Travel reviews by Miss P-A from China
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
6
Excursions taken
0
Perfect Honeymoon!
Tanzania and 1 other country between 20 Jul 2008 and 3 Aug 2008
"Our overall experience was what we dreamed of. Africa is a unique untouched beauty. We would definitely recommend this trip to our friends excluding the Beyt al Chai experience. In the end we did accepted this as an adventure at Zanzibar island, but it wasn't a pleasant thing to happen since it was our honeymoon, if it was in other trip we wouldn't have been so disappointed.
The game drives were great, even with the fact of missing the migration at the Serengeti. The CC Africa lodges are amazing, the staff is very friendly. Everything is great there! It's a worthwhile experience. No one should miss it!
The Matemwe Retreat is all fantastic..and as we said before our butler was tireless!
This trip was everything that we expected. We are very looking forward to go back to Africa very soon."
The game drives were great, even with the fact of missing the migration at the Serengeti. The CC Africa lodges are amazing, the staff is very friendly. Everything is great there! It's a worthwhile experience. No one should miss it!
The Matemwe Retreat is all fantastic..and as we said before our butler was tireless!
This trip was everything that we expected. We are very looking forward to go back to Africa very soon."
Feedback response
Good news that overall this trip was great, although this traveller encountered two issues:
Firstly, the specific room that these travellers had booked at Beyt al Chai was occupied; only a smaller room was available for their first night in Stone Town. We resolved this by moving these travellers for that night to the best hotel in town (the Serena: about 100m across the road) – without any extra costs to these travellers.
Secondly, the Serengeti’s great wildebeest migration was running about a month ahead of its normal schedule … so when these travellers reached Grumeti River Camp, in the Western Corridor, the wildebeest had left. This was very unlucky but we couldn’t provide a solution. (The migration wouldn’t have been at Grumeti’s sister-camp, Klein’s Camp, either at the time these travellers visited.)
Arranged By Claire Scott
Arusha Hotel (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"The perfect honneymoon"
1 night
Arrived
21 Jul 2008
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Activities
Good
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Grumeti River Camp
"The perfect lodge to stay at the Serengeti"
2 nights
Arrived
22 Jul 2008
"Perfect ranger, Kilian made all his best effort to provide us with excellent game drives, the only thing that we regret was that the migration had already gone to Masai Mara. We met a couple at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge that had also booked for the Grumeti's but in the end their travel agency moved them to Klein's Camp, which considering that Expert Africa team is expert in Africa I could suggest that you would be more aware of these kind of details and try to do something like the couple's travel agency if possible since the price for the Klein's Camp is similar the the Grumeti's.
The service was great! And the staff very friendly! The room's are very cool, but if we compare with the other cc lodges they aren't excellent. Anyway we do feel that it was the ideal place to stay at the Serengeti."
The service was great! And the staff very friendly! The room's are very cool, but if we compare with the other cc lodges they aren't excellent. Anyway we do feel that it was the ideal place to stay at the Serengeti."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Feedback response
In 2008 the Serengeti’s great wildebeest migration was running substantially ahead of its normal schedule – a little more than a month. So it had completely passed through the Western Corridor, and left, before these travellers arrived here in late July.
This was very unlucky, but the migration is a natural event, and cannot be precisely predicted. We could have tried to move them to Grumeti’s sister-camp, Klein’s Camp, but even if that had been possible … the migration wouldn’t have been there either! In late July, it was in Ikarongo Reserve, where there are no camps, and the extreme north-west of the Serengeti National Park.
This was very unlucky, but the migration is a natural event, and cannot be precisely predicted. We could have tried to move them to Grumeti’s sister-camp, Klein’s Camp, but even if that had been possible … the migration wouldn’t have been there either! In late July, it was in Ikarongo Reserve, where there are no camps, and the extreme north-west of the Serengeti National Park.
Senior Africa Specialist | East & Southern Africa
Lake Manyara Tree Lodge
"Perfection!"
2 nights
Arrived
24 Jul 2008
"Perfection! The lodge is lovely, the atmosphere that is created at this lodge is amazing..the candles, the bonfire at the dining area, the wildlife just passing in front of you, the excellent game drives..truly perfect!
We do remember one sundowner we had very close to the lake..it was fantastic! And we were very lucky to see the lions on the trees and the only cheetah on the park!
Our ranger and our private butler were absolutely great! The food was very good and the snacks before dinner were excellent! Our tree house was brilliant..romantic..perfect! We would certainly recommend this lodge our friends!"
We do remember one sundowner we had very close to the lake..it was fantastic! And we were very lucky to see the lions on the trees and the only cheetah on the park!
Our ranger and our private butler were absolutely great! The food was very good and the snacks before dinner were excellent! Our tree house was brilliant..romantic..perfect! We would certainly recommend this lodge our friends!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
"Breathtaking!"
2 nights
Arrived
26 Jul 2008
"Breathtaking! This lodge was the most unique ultra luxury lodge that we stayed at Tanzania! We were speechless when we got here. It was the best place to end our journey through the safari experience.
It's very hard to describe this lodge, if you see the photos in the internet and travel guides you are already enjoying it, but when you get there you will love it!"
It's very hard to describe this lodge, if you see the photos in the internet and travel guides you are already enjoying it, but when you get there you will love it!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Matemwe Retreat
"Matemwe Retreat review"
5 nights
Arrived
28 Jul 2008
"If you are able to stay at the Matemwe Retreat why try to go somewhere else? The villa is fantastic; the view is amazing, our butler Mwuyni made us feel so special with all his pampering!
It was an unique experience and considering that we live near the mythical beaches of Thailand, forget it..this is the most beautiful beach we have seen! The water has as the most amazing blue color, the sand is so soft almost like flour (if you could compare).
The only thing that we regret is that the Mnemba atoll was overcrowded.
The Safina Villa was so good that it was very hard to leave it..the private pool..the sunrise..the beach and the people fishing and singing just a few meters in front of us created a magical atmosphere! Brilliant!"
It was an unique experience and considering that we live near the mythical beaches of Thailand, forget it..this is the most beautiful beach we have seen! The water has as the most amazing blue color, the sand is so soft almost like flour (if you could compare).
The only thing that we regret is that the Mnemba atoll was overcrowded.
The Safina Villa was so good that it was very hard to leave it..the private pool..the sunrise..the beach and the people fishing and singing just a few meters in front of us created a magical atmosphere! Brilliant!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Beyt al Salaam
"The only thing that went wrong"
2 nights
Arrived
2 Aug 2008
"The only thing that we regret during our honeymoon was to stay here. Since we arrive until we left it wasn't what we were expecting and not really a unique experience. We still don't know if it was the local travel operator (fisherman's tour) or if it was the Beyt al Chai staff but making the mistake of overbooking our first night there was something that we could never imagine since we planned our honeymoon one year before.
Beside this incident we can not understand also why someone knocked at our door at 6:00am asking if we were going to check out, since we were suppose to leave at 13h00pm as we agreed with the Beyt al Chai manager . Also the Sultan's room is nothing special; I would say pretty bad for what they advertise on the internet/guides. This is a place that we wouldn't recommend to anyone. The good thing about this hotel is it's location.
Although the hotel experience was horrible, we did like very much Stone Town. The Arabian and African style mixed together was interesting. The people very friendly and food at the local restaurants was very good."
Beside this incident we can not understand also why someone knocked at our door at 6:00am asking if we were going to check out, since we were suppose to leave at 13h00pm as we agreed with the Beyt al Chai manager . Also the Sultan's room is nothing special; I would say pretty bad for what they advertise on the internet/guides. This is a place that we wouldn't recommend to anyone. The good thing about this hotel is it's location.
Although the hotel experience was horrible, we did like very much Stone Town. The Arabian and African style mixed together was interesting. The people very friendly and food at the local restaurants was very good."
Terrible
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Terrible
Location
Excellent
Service
Poor
Facilities
Terrible
Rooms
Terrible
Food
Poor
Feedback response
There was a problem here when these travellers arrived: the specific (Sultan) room that they had booked at Beyt al Chai was overbooked. Only a smaller (Prince) room was available for their first night in Stone Town. We resolved this by moving these travellers for that night to the best hotel in town (the Serena - which is about 100m directly across the road from Beyt al Chai – at no cost to these travellers.
Thus we’re very sorry that these travellers disliked this hotel so much – but feel that their view may have been strongly influenced by the upset of the over-booking.
Thus we’re very sorry that these travellers disliked this hotel so much – but feel that their view may have been strongly influenced by the upset of the over-booking.
Senior Africa Specialist | East & Southern Africa
The untouched beauty of the northern part of Tanzania, the wildlife, the sounds and the smell of pureness is unimaginable. The lodges we choose were ultra luxury and all staff fantastic.
At Zanzibar we experienced a different Africa, a special one which mixed the Arabian and African style of living as one perfect combination.
Thank you for your help..it was really the perfect honeymoon!"