Travel reviews by Mr I & Mrs W from Dorset

"Ilala Lodge is very well located within Vic Falls, being a very short walk from the Falls themselves. Superior rooms overlook the spray from the Falls. They are spacious and comfortable and provide an excellent base after a long flight from the UK. Very good restaurant with reasonably priced food and drink.

Staff are courteous and helpful and an early breakfast was arranged for our early start to travel on."

"Of the three Lodges we stayed at Camp Hwange provided the best all round experience. The accommodation has everything you need plus a great view of the Waterhole.

However, the safaris are so good that there is little time to watch what goes on at the Waterhole. This is a full on Safari experience with excellent guiding (Spike is the best guide I have encountered in Africa - knowledgeable, entertaining and great company) and included walking and a full day (14 hour) safari that gave an opportunity to see another part of the park.

The food is good and plentiful and all the staff are committed to ensuring that you have a great time. This is a happy place to stay - a big thank you to all."

"This is a difficult camp to review because our experience is coloured by specific circumstances. We found ourselves on arrival the only guests (except one other long stay guest) at the camp who were not travel trade representatives on familiarisation trips. In itself this may not seem a problem but it significantly altered the dynamic and experience.

In addition from the second of 3 days the owner of African Bushcamps was there with some friends, this is no criticism of him because he was charming and helpful, however it felt like we were intruding on a private party. The staff seemed aware of the issue and did their best to make us feel comfortable. However some service was a little erratic, if you are asked if you would like tea with your wake up call it would be nice if it arrived. We only got this on the last morning and then we hi-jacked someone elses. I would comment that there appeared to be a lack of management oversight and attention to detail.

Now the positives: The accommodation is very good quality and the food good. Tent 5 which we had is perhaps a little close to the kitchen but not a major issue. The staff are very friendly and do their best to ensure that all is well.

The guiding was excellent and a very knowledgeable guide in Louis made all of the trips a great experience. Once again there was the opportunity to walk which was very welcome and I would recommend it as an alternative to spending hours sat on a safari vehicle."

"The Hide was the last of three lodges we stayed at in Hwange and it was a good one to end with.

It is very comfortable, the food is excellent and the location overlooking the waterhole very good. The staff are very welcoming and Leanne in particular went out of her way to ensure that our stay was a great experience. A special mention to Jo who bravely dealt with the scorpion that crawled into Annes trouser pocket!!! I would also commend the Lodge for arranging for the Leopard to visit the waterhole on our first evening there!

The pace is a little slower than the other two lodges which suited us as by this time on the trip we were beginning to feel the early mornings and long days. The guiding is of a good standard, however this is a less intense experience than other Lodges we visited and it would be disappointing if this was the only Lodge experienced in this amazing National Park."

"A great place to get close to wildlife. The boat safaris are probably the higlight of this camp and if time permits it is well worth doing one both morning and evening as the experience can be quite different. The truck safaris were good, but given time of year (Dec) when game has dispersed there were long periods of driving to locate the animals - however the scenery is great so no real hardship. We were lucky enough to see Wild Dog 3 times during our stay including on a walking safari.

The camp itself is well run and the standards very good given the logisitics of supporting a camp in this remote location. Food was at times an interesting mix of dishes but all very good. We both thoroughly enjoyed the communal aspect of dining, and it was a great opportunity to share the days adventures. We had regular appearances of a Genet Cat and a beautiful Skops Owl to entertain us at dinner.

The regular appearance of Elephant, Cape Buffalo and Hippo in the camp added to the experience, but the highlight was the 4 pairs of lions eyes 30 metres away picked out by the torch of the Masai guard one evening as we walked to dinner."

"A wonderfully relaxing small lodge on the beach. The staff wonderfully welcoming and service very good. New managers Chris and Amy very welcoming and Elli takes time to speak to all the guests and is clearly passionate about his hotel.

Fantastic walk to the reef at low tide and good swimming at high tide, which was early morning and late afternoon when we were there so for us perfectly timed. We would recommend taking a snorkelling trip - like snorkelling in an aquarium.

Apart from snorkelling we did not ake any organised trips so cannot really commne ton activities other than walking on the beach and swimming which were both great. You do need to be aware of the proximity of the large resorts which pretty much surround Shooting Star, but did not detract from our experience here.

The power problems being experienced by the island were no more than a minor inconvenience with everything being done to keep the generators running. (a sharp contrast to the experience of the ordinary people who had been without power for 2 weeks by the time we got there and had at least a further 4 weeks to go before it was restored.

This is somewhere we would return to."

"Great small hotel in the centre of Stone Town. We were upgraded to a Sultan room, however all of the rooms seemed to be of a very high standard. Breakfasts good and the restaurant is great for dinner (if a bit pricey).

The staff were really helpful and informative and made the end of our trip as good as the rest despite the difficulties of the loss of power to the island.

I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel for a short interlude in Stone Town"