Travel reviews by Ms M from Colorado
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
4
Excursions taken
2
My Aug 2019 trip
Namibia between 3 Aug 2019 and 13 Aug 2019
"Maruska was so great to work with! It all started with a phone call to your main number. Although I'm in the US and she's in New Zealand, the time and geographical difference didn't matter. She encouraged me to rent a car which initially worried me but I'm so glad that we did. It gave us a lot of flexibility. She was right, we didn't need to rent a GPS. We did buy a SIM card at the Windhoek airport along with some data. That was essential for navigating Windhoek and Swakomund. Thanks goodness for Google maps.
We exchanged many emails and she was always kind and thoughtful with her answers. We really liked the leather travel folder and luggage tags. The travel folder was a good location to keep our documents and vouchers.
The booklet on Notes for Travelers to Namibia & The Coast was very helpful and I appreciated having it as a reference. It was good to know about tipping and the infrastructure. And that the tap water was safe to drink!
I found out about your travel organization because of the Namibia travel book written by Chris McIntyre. I'm excited to donate the new book that you sent along with my maps to the library. When I was researching Namibia, our library didn't have any travel books. Now they will!"
We exchanged many emails and she was always kind and thoughtful with her answers. We really liked the leather travel folder and luggage tags. The travel folder was a good location to keep our documents and vouchers.
The booklet on Notes for Travelers to Namibia & The Coast was very helpful and I appreciated having it as a reference. It was good to know about tipping and the infrastructure. And that the tap water was safe to drink!
I found out about your travel organization because of the Namibia travel book written by Chris McIntyre. I'm excited to donate the new book that you sent along with my maps to the library. When I was researching Namibia, our library didn't have any travel books. Now they will!"
Arranged By Maruska AdyeRowe
Pension Palmquell
"Pension Palmquell review"
1 night
Arrived
3 Aug 2019
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Desert Hills Glamping Camp
"Desert Hills Glamping Camp review"
1 night
Arrived
4 Aug 2019
"Although its hard to pick a favorite place, we loved this lodge! The last bit of road getting there was especially pot holed and we got a flat tire. We were lucky that a French family stopped to help. It's been a long time since we changed a tire. Although a bit shaken, we arrived to a warm welcome from the staff. They greeted us with a warm damp towel and freshly made ice tea.
The lodge overlooks a valley with unobstructed views all around. It is so quiet there. We sat on the deck and watched the sun set. The staff also had drinks a appetizers for us. We had a wonderful dinner, the meals were all exceptional. Once the sun goes down it gets so dark and the stars are truly magnificent.
The rooms are spacious and modern. We were there in August so the nights were chilly. They had extra blankets in the rooms but no heaters.
We took the excursion into the park to hike the dunes. Our guide Moses, made a short detour so we could drop off our tire to get fixed. We enjoyed the guided hike up Big Daddy. We also stopped at Dune 45 to take pictures. We also walked got out of the van to see Sessriem Canyon but opted not to hike it."
The lodge overlooks a valley with unobstructed views all around. It is so quiet there. We sat on the deck and watched the sun set. The staff also had drinks a appetizers for us. We had a wonderful dinner, the meals were all exceptional. Once the sun goes down it gets so dark and the stars are truly magnificent.
The rooms are spacious and modern. We were there in August so the nights were chilly. They had extra blankets in the rooms but no heaters.
We took the excursion into the park to hike the dunes. Our guide Moses, made a short detour so we could drop off our tire to get fixed. We enjoyed the guided hike up Big Daddy. We also stopped at Dune 45 to take pictures. We also walked got out of the van to see Sessriem Canyon but opted not to hike it."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Oryx
8 sightings
Zebra
3 sightings
Rostock Ritz
"Rostock Ritz review"
1 night
Arrived
5 Aug 2019
"These rooms were unique in their geodesic design. They were very comfortable and modern. Each room has its own balcony that overlooks the valley. We took a hike in the morning along one of their many trails. On our return to the lodge, we saw a mama and baby zebra. The lodge owner said they had rescued the mama as a baby and raised her along with their horses. Neither the zebra or horses are confined by fences. The zebra found a zebra boyfriend and now has a new member to the family.
We had an evening meal that was delicious. We could choose between fish or game meat. The breakfast buffet was a selection of cereal, meat, cheese, bread and eggs to order."
We had an evening meal that was delicious. We could choose between fish or game meat. The breakfast buffet was a selection of cereal, meat, cheese, bread and eggs to order."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Meerkat
Many sightings
Oryx
5 sightings
Zebra
2 sightings
Sossusvlei Excursion
" review"
5 Aug 2019 • Morning excursion
I knew very little about Namibia before taking this trip. I am grateful for Maruska's help in planning our trip. It was a trip of a lifetime. We hiked dunes, kayaked with seals and experienced first hand the bumpy roads of the country.
Organic Square
"Organic Square review"
3 nights
Arrived
6 Aug 2019
"This lodge is within walking distance to the coast, restaurants and shopping.we enjoyed our stay there. The room had a small refrigerator to hold our snacks and wine. We enjoyed our time on the patio that was adjacent to our room. We especially appreciated their laundry service.
Our first night we ate dinner at The Tug. The restaurant sits on the pier. We were hoping to see a sunset while we ate but it was a bit overcast. The food was delicious! I would highly recommend a dinner there. They offer a shuttle home.
One of the highlights to our stay in Swakomund was kayaking with the seals in Walvis Bay. Our guide, SJ stopped along the way to show us the flamingos. We also saw a jackal. He explained his work with the seal rescue group. Kayaking among the seal colony was a great way to safely be around wild animals. He explained that it was up to the seals to interact. They were very playful and curious about us. It was a highlight of our trip.
After our trip we went to The Raft to have a drink and appetizers. There is a wonderful view of the coast."
Our first night we ate dinner at The Tug. The restaurant sits on the pier. We were hoping to see a sunset while we ate but it was a bit overcast. The food was delicious! I would highly recommend a dinner there. They offer a shuttle home.
One of the highlights to our stay in Swakomund was kayaking with the seals in Walvis Bay. Our guide, SJ stopped along the way to show us the flamingos. We also saw a jackal. He explained his work with the seal rescue group. Kayaking among the seal colony was a great way to safely be around wild animals. He explained that it was up to the seals to interact. They were very playful and curious about us. It was a highlight of our trip.
After our trip we went to The Raft to have a drink and appetizers. There is a wonderful view of the coast."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Kayaking with seals
"Kayaking with seals review"
7 Aug 2019 • Morning excursion
So much fun! Our guide SJ also works with a seal rescue group. The kayaks trip is fun for us and low impact on the seal colony. He also pointed out the salt flats and a flock of flamingos. That trip was a highlight of our visit.
The location is great. It was only about 45 minutes from the airport. After we arrived and unpacked and went to Spar, a nearby grocery store. It was well stocked so we were able to pick up a variety of snacks and water.
We would highly recommend Joe's Beerhouse for dinner. They have a wide range of game meat and local beers. Our hotel called a cab to take us there and the restaurant had a shuttle to take us home so we could enjoy our cocktails.
We were grateful for the advice you gave us on tipping! We felt confident in tipping the people that watch the car while parked even though they gave us attitude. It was also helpful for tipping the taxi drivers, hotel staff and guides."