Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs B from Cambridge

"We had a very quick overnight stay at Olive Grove and found the room to be really clean, large and cool. Food was nicely prepared and staff friendly."

"Woolwedans was simply spectacular! After a long 8 hour drive across Namibia we received a really warm welcome and immediately felt at ease. We arrived at the time of a new moon and were treated to an outstanding night sky, the Milky Way very clear.
Our guide Jonathan took us on many tours across the desert and he was full of interesting information to help to bring the amazing landscape into context for us. Such a stunning array of colours and life in the desert and all flanked by the Great Escarpment of Namibia.
The room had an incredible vista, the food beautifully presented and the sustainability ethics of the farm made this a very impressive and unique place to visit. We stayed in Namibia for two weeks across many other resorts and Woolwedans stood out as one of the best."

"We stayed for two nights at Hoodia and were greeted by an incredible dark sky for both nights with the incredible milky way and stars flooding the night sky. This was especially enjoyable on our first night sundowner where our hosts had laid a table for two with snacks and drinks on the side of a nearby mountain for us to watch the sunset and the stars. So memorable.
We took a guided tour out to Sossuslvei deep in the Namib Desert. An incredible place with might dunes in red sand creating a cove around a dead lake with 1000yr old tress on the lake floor. A much photographed location and you can tell why when you are there, striking shapes and colours, quite other worldly in the middle of the desert. Our guide had laid another incredible table in a shaded area for us to enjoy lunch, we felt very privileged.
The Hoodia Lodge is beautifully presented with only a small amount of lodges which ensured is was a relaxed atmosphere and food served here was possibly the best we had on our whole 2 week holiday."

"Doro Nawas was a late decision for us to add to our travel itinerary and what a genius decision it was! It turned out to be a real highlight of our two week holiday. We were greeted with a warm welcome and a song from all staff, sat down and had a glass of wine as we soaked in the incredible 360 degree vista across the savannah and mountains from the elevated location of the main lodge.
Our room was delightful with a great view across the plain and although we were only 2 of the total 4 guests staying there the service was incredible, we really felt like we had the place to ourselves.
Our early morning guided tour to see the desert adapted elephants was a truly memorable morning, we were able to get very close to the family of elephants and sit in peace with them just watching and listening to them grazing on the trees, we spent hours together with hardly any other tourists. The elephants are unperturbed by the vehicle presence and even the Ostrich seemed okay with us being there, the sunrise created such great photo opportunities.
Back at the lodge our rooftop evening dining experience was completed off by the whole staff singing to us, we were very moved and felt a great deal of gratitude. The hosting is better than 5 star in Europe because its so genuine and in a local authentic way. Doro Nawas is a shared venture with local villages which means that the money generated here is more likely to reach the local community and this ethos just helped it to feel so African.
A unique place in our holiday and we would would love to go back."

"Mountain Lodge is set on the side of a hill amid the huge bushveld of Etosha National Park and their own 60,000 hectare private reserve. Even as we sat for our welcome drinks before our guided tour we were spotting Giraffe at the local watering hole.

The lodge itself was once a hunting lodge and the dark wood and vaulted ceilings certain evoke the image of a hunting lodge but happily this has now been converted for photography tourists and those who want to see the special animals in their natural habitat. Luckily we had the whole place to ourselves as we were the only guests! Our tour was a sundowner tour, we spotted many animals and birds during our drive through the bushveld. We spotted a Black Rhino but he/she was quick to flight and all we say was a huge animal moving at incredible pace through the bush.

We had a drink close to a watering hole as the sun set and were treated to an amazing experience as a Black Rhino edged towards the waterside, no more than 30 metres away as we stood at its eye level. I am pretty sure I breathed during that 10 minute episode but I can't be sure! The night drive back through the bush was a special experience with the bush zipping past in the headlights like ghosts.

When we returned to the lodge a table was set for us next to the open fire with lots of twinkling lights for our private dining. These touches really separate the quality of service here in Africa from what we have grown used to - they really want you to have a memorable time."

"We had spent the whole day in Etosha National Park gazing at all the incredible wildlife before we reached Onguma for our two night stay. The location of Onguma is exceptional if you are planning many visits to the Etosha park as it is 2 minutes drive to the entrance gate.

Our cabin was just inside their private reserve behind a slightly foreboding steel gate, the room was spacious and clean and the facilities at Onguma are really well presented with a large watering hole overlooked by seating areas and the restaurant. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful, food was really good and even though we ate in the evening with woollen hats and thick blankets on (we were staying during winter) it only added to our sense of being in the wild.

Perhaps the highlight of our stay (aside from the incredible experiences in Etosha where we saw two male Lions by the side of the park road) was the mature Elephant who wandered past us as we were having an evening glass of wine at our table, there was nothing separating her from us. We both got the fear, especially as she flashed her ears and faced us on her return from the resort's watering hole, we were no more than 10 metres away. Its impossible to forget that moment."

"Okonjima was one of our last destinations during our amazing two weeks in Namibia, I confess I thought I had seen it all at this point. Okonjima delivered some of the most incredible experiences of our holiday. The setting is delightful, anywhere with a 28km drive is going to be good! We were at altitude at about 1500m so the air was thinner and the wind much more crisp and biting in the winter which made for a couple of cold drives in the bush.

The main lodge is so beautifully designed around a watering hole and each lodge had its own mini watering hole. We had a leopard guide for the first evening and she seemed to lead us on a wild goose chase through the bush until finally revealing herself to us right next to the vehicle. In the evening light the whole scene was breathtaking. The following day was planned to be a relax day for us, we setup in our lodge for reading and taking pictures of the birds next to our mini watering hole only to be treated by: Springbok, family of Warthogs and a real treat a family of Sable all within 2metres on the other side of the window completely oblivious to us."