Travel reviews by The B family from Otley
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
3
Excursions taken
0
Serengeti Trip
Tanzania between 22 Jul 2013 and 29 Jul 2013
"The trip, like its two predecessors, was absolutely brilliant. I just revel in the whole safari experience: the getting there, the camps, their locations, the inspirational people you meet, the excursions, the myriad wildlife encounters, quenching your thirst, filling your belly and the siestas afterwards. Then getting up in the afternoon and doing it all over again: two days in one!
When asked to score the holiday out of ten, our teenage daughter (whose commitment and subsequent enjoyment I was a bit trepidatious about before our arrival) gave it a firm nine and a half. When pressed about the missing half, she explained this was docked because of all the stops on safari at my insistence to look at 'stupid birds'. So you're pretty near perfect.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
On our way to Kilimanjaro airport, we stopped off at the very green and plush Arusha Coffee House (?).
I presumed we were going to have a very pleasant buffet lunch there as we had been travelling non-stop for at least 24 hours and a sit down in very relaxing surroundings would have been most welcome.
Instead we were whisked off again with a school kid's packed lunch (complete with bag of crisps, Mars bar and a wedge of very 1970s Dairy Lea!).
This is the only change I would make to the itinerary."
When asked to score the holiday out of ten, our teenage daughter (whose commitment and subsequent enjoyment I was a bit trepidatious about before our arrival) gave it a firm nine and a half. When pressed about the missing half, she explained this was docked because of all the stops on safari at my insistence to look at 'stupid birds'. So you're pretty near perfect.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
On our way to Kilimanjaro airport, we stopped off at the very green and plush Arusha Coffee House (?).
I presumed we were going to have a very pleasant buffet lunch there as we had been travelling non-stop for at least 24 hours and a sit down in very relaxing surroundings would have been most welcome.
Instead we were whisked off again with a school kid's packed lunch (complete with bag of crisps, Mars bar and a wedge of very 1970s Dairy Lea!).
This is the only change I would make to the itinerary."
Arranged By Claire Scott
Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp
"Serengeti Safari Camp Feedback"
3 nights
Arrived
23 Jul 2013
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Lamai Serengeti
"Lamai Serengeti Feedback"
3 nights
Arrived
26 Jul 2013
"This offered a great contrast to Serengeti Camp: from plains to kopje and tent to 'house'. The location and outlook were superb and it was a shame the plains had recently been blackened with burning as not only did this slightly mar the view, I couldn't get my feet clean for a week!
Mark and Chloe were remarkable hosts and it felt like we made almost instant companions despite the brevity of our stay there.
My only slight quibble was the quality of the (bird) guiding. Lovely chap though he was, too often he didn't know what the bird we were looking at was and on one occasion even blamed the poor quality of his binoculars.
Highlights were going out walking one afternoon and encountering two separate pairs of lions, crossing the border into the Masai Mara as part of the ongoing quest for cheetah and twelve elephants traversing the airstrip upon our departure."
Mark and Chloe were remarkable hosts and it felt like we made almost instant companions despite the brevity of our stay there.
My only slight quibble was the quality of the (bird) guiding. Lovely chap though he was, too often he didn't know what the bird we were looking at was and on one occasion even blamed the poor quality of his binoculars.
Highlights were going out walking one afternoon and encountering two separate pairs of lions, crossing the border into the Masai Mara as part of the ongoing quest for cheetah and twelve elephants traversing the airstrip upon our departure."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Onsea House
"Onsea House Feedback"
0 night
Arrived
29 Jul 2013
"If I hadn't have known where I was, gazing out from the terrace I'd have plumped for somewhere in the very verdant Caribbean.
Although I was asleep for part of the time here due to succumbing to two lunch-time beers, the house, gardens and outlook were all stunning and it is a wonderful little oasis off the beaten track."
Although I was asleep for part of the time here due to succumbing to two lunch-time beers, the house, gardens and outlook were all stunning and it is a wonderful little oasis off the beaten track."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Every aspect of the camp was uniformly excellent; it was only the fifth African/Expert Africa camp I'd visited but it bore all the Expert Africa hallmarks of luxurious accommodation, expert guiding, imaginative, tasty food and inspired vegetarian provision. My Mum would have been well impressed with the hot water bottles and a choice of two types of toilet spray!
Special mention must go to our guide, Philip, for his expertise and patience (especially all the stopping and my incessant bird questions as I attempted to refamiliarise myself with them all again). Also, Babu back at the camp."