Travel reviews by Lazza from Richmond

"This is a terrific hotel in Vic falls.

The rooms are nicely decorated, the bathrooms are modern with unusually good lighting and they had the best mosquito nets we've ever seen. The walls between the bungalows are a bit thin so the noise from the adjoining room was audible. The two swimming pools were too cold to use in July and they could do with more seating in the gardens as there is nowhere to sit outside the rooms.

Precious, on reception, was incredibly helpful in organising our trips but all of the staff are first class, genuinely friendly and competent."

"Ivory Lodge is a comfortable game lodge about half an hour from Hwange National Park. The rooms are canvas walled and basic but equipped with a good bed, heated blankets and mosquito nets. The bathroom was adequate and water was hot but it was very cold getting up in the morning! The communal areas were nice with comfy chairs and the only WiFi access.

Breakfast was available before the morning drive and there was a snack brunch during the drive. Lunch and dinner were tasty and Mary and Enoch, the chefs, explained the dishes before each meal. All of the staff were delightful and couldn't have been more helpful.

There was also a hide overlooking a Waterhole where you could watch elephants and monkeys close up. The staff were delightful and Munya, our game guide, was excellent. He did his very best to find the animals and often our morning drives lasted over five hours. Sadly there wasn't a huge amount to see in Hwange although we were more successful with sightings in Amalinda's concession and saw hundreds of elephants."

"This is a fabulous lodge and the highlight of our trip.

The design of the property is jaw-dropping, literally built around the World Heritage rocks of Matobo. Sadly it was too cold to use the rock swimming pool but the pool bar was perfect for sundowners.

The views across the savannah are wonderful in every direction, the food was excellent and the friendly, helpful staff are first class. We walked to see a mother and baby Rhino, climbed up to see Sir Cecil Rhodes grave with its astonishing 360 degree views and also visited some amazing San rock paintings.

Our guide, Kevin, was excellent with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the animals, plants, birds and history of Zimbabwe which was fascinating."

"This is a very comfortable safari lodge within the Naboisho conservancy which borders the Masai Mara. There is an abundance of game here - a man on a motorbike is employed to keep wildebeest and zebra off the airstrip! The lodge comprises single and family tented accommodation and each large tent has a large shower, bathroom area and balcony overlooking the reserve . Furnishings are fairly basic, there are no tea or coffee making facilities or hairdryers although one is available to borrow. Laundry is free (except for ladies’ underwear which the Masai won’t wash!) I wouldn’t class this as a luxury lodge, despite the Hemingways name, it feels more like a 3*. There is a small lounge with leather chesterfields overlooking the reserve and another tented dining room but no bar or social area.

The food was OK but there is no choice, although i understand you can pre-order vegetarian or pescatarian options.The lunches were the best meal, tending towards lighter salads. Dinner was a four-course affair with starter, soup, main course (mostly consisting of some sort of meat in gravy with potatoes and veg) plus pudding. It felt like nothing had changed in fifty years from a culinary point of view! The closest comparison i can imagine is a skiing chalet holiday. There was no choice of alcohol and no ability to pay extra to upgrade so it was basic white or red wine or beer.

Service was pleasant and fairly friendly and David, the manager, was very visible and helpful.

The game drives were very good, the jeeps are quite new and comfortable and Patrick, our guide, was excellent. There is so much game here. We had numerous close sightings of lions, cheetahs, leopards, herds of elephants, giraffes, hyenas, jackals, warthogs etc.

What I felt was missing were the little extras which we have usually enjoyed on safari although, to be fair, this might be down to COVID as there were only 4 or 5 of us in camp so they must be struggling financially. Bush breakfasts and dinners cost extra, as did the bush walk we enjoyed and there was no tea and coffee on the morning game drives and in the evening drive there was little choice and only crisps and Bombay mix on offer. However, this was also our first Kenyan safari so maybe things are different here.

Bottom line, a safari is all about the animals and Ol Seki delivers this in spades."