Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs Paul from Surrey

"the location was spectacular, service superb and staff very friendly.

Very quiet and tranquil, only wildlife on the reserve we saw was birds.

The rooms were huge and amenities great although we weren't able to use too much due to the drought.

Pool was a welcome relief and the pack lunch very much appreciated for the next part of our drive!"

"This guesthouse was really lovely and the staff went out of their way to make it comfortable for us.

They made an extension to the bed for Tom who is 6'11 and decorated the suite with red petals and heart shaped towels to celebrate our honeymoon. It was close to amenities but in a quiet area.

We had laundry done whilst there that was quick and perfectly organised while we were out.

Whilst in Swakop we were aware of the need to be vigilant but felt very safe in the guest-house"

"Easily the best location we stayed for wildlife and experience.

They could have made a bit more of the services on offer which were mentioned briefly on entering but no real information as to how this would be arranged, how long it would take etc. as there already seemed to be plenty organised. We asked to go to the info centre which I had read about in the Brent guide but we really had to make it happen by talking with the other guests and negotiating with the guide who seemed quite put out that we were messing with his plans.

The Curios shop was high end and expensive. The staff were really great making all sorts of efforts to remember our names and our preferences ensuring we were well looked after.

Activity at the water hole was impressive with white and black rhino, lions and giraffe frequenting the area at dinner times and plenty water buck springbok and kudu during the day. We were there while they were conducting the reserves annual census which was fascinating. Elephant and rhino approaches were unexpected but rewarding and sensitively done by the guide. Being able to spend time watching a baby elephant was particularly lovely.

The day trip to Etosha was long and very touristy with lots of driving from one spot to another just to take a photo, the guide seemed rather bored at this point and it felt a long day and rather relentless. We then had to drive all the way through Etosha the next day and felt maybe a day to relax in Ongava with a massage, trip to info centre and curios shop with a lunch at another lodge in the reserve might've been better for us in hindsight.

We did choose to stay back from the final sundowner and hang at the pool instead.

The staff put on a lovely private meal on our terrace on the last evening for our honeymoon which was unexpected and perfect"

"Another lovely lodge with views over the watering hole.

Limited wildlife that seemed quite easily spooked - we later learned there were lions on the estate escaped from Etosha which kept us up in the night with roars.

The staff were polite and quite formal in contrast to other locations we had stayed. As the drinks and lunch were not included we were asked to confirm our bill after each meal or drinks which felt a lot more transactional.

We spent the most at this location even though we didn't have long enough to organise any activities once we arrived and it really wasn't pushed as an option by staff - we would have loved to do the trip to the craft village they setup but there was no information on it obviously available and the literature in the room was outdated. This resulted in us choosing to stay and relax on the compound for the day which was a welcome break from driving on corrugated dust roads. By far the best curios shop we saw on the trip to this point and inspiring decor.

An ok stay but much more a night at a hotel than safari in Namibia.

Birdlife was pretty active compared to all other locations though."

"We were actually upgraded to the gorgeous Bush Camp. This was the most traditional luxury accommodation and the additional room with loungers overlooking the watering hole was special. We felt the pool was out of the way and not inviting us to take a dip and the activity at the watering hole was mostly birdlife and a few warthog.

The attempts to upsell on the tours was quite clear - we were more interested in the night safari after two weeks of daytime safaris and they seemed shocked we would choose not to do the leopard safari with a 50/50 chance of sighting. We just weren't sure it was a risk worth taking at the end of three weeks expenditure!

We did eventually choose to do both but were late back from the sundowner tour and waiting staff seemed unaware we had a 45 minute turn around before the next outing and had prepared a lovely private meal for us in honour of our honeymoon, we felt really bad abandoning but were being chased by the guide for the tour and had to leave most of the wine and our dessert course behind. It didn't seem very coordinated or personalised.

We were very lucky to spot 3 leopards - one without a collar and the guide was fantastically knowledgable. Any more than 6 in the truck was problematic as some guests refused to share their row or insisted on outside seats which meant Tom had to squish in the front with the driver and I had to be very mindful of others in my row that couldn't see the wildlife if I wasn't contorted in a weird shape on our row.

Curios shop was huge compared to others and actually stocked wildlife books where no-one else had - a little late on our trip though.

The walking trails were a great option but we couldn't take advantage with the short stay we had."