Travel reviews by Mike from Oxford

"Good secure parking and we were made very welcome throughout our stay - lovely staff. Room was excellent and food very good (worth booking your meal in advance). Pretty easy to find as long as you make the turn into Nelson Mandela Avenue.

A good 20 minute walk into the city centre."

"Really enjoyed our day out with Looda. Seeing loads of Hartmann's Mountain Zebra and getting the panoramic view from high up in the Naukluft Mountains. Then the magical hike through Quiver Tree Canyon - a bit exciting in places!! We also did a couple of pleasant way-marked walks from the Farm.

Sanny was particularly helpful and very personable.

Food was great and dining arrangements just like being part of a big family - Johanna and Ernst were lovely hosts."

"What an amazing place! Driving the 7km along the approach road with nothing in sight until you turned the last corner as a couple of Oryx wandered past was magical. The accommodation was spectacular with expansive views towards the distant mountains.

With two outdoor sitting areas including a lovely private deck it was just a pity not to have more time to simply sit and take in the view. Keeping cars well away from the accommodation is excellent, but it does mean quite a bit of walking - which didn't worry us!!

Food was excellent and the staff very friendly and happy. Dining out under the stars with just solar lamps was a lovely experience.

Being located some distance from Sesriem and Sossusvlei did mean a 06.30 departure but we still had a good day out in the dunes. Climbing Dune 45 was quite an experience."

"A modern hotel with well appointed rooms and within easy reach of the town centre, restaurants and coast. We stayed for 3 nights to give ourselves the opportunity to make the most of the activities available locally.

Heading out to Pelican Point from Walvis Bay and kayaking with the young seals was great fun. We saw loads of flamingos, pelicans and other sea birds as well as a Jackal.

Day 2 was a trip out for the Sandwich Harbour Experience along the beach and through the coastal dunes. Lots of sea birds, jackals enjoying a seal carcass, ostrich, springbok etc. Rudi from Turnstone Tours was excellent - very informative. and interesting. We also had a wonderful lasagna for lunch among the dunes.

Lots of secure parking at the hotel and a delightful young lady on reception who helped us to sort out some confusion over one of our activities. The hotel only serves breakfast, but there are plenty of places to eat within reach."

"After some fairly exciting gravel driving the fortress like Doro Nawas suddenly appeared perched on a hill ahead. We were welcomed by the staff/team singing a lovely song in reception - very memorable. Another huge room with stunning views over the surrounding landscape.

The first meal was the 'bush-dinner' involving a walk out to a hidden area lit with dozens of candles and a couple of flaming fire pits (very welcome as it was cold)!! Singing and dancing by the team was most enjoyable. Then back to find we had hot-water bottles in our beds!!

Elephant Safari - the desert elephants were fantastic. Having the time to watch them roaming along the valley and eating Acacia was brilliant. For huge animals they can be very delicate. Coffee and cookies was very welcome. Bernard told us about the dangers of Euphorbia and showed us how to make a whistle from the Mopane leaf. Giraffe and Ostrich also spotted.

Whole staff team lovely and before we knew it we were listening to the farewell song!!"

"Having bounced along the D2671 (one of the worst roads we experienced) and opened a few gates on the D2680 we reached the security gates to Etosha Heights and the 5km drive to Safarihoek Lodge. Very impressive!! A warm welcome and a toasted sandwich for a very late lunch. A lovely big room with a terrace overlooking an extensive plain and a water-hole.

Tea and cakes and then off on the 16.30 Afternoon Game Drive with Grevin - huge number of animals: Springbok, Oryx, Waterbuck, Giraffe, Zebra, Kudu, Elephant, Steenbok & Black Rhino. Followed by a sun-downer!

06.30 - Game Drive (wrapped up well) - White Rhino, Lion and a brilliant close-up of the dexterity of elephants.

16.30 - another Afternoon Game Drive with a wealth of birds and other wildlife. Grevin did us proud!

Lovely food and personally looked after by Titus who was very attentive. Felt very special.."

"Etosha National Park is pretty amazing. We managed to visit about 17 water-holes and watched countless animals and birds - mostly from the safety of our own vehicle.

Halali Camp is government run and has a very different feel to most of the places we had stayed - just a bit 'tired'. However it is a great base to explore the park - which is done in your own vehicle. We had some good food in the restaurant and the Camp has direct access to the Moringa water-hole.

Room was fair and clean.

Finding animals at water-holes seemed to be a matter of luck as they often came and went quite quickly - and were as likely to be around at mid-day as in the early morning or late afternoon!"

"Arriving at the gate to Okonjima Nature Reserve there is still a 24 km drive to Bush Camp!! A slight sense of Jurassic Park as you pass through the security gates!!

Amazing reception/dining area and could hardly believe that our accommodation was BOTH thatched chalets!! One our lounge and the other our bedroom!! Once again huge picture windows looking out across the plain.

Out on the Sundowner Safari to find Leopard. As most have a radio collar the chances of success are pretty high! We found 'Neo' eating his warthog up in a tree!
"Night Hide" - brilliant display by three porcupines!!
Africat Drive - Giraffe, Jackal, Duiker, Oryx etc. Then to the Cheetah enclosure - bit of a cheat, but lovely to see them. Over to AfriCat information centre.

Food very good, service impeccable - could have luxuriated for longer!!"

"Good to have secure parking - a small, but well-designed guest-house providing all the basics. Made very welcome and felt pleasantly relaxed.

Recommended to try 'JOE'S Beerhouse' for our evening meal and the staff at Villa Violet kindly booked us in. Great place - well worth the visit - good food and an excellent way to finish our trip.

Villa Violet is very well placed to return to the airport."