Travel reviews by Mrs G from Northumberland

"The rooms were clean and ready for us.

It was a little deserted and hard to find some help but when we found staff the help was given.

A shame the pool was not open as our children love water cold or hot. Breakfast was a feast and really delicious."

"We loved the owner of this bright yellow lodge, he really cares that you have a good time.

The hotel was undergoing some building work and so there were builders, ladders and scaffolding about but a lovely bottle of complimentary champagne was delivered to us while we were resting by the pool so we were happy! The breakfasts were delicious and we got excellent advice about where to eat in the evening. Rooms are great fun and the children had a great big family room to suit three big children.

The standard of cleaning of the rooms was excellent too.

We had no problems connecting with the sand boarding company but you do need to drive to Swakopmund (about 25mins) to meet the bus to the dunes. We were collecting from the hotel for a wet but fun Kayaking trip with Naude from Pelican Point Kayaks."

"Wow! We drove the sandy way from the Skeleton Coast to Spitzkoppen and so this took us longer than we hoped but what a place to arrive to at the end of the road to nowhere.

My children could not believe the 'tented camp' lodges and we felt we were in a proper luxury safari lodge. The location is a long way from anywhere but that is what makes it special. The scenery is unique and the guides were terrific. We were greeted with a refreshing iced tea and little golf buggies that take you and your luggage to your lodge.

The food was good and the pool was a little cold for some of us but the children managed to get in. You need to pay extra for guided trips which is fine and we took one guided trip and then used the map provided to take a long walk on our own. A little bit of climbing definitely makes it easier to appreciate this landscape but you don't have to climb if you don't want to or can't. The guided trips are probably fairly priced but felt a little expensive as we were a family of five.

A great place to visit and I hope these lodges last for many years."

"A lovely safe and friendly hotel for us to refresh during our long drive. This was easy to find and clean and happy to help with anything we needed. This was a good place to stock up on supplies, water and fuel before heading North to Etosha. The pool was lovely, cold again, but the children went in.

We had a delicious supper prepared by the receptionist as the boss was on holiday and she was so determined to make it an excellent meal, well done her! Butternut squash soup, steaks and creme brulee - a true feast.

We visited the Crocodile farm with the children but middle child was deeply unimpressed to learn about the handbag making; a conservationist in the making! It was good to get close to the crocodiles in a safe environment though."

"The roads to Halali are excellent and entry through the main gates was easy. It took us about two and a half hours to drive from Okaukuejo (where you pay the entrance fees) to the camp at Halali. We stopped at a few watering holes on the way to enjoy so many different animals. The Halali camp was basic and much more commercial and the lodges were clean. We had a fridge and some crockery and kettle and we used the BBQ to eat from each night. We had to borrow a pan from the chef but he was happy to do this as long as we left a deposit. If you plan to BBQ then be better prepared than we were with the appropriate kit. The Camp had a big outdoor pool which again was unheated but the children enjoyed this for a cool down mid-afternoon.

The location of the camp was excellent but there is so much noise and camera action at the watering hole that I think the animals were staying well away! We drove to various locations from here and saw nearly every animal except for big cats.

The main negative for us was that there was only one person at reception and usually a queue of at least ten so quite a lot of time was wasted waiting to check in, check out and ask for pool towels etc. We did not use the dining room as it was a flat fee for a buffet and we wanted to cook for ourselves and the children did not want a big meal.

We did not use the guides and were very happy to drive around and make our own choices of where to stop, the roads are good to fair but perfectly usable by a normal two wheel drive car driving slowly. It is a good idea to have stocked up with a few picnic foods to save you having to drive to camp when the masses get hungry. We took our cool bag and an ice block and these were used everyday of our holiday."

"We found this camp to be a little more sophisticated than Halali but it is the nearest to the main gates and so easy for suppliers to stock. It has a shop, tourist office, swimming pools, snack bar at lunch time, restaurant, bar and fuel. The lodges were basic but clean. The check in was better staffed and you can get into you lodge after 1pm.

We drove east from this camp and did not see as much game as we had hoped for but the watering hole at the camp was well attended and after supper we went out in darkness and spotted the rhino - a big event for us all. The location of the lodge was excellent, two minutes from the watering hole and five minutes from the main facilities.

We used the snack bar for a quick lunch and had the buffet supper which we found expensive as two of our three children were considered adults and they just don't get the value from an enormous buffet. The food was delicious though and the staff were lovely in the restaurant.

Etosha in general is the most beautiful place to visit and it is well maintained and respected by those who visit and the control of numbers of people who visit is essential to keep it this spectacular. We are pleased that there are only a few camps where you can stay and basic and clean is all you need!"

"River Crossing was a beautiful and luxurious place to refresh for our last night. It is easy to get to from Windhoek and about 40 minutes from the airport. We were greeted with iced tea and once they had sorted out a tiny mix up with our rooms we were very happy with this lodge. Beautiful rooms, delicious food and the children were all offered an alternative if they didn't want what was on the menu at children's prices. The hotel did have a pool and the children went into it for about 3 minutes, it was extremely cold!

The setting was spectacular and sitting on the terrace in the evening watching the sunset with a little drink topped off our holiday in style.

We did not use guided trips at this hotel but as our flight was later in the day we went to Dusternbrook farm about 50 minutes North of Windhoek and were able to see leopards and cheetahs in a rescue centre but in a natural habitat. The cats come within feet of you so keep your hands in and no loud noises! This was a good place to spend the morning and had a little cafe and pool that we could have used included in the price of our tour. The farm is about 20 minutes drive on gravel sand and over a few little streams so four wheel drive is advised. They are very welcoming to day visitors."