Travel reviews by Mr J from Arlington

"Our stay at the Cresta Sprayview Hotel definitely met expectations. The location is relatively convenient. It is a healthy walk to get to the Victoria Falls Park, but the hotel offers complimentary shuttle transporation at fixed times.

Our room was clean and comfortable. We did have a couple of unwanted large spiders show up after dark, but the hotel staff responded very quickly to dispose of them and told us that they were not poisonous. The staff was friendly and attentive to our needs. And the food was hearty and tasty at the hotel restaurant. The included breakfast was a very complete buffet with cook-to-order eggs. The cost for a meal at dinner was slightly higher than expected, but after exploring some of the other hotels, it seemed in line.

The swimming pool was not heated, but was quite refreshing after enduring a day of hot weather. And it is large enough to swim some laps if desired. The Internet reception was very poor in the hotel room that we had toward back of the hotel complex. But it worked very well in the lobby area, which was more than adequate for our needs

Overall, I would recommend this hotel as a good option for anyone seeking clean and comfortable non-luxury accommodations."

"We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Muchenje. The setting is really spectacular, sitting on top of a hill looking out over the fertile plain. The moment we arrived, we were met by the friendly staff who made us feel welcome and immediately got us some lunch (we arrived quite hungry!). The attentiveness to our needs was one of the great things about this camp. They laid out the activity options and let us decide how we wanted to spend our time.

The accommodations are relatively simple, but quite nice. The rooms are not super spacious, but given the limited amout of time that we spent in them, they were more than adequate. The shower worked great, with plenty of hot water available. And the view from the rooms is incredible, with a nice deck in front to sit and take in the scenery. The camp also has some limited excercise equipment, which can be nice for people are used to keeping an active lifestyle. Given the location and density of animals around, there are limited places to get out and walk. So this was a very nice feature for us.

The food at the camp is buffet style, and quite tasty. They do a very nice job of offering several different food entrees to accommodate everyone. And I really enjoyed the local flavor that they instill in many of their dishes. Spending three nights at Muchenje, we never found the food to be repetitive.

We were very happy with our guides and the game activities that were offered at Muchenje. The amount of wildlife in the area is incredible and our guide new exactly where to take us. Of course you are not alone in Chobe, and the number of other vehicles that you run into can be annoying at times. But that is a reality of Chobe and there is no avoiding that. The full day boat excursion that is offered is highly recommended, because you see things from a different perspective and there is less traffic. We also went on a short walking safari with our guide, which is recommended for learning about the area and seeing things from a different perspective."

"We enjoyed our stay at Khwai Tented Camp. The setting and scenery is quite stunning and a real contrast to the dryer conditions in and around Chobe. The camp itself is set right on the water of a marsh, which brings lots of animals around. The hippos can be seen all day and heard all night. The frogs also come out at night, creating such a unique setting. We were also lucky enough to see a leopard wander through the camp in the late evening after dark.

The accommodations are a basic tent with running cold water and electricity. The beds are comfortable and bucket showers are quite nice and refreshing. Everything was in working order for us, and we were satisfied with the service. The meals were full service and tasty. There was limited choice on the menu, though it wasn't a big problem for us because we are not too picky.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and did a great job finding the action for us. We were lucky enough to encounter a pack of wild dogs twice and even got to see them in action hunting and chasing after another pack. The area has a lot of water around, which makes the scenery really spectacular as well. And the remoteness of the area means you won't encounter many other vehicles. This gives a feeling of having the entire area to yourself."

"Our stay at Saile Tented camp was wonderful. It is a very small staff that runs the camp and they did an outstanding job accommodating us and making sure that we had a great experience. Our guide Dutch was very knowledgeable and competent. At the beginning he went through all the different activities, and asked us to tell him how we wanted to spend our time. That was really appreciated and allowed us to spend time doing things that we were not able to do at other places, such as go fishing and take a walking tour. We also did a night drive which was really amazing.

The tents at the camp are very basic, but clean and comfortable. The bucket showers were very standard, but with a great view. The camp has very limited electricty (none in the tents). We were told that all the food is prepared over an open fire. But that did not deter the quality because the meals that were served were some of the best that we had in Botswana. Delicous and hearty!

Two nights at the camp was about right. It is quite remote and you really feel it, but the camp staff did a great job of making us feel comfortable the entire time that were there. And there is quite a lot of game to be seen in the area, which makes it worthwhile place to visit."

"This is a very friendly camp that is extremely well run. We arrived during the low water season, which meant taking a boat ride through tall weeds and shallow water to get the camp from the airport. That is great part of the overall experience in visiting the Delta region. Along the way we got a chance to see some wildlife and take in the scenery. The camp is very isolated, but because of the attentiveness of the camp staff, really does not feel so primitive.

The camp tents are very nice and feel luxurious in many ways. The beds were really comfortable and placement of the bucket showers outside looking out on the water was a nice touch. All of the electricity is supplied by solar power and batteries, and is more than adequate for all the basic services.

The food and meals were very nice. The food was well prepared and very tasty. The staff was able to join us for lunch and dinner which we appreciated. We were able to enjoy many good conversations and really learn about the area that way.

Our guide John took us out for our boating safaris and did a great job explaining about the area and providing perspective on things. The wildlife viewing was quite good, especially for birds. And we got to do some fishing and take a mokoro trip, which is highly recommended."