Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs OC from Sheffield

"Galton House was really fantastic and definitely our favourite of the two places we stayed in Windhoek. It had a lovely relaxed and welcoming feel, the dinner was delicious and the service was just perfect - very attentive without being overbearing.

The pool area and lounge areas were especially nice, and the open plan kitchen where you could help yourself to a hot drink or a beer from the fridge really contributed to the relaxed, home-from-home experience."

"Even though this was just a one night stop in between Windhoek and Etosha, we really enjoyed it here and were sad to leave. The view from our room was beautiful and it was just a lovely peaceful place to get in tune with nature.

We did the sundowner walk in the evening and then a more challenging, longer walk in the morning. Both were hugely enjoyable and our knowledgeable guide introduced us to the flora and fauna of the area, which was really interesting. Later in our trip we would encounter the big mammals in Etosha, but it was equally fascinating to learn all about the native plants and insects. The evening/early morning time of the activities also meant we got some really beautiful photos.

Service was also very attentive but in a nice relaxed way, and the food was very good."

"We loved all of the places we stayed, but we both agreed that Onguma just had that little extra wow factor which made it our favourite. A lot is to do with the small size, which made it feel very exclusive, and the setting, which was beautiful.

Our tent was amazing, and it just felt like the team continually went the extra mile by lighting tea lights in your tent at night and even providing a good night poem! The pool area was lovely (we even got to eat dinner there on our last night) and the fire area was great in the evenings too.

In terms of activities, we did a morning drive into Etosha which was really good. We probably didn't see anything more than if we'd driven ourselves (as we did on subsequent days) but it was just nice to have a break from driving!"

"Another terrific place to stay, the existence of the watering hole alone means this has an Excellent rating! Watching a rhino having a bath was one of the highlights of our trip.

We loved the views from the main lounge/dining area and also from the swimming pool, which we enjoyed lots as it was one of the more generous sized pools we encountered.

The setting of the room was fantastic and we had a close encounter with a giraffe who came right up to our balcony late one night, which was brilliant. They were great at providing cold drinking water, but it would be even better if they could provide a fridge in the room.

We didn't do any of the activities here but used it as a base to drive ourselves into Etosha (concentrating on the quieter western section which was fantastic), which worked really well due to the easy access into the Park.

This felt a bit more traditional than Onguma and service was a little more reserved, although still incredibly polite and helpful.

Onguma was the setting of our only (very small) health hiccup during the holiday, when I was stung by an unknown insect on the foot whilst watching animals down at the hide at dinner time, when it was dark. This was my fault as I was wearing flip flops and not closed shoes as recommended, and in the end it was not serious at all, but the fact we didn't know what had stung me was a bit of a cause for concern. Bradley from Onguma was absolutely brilliant, took charge straight away and administered some first aid to sort me out. I was much more careful to wear closed shoes in the evenings for the rest of the trip!"

"After the excitement of Etosha, we really enjoyed the slightly slower pace of our time at Doro Nawas, which is .. We really supported the ethos behind Doro Nawas and the ownership model.

The bush dinner was a real highlight. After a number of evenings sat at a table for two, it was actually really enjoyable to sit at a long table and chat to other guests and our hosts. The food was excellent and it was a really atmospheric evening.

We decided to drive ourselves around rather than join the excursion. We thoroughly enjoyed the rock carvings at Twyfelfontein, despite the drive there being one of the bumpiest of the trip. The organ pipes, burnt mountain and petrified forest were a little underwhelming, and the entrance prices for these did feel comparatively a bit high. These attractions cumulatively only took us a morning to see, so we spent the afternoon relaxing and reading. This area could potentially benefit from some walking trails, or Doro Nawas could potentially run some guided walks, just to increase the variety of activities on offer and enable visitors to immerse themselves in the beautiful scenery. Overall we would say there was just enough to justify a two night stay.

This was also the only place where we encountered a large group (20+ Spanish people led by quite a vocal tour guide). They were all very pleasant, but it did change the dynamic slightly as their comings and goings rather dominated the place! It made us realise that the absence of large groups at the other places we stayed was a real positive."

"It was so different to stay in a hotel within a resort town after a week of lodges, but we really welcomed the contrast. The Strand was excellent - great facilities, beautiful room and a huge variety of options for breakfast. The on-site bar with micro brewery was also a big win.

Although it was so much bigger than the other places we stayed and less personal, they still made a huge effort as we were on honeymoon, with rose petals on the bed, a bottle of fizz and strawberries and cream!

We had a great time in Swakopmund and really enjoyed the lower temperatures! We tried lie down sandboarding which was great fun (which we'd organised ourselves with Alter Action, who were very good) and then had a beautiful walk round the lagoon at Walvis Bay and saw lots of flamingos.

It was great to be on a B&B basis in Swakop so that we could venture out to try a couple of different restaurants and have a bit more freedom in what we wanted to eat!"

"Hoodia was a very close runner up to Onguma in terms of our favourite place to stay.

The lodge itself was beautiful and we really liked the fact that the people working there were keen to chat, which created a really nice relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

The view from the pool was amazing, the food was great, and the ability to have the car next to the chalet was actually really handy!

The sundowner drink was absolutely magical and one of our trip highlights."

"Our night at Olive Grove was very comfortable. As mentioned earlier, we did prefer Galton House to Olive Grove due to its overall atmosphere and warmer welcome, but the location of Olive Grove was arguably better as we were able to walk into town.

They were very accommodating and let us leave our car there on the morning of departure, so that we could explore the city centre ahead of needing to get back to the airport."