Travel reviews by Mr&Mrs H from London

"We loved our stay here, it surpassed all our expectations in terms of quality of accomodation, food, location - everything really. Our room had a large balcony looking out onto the gardens and from here we could see the spray from Victoria falls and hear the thunder of the water. In the late afternoon there was even a rainbow over it visible from our room, it was magical!
It was here that we sampled unusual dishes such as crocodile, ostrich and impala, all cooked to perfection. The food really was one of the highlights of our stay here.
The service was friendly and courteous. We had one concern about this place and that was about the safe in our room. We discovered, having placed our valuable inside, that it wasn't actually secured to anything. It was literally a box that you could lift and carry out of the room. We reported it to management who obliged by assuring us it would be fixed with some secure sticky tape. We returned later to find that something akin to sellotape had been used but was totally ineffective - you could still lift the box.
This is the only concern we had with this place, very easily remedied with a couple of bolts to attach the safe to the wall.
I would highly recommend this lodge to anybody wishing to see the Falls, it is beautiful, comfortable and only a ten minute walk form the Falls.
We did a sunset cruise along the Zambezi river which was wonderful. We saw crocodiles, many beautiful birds and a hippo. We were provided with snacks and drinks and later deposited outside the sister lodge set on the river where we had a delicious meal."

"This camp couldn't have been a better introduction to a 'safari in style'. We were met by the delightful couple who run the camp, Ben and Gemma who have just about the sunniest smiles I've seen on anyone. They ensured our stay was comfortable and that we wanted for nothing. Our tented chalet was amazing, with views all around of the water pan where animals came and went all day drinking from it. It was like being part of a live documentary. You can't imagine that a place in the middle of a bush can be so comfortable but everything that you might find in a good quality hotel was provided here, right down to beautiful shower products and even a gorgeous lip balm which I was really grateful for.
Evening meals were communal with a table set with crisp white linen, crystal wine glasses and a beautiful chandelier. It was like something out of a film set! The food was fantastic and plentiful - I was shocked by the number of eating opportunities scheduled into our day; two breakfasts, lunch, an afternoon 'high tea', sundowner and snacks and dinner. All home cooked and delicious - calorie counting definitely goes out the window.
All staff, without exception were lovely but a special mention must go for Dharmesh, our brilliant guide. We secretly nicknamed him 'the professor' due to his encyclopedic knowledge about everything - wildlife, flora, astrology, topography, geography..you name it. If you are lucky enough to get Dharmesh as your guide you are in for a really amazing learning experience. We had two teenagers in our jeep group and he was able to interest them in everything too. His enthusiasm and knowledge will remain with us for a long time that's for sure. He is definitely one of the highlights of Camp Hwange."

"At sable valley lodge we stayed in the chalet occupied by Prince Phillip when he and Queen Elizabeth visited in 1991, and what a chalet it is - beautiful! It is set in grounds around the main lodge and has all the amenities you would need, including a little 'front garden' with seating.
One of the highlights of this lodge is the hide where you can go to view animals (mainly elephants) close up. In fact, you are so close you could almost touch them, it's an amazing experience. The elephants are used to people there and only occasionally spray them with sand using their trunks! There is also a viewing platform where you can watch the animals from a safer distance and a couple of seats below where you can sit and photograph or video at close quarters. This is such an amazing facility, if you had the time you could sit there all day and you would be gauranteed to see something different happening throughout. What I learnt on this safari is that no matter how often you see elephants there is always something different to appreciate about them, they have such unique personalities and they are so intelligent.
All the staff here were exceptionally helpful and polite. Our guide Shamie, the only female guide in the region, was outstanding. A very experienced guide, she did her utmost to ensure that we saw everything we had on our bucket list, top of which was lions. One morning she rapped on our door before breakfast to alert us to the fact that there was a male lion in the vicinity who had been roaring all night and we could go and find him. We hurriedly rushed to the jeep, drove off and sure enough she found him, Blondie. He was utterly magnificent! We were able to see him really close up, such an awesome experience.
The food here was excellent and plentiful - two course lunches! We were being fed so well we did eventually have to say no desert please. Unbelievably, there was always fresh salad, fruit and vegetables. Somebody was making very long trips into the nearest town to buy supplies, which was very much appreciated.
I would highly recommend this lodge, it is a real gem."

"I am so pleased our agent recommended this lodge to us as something different form the other places we stayed at. It really is unique, we've never stayed anywhere like it before. The whole lodge is built around the boulders that naturally occur in the Matopos hills. I would have loved to have seen the architectural plans for this place as it blends seamlessly into the landscape, as if it isn't there. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the accomodation is palatial in the sense that the room you get is so big and so beautifully 'decorated'. Our room looked like something the Flintstones might have had built if they had won the lottery! Pictures online do not do it justice at all. All forms of home comfort were provided in our room; fridge, coffee/tea making facilities (including a nespresso machine), bathrobe, shower products etc. If there was anything you thought was missing I'm sure the staff would have done their utmost to provide it.
Within the grounds is a resident Zonky (cross between zebra and donkey - rare) and some zebras, who are fed daily. The infinity pool is amazing, one of the highlights for my husband who used it, in addition to the outside shower in our 'back yard'.
The food and staff were second to none. Our guide David was wonderful, not only was he extremely knowledgeable about flora and fauna but it turned out he was also a very keen historian. We found out so much about the history of country and the role of Cecil Rhodes in what was then known as Rhodesia.
Having stayed in the other two safari camps and then Amalinda I would urge anybody visiting Zimbabwe for the purpose of safari to also end with a stay at this lodge. It is stunning and the landscape is like nothing else we saw at the other two places. it is also here that you will see white rhinos but even if you didn't (you definitely will) it's still worth going. You also get a more relaxed schedule here; leave the camp by 8.00am rather than 6.00am. A perfect place to end a perfect safari!"