Travel reviews by Mr S & Ms M from UK

"This was a tranquil spot to recover after our journey with places to sit outside and in. Our room did not feel particularly private as its French doors faced the dining room but this was not a major issue as we were either asleep or out and about during our stay. We appreciated the availability of tea and coffee throughout the day as well as a very good breakfast.

We were assisted with recommendations for dinner and a trusted taxi company."

"Our favourite!

Very welcoming staff, beautiful room and verandah, fabulous evening meals, knowledgeable guide who took us for a nature walk and spotted zebra which we would otherwise never have seen. The sky at night was amazing. After dinner some zebra came to the waterhole which was a real treat.

In addition a member of staff washed the car during our stay so that, at least to start with, we were not covered in dust every time we opened and closed the boot!

We understand that this lodge is shortly to be sold at auction and hope that the new owner will continue to provide the same high level of service."

"We were warmly welcomed, albeit by 3 different people in quick succession, making it difficult to work out who was who!

Beautiful location with lovely views of the sunset. Comfortable room. Expensive trips but cheap drinks!

We went on the early morning trip to the dunes. We would like to have had more detailed information about the exact itinerary before committing to the trip but the guide seemed unable to tell us exactly where we would be going. We suggest that an information sheet with details and costs of all the available trips should be left in the rooms.

It was good to take advantage of the lodge's private access to the dunes. We enjoyed climbing Dune 45 and the tail of Big Daddy. Deadvlei was fascinating and beautiful. With hindsight we would have preferred to have gone to the top of Big Daddy and missed out Sossusvlei which was not nearly as interesting as Deadvlei but this was not presented as an option. The guide was helpful and gave us useful information about the area.

Evening meals were excellent and we enjoyed the staff singing to us ( and they appeared to enjoy it too).

We thought that we had lost my husband's mobile phone (we eventually found it on its side in the safe, out of range of either natural or artificial light) and the staff were all very helpful and concerned about finding it.

Although the service at the lodge could not be faulted, we were slightly less comfortable with the packaged feel of the Wilderness Safaris approach."

"Sam was very friendly and helpfully gave us ample information about possible trips in the area. Breakfast was excellent as was the evening meal we took there on the second night - much better than the meal at "Cosmopolitan" on our first night which was disappointing by comparison. The ambience was very pleasant and relaxing. We liked the candlelight at breakfast (though weren't so sure about the schmaltzy music!).

We went to Bird Paradise just outside Walvis Bay where, unfortunately, the guide was on holiday but we still managed to see lots of birds. Strongly recommended.

We were given tea in the garden when we returned to base but had not expected to be charged for it. Not a big issue but we were a little surprised.

Lovely big room, luxurious bathroom and even a TV so that my husband could catch up with he Rugby World Cup."

"Fantastic and very private room with enormous verandah, giving views of the setting sun.

Once again would have appreciated a bit more advance information about the early morning nature walk before committing to it but it turned out to be excellent. We learned so much from our guide and, as we were the only guests on the walk, we were able to ask lots of questions.

We also went on the afternoon drive to see the desert-adapted elephant. We were very impressed by our guide's persistence - he eventually tracked them down after 2.5 hours. It meant that our drive back to the lodge was more exciting than anticipated; we will never know how the guide managed to find the way in complete darkness!

The service could again not be faulted but we were less at ease in the Wilderness Safaris lodges compared with the privately owned ones. In general, the Wilderness Safaris lodges do not seem to provide advance information on prices for drinks (which is slightly unnerving) but they were very generous measures and turned out to be very cheap!"

"The bush chalet was fine and perfectly comfortable. Dinner was also fine although there was a mixture of self-service and waitress service which didn't altogether work. We were shown to a table which was not set for dinner and then we waited an age for a waitress to bring cutlery and take our drinks order. We think they need more staff and a better system.

We went to the waterhole after dinner on both nights and very early on our last morning and it was amazing - a constant silent procession of animals, all observed in complete silence by the people there. We were very reluctant to tear ourselves away.

We visited the waterholes in the western and central parts of Etosha on the next 2 days and were rewarded with seeing lots of different animals. Nowhere was it too busy."

"The setting was superb. Spacious room with a private deck amidst parkland.

The evening meal on the first night was a barbecue. The chef introduced the menu but it was difficult to hear/understand him. It also wasn't clear whether the soup and the salads were alternatives or separate courses. Further, when we went up to be served with the freshly BBQ'd meat, you had to hold your plate over the grill and it was hard not to get your hands burned. The food itself was delicious, as it was on the second night.

It was lovely to be awoken by the birds who lived in the woods behind our room and to see dik diks on our way to breakfast, not to mention the little family of warthogs who wandered into the garden. Absolutely charming!

The location was great for access to the eastern side of Etosha where we spent another marvellous day."

"It was so kind of you to arrange for us to have the honeymoon suite - thank you. We appreciated the complimentary sparkling wine in the fridge too. The setting of this lodge was fabulous and we loved it.

We went on the early morning guided walk and were the only guests so had the undivided attention of our very knowledgeable guide. We again learned such a lot. We chose to have a lazy day once we got back and just enjoyed watching the birds from the sitting room and also from our verandah. It was a very relaxing last day - perfect in every way.

The evening meals and breakfasts were excellent and the new manager (who only arrived 6 days previously) was very friendly and welcoming."

"We visited a friend in Joburg before returning home."