After a three-hour drive from Cape Town, we finally reached our destination, Dwyka Tented Lodge in Sanbona, South Africa, and were primed for an incredible getaway. The chauffeur we'd hired from Avis was more than helpful during the ride, telling us all he knew about the lodge, the closest free-roaming Big Five reserve to the city.

Although this was my sixth safari, I was still as eager as I was on my first, since safaris have consistently ranked among my favorite travel experiences. Perhaps my excitement escalated because, this time, a group of friends would be joining me. Although it's always nice to share photos back home, sharing the actual journey is entirely different.

Since my friends had never before embarked on a safari, they had plenty of questions, and I readily answered them in the weeks leading up to our trip. I described everything that I thought they would see and experience at the reserve, from the wild animals and complimentary laundry services, to tailored meals and the expert advice of an on-site sommelier. And the best part has been that, short of souvenir purchases or spa treatments, I have usually enjoyed everything without ever reaching for my wallet, since it's often included in the price. It's been standard procedure for any safari I've been on.

So you can imagine how embarrassed I was when we discovered this wasn't the case at Dwyka. Considering nightly rates range from $554 to $726 per person, based on double occupancy, I thought it was outrageous that our package wasn't all-inclusive, and I let staff know that. Unfortunately, my opinions fell on deaf ears. The porter just shrugged and continued taking our bags to our rooms.

As we began to unpack, it became clear that we would pay the hefty price for laundry services. We hadn't brought nearly enough clothes, assuming that we would have them laundered for free. This set the tone for the rest of the trip, since my friends and I were now too afraid to order anything extra for fear of the final bill, and this often took away our ability to enjoy the moment.

Still, the guest rooms were spacious, with separate sitting and working areas, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a safe, and tea and coffee-making facilities. A set of oversized windows and double-paned glass doors led from the bedroom to a large private deck, set with a table and chairs. Meanwhile, the bathroom was equipped with a twin vanity, large open shower and deep tub. (There was also an outdoor shower—a very nice touch.) Off the bathroom area was an even larger deck, with more lounge chairs and a private plunge pool.

The nine private guest tents were arranged in a large circle for added privacy, and if bird-watching is your thing, you could sit on the deck and do so for hours. Built on the edge of a dried river in a malaria-free zone, Dwyka is actually a haven for black eagles, and although I never saw one during my stay, I spotted quite a few other birds.

When it was time for the first safari drive of the trip, I was surprised to find that there was no spotter joining us. The ranger's expertise is often what makes the excursion, and having one person both driving and explaining things seemed to take away from the excitement.

It was also hard to imagine that the property boasted just nine luxury tents, when I felt like I was on a tour bus with a group of strangers, with eight guests loaded into a single vehicle. We saw a good amount of animals on that opening drive, with the elephants providing some of the best views. But, again, there was not enough time to accommodate everyone in the car, so we couldn't spend much time watching anything that caught our interest.

The next morning, still unhappy with the previous day's experience, I decided to forgo the outing and enjoy the comfort of my room. This was the first time I had ever missed a drive in all my safaris, but I tried to make the best of the situation by ordering a cheese plate and bottle of wine. My friends were concerned about the cost, but I assured them that, based on my past experiences at reserves, we wouldn't be charged.

Still, I was glad to have something in my belly later that day. While looking over our lunch menus, I was disappointed by the lack of variety and longed for the other safari chefs I'd met, who cooked our meals according to our tastes. A number of meals here looked like the same dish, with rearranged ingredients, and the service continued to be mediocre. The service, however, very quickly graduated from mediocre to downright rude later that day.

Returning from the evening's drive, a guest politely asked our ranger if he would join us for dinner again, to which he replied, "I am only required to do that once during your visit," and walked away.

I joined the ride the following morning, and shortly into it, our ranger had us waiting for a cheetah to reappear. After a while, another ranger began to bring out the coffee and snacks that he'd packed for his group, but our ranger asked him not to, since he hadn't packed anything for us (as usual, in his case). Eventually, I suggested that we try to spot another animal and come back later, but the ranger said that there was no coming back once we left.

We set off anyway, and after driving around for a bit, he began speeding back to the lodge. Soon three people in my jeep exclaimed, "Hippo!" but even though the hippo was out of the water and fully visible for a great photo op, the ranger didn't so much as slow down. When asked why we didn't stop, he brushed off the question and said that the hippo would be there later on the afternoon drive.

We soon realized that this man was on his own schedule, and although morning drives were set to end at 10:30 a.m., he always had us back by 10:15 a.m. Once again, this is something I've never encountered before on a safari. I've been on drives as long as six hours or more, with the ranger catering to whatever requests we might have. Of course, later that afternoon, the hippo was still in the area, except it was now submerged underwater, so we could only see its nose. After this, I could not have been more ready to go home, but we still had one night and a morning drive left.

I was reminded at breakfast the following morning that our checkout time was at 11 a.m. I told the staff member that we would be having lunch on the property, since our driver was scheduled to pick us up at 3 p.m., but she still insisted that we check out. It was baffling to me, since I had been told our rooms would be empty for the following night, but she at least called Avis to arrange an earlier pickup.

After the morning excursion, I reminded the staff that we would be having an early lunch after quickly packing, but before I could even finish, they called my room to ask when I would check out, as though I was paying by the hour. It was at this point that I noticed that our bags had been dragged through the rocky walkways en route to our rooms on the first day. Three bags were totally destroyed, with broken wheels and jagged cuts in the bottom. I took photos of the damage, cleaned up our luggage, and carried it myself to the main lodge. When staff offered to take my belongings outside, I declined and showed the damage to the manager, who simply shrugged and walked away. 

Thankfully, our driver from Avis had arrived by the time we finished eating, although I was further incensed when I realized the property had nickeled-and-dimed us again by charging for lunch on our last day. (Since we were to check out at 11 a.m., lunch was not covered, even though our driver wasn't picking us up until 3 p.m.) Out of principle, I then refused to pay for any food at all and encouraged my friends to do the same, until the staff reluctantly deducted the lunch from our bills.

It is a real shame that I had to walk away with such a sour taste in my mouth. This property could really shine with the outstanding wildlife thriving around it, but many of the staff we encountered seemed almost determined to do a poor job. Despite the beautiful landscapes and the potential for some unique nature opportunities on Cape Town's doorstep, I cannot in good conscience recommend Dwyka Tented Lodge.