Travel reviews by Martin from Welwyn
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
5
Excursions taken
0
My Jul 2008 trip
Tanzania and 1 other country between 26 Jul 2008 and 10 Aug 2008
"An excelent trip.
Suggestions for improvement:
I found Expert Africa's assistance really useful in planning the trip."
Suggestions for improvement:
I found Expert Africa's assistance really useful in planning the trip."
Mbalageti Lodge
"Mbalageti Lodge review"
3 nights
Arrived
27 Jul 2008
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Average
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Gibb's Farm
"Gibb's Farm review"
2 nights
Arrived
30 Jul 2008
"When scoring a lodge it is necessary to compare it to the others we stayed at and Gibbs Farm was the worst. The rooms were very basic and freezing at night.
In fairness, the owner said that ours was one of the rooms that they were intending to demolish in the Autum - presumably to errect something better. It was also an hour or so (perhaps a bit less) from the Ngorongoro crater which was further than I had hoped."
In fairness, the owner said that ours was one of the rooms that they were intending to demolish in the Autum - presumably to errect something better. It was also an hour or so (perhaps a bit less) from the Ngorongoro crater which was further than I had hoped."
Poor
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Poor
Location
Average
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Poor
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Feedback response
Gibbs Farm has two standards of room – Farm Cottages and Standard Rooms. We tend to avoid booking the Standard Rooms as they are much simpler than the cottages, however in this case we booked Gibb’s at the last minute and this room was the only one available. Though they are simple, they are good value and cost quite a bit less than the larger and newer cottages so for those on a budget they are still a good option.
Gibb’s is located in an area called Karatu which is around a 45-60 minute drive – so it is a reasonable drive from the Crater. However accommodation on the Crater rim is very limited. You can either opt for the very good, yet exceedingly expensive, Crater Lodge; stay somewhere tented at a relatively high cost; or opt for a larger international-style hotel, which has around 100 rooms.
Karatu offers more choice and includes some really good lodges set on coffee plantations and farms. Though these are a distance away from the Ngorongoro Crater, they are a good option for their style, comfort and service. In future we’ll try harder to bring the distance of this area from the Crater to the attention of our travellers before they book.
Gibb’s is located in an area called Karatu which is around a 45-60 minute drive – so it is a reasonable drive from the Crater. However accommodation on the Crater rim is very limited. You can either opt for the very good, yet exceedingly expensive, Crater Lodge; stay somewhere tented at a relatively high cost; or opt for a larger international-style hotel, which has around 100 rooms.
Karatu offers more choice and includes some really good lodges set on coffee plantations and farms. Though these are a distance away from the Ngorongoro Crater, they are a good option for their style, comfort and service. In future we’ll try harder to bring the distance of this area from the Crater to the attention of our travellers before they book.
E Unoto Retreat, Tanzania (this camp has since closed)
"E Unoto Retreat review"
2 nights
Arrived
1 Aug 2008
"This was a great place to stay in a lovely scenic location.
We didn't really use it as a Safari base so can't comment on its location for this purpose but it was luxurious and the trip to the Masai village was really enlightening. Isaac, our personal assistant during the stay, was great."
We didn't really use it as a Safari base so can't comment on its location for this purpose but it was luxurious and the trip to the Masai village was really enlightening. Isaac, our personal assistant during the stay, was great."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Fairmont Zanzibar, Zanzibar (this camp has since closed)
"Fairmont Hotel"
3 nights
Arrived
3 Aug 2008
"Facilities were really good but no bath - the ony disappointment.
The climate was hot quite what I had hoped - wind and cool in the evenings (even some rain) - we were there from 3-6 August."
The climate was hot quite what I had hoped - wind and cool in the evenings (even some rain) - we were there from 3-6 August."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Fumba Beach Lodge
"Fumba Beach Lodge review"
3 nights
Arrived
6 Aug 2008
"Fumba is natural and basic. The room design is really good and blends in with the environment but the bedding could have been better. It would have been nice to have had a quilt instead of the basic blankets.
Children didn't like the lack of a television but I quite apprectiated that fact. the food was a bit limited and not really to everyone's taste. Climate was much better than at The Fairmont."
Children didn't like the lack of a television but I quite apprectiated that fact. the food was a bit limited and not really to everyone's taste. Climate was much better than at The Fairmont."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
You have asked about the loocation of the lodge - I think that this was good but depends on the time of year. The migration was finished at the time of our trip (August) which was a bit disappointing but there was still plenty to see."