Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs E from W London

"Good location and nice modern hotel."

"We were lucky to stay in the Premier Waterhole Chalet for one night - and it was probably the highlight of our holiday. We were in Chalet 34 which was probably the best one as it was very close to the waterhole with unobstructed views. The chalet was very clean and a lot more luxirious than we expected! We only used one of the two bedrooms but it would be very good value for four people. It was great watching the animals come to the waterhole whilst relaxing on our balcony and also seeing them in the middle of the night whilst lying in bed! There were loads of animals including elephants, rhinos, giraffes and zebra.

The camp itself is basic, we did not have dinner there but breakfast was OK. Would definitely return for longer - it is a great base to explore the surrounding Etosha National Park. You do need to book the activities before you arrive as we could not get on the night safari as it was fully booked."

"The Villa was huge and probably one of the nicest places we have ever stayed in. Very luxurious and brilliantly decorated with a free fully loaded mini-bar! It had its own plunge pool (not very clean) and also a private waterhole with a covered tented area to relax and watch the Oryx visited! We stayed 3 nights and enjoyed the Villa very much.

The activities included were early morning (a bit too long 5-6 hours!) and afternoon drives, these were good but after a while we felt that we were visiting the same places to see animals and it got a bit repetitive. Our own personal experience was that there were more animals and waterholes when we drove through Etosha from Okaukuejo to Mushara than around the more northern part where Mushara is. This might have just been luck.

We had very high expectations of Mushara and sadly not all of these were met with regards to service and food. The dinners were not very good, especially the vegetarian food choice. We appreciated the effort made but the food was cold, bland and boring, also there is only once choice for everyone so you are a bit stuck if you don't like the dinner option for that night! Lunch choices were good even for vegetarians - maybe they should do the same for dinner and take pre-orders.

Also our first night we had no sleep with loads of flying insects even though we had the nets around our bed - it was only when we asked them (3 times!) to spray the room that it resolved the problem. This should be done routinely as we were had this issue and it was not even mosquito season!

Overall - lovely lodge and Villa but the service, food and activities do not match up to the high standards expected of a luxury lodge."

"Great place - we stayed at the Bush Camp as our first option was not available but were very pleased with the chalet. It was two little chalets, very private - one with a bed and the other with minbar and sofas to look out to the great views. A small waterhole where warthogs were regulars! The service was brilliant, everything was very well organised, very friendly staff and they really made you feel special. Even though I had challenging dietary requirements they were very accommodating - the food was excellent!

We did the Leopard trek in the evening and the early morning Cheetah trek with our guide Jonas who was brilliant. Both activities were great and were very lucky to see two wild dogs and a cheetah involved in a kudu kill on the morning walking trail. We were allowed to stay for as long as we wanted and not rushed back - they just worked around us, having breakfast laid on later and also letting us check out late - all staff seemed to work in sync.

Overall great place which is made special with the exceptional staff and service."

"Remote but great place. The accommodation was in tented huts with a ladder to get up to a small outside sleeping area to see the stars - well worth doing! The actual tented hut was not that huge but very nice and a great little balcony to sit and take in the views of the dunes. It is the closest accommodation to the dunes with its own private gate and this was great as we had great views and also meant you did not have to get up that early to get into the park.

The service was great too - again they were very accommodating to challenging dietary requirements especially making fresh gluten free bread. The staff were very friendly and our guide Richael was brilliant. We did the nature trail and the morning sand dune drive. The sand dunes drive was excellent - we were taken to climb Big Daddy rather than Dune 45 as is was quieter and less touristy. We climbed the half arm of Big Daddy and it was not that hard at all - and lots of fun coming down.

We stayed two nights and think that this is enough as there are not that many more activities you can do. It is a long drive to get there but well worth it when you get there - highly recommend the lodge!"