Travel reviews by Mrs C. from London

"The guest house was clean and comfortable. The staff were friendly and helpful with the manager (Pauline I think) booking us a lovely restaurant The Stellenbosch for our supper.

We just had breakfast which was fine but I can’t really comment on the food. We didn’t stay long enough to participate in any activities."

"This was a fabulous lodge with attentive staff, excellent facilities, beautiful rooms and delicious food.

What a treat - thank you.

It was a wonderful welcome to the Namibian desert and the communal areas were so relaxing as was the rather fresh but welcome pool."

"This was a very pleasant guesthouse, clean and well appointed with a good breakfast.

The reception staff helped us with supper bookings in local restaurants which were good, generally wholesome food. My friends had a disappointing meal but my sole was good.

Swakopmund was rather cold and generally lacking in much to do and see, although the museum there was excellent, full of interesting facts and artefacts about Namibia’s history, geology, flora and fauna.

The flamingoes at Wallis Bay were great and the seal colony on the way to the Skeleton Coast was amazing if rather smelly!"

"This was one of my favourite locations in Namibia. The design of the lodge was fabulous and the staff were outstanding.

Nothing was too much trouble, and the welcome was impressive including the a capella singing to greet us, entertain us at supper and wave us goodbye at the end.

The rooms were well appointed and spacious with plenty of hot water and other amenities. You could sleep under the stars and the staff would roll out your bed and ensure you had extra blankets and a hot water bottle. It was magical.

The food was delicious, with barbecues and tables under the stars on one night.

The guiding staff were around the evening before pointing out stars and constellations. The early start the next day was wonderful with the sun rising over the desert. Our guide showed us how to spot tracks, and we headed off to find desert elephants - surprisingly friendly. Our guide was hugely knowledgeable on flora and fauna as well as animal behaviour. Again a lot of birds as well as elephants, giraffes, baboons, ostriches, tree squirrels and much more.

It was also really interesting to be part of a community project and to see this in action.

The pool was wonderfully refreshing and lovely to use"

"An excellent lodge which felt bigger and more international than our other lodges.

The room was very luxurious and the tasting menus each evening were unbelievable - great variety of Namibian gin and delicious food on the terrace watching the animals come in to the watering holes. Such a magical experience.

Our guide was impressive and the three of us enjoyed snuggling under fleece lined ponchos as we set out at daybreak to Etosha. The huge breadth of animals was stunning. As well as those detailed below, we saw black backed jackals, honey badgers, springbok, dikdiks, impalas, waterbucks, ostrich, warthogs, eagles, hornbills, goshawks and many species of birds.

After the excursion, a dip in the lovely pool with the Wildebeest and antelopes walking past completed a fabulous day. The staff were endlessly helpful, and thoughtful."

"Not as luxurious as Etosha but a more authentic experience, the room and facilities were good, and the staff so friendly.

Everything worked and it was great chatting to other guests at the pool or by the campfire. We didn’t go out on an excursion here as we had just driven through Etosha park and seen all the wildlife as detailed on the previous page.

There was a small watering hole and a family of Warthogs were a treat to watch. At night you could hear the wildlife going past my tented room.

The food here was fresh and delicious with a lovely banquet laid out under the stars. Fabulous."

"Very helpful staff who prepared us a packed breakfast for our early start, and a restaurant the night before.

We went exploring Windhoek which was interesting although the main museum was disappointing. There was a lack of narrative to support the photos.

We returned to the Stellenbosch wine bar which was excellent."

"This felt like the biggest hotel we stayed in. It definitely had an international feel and all the facilities you would want from such a hotel.

Staff were professional and helpful, food was good, and there was plenty to do and see for my stay.

I visited Zambia to go to the Devil’s pool and also saw Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe.

A delicious lunch at the Lookout cafe was worth it for the views as well as the food.

All transport and transit arrangements worked like clockwork.

Lovely pool and a chance to see some local wildlife including baboons, hippos , antelopes, meerkats, warthogs, giraffes and elephants."

"Outstanding. This was an area full of wildlife and extremely well managed.

All the staff including the cooks, the managers, and the guides felt like a great family team.

The rooms were well appointed on the river and although canvas, they felt safe even when the hippos went crashing past in the night.

The food was plentiful and truly delicious with plenty of options. Breakfast by the fire as the sun rose whilst waiting for the safari was really special. Two safari drives a day with expert guides and trackers with coffee stops and sundowners as the sun set were fabulous. The night time safaris yielded so many extra animals to see.

There is no wifi currently at the lodge and it would have been good to know this in advance - my daughter almost sent a search party when none of her messages were getting through! However I loved being disconnected from the world and would definitely recommend this.

The pool and a siesta in the middle of the day was wonderful. I saw all that I had hoped for and more.

A special mention to Meloni and Bonnie as well as our guide Tapps and our tracker G. The breadth of knowledge from Tapps in particular was impressive. I was also so grateful to keep the same team when my friends left a day early.

I felt very welcome and supported as a solo traveller"