Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs L of from Oxford

"This was a great place to start our Tanzanian safari.

Paulo and Daja were great hosts and we loved the way the elephants wondered through the camp and began eating their way around our tent. For us the water safaris were the highlight ( as they were at Impala) with the birdlife, the hippos and the crocodiles together providing non-stop entertainment.

The tents were a little hot at night ( it was apparently unusually hot even for Tanzania and the Selous) and a fan - perhaps driven by solar panels - might have made things a little more comfortable."

"Impala was outstanding. Not only were Chloe and her team good company, they provided great guiding and wonderful food. (We marvelled at how Mohammed,the chef, provided such innovative dishes in such a remote location.) Breakfasts were a treat , and was provided at all hours without a hint of a problem.

Our tent was very comfortable and provided everything we needed - including a very welcome fan! And the westerly view from its deck across the bend in the river was lovely. For us, the water safaris were again the high point but we did have great game drives and a lovely early morning walk.

And we became such good friends with one of the Maasai escorts that our final departure at the airstrip was rather emotional !"

"We stared well with an up-grade to a superior beach room but wondered how we could possibly do justice to the space !

The room was extremely comfortable even if it did get very hot during the night when the electricity cut out and the fans gave up. It was lovely being able to walk straigjht onto the beach and into the sea although the walk into the sea did get longer and longer as the Spring tides turned to Neaps.

The food was excellent and served with great charm, and the coktails were, well, something else!

Snorkelling from Misali Island was terrific and Simba who acted as a snorkelling guide a couple of times only made the experience more enjoyable.

Dinner on the beach (three times during our 8 night stay) was lovely. We took ourselves into the neighbouring village where we were ably shown round by two boys who climb trees to fetch fresh coconut and introduced us to their school. It was a great place to crash out -- and get active when it was not too hot."

"The Serena Inn was very nice indeed although the room was on the small side. It was lovely having a balcony, and the decoration and furnishings throughout the hotel were all in the best of taste.

Breakfasts were sumptious in the lovely dining-room overlooking the sea which was always busy with commuter dhows at the start of the day. It felt less personal than Fundu but then it is of-course a city hotel and considerably larger."