Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs M from Gloucester

"We arrived late and left fairly early so did not need anything fancy. The Eka hotel is a modern business hotel which suited us perfectly, The room was a good size, clean, with a nice shower and separate WC. Bed was comfortable and the aircon worked well. B

reakfast was good but not outstanding. Would have preferred self-serve coffee as the service was a bit slow and everything else was self serve. Security was good and obvious. Location was good to get to Nairobi Wilson airport.


Would recommend for anyone arriving at Jomo Kenyatta and leaving from Wilson or vice versa."

"Brilliant camp. We had a huge room/tent accessed across an interesting wooden bridge suspended above a pool.The room had a great deck overlooking the pool complete with crocodile and hippo and endless birds. The room was so big it had a huge bed, sitting area and shower area as well as separate WC

The food was first class as was the service and a great guide. Perhaps the only thing I would say was that the guide had a bit of a fixation with cats of which we saw lots, but to be fair, he also got us a great location to see a migration crossing so overall first class too. The staff even drove out and delivered lunch so we did not miss any of the wildebeest crossing! Everyone was excellent and could not do enough.

The camp is very small and intimate with just a few rooms which suited us fine. It was great to have a private vehicle for every drive.

In common with most camps, animals are free to roam in and out and they did at night which provided some interesting noises.

Overall this camp was hard to fault and would highly recommend to anyone."

"Another first class camp. Set in the kopjes, away from any other camps, Lamai Serengeti has around a dozen rooms. Ours (#1) was high in the kopjes and quite a walk uphill and a fair way to get there. But the views from the room more than compensated for the climb - simply stunning.

The room itself had a good sized bed with mosquito nets, separate and very large bathroom with shower and twin basins. Water is solar heated but was plenty hot enough whenever needed (until a buffalo stood on the pipe!). Outside a lovely deck overlooking a view of the Serengeti below.

Our guide was about the best we have ever had on safari and was brilliant at finding wildlife, explaining about things and generally providing the best experience possible. We also had a walking safari which was great too. And we managed to see a wildebeest crossing as well.

All the meals were first class with excellent salads at lunch time and interesting dinners in the evening.

The hosts and staff were first class and could not do enough for us.

A first class camp that is hard to fault and highly recommended."

"To be honest we had a bit of a problem with this place. It is billed as being opulent but we had not expected a hotel in Tanzania to be quite so OTT. Quirky for sure, a bit like the Hobbit meets Louis 14th. Somewhat unusual rooms from the outside, with completely OTT heavy French style furnishings inside. The rooms had a fire place and seating corner with free bar around that, a big bed (very comfortable) but we had to tell them not to keep heating the room as it was plenty warm enough already.

We were allocated a butler whose job was to look after us and a few other rooms. Not many rooms were occupied and so there was no problem with service although we were not entirely comfortable with him. The room manageress and lodge manager and butler turned out to meet us when we arrived and to say goodbye when we left - clearly looking for tips (I don't mind tipping but don't like being pressured about it).

The thing that irked the most, was that we returned from an interesting safari to find a huge bath full of hot water. Unrequested. I am sure they think this is good service, but this is a real waste of water in a country that can ill-afford that, and a waste of energy to heat it. Then we found that it was still hot an hour later which meant that the bath itself was heated. If you did or did not use it, the water was wasted and it was not a small amount. Multiply this by all the rooms and it is hardly environmentally friendly. By all means ask first, but don't waste water for no reason.

The hotel did not re-use towels or make much attempt to save energy at all as far as we could tell.

The restaurant was in the main building, also quirky and heavily furnished. Food was good and dinner was served after pre-dinner drinks together with our guide for the next day.

The crater experience itself was very interesting and unlike a 'normal' safari in that the animals are somewhat captive in the crater. Given that this was the low season, there were more than enough vehicles at most wildlife sightings. It must be terrible in the high season. We did have a great day however and credit to our excellent guide for that. He really was very good.

Overall we would say that two nights here were plenty with one day on safari. For the hotel - sorry, not for us. Was it good - yes, very. Was it an eco hotel - a big no. Did we feel comfortable there - not really. Who is it aimed at - not entirely sure. Would we recommend it to others - we don't think so. All a bit of a contradiction so pretty hard to rate below"

"With just 6 tents, this is a small and intimate camp. During our visit only 4 were occupied and on the last day only us.

The tents were simple with a bush shower on demand and the bedroom with a nice double bed and bedside tables and a simple storage unit for clothes. Food was taken in the main tented area and was excellent as was the service. We loved this camp with its simplicity and yet luxury at the same time.

The staff were great, our guide fantastic, and for the most part, ours was the only vehicle in the whole area. We saw lots of animals and birds of all kinds and came away very happy indeed."

"Mafia Island is unlike Zanzibar and is not touristy at all. The island boasts just a few lodges of which Pole Pole is reputed to be the best, and we would certainly not argue with that. With just 7 bungalows, the atmosphere is relaxed, the service impeccable (they cannot do enough for you), the food amazing with lots of seafood but other options too.

One activity was included every day within our room rate. Every evening before dinner the guests congregate for pre-dinner drinks, a chat, and discussion with the manager of the local dive and excursion centre with whom the activities take place to decide what to do the next day based on tide and availability. Other activities are available in addition to those included.

The bungalows are a good size with mosquito nets (necessary) and a deck to sit out on. The bathroom has twin basins, toilet, bidet and shower. My only gripe would be that there was only one UK style plug (the norm in Tanzania), a couple of unexpected European style plugs, and a number of Italian style plugs! There is a pool and a spa on site for massage and manicures etc which was also very good.

Overall we had a great time, enjoyed all the activities, and felt it met our expectations all round. Our thanks to Paola, Marina and Mussa who are very hands on and make sure that everything runs so well."