Travel reviews by The D family from Hants

"For safari first timers our 2 days at Lake Manze seemed much longer as we saw so much and had so many new experiences. We had a wonderful time and the management (Sara), staff and guides were all very friendly and helpful. The guides were fantastic and extremely knowledgeble. It was nice to have our own guide as he got to know our interests, and knew what we had already seen and what we would like to see. We were able to choose which sort of safari (game drive, boat or walking) we would prefer and when to do it, and did 2-3 activities each day. We saw plenty of game and the birdlife on the lake was wonderful.

The tents were comfortable but torches were essential at night. The fact that the tents were surrounded by trees and bushes made it seem very wild and we were glad to be escorted everywhere by the Maasai guards. Seeing elephant pass right by the tent was wonderful, though hearing the hippo grunting close by at night was a little disturbing the first time!

Eating dinner all together outside with candles,campfires and Maasai guards seemed very authentic and it was nice meeting others and chatting about our experiences. The food was all freshly prepared, tasty and wholesome.

The lack of electricity was not really a problem (since we could still charge our cameras), in fact it helped to create a more natural and old-fashioned experience and the whole atmosphere was very relaxed and informal, while still running very efficiently."

"We stayed at Impala for 4 nights following 2 nights at Lake Manze. We had an amazing time, seeing plenty of game, including leopard and wild dogs. WE had our own driver/guide Dennis who was very knowledgeable and could often, to our amazement, track down a particular animal we wanted to see. Every evening we were able to choose what activities to do the next day, river safaris, walking or game drives, which meant if you were tired of bumping around in the truck you could have a nice relaxing ride along the river.

One evening we were returning from a boat safari upriver and on the way we stopped to find chairs with sundowners and canapes laid out for us overlooking the river. A lovely touch.

However, we went on another boat trip downriver, where we understood we would pass some villages. To our surprise we disembarked and were led to a village and taken to the local school where our guide insisted we met the headmaster. Although we gently protested, we did not want to offend anyone so we went along, and then had to think of some questions to ask him. We also noticed a clearly marked donations box on the wall - luckily we had a bit of cash on us which we happily donated, but we would like to have been forewarned of this 'side trip' which, although interesting, was completely unexpected and not necessarily what we wanted.

Accommodation was comfortable and we were glad the tent was raised on a platform when we heard the hippo wandering past at night! It was lovely relaxing on our veranda after lunch watching the birds. Food was good and our own waiter David was excellent. At night the tables were placed separately in various locations around the main area which was very romantic but if you are of a sociable nature it was not so friendly.

The camp seemed very well run and the safaris well organised."

"We thought MBV was lovely. Very relaxed and beautiful setting on an amazing empty unspoilt beach. Nice to see the locals going about their daily lives fishing and seaweed gathering. Beautiful gardens surrounding the accommodation. Attractive and airy dining area and reception. Excellent food and service.

The simple but attractive rooms were slightly shabby, in need of a coat of paint and some fittings replaced. Not particularly clean. We had rooms 3 and 4. In 3 there was a very dodgy light fitting and in 4 the fan was very noisy. When one of us was having a shower the other room couldn't!

We think people should know about the tides, as the tide was mostly out during the day when we were there, which sadly meant no swimming, but even when the tide was in, it was not really possible to swim properly as the water is barely waist-high. So although you can cool off and generally loll around in the water, if you're a keen swimmer, or simply prefer the sea to the pool, it could be very disappointing.

The attractive pool/beachbar area is very relaxing but needs a bit more shade since the wooden shading still lets through quite a lot of sun. Also more tables would be good as quite a few people wanted to eat, and there's only one table!"

"Lovely old building, nice rooms, efficient reception, good aircon.

We didn't have a very good meal in the rooftop restaurant and ( not surprisingly) there was noone else there! When we went to book, with plenty of notice, as advised by reception, they seemed unprepared.

Breakfast was served downstairs in the juice bar area and rather haphazardly laid out in quite a small area. Wasn't very appealing."