Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs P from W Midlands

"This is a simple, homely place to spend a couple of days in the city or recover from a flight. Very clean, rooms a bit small and bathrooms fairly basic.

Staff were all friendly and attentive; Lisa could not have been more helpful when we had a problem unrelated to the accommodation.

Although there seem to be two restaurants, there is only one menu: food is served either out on the pool deck or in a cosy, comfortable room inside. Food is simple but tasty and portions generous. Good cooked breakfasts.

Banff is in the pleasant suburb of Hillside, not walkable to city centre but taxis are cheap and plentiful."

"Amalinda Lodge must be unique; where else would you have huge boulders in your bedroom? It’s amazing! Very spacious rooms with comfortable beds, well-equipped bathrooms and private patios.

The large pool, a walk through the woods from the main building, is in a lovely spot and has its own bar and a variety of seating.

Meals are excellent, though portions are on the small side for some and no snacks are offered - you have to ask. Although there is a good choice of alcoholic drinks, children and teetotallers had very few options during our stay.

Our granddaughters (aged 8 &10) loved the freedom to climb rocks, run around and explore the camp on their own.

This is not a place for anyone with limited mobility or very young children, as some rooms are hard to access and the lounge/restaurant areas are on different levels.
A torch is needed to move around safely after dark

Kevin, our guide, was brilliant. He was relentlessly cheerful and positive, somehow fitting in all the activities we wanted, in spite of limited time and wet weather."

"This was our third visit to Ivory lodge over many years and it was as good as we remembered.

A warm welcome, great hospitality and exceptional guiding by Patrick. Tree houses have improved since the early days and had everything we needed.

Food and snacks were delicious and plentiful, though soft drinks scarce at times.

Picnic breakfasts on the platform were a treat and we saw a lot of wildlife and birds in both the park and the reserve.

The children loved the pool and the freedom to explore the camp on their own."

"We were expecting Pioneers to be just a simple, comfortable base for visiting the Falls, but it felt like a small resort, with beautiful gardens and 2 very good pools.

The huge veranda was great for gathering as a family, as well as enjoying breakfast and dinner. Food was well presented and tasty, with a varied menu and good service. Breakfasts were superb.

Rooms are well decorated and fine for sleeping, though with no private outdoor space, as all open onto walkways. Plenty of places to sit in the gardens or the main building.

Everywhere in Pioneers felt new and beautifully clean.

It’s walkable to town in cooler weather and easy enough to get a taxi from reception."

"Returned for one night after earlier stay on same holiday.

Just as good!"

"Very warm welcome from Conrad to a beautifully decorated and fully-equipped guest house - we even had a private pool and terrace!

The fabulous breakfast is the only meal served, but we were also given unexpected and delicious snacks by the lovely staff.

They seem to have thought of everything that a guest might want and then gone a bit further. We loved it."

"A very smart and modern lodge with great staff and views to die for.

Food at all meals was fantastic and lunch is offered on arrival day too.

Our activities were limited by wet weather on our only full day, though our cottage was very spacious and cosy so we had a relaxing time.

Disappointed that the spa was fully booked on arrival for the length of our stay; had to wait till after we’d checked out to use it.
The rooms are spread out for privacy and views, but ours (28) was a very long walk from the main building."

"Very friendly, comfortable and homely guesthouse, perfect for an overnight stay.

We had dinner elsewhere, but were served tea and scones on arrival and breakfast next morning was wonderful.

Our room was large, with a good bathroom and balcony overlooking the lovely garden."

"We loved our two-night stay here and had to tear ourselves away.

The rooms have spacious verandas with wonderful views. Our shower cubicle had a large window opening onto a shrubbery, so it felt a bit like an outdoor shower.

Charles and Christma looked after us very well and the food was fabulous at every meal.
It was very hot during our stay, so we took the shortest of the several routes suggested for our morning walk.

We enjoyed the pool area, which is very nicely designed and positioned."

"Some effort has been made to make this a bit different from other airport hotels and it’s a pleasant place to spend the night before a flight.

Room was comfortable and well-equipped.

Dinner was okay and we were given a very generous packed breakfast, as we had an early flight.

All staff friendly and helpful."

"Room 10 was spacious with a large and unusual 'concrete' bathroom. It was on the ground floor and quiet, even though it opened onto the bar terrace. Very comfortable and well-equipped room, helpful staff and good location.

Decided to have dinner in, as menu looked good and we were feeling too lazy to go out. Excellent food, well presented and served. Breakfast was also good, though the buffet was a bit chaotic. Perfect stop for one night or even 2."

"A long drive on gravel roads, but it as worth it to arrive and be greeted by the lovely Salome. We stayed in room 9 and thought it must be one of their best, later discovering it was the honeymoon suite! It was large and comfortable with stunning views from the terrace, though better lighting and handrails would make it easier for more mature travellers (or even honeymooners) to climb back up there safely after dinner. A torch was essential, but not provided.

Activities on offer weren't well explained and we could probably have done a bit more with our time there. We did the shorter walk, as the '5 hour' one sounded daunting, but were told afterwards that it would have been no more strenuous and given us more time up on the plateau.

The lodge was up for sale while we were there and it seems likely whoever buys it would make some changes - hopefully for the better. Guests were a strange mixture: from a group of 'overlanders' doing their own catering, to a couple flying in on a private plane."

"Lovely room with private deck, but it was far too hot to sit out on it, even if we'd had the time. We only stayed 2 nights and did as many activities as we could. These seemed a bit pricey, but guiding was excellent and we got much more out of the experience than if we'd driven ourselves. An extra night would have allowed some relaxation time or the option of a balloon trip.

Although we had a fairly comprehensive (tick box) briefing as part of our very warm welcome here, we were never exactly clear on what was extras (wine, laundry etc.) and what was included , but the final bill seemed fairly reasonable for such an enjoyable stay. As with every place we stayed, staff were friendly and helpful."

"The receptionist kindly advised us on arrival that all restaurants in Swakopmund have to be booked in advance and she promptly organised this for us. Stiltz also served some of the best breakfasts we had on our 5 week trip; a delicious selection of home-made treats, as well as the usual eggs etc. It's also well located, only a short walk to restaurants and shops.

Unfortunately, the only room available was room 2, which had no view, no privacy and shook when people walked past. As we were staying 3 nights, we'd hoped to unpack and relax a little. Apart from a small hanging rail, there was no furniture to unpack anything into and the sofa seemed to have been designed to match the quirky architecture, rather than be sat on!

There wasn't a single spare power point, so we kept having to find things to unplug, to charge up phone, camera battery etc.

With hindsight, we wished we'd booked a more conventional guest house with some home comforts.

Whilst here, we organised two trips for these travellers:

A kayaking trip to Pelican Point, about which they commented:

We'd never done kayaking and were apprehensive, but it felt like a privilege to be taken out by friendly and capable Jeanne. From the minute we met her at the cafe, we knew we were in safe hands and learnt a lot about the area and its ecology on our drive to and from Pelican Point.

Once in the water, Jeanne was very reassuring and never let us out of her sight, so we were able to enjoy the experience and interact with the young seals playing amongst us. A wonderful experience.

A day to Sandwich Harbour, about which they commented:

This was a well-designed trip, with a competent and personable guide who enjoyed showing off his impressive driving skills. Sandwich Harbour is beautiful and the view from the top of the dune where we had a tasty lunch was stunning.

The big problem was lack of space and comfort in the Land Rover, which technically had seats for 4 passengers, but with 3 large adults in the back it was a very tight squeeze. As most of the day is spent in the vehicle and the ride very bumpy in places, this really spoiled the day for me."

"This isolated Lodge is geared up for a good quality overnight stop. All rooms face the raging sea and our balcony was sheltered enough to sit out for a while.

Open-plan public area felt like a barn in daytime, but roaring fires in the evening gave it a cosier feel. Dinner was delicious, breakfast a bit plain. We ordered packed lunches for our long journey the following day and each one could have fed a family!

Very helpful staff and the manager came round to chat to guests during dinner, which was a nice touch."

"Beautifully situated on top of the pass, all the rooms have the same amazing views and are comfortable and well-equipped.

Food was very tasty, though here was no choice at dinner. Lovely, but small, pool area was always crowded.

We did the desert-adapted elephant activity, which included lunch. The drive was fun and we found the animals fairly early, which meant hat the activity was essentially over by 11am and we were handed individual lunch bags, before being driven back to the lodge. More could have been made of this activity, which felt like poor value for money.

Friendly, very helpful staff in spite of an absence of visible management. Reception was not staffed during our stay, so it was a question of finding any member of staff. eg. our washbasin had no plug, but one of the waitresses found one for me!"

"Wonderful lounge/dining areas overlooking waterhole, which can also be viewed from a 'hide'. Great to watch giraffes, antelopes and others coming to drink.

Rooms were okay, though very hot. Only did one activity: a 'walking safari', which didn't involve much walking! Drove ourselves into Etosha for game viewing and the camp makes a good base for this.

Very good food, excellent staff."

"After a hot day driving through the park, we checked in, had a swim in the lovely pool, then drove back into Etosha for the last couple of hours before sunset.

Dinner was gourmet-style food in the beautifully-furnished thatched area. Rooms are attractive and thoughtfully designed and equipped. No waterhole, but proximity to the park gate more than compensates for that."

"Great location on the river near Rundu.

Lovely, well-equipped chalet room with view of villagers doing their washing on the Angolan bank! Dinner on the large deck after our excellent 'champagne sunset' cruise. Beautiful gardens with rooms well spread out.

Good overnight stop, though breakfast buffet was disappointing: nothing cooked to order and only white bread with margarine!"

"Very rustic and simple camp with lots of charm.

Monica and Johan are welcoming hosts and make the delicious evening meal into a special occasion. Tents very close to river are linked to bathroom 'shacks' behind. Hi-light was watching hippos in river early in the morning and the manager coming along and pointing out a huge male, grazing on the lawn behind our tent!

We only stayed one night and didn't do any activities, but enjoyed the pool and lazing by the river."

"We weren't sure what we were going to do at this fairly simple river camp, as we don't fish, but were gently persuaded out of our comfort zone and ended up trying everything! 'Fish', who seemed to know every inch of the area, told us a lot about the traditional way of life and showed us round the island where he grew up.

Gliding along in the dugout' canoe, it was so peaceful we felt as though we were the only people on the river. We spotted huge numbers of birds and many hippos and even tried fishing....

Back at the lodge, Eve made sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed: excellent food, eaten family style, though we could have happily lived on the various home-made breads."

"This may be the perfect safari lodge. Luxurious without being swanky, it had everything we could have wanted and more.

Well-designed and perfectly located rooms (we had no. 3), with small verandah for morning tea and enjoying the view. Public areas were many and varied, all overlooking the flood plain. Lovely pool, small waterhole, great views.

Activities were included and apparently unlimited. The full day excursion was probably a bit long, but really enjoyable and well-guided. Delicious meals served buffet style at communal tables, hosted by managers and guides.

We were very sorry to leave."

"We were collected by small boat and arrived in time for a late lunch. The boat was nicely furnished and our room comfortable.

A small, very efficient staff team do everything, from guiding to housekeeping. Food was very good and you could help yourself to drinks and snacks.
There were 6 guests on board and the 3 couples were taken out separately in the late afternoon in small boats. This was a plus, as there is not much privacy on board, where we were sharing a small space with strangers. For a family or group of friends holidaying together, it could be a lot of fun, but 1 night was long enough for us.

We were surprised to be told at dinner that there would be no morning activity, as the boat had to be moved so that we could all get off at 9.30am!"

"We'd eaten well at Ilala in the past, but this was our first stay there and it was brilliant. This is the closest hotel to the falls, just a few minutes' leisurely walk.

Our very pleasant room was on the lower floor with glass doors to a small patio and the gardens. The odd warthog wandered past. Service was faultless and staff went the extra mile, offering to run errands for us and keen to ensure we had a comfortable and relaxing stay. Dinner was okay, but breakfast was absolutely superb.

Lovely pool and terrace, with quiet, shady courtyard to escape the heat.

Building work on the new wing was almost complete and it seems as though the hotel will double in size. I hope the 'small and friendly' atmosphere is retained."

"We had very high hopes of Ruckomechi, one of the most expensive places we have ever stayed in, and we certainly weren't disappointed.

It's an exceptionally beautiful location and absolutely everything is done to a very high standard. Apparently the camp is due for a rebuild at the end of the season, but we thought it looked great.

Part of the charm of the place is that elephants and other large animals wander freely through the camp. We never felt unsafe, as the very competent staff had briefed us on what to do and there was always somebody within earshot. We had room 4, though they may all be as good. Quite private from each other, each has an outdoor shower with an open view and a spacious bathroom/dressing area within the tent, which was very comfortably furnished.

Lovely public areas, including a small 'plunge' pool.

We did all our activities with the exceptional and very experienced Temba, reinforcing our belief that Zimbabwean guides really are the best in Africa. We went canoeing and even spent a night up a tree on the 'sleeping platform'. Didn't get much sleep, but it was a unique experience.

We now need to find an excuse to go back to Ruckomechi one day!"