Travel reviews by The A family from Oxford
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
3
Excursions taken
0
Overall holiday
Zanzibar and 1 other country between 17 Jul 2010 and 30 Jul 2010
"This was a holiday of a lifetime for us and it certainly lived up to expectations.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The service was fantastic I have no further comment to make."
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The service was fantastic I have no further comment to make."
Siwandu
"Selous Safari Camp review"
4 nights
Arrived
18 Jul 2010
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Breezes Beach Club
"Breezes Beach Club review"
6 nights
Arrived
22 Jul 2010
"After the top quality of the Selous Safari Camp we were a bit disappointed with Breezes. The location was fantastic but the service of the staff was variable, the food at the beach bar was dreadful and the food in the main restaurant was not always great.
A particular comment was on a snorkling trip we did. It was run by a gap year student who had only been there a week and we were just dropped off on the coral where the current was very strong. This was not communicated to us and lead to 3 of our party suffering grazes and stings. There was nothing on the boat to deal with this and when I tried to feed back my comments the staff at the Water Sports (not the dive centre) were only interested in covering their backs!
Rooms were quite dark and the whole decor of the place seemed tired. We definitely got the impression it was not very well run.
Having said that we did not make any complaints to the main management so appreciate we did not give them an opportunity to address our concerns. This was because we did not want to sour our trip with any arguments and on the whole we did enjoy ourselves."
A particular comment was on a snorkling trip we did. It was run by a gap year student who had only been there a week and we were just dropped off on the coral where the current was very strong. This was not communicated to us and lead to 3 of our party suffering grazes and stings. There was nothing on the boat to deal with this and when I tried to feed back my comments the staff at the Water Sports (not the dive centre) were only interested in covering their backs!
Rooms were quite dark and the whole decor of the place seemed tired. We definitely got the impression it was not very well run.
Having said that we did not make any complaints to the main management so appreciate we did not give them an opportunity to address our concerns. This was because we did not want to sour our trip with any arguments and on the whole we did enjoy ourselves."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Activities
Poor
Rooms
Average
Food
Average
Facilities
Good
Feedback response
We are sorry that Breezes did not live up to this families expectations. We have sent their feedback on to the hotel who have responded and said that they have taken on board all of their comments.
It is certainly worth emphasizing that much of this families disappointment may have been because they stayed at a very high quality safari camp, prior to Breezes which is regarded as a good four star hotel. We often have travellers who do a similar thing, opting to splash out on the safari in order to make the most of excellent guiding and then economise on the beach. Usually this is not a problem as we emphasize the difference in standards and of course price - Selous Safari Camp is about three times the price of Breezes. Perhaps we had not been clear enough in this case and it is a shame that these travellers expectations were not met as a result.
We also asked for comments on the operation of the water sports activities, and were assured by the team there that these trips are always lead by someone qualified in first aid. The guide in this case was a trained lifeguard called Sean who is 20 years old and from the UK. We were also told that every boat is equipped with a first aid kit, vinegar for any stings that may occur, life jackets, VHF radios, mobile phones, life buoys and ropes. Also currents are checked by a member of the team before any guests enter the water.
It is certainly worth emphasizing that much of this families disappointment may have been because they stayed at a very high quality safari camp, prior to Breezes which is regarded as a good four star hotel. We often have travellers who do a similar thing, opting to splash out on the safari in order to make the most of excellent guiding and then economise on the beach. Usually this is not a problem as we emphasize the difference in standards and of course price - Selous Safari Camp is about three times the price of Breezes. Perhaps we had not been clear enough in this case and it is a shame that these travellers expectations were not met as a result.
We also asked for comments on the operation of the water sports activities, and were assured by the team there that these trips are always lead by someone qualified in first aid. The guide in this case was a trained lifeguard called Sean who is 20 years old and from the UK. We were also told that every boat is equipped with a first aid kit, vinegar for any stings that may occur, life jackets, VHF radios, mobile phones, life buoys and ropes. Also currents are checked by a member of the team before any guests enter the water.
Serena Inn
"Serena Inn review"
2 nights
Arrived
28 Jul 2010
"Fantastic hotel, service and staff."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
We had never been on safari before and this was a fantastic place to start."