Travel reviews by Mark & Kat from UK

"Good"

"An absolutely fantastic lodge, and the scenery and setting was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. And the lodge, was fantastic, with superb service at every level. It was also nice how they made a lot off effort each night to do something different - a bush BBQ; Sundowner picnic in the desert; etc.

And I would mention that our guide whilst there, Ben, was really first class - exceptionally attentive but also an excellent guide - we really thought we got everything we could out of the different areas in the reserve and national park.

The balloon safari was also flawless. We were lucky enough to go right down the valley towards Sossusvlei, and having breakfast under one of the dunes must be one of the best breakfast settings I've ever had!"

"Onguma The Fort and Etosha

The Fort was lovely, and the setting and layout was a particular treat. The dinner terrace that overlooked a view that could only be described as 'raw Africa' was one of the best of the trip. And that side of Etosha was really fantastic in terms of scenery and wildlife. And staying at The Fort made the park very accessible.

The one criticism of The Fort was the checkout procedure was a bit chaotic and they seemed somewhat understaffed."

"What a fantastic lodge. The setting, layout, rooms and food at this one were spectacular. And they really went the extra mile for us - private dinner on our terrace being one example. The opportunity to trek rhino on foot was also superb, and we have some amazing experiences out in the bush there.

I have two specific comments on the lodge though: the guides were notably less good than any of the other places we went (including not giving any briefing before we set out on foot into the bush); and whilst the reserve is good for rhino there is much less wildlife there more generally than in the park, so if you don't leave the reserve you are really missing out (and the lodge seems to think you don't need to leave the reserve to see everything, but I think they are wrong on that count)."

"As before [Ed: see below]"

"Of all the lodges we stayed at this was by far the best (which was a relief given it was my suggestion) and went to the greatest effort to make the trip special. The best example was as we were arriving, up the river by boat, and the Club had arranged for a surprise private lunch on one of the islands in the middle of the river. This probably goes down as one of the best arrivals at any hotel I have ever had, and just shows the efforts the team there made to make the visit special.

We both loved staying at the River Club - the staff, the setting, and the evening sundowner trips were just fantastic. Again, the club usually gave us our own private boat, just add an extra touch. And when there was a problem (there was our first night when there was a swarm of small bugs that could get though mosquito nets) the efforts they made to resolve the issue (they moved us to the Princess Royal suite!) was the definition of good service.

After a 12 year gap, the River Club did not disappoint!"