Travel reviews by Mr L from Bristol

"A great little guesthouse with a very helpful receptionist who recommended an excellent restaurant. Our room was clean and well equipped. The breakfast was very good - buffet style but with an option of a cooked plateful.

Taxi easily available for trips into the centre of town and also to the restaurant. There was secure parking for our car."

"This really is a superb establishment. Our room was large and beautifully equipped and had a very comfortable seating area. Our host was charming and nothing was too much trouble. The breakfast buffet table was a work of art with a wonderful selection of food and cooked breakfast was also available.

The bungalow is set in a most attractive garden. All the local amenities are within easy walking distance and there were no problems walking about in the evenings. Highly recommended !

A day trip to coast and dunes during stay in Swakopmund
Excellent - a good trip
We were picked up promptly by a very helpful guide/driver in a comfortable 4 x 4 vehicle. First stop was at Walvis Bay to see an amazing number of flamingos and to enjoy a leisurely stroll along the coastal path. Then on to Sandwich Harbour with views of the salt-processing plant along the way and a sometimes hairy ride among reed beds to reach the sandy terrain of the bay where the huge sand-dunes meet the sea. We left the vehicle at this point and walked towards the lagoon.

It was possible to climb the dunes for a better view of the lagoon although we decided against this! We were disappointed not to see many birds but this did not detract too much from the overall enjoyment of the trip. Our guide then astounded us by providing a hot lunch (courtesy of a microwave oven secreted in the back of the van) and soft drinks served round a table with comfortable chairs - most enjoyable! Our guide was excellent and a very good driver and deposited us back at our guesthouse after a most enjoyable trip."

"The lodge is set quite high up in the rocks with car parking below but you were allowed to drive up to the accommodation to deposit your luggage and then drive back to the car-park, which was a bit of a pain. Some of the rooms were a distance from the main building but luckily our room was one of the closest.

The room was fairly Spartan but clean and the beds were very comfortable. It was a bit of a trek up to the restaurant area and the dinner was served buffet-style but the food was perfectly acceptable. This was just a stopover on our way to Etosha and we would not have wanted to stay any longer."

"This lodge is situated at the top of a mountain and as we didn't have a 4 x 4 vehicle we had to leave the car at the bottom and be transported in a safari truck - not easy to get into at our age! The accommodation is in individual chalets situated overlooking a fantastic view of the valley far below. Considering the difficulties of providing services of electricity and water at the top of a mountain, Grootberg does very well! Our room was fairly basic but obviously lovingly looked-after and it was possible to have a reasonable shower. We had a small balcony overlooking the valley but unfortunately there was a gale force wind blowing all the time we were at Grootberg (we were told that this was most unusual) so we didn't sit out on the balcony.

The main building housed the restaurant and we were pleasantly surprised by the high standard of cooking. The way back to our chalet in the dark was extremely hazardous down an inadequately-lit stony path and unfortunately we weren't provided with a torch that first night which resulted in a fall. The next night we had a guide with powerful torch! The local people who part-own the lodge and provide most of the staff are friendly and helpful and the whole atmosphere is one of happy involvement. A very pleasant and interesting Interlude!

We opted to go on the rhino tracking trip and we set out before sunrise in a safari truck with open sides and tiered seating. We were on the third tier which meant that we were subjected to a bitingly cold wind whistling round our ears and, even though we were provided with snuggly blankets, it was freezing! I really thought my last moments had come. The driver and trackers were in the front row protected by the windscreen so they had no idea that their passengers were fighting to stay alive! What a relief when the truck slowed to a halt and we were deposited in a valley now warmed by the rising sun.

The trackers set off to follow footprints which, amazingly(!), they had found and soon we were on the trail! We followed the guide on foot over quite difficult ground for about an hour and then, suddenly, there was a female rhino with a youngster only about 10 yards away. What a thrill, and all memories of freezing to death in the truck evaporated. After studying us for a few minutes, the rhinos turned round and moved off. After some time the truck had caught up with us and meanwhile the trackers had observed the route taken by the rhinos and our guide then suggested that anyone who was able should track over a distant ridge to find the rhinos again. Because we had reached our limit, we opted to stay in the truck while the other six much younger participants carried on.

I would say that the rhino tracking is well worth going on as I am sure that you are virtually guaranteed a sighting as evidently rhinos are creatures of habit and so the trackers know the areas they frequent. We are not fit at all but we managed to trek over the stony bumpy ground and the end result was well worth it, so have a go even if you are old and decrepit!"

"Accommodation was excellent - clean and very comfortable. We were a stone's throw from the water-hole which made for easy game viewing. The restaurant was slightly further away and at night the site is very confusing resulting in us getting lost several times! The food in the restaurant was not brilliant and hadn't improved much since our previous visit seven years ago!

However, the reason for staying at Okaukuejo is the ease of access to the game park and that is brilliant."

"Accommodation clean and comfortable in separate chalets. Restaurant OK but no separate bar area. Food served buffet style.

But as at Okaukuejo, the reason for staying here is ease of access to the game-park. We were up at the crack of dawn to continue our animal experiences."

"Accommodation was in 'tented' chalets - clean and comfortable but no sitting area inside the chalet (chairs on outside terrace). Main central area was lovely. Huge restaurant open on three sides to the gardens with a chance of seeing resident wild-life ( warthog, dikdik).

Excellent food - the first night we had a most enjoyable buffet in the garden, painstakingly set up by the cheerful staff. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and would definitely recommend it."

"The lodge is situated in a strange area of the Erongo mountains which resemble huge mounds of pebbles. Again, because we only had a 2-wheel drive vehicle, we had to leave our car at the foot of the mountains and be transported by safari truck up to our accommodation. We loved our 'tented' chalet which was large and luxurious and with an open-air bathroom.

The main building is built in a rustic style and decorated with local artefacts. There is a large bar area with a well-stocked bar and the terraced restaurant has views over a small water-hole as well as over the surrounding mountains with huge rocks seemingly poised to fall at any moment. But the piece de resistance is the cuisine! We had fantastic meals splendidly served on tables lit only by solar-powered lamps which allowed us to appreciate the marvellous sunsets.

We spent the day wandering round the surrounding area which is marked out in various walks. We could have gone on some walks with an experienced guide but the idea of scaling some of the surrounding peaks did not appeal to us!"

"We couldn't fault them on anything! Staff very friendly and helpful. Meercats a highlight."

"A worthwhile stopover for seeing the Quiver Tree Forest and Giants' Playground. We found Bill Cllinton (pet wart-hog at ticket 'office')) more amenable than the warden!

Exceptional value dinner at Central Lodge. Also, lodge well situated for buying supplies from local supermarket across the road."

"There was nobody around when we arrived and we found it difficult to find reception. However, chalet 13 was the best with great views !

Lodge very well located to visit Fish River Canyon - yet another highlight."

"Boulders Chalet incredible. We spent the afternoon looking at the fabulous view.

Shuttle bus to Desert Horse Lodge (7 kms away) would have been much appreciated. We actually did get a lift from somebody else also travelling with Expert Africa!

Great to see the desert horses on our way to Luderitz the next day."

"A little out of the way and room seemed small compared to the lodges. However quite comfortable and food excellent. Although not unexpected, Luderitz was extremely windy.

Unlucky with wildlife on Sedena boat-trip. Kolmanskop well worth a visit."

"Plainly furnished accommodation but comfortable and spacious. We seem to have been given the best room again! Amazing breakfast incorporating home-made bread, jams, meat, cheese etc. !

The other 5 guests were German, like us with only one language, which made it a little difficult at dinner. However, Pieter, the host, spoke very good English and went out of his way to keep all involved.

Nice walk to the old copper mine. Pieter gave us an informative talk on the stars."

"Staff outstanding. Extremely well-managed Lodge. On arrival and return from trips we were greeted with drinks before entering Lodge. Chalet very comfortable with amazing views.

Sessriem Canyon a little disappointing after Fish River Canyon!

Trip to the dunes amazing but unfortunately very windy that day. Deadvlei well worth a visit although we found the walk very tiring, but we are not the fittest people in the world! Early morning balloon flight the next day highly recommended. Previous day's flights cancelled because of the wind. Champagne breakfast by the dunes a memorable experience."

"An extremely friendly place. All staff very helpful. Mac, the self-described Jack-of-all-trades, even removed a scorpion from our room! Once again, we seemed to have the best room. Wonderful food.

Sundowner trip disappointing. [ Ed: these travellers were disappointed that a sundowner trip wasn’t possible to do that day; this was because the owner, Rob, who normally conducts these trips himself, was not available! ]

Terrible drive along a very rocky road and not too much to see. Really a stop for hikers, which we are not, but we knew that in advance. Nevertheless a very relaxing stopover and we did manage a walk to Gail's cave!"

"Large and comfortable accommodation again. In-room facilities included electric blankets, which we needed! The Stiltz would benefit from a public lounge/bar area. Reception finished at 6pm and nobody was available after that. Although slightly out of the way, we did not feel unsafe walking into town. Good advice on restaurants - The Tug , De Kelder and Brauhaus- all in the Brandt Guide, of course!

Walvis Bay cruise, with Laramon, very good value. We were lucky in seeing Bottle-nosed dolphins, Benguela dolphins, seals, cormorants. pelicans, flamingoes and even two hump-backed whales. Superb food and drink supplied on board!

Moonscape worth visiting but gave up on rest of Welwitschia Drive because of very poor road."

"We're running out of superlatives! Another fabulous place, brilliant staff, good food. We pushed our bed out on to the balcony and slept under the stars - what an experience.

Desert elephants another highlight. Petrified forest disappointing - guide very offhand. Unfortunately this is where we ran out of steam a bit so didn't visit the rock paintings /burnt mountain/organ pipes. But what a place to relax!"

"Very pleasantly surprised at accommodation - much better than we had expected at a rest camp. However, we found the staff unhelpful, service in the restaurant very slow and chaotic to the extent that we made sandwiches in our room on the second night!

Even the petrol attendant found it difficult to raise himself up to serve us. But we were here to see the animals, which we did in abundance. Fantastic. Brilliant waterhole."

"Accommodation amazing - VIP 2-bedroomed villa. Restaurant food and service excellent. This may have been because there were very few visitors that night.

Well situated for visiting many excellent water-holes frequented by huge numbers of animals. A photgrapher's dream."

"Again we had a 2-bedroomed family room - seemed to be confirming our growing belief of Expert Africa influence! Etosha Park attendants allowed us to re-enter the Park later in the day without having to pay again. Excellent food and service at Onguma.

A pity we couldn't stay at Namutoni but that was out of everyone's control (except the President!). However, we enjoyed our stay at Onguma."

"What can one say about Okonjima? We found the whole experience wonderful. Although a lot of the animals were tagged because of the very nature of the place, we felt privileged to have close encounters with them. Our guide, Chris, (very recently engaged to be married) was absolutely fantastic and greatly added to our enjoyment of all the activities.

Food again excellent although the wine was a liittle expensive. Hospitality second to none. Every member of staff we came into contact with was cheerful and helpful.

All nine people on our table signed up to an animal sponsorship - a very worthwhile cause. We look forward to hearing about our orphan cheetah!

We enjoyed a helicopter ride which showed us the full extent of the property and we spied on some of the wildlife. We felt very sad to leave such a fabulous place."

"The best room again! We ate a fabulous breakfast on our terrace. A good location, although a bit of a walk , but easier to get into central Windhoek than back to Hilltop House! We experienced some difficulty in finding Hilltop House because of a recently closed road. Found Windhoek excellent for souvenir shopping.

As our flight was late evening, a dayroom would have been helpful. However, we were able to leave the car at Hilltop, after we had officially checked out, while we went into Windhoek and our hostess kindly let us sit in the garden until it was time to leave for the airport."