Every now and then, we receive feedback about our food that makes me pause, smile a little, and reflect on where we are — and what we offer. Over the years, we’ve been told our food is “not African enough.” More recently, we’ve been told it’s “not European enough.” And now, occasionally, that the dining room is not decorated enough. In many ways, that perfectly captures the unique space Malealea Lodge occupies.
A Wild Afternoon at Malealea Lodge
Here at Malealea Lodge, we’ve recently taken on an exciting new project—starting our very own beehives! Bees play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems through pollination, and we’re thrilled to support these incredible little workers right here at the lodge. Not only will they help our surrounding gardens thrive, but we’re also hoping to produce our own fresh, locally-made honey. While our buzzing friends are usually peaceful, as you’ll see in the story below, sometimes they remind us who’s really in charge!
It was late afternoon, Lucky was just finishing up the last bit of lawn mowing behind the lodge—completely unaware of the chaos he was about to unleash! I was in the bar doing stock when suddenly, Roxy 🐕 came sprinting in, panicked, with a single bee hot on her heels. Moments later, Bob was tearing up and down the deck, swatting at the bees with his hat and losing his glasses in the process.
Then came Monstuoe and Lucky in their blue overalls, bolting past at full speed! Helgard burst into the bar, covered in stings—ten in total! Meanwhile, Sana and the cleaning ladies, on their way home, found themselves under attack, while the bees also went after the men sitting outside the shebeen. Even the kitchen ladies weren’t spared, taking a few stings themselves. Phoka, just watching the mayhem innocently from the deck, also got targeted!
Thankfully, everyone is okay, and now we can laugh about it. Bob and Helgard can’t stop cracking up—turns out Bob has some serious speed after all! 🐝
Further Reading
Dear Partners, It has come to our attention that visitors are stopping along the road to distribute sweets and biscuits to local children. While we understand this is done with good intentions, we must urgently ask that this practice stop immediately. Over many years, we have worked closely with community leaders and chiefs to discourage roadside begging. Unfortunately, these actions are undoing that progress and creating serious risks: Safety: Children are now...
🌄 A Note From Malealea Lodge — Updated for 2025 Where slow travel meets modern comforts in the Heart of Lesotho Since Marek wrote the beautiful story below about his stay at Malealea Lodge in February, 2025, a few things have changed here in the mountains — all for the better. ⭐ We’ve upgraded our entire internet system to Starlink, bringing: • Free Wi-Fi for all guests • Very high-speed connectivity —...


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