15h:30 Structured activities for kids 3 – 7 years
These are fun activities for the kids guided by a class nanny. The outdoor activities involved outside walks and fun on the slippery slide on the warmer days. On cooler days it involved art indoors. - Light Family Hike/ Walk. As Ava is still little, we did a gentle walk/stroll on two days on our own. You may also request a snack bag to be prepared for you. Caitlyn (who is four years old) absolutely loved the walking!
- Horse riding
- Guided hikes (at varying degrees of difficulty)
For the adults
The Cavern has a whole host of activities available within the resort or nearby.
The Cavern also has a bar/ lounge area where you may have a drink at your leisure. In our previous visit, we went for drinks. Caitlyn was 2.5 years old and she was okay with childcare. However, this time Ava (who is 18 months) was not ready, and so she did not want to be left with child care. This time, we did not manage to go for drinks!
Nonetheless, we had a fantastic break as a family.
Would I go back?
Overall, The Cavern exceeded my expectations. Holidaying with kids is rewarding but at the same time demanding. The Cavern makes it easy for you to make sure that your kids eat, sleep and play!
I do believe this might be an annual thing. Overall a pleasant stay and a yes from our whole family!