Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs F from UK

"Excellent location, good food and wonderful staff (one lady receptionist was especially helpful with our lost/delayed baggage) and large private grounds to explore/relax in.

One comment: our room on the lower floor was affected by noise from both neighbouring rooms and/or upstairs rooms and also the balcony/walkway outside serving the next level of rooms (it moves and makes a noise when walked on) but this was not severe"

"Accommodation, food, service , game drives and boat trip all excellent.

Guide G (or Gee) and tracker James also excellent.

Nick really enjoyed being close to the hippos and their gentle noise at night!"

"Overall a wonderful experience.

Because of the terrain vehicles have to be driven hard and we experienced a couple of punctures and a broken gearbox (no criticism!).

Guide Mr G (so determined and enthusiastic) and spotter/tracker Knobbley made a great team.

Boat trip different from the one at Lagoon with a lower down point of view which was interesting."

"Fantastic experience. Excellent on all fronts.

Guide EBS (pronounced Eebs) simply outstanding.

We had the opportunity of meeting the co-owner Dave Hannam and told him how impressed we were."

"Overall excellent. Very different terrain which was nice.

Variation in activities: walking, meeting with bushmen, wildlife viewing from the bunker and nature walk all extremely good (we did not try the overnight/platform/ stargazing experience which is also on offer).

Lodge has its own waterhole which is a great wildlife attraction and a great resource. Also special dining arrangements on our last night were much appreciated.

Our guide was Kelvin who was enthusiastic and extremely competent."

"A fantastic experience: excellent on all fronts. Terrain so different.

Very different activities: quadbiking and dining out but you have to go in order to experience them all!

Our guide Declerc enthusiastic, determined and full of humour. We expressed our appreciation for the whole experience to the manager Olga.

Only slight issue (and its very minor) is we found the lighting in our tent a little dim."

"Very quiet location on the edge of Windhoek. Supermarket nearby. Too far to walk into the centre.
Lovely clean accommodation.
Very private terrace with small pool.
Dinner 3 courses at a very reasonable price.
An excellent place to stay at the start or end of a trip."

"An excellent Safari experience with Peter our guide very determined and obliging.

We had however expected to see more evidence of Cheetah and Leopard conservation."

"This camp is very different and exciting. Location is magical: a proper camp set right in the bush. No contact with the outside world except satellite phone.

Walking only guided by Bruno who has a huge amount of knowledge of the surroundings and wildlife. Cooking is over an open fire. Tents have solar powered lighting and an open shower-hot water in the evening and luke warm in the morning.

The "basic" feel about this accommodation may not suit everyone but for us this was a wonderful experience which we will remember with great affection forever. The combination of walking, being actually in the bush, excellent guiding and the waterholes were fantastic.

One suggestion: we think it would be a good idea to have a charging point if that were possible."

"Excellent accommodation with good equipment-our tent and the dining/guest area overlooked a waterhole.

Very friendly helpful staff of whom David and a trainee stood out."

"Location of tent and living/dining area perfect opposite well used waterhole which was visited by a great variety of wildlife.

Guiding, barring one "blip", was excellent. Tremendous wildlife and bird life viewing both in Etosha and the Ongava's own reserve.

Good food and helpful staff. Comfortable tent."

"We had a delightful experience.

The combination of unique location, excellent cuisine and simply fantastic guiding by "Tafi" made this one of our very best experiences. Tafi was very helpful over a misunderstanding and a determined, dedicated guide.

Well done to management and staff alike."

"For being the only accommodation in the area this was very good indeed. Huge bedroom including balcony with sea view.

Very friendly, talkative and informative waiters.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay."

"Comfortable well equipped room with very, very helpful staff.

An excellent place to stay as a stop over or several nights conveniently situated close to the town centre but quiet."

"This is a superb location for visiting and walking in the Naukluft. A working farm with walking trails which we hope to return to in the future so we can experience some more of their walks.

Accommodation is generous, well equipped. Food good home cooking (although the chef had some difficulty in comprehending precise dietary requirements but Johanna was prompt in remedying this).

Our hosts Ernst, Johanna, their managers and staff were welcoming and informative about the farm and the area."

"There is no doubt there is a great advantage being in the Park and the site is well located. The accommodation is well designed and equipped. However two minor problems with the room did not receive sufficient attention. Staff and attitude in the restaurant were below what we have come to expect in Namibia. We had the feeling management were unconcerned.

Two members of staff stood out way above the trend-our guide "Semi" who was brilliant and full of infectious enthusiasm and the porter who was exceptionally alert and attentive."

"We visited when the weather had turned very cold and just before the camp closed for renovation. However you would not have thought so: the staff were exceptionally good in being welcoming, looking after us and making us comfortable. Their cheerful attitude and enthusiasm was very noticeable so well done to "KK", Abraham, Hendrik, Ollie and Franz and owners and management please take note.

The camp is set in simply stunning film set like landscape. The cooking and cuisine are the best we experienced in Namibia-very high quality indeed.

The game/nature drives in this area are a real pleasure in such photogenic surroundings with a different mix of wild life.

Undoubtedly our best experience in Namibia."

"We stayed only one night as a stopover en route to Fish River which was a pity because there are walking trails which had we the time we would have tried.

Jorge & Michelle were excellent hosts: Jorge's description of his farming and stock breeding and farm tour were exceptional. He is a an articulate enthusiast for farming in this area of Namibia and its flora and fauna.

Accommodation good and comfortable. Home cooked food was excellent.

If we are in Namibia again we hope to pass this way for a return visit and experience some walking."

"The location is perfect. Stunningly beautiful.
Accommodation excellent.
Dining/guest area very spacious.
Food very good.
Staff attitude excellent-concerned when things went wrong with two leaking hot water bottles.
4WD drive tour with guide "Polis" to the bottom of the Canyon was very good.
Our only observations (and we understand that due to ownership this may be difficult to resolve) is that when you have done the two rim walks and Canyon trip that is it unless you are prepared to drive and pass over the very rough 19 kms access track again."

"Location very good in centre of the town. Quiet and secure although very busy.

Food and restaurant excellent. Rooms a bit cramped but well equipped. Service and staff generally good although we had a bit of delay getting our bill on departure but management quickly stepped in.

We would recommend this as a stop over or for a longer stay."

"For part of our 5 night stay we were the only guests but we had the feeling everyone is treated very well here.

A very good welcome. Accommodation is very well designed and equipped: great attention to detail. Care of us was exceptional: nothing was too much trouble. Our guide Chris was of exceptional quality and very determined.

Other staff were excellent, Martin the manager, KB the other guide we met, the waitresses including Susanah, barman, chefs and Reuben the maintenance man-without exception a cheerful attentive team. We hope the owners and management take note.

Although the lodge appears from the map to be in a less remote location our experience was that it is very, very well situated both in itself and for traversing the southern edge of the Park.

A very memorable experience."

"We stayed after exiting the Kgalagadi and no doubt it is equally useful to stay before entering the Park. Lovely welcome, care and food from the two staff ladies who looked after us very well.
Accommodation small but well equipped. Facilities good.
Beautifully quiet location with plenty of its own wildlife to watch.
We would thoroughly recommend this for an overnight stopover."

"We stayed here for one night en-route to Windhoek airport for our return flight. We were slightly disappointed not to be able to see the cheetah and meerkat without paying extra for a tour which was not what we wanted at this stage of our trip. That having been said the location, surroundings, accommodation (and its equipment and view), facilities, food and staff were excellent.

A good stop over point: just be aware that even taking the "quick" route it took us 4 hours to drive between here and the airport and we were close to the speed limit all the way!"

"A beautiful location on the waterfront with wonderful clear views of Table Mountain from the mountain view rooms. Very safe location making us feel comfortable from the start of our holiday. Well positioned for the city bus tours.

Excellent all round service by very helpful and welcoming staff.

Very good restaurants nearby.

We would definitely use this hotel again."

"Marvellous location on cliff top. Restaurants in easy walking distance. Excellent accommodation and service from very friendly & welcoming staff.

An ideal location for whale watching."

"The best wildlife viewing, especially birds, we experienced outside of a game park. Walking good although not many tracks.

Accommodation in our cottage (a Vlei Cottage) had a very rural feel to it, was private and was ideally positioned just above the blocked river estuary.
Very isolated and not much to do if weather not good, but it is well worth accepting that risk.

Quality of food and service in the on site restaurant was very good but service could be slow if they were busy."

"This is a basic chain hotel situated in an old post office but it suited our overnight stopover.
Good food."

"This B & B accommodation was amazing. It's location was stunning, overlooking the Indian Ocean on top of the rise immediately behind the beach.
We would give it 5**** status as you were made to feel special, the rooms were very well equipped, spacious & clean.

The staff were all very helpful including making suggestions for restaurants & making the bookings.

We would definitely stay there again if we return to the area."

"Excellent accommodation in a private chalet. Service from the staff could not have been better. When we had a very wet day they went out of their way to ensure we were warm and comfortable: it was no hardship to stay at the Lodge all day!.

When we had problems with our car they even made the phone calls to the car hire company for us.

The location is amazing, possibly unique and certainly very, very different. It feels like you are in the tree canopy. Food also top quality."

"Location, right on the rocks immediately above the Indian Ocean, spectacular provided you enjoy the sound of pounding surf 24 hrs a day.
However fittings in accommodation old and tired.

We would recommend anyone staying in the Restcamp to check the location of their unit carefully as although ours was in a good position it was a 20/25 minute walk to the on site restaurant.

The on site restaurant only provided basic chain food and service could be poor. To get off site was quite a drive."

"Location generally good but way out of the city centre.
Comfortable, clean accommodation for an overnight stop.
Staff helpful.
Food good with choice of in house restaurants."

"This was our first safari experience and we were very, very impressed with this Lodge. We liked the fact that it was a small lodge with an intimate atmosphere on a huge game reserve.

All staff without exception were excellent, particularly our ranger "Doc", tracker Siya and the two managers Ryan and Rosanne. Service could not have been better. Ryan was very helpful and caring when we had a minor health problem. You were made to feel not only very welcome but truly special.

The accommodation was in private, very well equipped and comfortable individual lodges with brilliant outlooks.

Food excellent quality and never ending!

Wonderful, varied game drives which never disappointed. Our ranger "Doc" was a mine of interesting knowledge.

Cannot recommend this game lodge enough."

"This was our second safari experience and we enjoyed the variations from our first. The game and landscape are very different in the Karoo. When the ranger was happy we could get out of the vehicle and go on foot. Seeing cheetah close up on foot was an unforgettable experience. Wildlife very diverse and interesting. Our ranger Tendi was another very knowledgeable guide.

We also enjoyed the fact that it is a small game lodge and the location with spectacular views from our "lodge" difficult to beat.

We realised after moving in, that due to a lapse our room had not been cleaned but this was quickly sorted out by the manager.

We would have appreciated advance warning we were expected to pay a conservation/volunteer fee, albeit a modest amount.

The food was excellent. Overall a wonderful experience."

"This is lovely colonial style accommodation in a converted farmhouse and surrounding buildings. Service truly excellent. Food fabulous.

Although some way out of the centre of Oudtshoorn it is definitely worth staying and eating here."

"This is a compact guest house with an intimate atmosphere in a quiet but central location. There is a garden and swimming pool for guests' use.

We were made to feel very welcome by all staff. You are encouraged to meet other guests with communal pre-dinner drinks but dine on individual tables.
A thoroughly enjoyable stay."

"La Petite Ferme is a vineyard with lunchtime restaurant and accommodation on the outskirts of Franschhoek. Franschhoek has a beautiful setting and La Petite Ferme has stunning views which take full advantage of the location.

The absence of a full evening meal combined with the situation on the outskirts can be a disadvantage but there are two restaurants nearby and some of the restaurants in town offer a complimentary taxi service.

Complimentary wine tasting and cellar tour for all guests is on offer. Very helpful, friendly staff.

Fantastic suites overlooking the vineyard and Franschhoek valley."

"Initially we were disappointed with our room which was small compared to what we were used to and had no en-suite bathroom. We were lucky there was nobody occupying the nearby room which shared the bathroom. However the accommodation grew on us, there was a large kitchen, very large garden and swimming pool for guests' use. The staff and owners were very friendly and helpful.

Clanwilliam has only two restaurants but they are within easy walking distance.

Clanwilliam is ideally situated for visiting the Cederberg."

"This was our second stay at the V & A at the end of our trip before returning to the airport. Although only there for one night on this occasion the accommodation and help from staff was as excellent as on our previous six night stay.

We were allowed to stay beyond normal check out time and could leave the car in their secure parking area until due to head off for our flight later in the day."