Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs H from Victoria

"Everyone at Yellow Aloe was friendly, helpful and informative about Clanwilliam and the surrounding area. The gardens around the guest house were beautiful and we saw some amazing birds.

The guest house was fully booked as we travelled at the height of the flower season. Service at breakfast was understandably slower than expected. However, a dinner was put on to help people who might not have been able to get a reservation at the local restaurants, which was appreciated.

Our room was OK, the bed was not the most comfortable and there was a leak in the bathroom which was mopped up but not fixed."

"There was parking onsite and a swimming pool if wanted. The room was OK, felt a bit tired.

The owner was friendly and helpful and the breakfast was good. Gave us a good recommendation for dinner.

We did not enquire about any activities as we only had a one night stay and were on our way to Namibia."

"Canyon Lodge has an amazing location. The grass around the accommodation seems unreal in the middle of the desert, it was much appreciated by dassies and visiting oryx and zebra.

Our room was great, we especially liked the rock in the bathroom! Staff were all helpful and friendly."

"This was a very comfortable self-catering apartment overlooking the bay.

We were glad we had opted for a room with a balcony as we were able to sit out on it despite the wind as it was quite sheltered.

There was no food here, we catered for ourselves, although tea, coffee etc were provided, as well good kitchen supplies for washing up etc.

No organised activities, but the manager gave advice when we asked about walking around and laundry services in town."

"We really enjoyed our stay here, it was so different to other more formal lodges. Our hosts were friendly, welcoming and informative about their lives here and we enjoyed the communal dinner experience. Although it was not as luxurious as some other places we stayed, I would still recommend it.

It was great to be able to walk around the property, several trails are marked and easy to follow.

Note to Expert Africa - our hosts asked for a voucher, but were happy with the itinerary we showed.

The D707 was an experience - it is very scenic but around the driveway up to Namtib the sand was quite deep and soft. We managed in a 2 wheel drive, but we have a lot of experience driving off-road."

"Hoodia was the best lodge on our trip - nothing was too much trouble for the staff from the welcome to the departure.

We went on the Sossusvlei excursion which was a great experience. Our guide Lucas was informative, interesting and thorough. He made a great lunch companion as we had our 'Out of Africa' experience in the dry river bed."

"Cornerstone Guest House was comfortable and well resourced. The gardens were lovely and much effort has gone into attracting different species of birds.

We organised our own activities, but there was plenty of information to be had from reception.

Swakopmund was one of the few places in Namibia where we felt slightly uncomfortable, which was a surprise as it is a major tourist destination for Namibians as well as international visitors. This was mainly due to beggars and people trying to sell things very persistently. However, we still enjoyed ourselves."

"Ai Aiba was one of our favourite lodges, especially seeing the warthogs grazing on the grass outside the dining room! Staff were friendly and welcoming, our room was comfortable with a verandah from where we saw various antelopes and giraffes.

We saw a lot of animals here, both around the lodge (small ones) and when we did a guided drive. The guided drive enabled us to see a range of animals that don't come near the lodge and ended with a sundowner - perfect!

We enjoyed that we could go on self-guided walks which included rock art."

"We could see the waterhole from our cabin, so pretty special.

We still spent a lot of time at the waterhole itself, watching animals arriving and departing. We felt NWR could do some upgrading of facilities, there were broken benches around and the roads were very corrugated. However, Etosha is an amazing place.

We drove ourselves around. Most waterholes had animals there, it was great to see them in the wild."

"Our accommodation at Halali was OK but the waterhole was very disappointing.

The way to the waterhole is not well-lit and the seating area is very uneven and rocky. Seats are broken and one walkway had a broken plank which everyone stood on. It then made a horrible noise, guaranteed to frighten away animals.

The drives around Halali were fine, we saw lots of animals there. We did not take part in any of the activities offered, drove ourselves."

"Onkoshi is in an amazing location. The room was OK, great view across the salt pan.

There was less choice for food at Onkoshi than at the other Etosha camps and the service was a bit hit and miss.

The highlight for us was sitting on our balcony and watching 2 elephants walk along the track immediately below our room, so close we could have touched them.

They come looking for water and have worked out how to break into the water supply for the camp, making them not very popular with the staff."

"Ghaub Farm was a great place to stay, we wished we had stayed an extra night. There are walks, guided or self, and drives as well as caves to visit nearby.

Our room was very comfortable, the manager friendly and helpful and the food was good.

We went on a self-guided walk. As the rhinos roam free it was a bit disconcerting to come round a corner and see a rhino in front of us, but we were assured they were ok if we weren't too close."

"Everything about Cheetah Lodge was fantastic - the room, the service, the food and the activities.

On arrival we were given a guide who took us around and explained the philosophy and development of Cheetah Lodge Foundation. We took part in several activities - a guided drive, the cheetah run and watching the cheetahs being fed. All were good and included a wealth of knowledge and information."

"This was a very comfortable stay, great to finish off our trip to Namibia.

Our room was palatial, all facilities were great.

We ate here a couple of times as well as breakfast, food was very good.

The staff were very friendly and helpful, always smiling!"