Travel reviews by Honeymooners from Bromley

"We absolutely loved Lake Manze - the team there were so friendly and we were made to feel really welcome from the moment we arrived. It had a really relaxed atmosphere with us being able to choose what type of safari to do (jeep, boat or walking) with flexibility on when we did them.

We always looked forward to meal times as the food was delicious and really varied. We were even offered a private dinner outside our tent which was good fun - albeit a little scary without the reassurance of other guests in the bush with us!

This was our first safari experience and we really felt part of it; the first night we woke up to a huge rustling outside our tent and woke up in the morning to find the palm tree just outside stripped bare; elephants in very close quarters at this camp!

The benefit of this camp, and the Selous generally, is the lake systems which offers a variety of wildlife in itself; you get the best of both here, with bush and boat safaris readily available.

A big thanks also for the sympathies we received towards Selina's allergic reaction to Malarone. All better now!"

"Mwagusi is a fantastic safari camp, we really loved it here. It was a good contrast to our stay in Lake Manze (Selous) and the accommodation proved a step up from the latter, with more space in the tents and a gorgeous outdoor private seating area overlooking the dry river bed from which we could watch elephants, baboons and giraffes walking through.

You don't get the option of a boat safari here but I think that's the case for the Ruaha in general. However, the bush here is very different to the Selous so the wildlife is really varied and there's even a chance of spotting cheetah (we weren't so lucky!).

Charlotte and the team at Mwagusi were really welcoming, the food was fantastic and varied, and we loved the evening mealtimes for the experience of sitting in the dry riverbed or in the bush surrounded by hanging hurricane lamps and log fires!

An experience we'll never forget, thank you."

"Shooting Star is a lovely place to stay on the Zanzibar East Coast; Elly and his team made us feel really welcome and the work and effort that's gone into the lodge and its surroundings are testimony to the passion given to it! The restaurant and bar area, the infinity pool, the gardens - all are gorgeous, and we really found the peace and tranquility we were after for this part of our honeymoon!

The food here was also great, with a different menu everyday - no mean feat as were there 8 days! We'd strongly recommend the private lobster BBQ dinner on the beach was we'll never forget... The rooms are also lovely, with enormous beds and good facilities. We did feel the rooms could have done with a bit of TLC however - even just a fresh lick of paint!

There were a couple of things that in hindsight we'd have looked out for when booking; the area around Shooting Star is fairly quiet, so there isn't really an option to go somewhere different for lunch, or for a drink in the evenings. The lodge itself isn't lacking in this respect in any way, but it would have good to have the option - so this is more of a location thing than anything else!

Also, although the beach was very picturesque, the high and low tides are extreme so at low tide the sea is a very long way out. This means the reef is exposed so at low tide it's not possible to swim at all which wasn't something we'd anticipated, and with two tides a day the chances of it being low tide during the day are very high. Luckily the infinity pool at the lodge is gorgeous and so refreshing, so again this is a location thing. We heard the beaches at the north of the island were better but we'd be interested to know if this is the case as it may have just been one of the locals trying to sell us a trip!

All in all Shooting Star is a lovely place to stay, and if you're looking for peace and tranquility, rest and relaxation then it's the perfect place to be."

"Zanzibar Palace is a great place to stay for a couple of nights in Stone Town; it really is a 'palace' with it's individually themed rooms - the 'Arabica' was gorgeous although tiring to get to at the top of the building!

The location was pretty good too, within easy walking distance to all the sights and not too far into the alleyways so as to risk getting lost.

Stone Town itself was definately worth the visit, although we'd have struggled for things to do after a couple of days. Also the large gardens on the seafront where the food stalls come out in the evening are currently under reconstruction. It's great t see money being put into the area, although disappointing we missed the final result!

TIP: if you fancy a spice tour it's cheaper to go from Stone Town than from the East Coast."