Travel reviews by Mrs F. from London

"As it was not in my itinerary I was not expecting to stay so knew nothing about this hotel. I loved the unusual decor and decorations in the room and the corridors.

I found out later Charlie and Jo's son Tom is one of the architects of the Latitude Hotels and he was telling me about the person who chose the decor and sourced the distressed frames and quirky decorations.

The room and bathroom I was given were huge, it was just a shame I was there such a short time. I had dinner which was very good. The staff friendly and helpful. The only negative it is quite a way from the airport which was made worse by the fact the driver drove very slowly!"

"My stay at Shiwa felt like an old fashioned house party as they totally accepted me as part of the family. There were no other paying guests but Tom (the son) and two friends of his were staying and also the pilot of my charter plane. The room was comfortable and large, old fashioned and reminded me very much of my childhood. I could not find a socket for a hairdryer but it didn't matter.

The collection of Benin sculpture was wonderful, likewise the Mali granary door. I loved the fact that the whole family came together for all the meals and drinks before dinner, again how I grew up. Both Charlie and Jo took me on drives around the property which I found very interesting. I sat and read pamphlets, papers, guest books and books from the archive which were fascinating. They both seemed happy to discuss the history of the house and family.

The retired vet and his wife who live in the farmhouse also joined us for most meals. We went on a crocodile hunt and he did a postmortem, all a great thrill to be part of. I had wanted to go there for some time and absolutely loved it."

"This camp is so well situated for the South Luwanga NP as it is a short boat ride across the river. Despite it being the rainy season we saw an extraordinary amount of wildlife. My guide John was excellent most of my safaris were just the two of us. The evenings coming back in the dark were wonderful as we saw a leopard and three genets. I did not expect to see painted dogs nor as many lions.

The resident hippo, Humphrey, was out of the lagoon in the day and we saw a mother and baby hippo running along the riverbank in broad daylight too. A troope of baboons had a party in my room and left a bit of a mess but no harm done. I had been warned they might come in if I had food, which I didn't have but they came in anyway. There were footprints of hippo right outside my room too. Having the fourth wall of the chalet missing was a bit disconcerting!

Everyone was very attentive and helpful particularly because I was alone for half my stay. The meals were very good, always over generous and frequent! Again spacious room and everything provided. The public areas were interestingly designed and it is lovely being so close to the river."

"It is beautifully designed and the room was very attractive with old railway sleepers used as shelves. The dining area looked out over the garden with lovely trees shading the terrace.

I really liked it and would have liked to have stayed longer. Well positioned for the town and Falls.

It had very good internet connections so I spent the short time I was there trying to catch up writing my blog."

"The long drive to and from the camp were safaris rather than journeys and I came in from the west and left to the east. The guide Adam was excellent and very knowledgeable and thorough with his safety. We did several walking safaris and were very close to the animals.

Again we seemed to be forever eating but it was all good. My chalet was comfortable with everything provided and a great view of the pan. Although it was the rainy season the rains had not really arrived so most of the pans were quite low. We saw an extraordinary number of raptors because of the termite swarms which was a special sight. Everyone was attentive and friendly nothing was too much trouble.

Again I was lucky to have quite a few safaris on my own and we saw serval and caracal which Adam had only seen once before so we were very lucky. There seemed to be a huge variety of antelope too. I wanted to go to Hwange because of the painted dogs but saw none so it was lucky I saw them in Zambia."

"What can I say! Such an extraordinary place. I loved the way it is built and my room No 9 was spectacular.

We had to get up very early for the long drive to Great Zimbabwe but it was worth the visit. I had seen photos and read about the ruins but the reality is so much better, it is really worth a visit. The Khami ruins were interesting too. Howard my guide was so knowledgeable and interesting, I really enjoyed his company and good humour.

We walked in the Park and saw a rhino mother and four month old baby which was very special. The rock paintings were superb and the visit to Worlds View with the graves of Rhodes and others was great too.

A very special place to stay and such an awesome setting."