Travel reviews by M & M Oxford from UK

"Very pleasant place to spend the first night. Greeted by helpful and accommodating reception staff who quickly re-arranged accommodation to our previously requested twin room reservation.

Gilt was taken off this B&B by the need for some minor maintenance e.g bathroom fittings starting to show signs of wear and tear."

"Fortunately we were warned by Expert Africa about the up-front deposit and took our own inventory of the room and facilities.

The fact that the patio furniture was slightly damaged was moderately concerning in case we were to be billed for repair/replacement.

Poor maintenance on the patio door resulted in us being locked out and had to wait for the maintenance man to come.

The best meal of the whole trip was here, especially being seated on the cloistered veranda overlooking the park.

The morning game drive on the plateau above the lodge is recommended if only for the sight of a back rhino (no guarantee)."

"As advised by Expert Africa we were warned to adjust our pre-conceptions with regard to this lodge.

However we found it to be welcoming, novel and an appropriate and comfortable staging post on the way to the Caprivi Strip. No-one could say this quirky lodge would represent the norm in Namibia.

Its eccentric décor did not appear to upset the wild life which made their daily progress through the grounds to and from the waterhole.

On the day that we were there we were the sole overnighters in the bungalows but a full range of dishes were available both in the evening and at breakfast."

"Very helpful reception. We were booked here as we couldn't get three nights at the Ndhovu Lodge and in hindsight we could have spent the full time at either lodge.

Service in the restaurant was rather relaxed and the large parties monopolised the attention of the serving staff. As we were on holiday this was of little concern.

If anyone intends to visit the Popa falls please check with the local contact prior to planning as the resort is undergoing renovation and was closed at our time of visit and it is not possible to visit by boat."

"We arrived very early for check-in but nevertheless were made very welcome by the hosts Monika and Johan.

We were advised against taking the inland route In the Mahango Game Park (which requires a 4WD vehicle) as the river side of the park (which can be taken in a conventional car) has more wildlife and good sightings of birds, elephants and other wildlife were observed.

Travellers should recognise that if you go to places where wildlife is abundant you may encounter additional wildlife in your room. In the early hours of the morning we listened to the padding feet of a small mammal scurrying across the inner tent. You have to be realistic.

The communal dining experience may not be everyone's cup of tea."

"Left the car at the car park at the transfer slipway and were on our way without delay. After the boat trip to reach the lodge we were greeted warmly by Stephanie and by Andre the proprietor.

The lodge is in the midst of the river which means treks are of two types, by boat and by boat + 4WD. The guides are well versed and knowledgeable of the local flora and fauna and took us safely through tracks/rivers to see elephants, hippos, crocodiles and a multitude of assorted birds.

This is not 5 star accommodation and there is no intention to make it so. The beauty of the place lies in its surroundings and the quality of the staff."

"Exceptionally good location and especially good guides (John and Innocent). Afternoon/twilight boat trips were a special feature and both guides set up some wonderful sunset photographs for everyone in the boat by manoeuvring us all into the right position at the right time. By reason of the size of the lodge the wildlife activities were compact enough for all participants (in our experience the maximum number of guests being 6) to be able to get close to the shorelines where some of the more interesting scenes were to be seen, cf the gargantuan boats which ply their trade on the Chobe. We were able to walk through the grounds of the lodge avoiding the warthogs (of course) and on to the boat with minimum fuss.

The staff were very accommodating and were able to give us our room preferences. The staff were helpful particularly when confirming the collection of the hire car and the departure arrangements for the onward journey to Zambia.

Dining was again communal either at a very long table or at a smaller table with the staff and guides eating with the guests. Afternoon tea was served at the boma in the verdant garden prior to the afternoon activities.

This lodge caters for a mainly but not exclusively German-speaking clientele."

"This a large anonymous complex catering for essentially the Victoria Falls trade. The Falls are easily reached through the rear manned gates. Choose the right time to visit the falls for the majority of the year the Falls are quiescent. However, this does allow you to see the underlying structures.

As the hotel lies in part of the National Park animals were able roam freely through the grounds.

The room was very sparsely furnished. Two beds, one chair and a TV cabinet. The veranda door and thus a fire escape could not be opened. However a request for an additional chair and table and repair to the door was quickly and efficiently dealt with.

We did not eat in the dining room in the evening, going instead to the Squires Grill as advised by previous clients. Breakfast was more than sufficient in both quality and variety with very pleasant waiting staff.

At the time of our visit the hotel was never crowded."

"It was good to have so much space to spread out. Meals in the restaurant were very good, especially the Orange River wines - pity we can't get them here.
When we arrived there was some confusion among the staff about our accomodation but this was quite quickly sorted out. We were rather later in arriving as the plane from Jo'burg to Uppington was late leaving Jo'burg (the driver of the shuttle bus on the tarmac didn't know which was our plane as a smaller one was substituted at the last minute) which didn't give much time to get to the rest camp having gone into Uppington to pick up supplies at the supermarket. Also we took some time looking over the car as there was some damage to it when it came in from Kimberley. The road into the rest camp was quite badly churned up by the big plant being used to tarmac the drive. The drive in therefore took us longer than expected.
The camp rules weren't terribly obvious and nothing was spelled out to us. Perhaps a one page flyer could be prepared and given to visitors. I cannot comment on the activities as we were not aware that there were any. The shop was also not very well stocked but as I said, we had stocked up in town before leaving for the camp. No English-language guides were available."

"Again, it was good to have so much space. Unlike the Twee Rivieren Camp, we were given the camp rules and there was a list of the activities on offer displayed.

We took an evening drive with the guide who was able to explain much of what we had seen for ourselves during the day.

An added excitement was a sand storm and there were some very strange noises in the night!"

"This time we were better versed in the rules.

Meals in the restaurant were again excellent."

"The main road from South Africa to Nambia was also under going upgrading and we had to take a 30 mile (approximately) detour along the worst gravel track I have ever been on. I doubt if this could have been done with an ordinary saloon car. None were to be seen. I was so glad that we had ordered a 4 X 4 .

Border crossing formalities were uneventful.

At the hotel we had another nice comfortable and quiet room off the courtyard. Also enjoyed a very good meal in the restaurant with an equally good wine!

We then made an early start the following morning and drove up to Brukkaros and were able to drive almost to the rim of the "pseudo" volcano which was something we were keen to do."

"An easy drive to Canyon Lodge where we had the chalet under the capped rock shown in all the postcards and photographs. We sat on the veranda and looked out onto nothing but the kopjes and watched the sun go down. Bliss.

However, there was evidence that expansion is on the way. I do hope that the atmosphere will not be spoiled by increasing the size of the lodge.

The room was delightful and unusual. Every shower-room should have a boulder!

Coffee/tea ad lib was most welcome. Meals were excellent and service was good.

We did an evening drive with the guide who took us to a private part of the canyon we hadn't been able to visit on our own. Again this was informative and so pleasant to watch the sun going down over the kopjes with a sundowner drink in one's hand.

Since we had the 4 X 4 we took the opportunity to drive round the rim of the canyon to Eagle's Rock - didn't meet another car. This gave a different view of the canyon from the main viewing areas and the geology of the area could be seen quite well. Although the road was hairy in parts it was well worth the effort.

All in all a very enjoyable experience."

"Another very comfortable and quiet guest house, serving a very good breakfast. We were welcomed by the owner with afternoon coffee and cake which was much appeciated.

The rooms were tastefully and individually decorated.

Again, having a 4 x 4 vehicle allowed us to visit Orbicule Hill, the site of some rare obicular diorite (only of interest to geologists!)."

"A large and comfortable room.

Meals were rather a disappointment, especially as we had had so many good meals before. However we can highly recommend ostrich at Spinnakers and (huge) pizzas at Pearlys, so much so that friends who were in Langebaan later in the year made straight for Spinnakers and are now recommending it to members of theirwind-surfing club.

We had a wonderful day driving through the West Cost National Park, where the wild flowers were in full bloom and a good variety of wildlife and beautiful scenery were to be seen. However, the flowers on the drive towards Langebaan were perhaps more abundant. This compensated for the long drive down to Langebaan. Perhaps we should have thought about splitting this journey in two."

"An easy afternoon drive down to Cape Town from Langebaan brought us to the Vineyard hotel. We had a nice large quiet comfortable room at the far end of the building, The grounds were wonderful.

On the first morning, breakfast was very much a DIY affair as the staff seemd to be pre-occupied with a conference taking place. However, this improved markedly on he following mornings where we were able to have it on the mezzanine floor with the wonderful view of Table Mountain facing us.

After staying at small lodges, this hotel felt very impersonal. although the staff were friendly and helpful and the service was good.

We made some enjoyable excursions from here to the wine regions, whale watching at Hermanus, the drive to the Cape, penguins at Boulders Beach etc - as much as time allowed. The route over Chapman's Peak Drive wasn't open.

The only disappointment was that the day we decided to go to the top of Table Mountain the mists came in and we had to come down very quickly ( to a very sunny Cape Town)."