Reviews of Villa Margherita
Wildlife sightings and reviews
65 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Villa Margherita and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
Mr M & Ms H
UK
"relaxing hotel"
4 nights Arrived 28 Apr 2011
"A relaxing and comfortable place to stay to recover from our flight. Very friendly atmosphere. All staff extremely helpful and couldn't do enough for you.
Enjoyed private balcony overlooking garden.
Massage very good and helped recovery from flight.
Although tea/coffee provided on request at any time, it would have been nice to have had those facilities in the room. An excellent place to stay." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia
Enjoyed private balcony overlooking garden.
Massage very good and helped recovery from flight.
Although tea/coffee provided on request at any time, it would have been nice to have had those facilities in the room. An excellent place to stay." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Portugal
"Villa Margherita review"
3 nights Arrived 26 Jan 2011
"We wish had chosen somewhere else, The location was so noisy as it is on cross roads. The room was unbearably hot, with no means of cooling it down, even some windows were stuck!! We asked for an electric fan to try to circulate the air, but the reply was no. The breakfast was very frugal.
The laundry service was quick, so quick everything came back as dirty as it was given in, and ironed but still very damp. It was rewashed without charge to us.
I would not recommend this guest house to any one. Unfortunately we did to some guests at Kipwe (taking Expert Africa advice to us) and they complained about the noise and unbearable stuffy room as well." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia
The laundry service was quick, so quick everything came back as dirty as it was given in, and ironed but still very damp. It was rewashed without charge to us.
I would not recommend this guest house to any one. Unfortunately we did to some guests at Kipwe (taking Expert Africa advice to us) and they complained about the noise and unbearable stuffy room as well." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Terrible
Location:
Poor
Service:
Poor
Rooms:
Terrible
Food:
Poor
Feedback Response
One of the owners of Villa Margherita replied to us and was very upset by these travellers feedback, and that they did not enjoy their stay. They commented that the management/staff, plus Amelio (one of the owners), at Villa Margherita, spoke to the travellers everyday and they appeared quite happy, apart from the room’s temperature.
Expert Africa recommended Villa Margherita to these travellers and we are sorry that it did not suit them. We generally find the standards here are high and as such are happy to suggest it to our travellers.
Because there is a wide gap between how these travellers described their stay, and what the owners tell us about it – it makes it difficult for us to comment in any detail. Consequently, for the sake of balance, the owners have requested that we put up their comments verbatim, so please find their response here:
’tks for sending us the below report.
It goes without saying that the below comments are shocking also in consideration of the signed comments they left at Villa Margherita at departure i.e.
Appreciation of the room: too hot
Service: excellent
Quality of breakfast: excellent
Quality of the dinner: excellent
Overall impression: average
the above was filled in and signed by the guests on the sheets we hand out at check-out while on our guestbook they wrote and signed : VERY GOOD
More in details I can report the following
room name : Queen
The guests stayed in the room called Queen (on the first floor) and were complaining about the absence of air-conditioning at the check-in but refused to change room (our staff offered them the Adam & Eve suite and the Honey Moon but they did not want to change)
The room they stayed in has, besides 1 small window that is on the street side, 2 large windows overlooking the garden/internal yard but they were apparently scared to open them (intruders may climb in at night?)....no window was or is stuck!
The above was noted on our records and besides the staff, my husband Amelio also talked to them every single morning during/right after breakfast
We admit that those few days of January were unexpectedly hot in Swakopmund and as a consequence standing powerful fans were ordered those days from Windhoek and are now available for any guest
breakfast: sorry to hear that our individually served breakfast was found frugal by them considering that as clearly mentioned on our breakfast menu, guests can have what they want and as much as they want among smoked salmon, eggs, fresh fruit salat, home made cakes & muffins, breads & jams, pancakes, mueslis, cornflakes, yogurth, etc...while the waitresses are going up & down with hams& cheese platters
dinner: they stayed with us for dinner 1 night, spending N$ 963.00 totally and leaving a comment like EXCELLENT, no problem was reported by the staff in the service and/or kitchen that evening
laundry: the guests complained and the garmets were rewashed nothing at all was charged to the guests for laundry service
staff: our staff is well instructed to NEVER SAY just NO, so for sure they apologized for that "strange" climate while offering them, as mentioned above, to change the room (the same as offered by my husband)
friends: the couple (Germans from Darmstadt) were recommended by the guests and came to Villa Margherita as walking-in guests and stayed the night of January 29th 2011 in the Adam&Eve suite commenting on our guest book as EXCELLENT and EXCELLENT was their comment on our separate check out sheet for all the points (except dinner since our kitchen was closed that night and they went out to another restaurant)
Expert Africa recommended Villa Margherita to these travellers and we are sorry that it did not suit them. We generally find the standards here are high and as such are happy to suggest it to our travellers.
Because there is a wide gap between how these travellers described their stay, and what the owners tell us about it – it makes it difficult for us to comment in any detail. Consequently, for the sake of balance, the owners have requested that we put up their comments verbatim, so please find their response here:
’tks for sending us the below report.
It goes without saying that the below comments are shocking also in consideration of the signed comments they left at Villa Margherita at departure i.e.
Appreciation of the room: too hot
Service: excellent
Quality of breakfast: excellent
Quality of the dinner: excellent
Overall impression: average
the above was filled in and signed by the guests on the sheets we hand out at check-out while on our guestbook they wrote and signed : VERY GOOD
More in details I can report the following
room name : Queen
The guests stayed in the room called Queen (on the first floor) and were complaining about the absence of air-conditioning at the check-in but refused to change room (our staff offered them the Adam & Eve suite and the Honey Moon but they did not want to change)
The room they stayed in has, besides 1 small window that is on the street side, 2 large windows overlooking the garden/internal yard but they were apparently scared to open them (intruders may climb in at night?)....no window was or is stuck!
The above was noted on our records and besides the staff, my husband Amelio also talked to them every single morning during/right after breakfast
We admit that those few days of January were unexpectedly hot in Swakopmund and as a consequence standing powerful fans were ordered those days from Windhoek and are now available for any guest
breakfast: sorry to hear that our individually served breakfast was found frugal by them considering that as clearly mentioned on our breakfast menu, guests can have what they want and as much as they want among smoked salmon, eggs, fresh fruit salat, home made cakes & muffins, breads & jams, pancakes, mueslis, cornflakes, yogurth, etc...while the waitresses are going up & down with hams& cheese platters
dinner: they stayed with us for dinner 1 night, spending N$ 963.00 totally and leaving a comment like EXCELLENT, no problem was reported by the staff in the service and/or kitchen that evening
laundry: the guests complained and the garmets were rewashed nothing at all was charged to the guests for laundry service
staff: our staff is well instructed to NEVER SAY just NO, so for sure they apologized for that "strange" climate while offering them, as mentioned above, to change the room (the same as offered by my husband)
friends: the couple (Germans from Darmstadt) were recommended by the guests and came to Villa Margherita as walking-in guests and stayed the night of January 29th 2011 in the Adam&Eve suite commenting on our guest book as EXCELLENT and EXCELLENT was their comment on our separate check out sheet for all the points (except dinner since our kitchen was closed that night and they went out to another restaurant)
"Southern Africa Manager"
Mr R & Mrs E
UK
"Villa Margherita review"
2 nights Arrived 19 Oct 2010
"Beautiful guest house. great room. Some problems with the food. We expressed our concerns to the owner.
We went to the Tug restaurant which was a brilliant experience." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
We went to the Tug restaurant which was a brilliant experience." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Average
Mr & Mrs E
Stockport
"Smart and stylish Villa Margherita"
2 nights Arrived 20 Sep 2010
"Very smart room. We had the Queen room and it was super stylish. The whole building has a lovely character.
Nice courtyard area.
Food was pretty good as a meat-eater, but poor for the veggie. He had to have pasta both nights and the second night was really bland - soggy gnocchi in white sauce (it should have been gorgonzola, but they either forgot to add it or ran out.
Staff were very nice.
First internet for guests on our trip that we were aware of." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia
Nice courtyard area.
Food was pretty good as a meat-eater, but poor for the veggie. He had to have pasta both nights and the second night was really bland - soggy gnocchi in white sauce (it should have been gorgonzola, but they either forgot to add it or ran out.
Staff were very nice.
First internet for guests on our trip that we were aware of." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Average
Mr & Mrs P and Ms
USA
"Villa Margherita review"
2 nights Arrived 23 Aug 2010
"We loved Villa Margherita. Once again our expectations were quite low as we hadn't heard much about the place (we had wanted to stay at a couple of other properties but they were booked).
VM is relatively new and doesn't yet have the reviews that other places enjoy but it definitely will!! The location is terrific, just a couple of blocks away from downtown swakopmund where all the shopping, restaurants and services are located. The rooms are very comfortable, tastefully decorated and the in-room lap tops with web access are a godsend after a week in the wilderness.
The staff are very friendly and the owners are always available and extremely helpful. I would love to go back to swakop and would definitely stay here regardless of availability of any other hotels. Bravo to Elliot and Claudine!" See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
VM is relatively new and doesn't yet have the reviews that other places enjoy but it definitely will!! The location is terrific, just a couple of blocks away from downtown swakopmund where all the shopping, restaurants and services are located. The rooms are very comfortable, tastefully decorated and the in-room lap tops with web access are a godsend after a week in the wilderness.
The staff are very friendly and the owners are always available and extremely helpful. I would love to go back to swakop and would definitely stay here regardless of availability of any other hotels. Bravo to Elliot and Claudine!" See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Mr B x 2
Kaiseraugust
"Awesome dune ride...ask for Hermann"
2 nights Arrived 18 Aug 2010
"Villa Margherita---Good location to area amenities. Owners mingle with the guests during breakfast. On-street parking was initally a concern, but in the end not an issue. Internet service was appreciated. Great kitchen and ambiance in the dining area. Muti was especially accomodating.
The outside vendor (Mula/Mula (sp?) ) for activites was very cool. The boat ride in the morning was very cold and heavy jacket, gloves and hat were all appreciated. The bay was fogged-in most of the day, especially in the morning, but this was the luck of the draw. The boat dropped us off on shore for a Land Rover ride in the dunes (guide was Hermann and he was most excellent !) Once a few kilometers from shore the weather improved dramatically.
The lunch set-up in the dunes was probably the best overall lunch experience of the entire 2 1/2 week trip. Fresh oysters, game, pasta and champagne.....awesome!" See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
The outside vendor (Mula/Mula (sp?) ) for activites was very cool. The boat ride in the morning was very cold and heavy jacket, gloves and hat were all appreciated. The bay was fogged-in most of the day, especially in the morning, but this was the luck of the draw. The boat dropped us off on shore for a Land Rover ride in the dunes (guide was Hermann and he was most excellent !) Once a few kilometers from shore the weather improved dramatically.
The lunch set-up in the dunes was probably the best overall lunch experience of the entire 2 1/2 week trip. Fresh oysters, game, pasta and champagne.....awesome!" See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Family P
Cirencester
"Villa Margherita review"
2 nights Arrived 29 Jul 2010
"This was more like a small boutique hotel than a guesthouse, and the food was better than the local seafood restaurant we tried (The Tug).
The Italian flair for interior design and attention to detail made it quite a contrast to other places we stayed. Lovely breakfasts.
The Sandwich Harbour Tour was real highlight. The guide was absolutely fantastice, very knowledgable, relaxed and friendly." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
The Italian flair for interior design and attention to detail made it quite a contrast to other places we stayed. Lovely breakfasts.
The Sandwich Harbour Tour was real highlight. The guide was absolutely fantastice, very knowledgable, relaxed and friendly." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
4 travellers
UK & Zam
"Convenient loaction at Villa Margherita"
3 nights Arrived 11 May 2010
"We were given rooms in the main house. Queen was large but warm with a sitting area in the bathroom for some reason, King was a suite of 3 rooms, rather unnecessary for 2 of us, and rather cold. Bathrooms well kitted out, as were bedrooms, just needed a bit more thought. Electric blankets provided but no-where to plug them in unless you go out and buy an adaptor so you can have the light on as well.
Very cold when we were there but they wouldn't light the fire in the hall. TV only seemed to have 1, occasionally 2, channels, sport and film. Trying to be luxurius but needs more thought.
Ate there the first night but didn't really enjoy it. Food took a long time to come and we were rather cold so the waiting was painful.
Location convenient for town centre.
Small courtyard area pleasant. Staff very nice. Internet access available and being improved." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia
Very cold when we were there but they wouldn't light the fire in the hall. TV only seemed to have 1, occasionally 2, channels, sport and film. Trying to be luxurius but needs more thought.
Ate there the first night but didn't really enjoy it. Food took a long time to come and we were rather cold so the waiting was painful.
Location convenient for town centre.
Small courtyard area pleasant. Staff very nice. Internet access available and being improved." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Average
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Average
Mr L & Mr L
Kent
"Villa Margherita review"
2 nights Arrived 9 May 2010
"The service was good, very friendly and welcoming. The room was very comfortable.
Location was good, easy to find and well situated for the local area." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
Location was good, easy to find and well situated for the local area." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Feedback Response
Whilst here, Expert Africa organised a Pelican Point Kayaking trip for these travellers.
They commented about this:
"Great ! The only two on the trip, how lucky is that ? A lovely way to spend a Monday morning. Jeanne was a good hostess, informative, enthusiastic and relaxed company. Seals wonderful, Dolphins annoyingly appeared only very briefly, Pelcians, Flamingoes and Jackals all nice to see too.
Never kayaked before, but didn't have much trouble working it out."
They commented about this:
"Great ! The only two on the trip, how lucky is that ? A lovely way to spend a Monday morning. Jeanne was a good hostess, informative, enthusiastic and relaxed company. Seals wonderful, Dolphins annoyingly appeared only very briefly, Pelcians, Flamingoes and Jackals all nice to see too.
Never kayaked before, but didn't have much trouble working it out."
Mr & Mrs R
Warks
"Villa Margherita review"
2 nights Arrived 13 Apr 2010
"Great guest house only 5 minutes walk from the centre of town. Do very tasty Italian evening meals which we took advantage of on our first night. They booked a Seal and Dolphin watching cruise from Walvis Bay for us which was very good although the dolphins were not too co-operative and only gave brief views.
Ate at the Tug on our second evening which gave excellent value for money and good quality food.
We both loved Swakopmund which had a great atmosphere and every one was very friendly even those selling trinkets on the streets." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia
Ate at the Tug on our second evening which gave excellent value for money and good quality food.
We both loved Swakopmund which had a great atmosphere and every one was very friendly even those selling trinkets on the streets." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
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