Travel reviews by Ms L from Leeds
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
4
Lodges stayed in
15
Excursions taken
1
A wonderful experience
Namibia and 3 other countries between 3 Sep 2015 and 1 Oct 2015
"Now we have had our holiday I feel I understand what I would do next time.
It was all a wonderful experience. Firstly I must put a word in for Mack Air as there didn't seem to be anywhere to put that. We were concerned and a bit anxious about the small flights but the service and professionalism from the pilots was excellent and made the whole experience fine.
All the places we booked were good, each different and interesting. Of course not having been to Africa before or been on a safari holiday before it is difficult to understand what it is going to be like even though we read all the information and listened to all the advice there is nothing like the experience of actually being there.
In no particular order we felt that the camps in Botswana seemed more geared up to 2 night stays and in fact 2 nights felt perfectly fine though before we went I thought 2 nights might feel a bit tight. In fact sometimes our 3 night stays felt as if the guides were looking for things to do. I loved Botswana, particularly the Okavanga Delta and would go back there.
Though we were a bit concerned about driving ourselves round Namibia as 2 women on our own in our late 50s and 60s, in fact it was very easy. We loved Cape Cross and Walvis Bay, both fine for 1 night stays. I would want to stay 2 nights in Okonjima in the Bush camp, a very pleasant place to stay. It was me who insisted on staying in Okaukeujo and it was fine though I think if I was advising someone else I would suggest somewhere smaller with better food.
I also would not go back to the Zambezi Sun, it was the only place we were disappointed with. Everyone is different but we both realised how important a breakfast and dinner view is for us and a view of the Zambezi rather than corporate hospitality is worth paying for.
We loved South Africa and will probably go back there sometime. All in all we loved it and love Africa, it is like no other place I've ever been to.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I cant think of anything. My sister and I did talk about how difficult it must be to advise people on where to stay and where to go. You did really well so thank you. The only thing that might have helped us not go to the Zambezi Sun was either us telling you the sort of hotel we usually stay in when we travel or you asking."
It was all a wonderful experience. Firstly I must put a word in for Mack Air as there didn't seem to be anywhere to put that. We were concerned and a bit anxious about the small flights but the service and professionalism from the pilots was excellent and made the whole experience fine.
All the places we booked were good, each different and interesting. Of course not having been to Africa before or been on a safari holiday before it is difficult to understand what it is going to be like even though we read all the information and listened to all the advice there is nothing like the experience of actually being there.
In no particular order we felt that the camps in Botswana seemed more geared up to 2 night stays and in fact 2 nights felt perfectly fine though before we went I thought 2 nights might feel a bit tight. In fact sometimes our 3 night stays felt as if the guides were looking for things to do. I loved Botswana, particularly the Okavanga Delta and would go back there.
Though we were a bit concerned about driving ourselves round Namibia as 2 women on our own in our late 50s and 60s, in fact it was very easy. We loved Cape Cross and Walvis Bay, both fine for 1 night stays. I would want to stay 2 nights in Okonjima in the Bush camp, a very pleasant place to stay. It was me who insisted on staying in Okaukeujo and it was fine though I think if I was advising someone else I would suggest somewhere smaller with better food.
I also would not go back to the Zambezi Sun, it was the only place we were disappointed with. Everyone is different but we both realised how important a breakfast and dinner view is for us and a view of the Zambezi rather than corporate hospitality is worth paying for.
We loved South Africa and will probably go back there sometime. All in all we loved it and love Africa, it is like no other place I've ever been to.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I cant think of anything. My sister and I did talk about how difficult it must be to advise people on where to stay and where to go. You did really well so thank you. The only thing that might have helped us not go to the Zambezi Sun was either us telling you the sort of hotel we usually stay in when we travel or you asking."
Victoria & Alfred Hotel
"The best location for a short stay"
2 nights
Arrived
4 Sep 2015
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Bamboo Guest House (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"A fine location and good service"
1 night
Arrived
6 Sep 2015
"We booked 1 night in the Bamboo Guest House and this was an ideal length of stay. The room and the service were excellent and our hosts kindly offered us some excellent South African wine the evening of our arrival. We primarily visited Hermanus to see the whales and the Bamboo Guest House is just a short walk from the coastal path where we watched several whales the afternoon we arrived and the following morning as well.
It's a little far to easily walk to the the main restaurant area in Hermanus from the Bamboo Guest House but the owners arranged a taxi for us."
It's a little far to easily walk to the the main restaurant area in Hermanus from the Bamboo Guest House but the owners arranged a taxi for us."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Akademie (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"Good location and excellent service"
2 nights
Arrived
7 Sep 2015
"We stayed 2 nights in Franschhoek and really loved the town. The Akademie is a small guesthouse set in lovely gardens close to the Main Street which is where all the restaurants and shops are. The new owners have recently taken over this highly rated guesthouse and are keen it maintains its position. All drinks are free as is the laundry service.
My only thought is that, if you are on a budget, Franschhoek is a very lovely place with lots of delightful cafes so all you really need is a decent bed near the main street and all other services would be on your doorstep."
My only thought is that, if you are on a budget, Franschhoek is a very lovely place with lots of delightful cafes so all you really need is a decent bed near the main street and all other services would be on your doorstep."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
River Crossing
"Good location for the airport"
1 night
Arrived
9 Sep 2015
"River Crossing is in a good location for the airport especially if you are self driving round Namibia. We only stayed 2 single days in the River Crossing at the end and beginning of our self drive tour round Namibia so the location suited us well as we didn't need to stay in the city.
The rooms are adequate and the service is friendly and helpful. It is let down by the food which was not good. We had the worst meals of our trip here, definitely quantity and not quality."
The rooms are adequate and the service is friendly and helpful. It is let down by the food which was not good. We had the worst meals of our trip here, definitely quantity and not quality."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Poor
Little Kulala
"A desert gem"
2 nights
Arrived
10 Sep 2015
"The interior design of this desert lodge is a charming mix of ethnic African and comfort. We were warmly welcomed and it was a good choice for our first stay on our Namibian self drive holiday.
If anything we found the service a little overwhelming as there were more staff than guests but this is perhaps a little churlish as everyone was helpful and informative.
The food is excellent and our guided trips were very good as well."
If anything we found the service a little overwhelming as there were more staff than guests but this is perhaps a little churlish as everyone was helpful and informative.
The food is excellent and our guided trips were very good as well."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Lagoon Lodge
"Good location opposite the flamingos"
1 night
Arrived
12 Sep 2015
"We were glad to stay in Walvis Bay rather then Swakopmund. We found Walvis Bay a place where ordinary locals stayed rather then a tourist town and we liked that. The location couldn't have been better as it is right opposite the flamingos which is why we stayed there.
We ate at The Raft and had a lovely meal with views over the water and a good beer. Our sea kayaking trip was really good value and excellent. We paddled round the water playing with the young seals and our guide was great fun and very helpful.
We organised a Pelican Point Kayaking trip for these travellers whilst they were here, they commented:
A wonderful experience. I was a bit concerned that at 68 and with two hip replacements I might find this difficult but that just wasn't the case. The guides were very helpful and made sure I could get in and out of the canoe easily. The location is remote and mysterious and just being there was wonderful. Paddling round the young seals was really fun and they were as curious as we were. Definitely worth it."
We ate at The Raft and had a lovely meal with views over the water and a good beer. Our sea kayaking trip was really good value and excellent. We paddled round the water playing with the young seals and our guide was great fun and very helpful.
We organised a Pelican Point Kayaking trip for these travellers whilst they were here, they commented:
A wonderful experience. I was a bit concerned that at 68 and with two hip replacements I might find this difficult but that just wasn't the case. The guides were very helpful and made sure I could get in and out of the canoe easily. The location is remote and mysterious and just being there was wonderful. Paddling round the young seals was really fun and they were as curious as we were. Definitely worth it."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Cape Cross Lodge
"Isolated but a great stay"
1 night
Arrived
13 Sep 2015
"We both really loved our stay at Cape Cross.
Yes it is rather isolated and remote but we loved being so close to the sea and the heavy fog which that part of the world is famous for.
The seal colony is definitely worth a visit, we loved watching the seals, the young babies trying to find their mothers, the squabbles and the seal soap opera played out on the beach."
Yes it is rather isolated and remote but we loved being so close to the sea and the heavy fog which that part of the world is famous for.
The seal colony is definitely worth a visit, we loved watching the seals, the young babies trying to find their mothers, the squabbles and the seal soap opera played out on the beach."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Kayaking with seals
"A wonderful experience"
13 Sep 2015 • Morning excursion
I was a bit concerned that at 68 and with two hip replacements I might find this difficult but that just wasn't the case. The guides were very helpful and made sure I could get in and out of the canoe easily. The location is remote and mysterious and just being there was wonderful.
Paddling round the young seals was really fun and they were as curious as we were. Definitely worth it.
Paddling round the young seals was really fun and they were as curious as we were. Definitely worth it.
Doro Nawas
"A Mad Max desert experience"
2 nights
Arrived
14 Sep 2015
"This is a Mad Max sort of place in that the design, exterior and location are intriguing and in keeping with the desert, mountain and boulder scenery.
Our room was comfortable and well designed and the activities and food were good.
The visit to the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein was very interesting."
Our room was comfortable and well designed and the activities and food were good.
The visit to the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein was very interesting."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Okaukuejo Camp
"Wonderful wildlife"
3 nights
Arrived
16 Sep 2015
"The wildlife in Etosha National Park is amazing and in many ways it was good to be able to drive ourselves round the area. Okaukuejo offers very basic though perfectly adequate facilities. After the very personal service at our previous camps Okaukuejo seems a bit impersonal because of the numbers of visitors they are dealing with.
I think in retrospect now I preferred having the guided 4WD tours though it was also wonderful to discover wildlife for ourselves so perhaps its good to have the mix of experiences. Etosha was the first place we saw major wildlife in all its glory."
I think in retrospect now I preferred having the guided 4WD tours though it was also wonderful to discover wildlife for ourselves so perhaps its good to have the mix of experiences. Etosha was the first place we saw major wildlife in all its glory."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Average
Food
Average
Facilities
Good
Okonjima Bush Camp
"A wonderful upgrade to the Bush Camp"
1 night
Arrived
19 Sep 2015
"We were upgraded to Okonjima Bush Camp which is the more luxurious camp, as were all the other guests in fact. We absolutely loved the place. It was beautiful, luxurious, and we had the best meal of our whole trip there. We wished we could stay for longer.
When we booked we were cautiously told it was a place for rescued cheetahs and that the leopards were collared. That is true but it is an enormous enterprise covering a huge area and there are truly wild indigenous creatures there as well. When the guides were tracking the collared leopards we stumbled upon a wild one as well. The guides are well informed and it was different and exciting to track the collared animals with the radio receivers.
I would go back there and would highly recommend a stay of 2 nights."
When we booked we were cautiously told it was a place for rescued cheetahs and that the leopards were collared. That is true but it is an enormous enterprise covering a huge area and there are truly wild indigenous creatures there as well. When the guides were tracking the collared leopards we stumbled upon a wild one as well. The guides are well informed and it was different and exciting to track the collared animals with the radio receivers.
I would go back there and would highly recommend a stay of 2 nights."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
River Crossing
"Good location, bad food"
1 night
Arrived
20 Sep 2015
"Good location, good service but bad food. [ Ed: see review below, also, from earlier in this same trip. ]"
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Poor
Avani Victoria Falls
"Average stay in a rather corporate hotel"
2 nights
Arrived
21 Sep 2015
"We wished we had booked the Royal Livingstone Hotel. The Royal Livingstone is the sister hotel to the Zambezi Sun and there is a free shuttle between them.
As soon as we arrived we realised that the Zambezi Sun had a rather corporate feel to it. The bars and rooms are all inward looking to the inner garden area and so we could have been anywhere in the world. The Royal Livingstone on the other hand has wonderful views over the Zambezi River where we saw our first hippo whilst having a gin and tonic in the riverside bar, wonderful. I realise this is a review of the Zambezi Sun but unless your budget is really tight than I think the Royal Livingstone is worth the extra cost just so you can have breakfast with that wonderful view of the Zambezi.
We tried to change our booking but unfortunately all the rooms in the Royal Livingstone were fully booked. We had dinner there and it was wonderful."
As soon as we arrived we realised that the Zambezi Sun had a rather corporate feel to it. The bars and rooms are all inward looking to the inner garden area and so we could have been anywhere in the world. The Royal Livingstone on the other hand has wonderful views over the Zambezi River where we saw our first hippo whilst having a gin and tonic in the riverside bar, wonderful. I realise this is a review of the Zambezi Sun but unless your budget is really tight than I think the Royal Livingstone is worth the extra cost just so you can have breakfast with that wonderful view of the Zambezi.
We tried to change our booking but unfortunately all the rooms in the Royal Livingstone were fully booked. We had dinner there and it was wonderful."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Average
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
Muchenje Safari Lodge
"Wonderful views at Muchenje Lodge"
2 nights
Arrived
23 Sep 2015
"There are wonderful views from Muchenji Lodge and it was a pleasure to sit and look over the Chobe River and the plains beyond.
The staff and service were excellent and the guided 4WD trips were fun and exciting.
The food was excellent and sociable as we ate together at the end of the day."
The staff and service were excellent and the guided 4WD trips were fun and exciting.
The food was excellent and sociable as we ate together at the end of the day."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Selinda Explorers Camp
"Beautiful location"
3 nights
Arrived
25 Sep 2015
"Selinda Explorers Camp is in a wonderful location on the bend of a river. When we were there hyaena had made a kill just across the river and so we experienced that and the subsequent vultures within 5 minutes of the camp.
It was interesting to experience the tented camp and bush shower though it meant it was really very hot in the middle of the day without AC. Breakfast by the camp fire was lovely and the camp was small enough to feel quite special and intimate.
The 4WD trips were well run with lots to see."
It was interesting to experience the tented camp and bush shower though it meant it was really very hot in the middle of the day without AC. Breakfast by the camp fire was lovely and the camp was small enough to feel quite special and intimate.
The 4WD trips were well run with lots to see."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Kwara Camp
"Great location"
2 nights
Arrived
28 Sep 2015
"Kwara offers another tented experience though again very hot in the middle of the day without AC. I loved the location of the Okavanga Delta, it felt quite different and greener than Chobe and Namibia.
The staff are friendly and helpful and this camp offered both a guide and a tracker on the 4WD trips. This felt a bit more relaxing to me as the guide could concentrate on driving the difficult terrain.
The boat trip on the delta was wonderful, plenty of wonderful birds and views. This was our last camp and we were lucky to see a cheetah with cubs and a kill, a leopard and plenty of lion."
The staff are friendly and helpful and this camp offered both a guide and a tracker on the 4WD trips. This felt a bit more relaxing to me as the guide could concentrate on driving the difficult terrain.
The boat trip on the delta was wonderful, plenty of wonderful birds and views. This was our last camp and we were lucky to see a cheetah with cubs and a kill, a leopard and plenty of lion."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
We are so glad we booked the V&A as it's in a perfect location. It's right on the V&A waterfront and all the bars and restaurants there. It's also an easy stroll to the Hop On - Hop Off tourist bus and the access point for the Robbin Island Tour. The hotel was helpful in that they suggested we book all our tours the moment we arrived and so in the 2 nights we spent there we went up Table Mountain, took all the tour bus routes as well as getting off to visit Kirchenbosch Botanic Garden and some other stops and visited Robbin Island all of which we would thoroughly recommend.
We discovered the Watershed between the V&A Hotel and the tourist bus stop. This is a converted warehouse with beautiful local craft work for sale and we just wished we had more luggage space so we could take some home. The imagination and ingenuity which the African craft workers show in recycling redundant materials to create beautiful objects is quite stunning.
We would love to go back to South Africa and we would definitely stay in the V&A again."