Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs A from Maida Vale

"Friendly helpful staff and we liked the general ambiance with African artefacts etc. Pleasant garden with views over the grounds of the Presedential palace on the opposite hill. We enjoyed our evening meal (good home cooking style). Breakfast was OK but not a particularly wide choice on the buffet.

The location was easy to get to coming from the international airport.

We stayed on the first night of our holiday and found it a good place to relax and get ready for our big adventure!"

"Apart from one other guest we were the only people staying at Mundulea when we visited so we were lucky to have Bruno's (almost) undivided attention on our walks and also at mealtimes when Bruno prepared the food for us. The result was that we almost felt like houseguests rather than clients. We weren't that lucky with our gameviewing (as it was just after the rains it wasn't the best time of year) but we really enjoyed hearing Bruno talking not just about the wldlife but also about his aspirations for the reserve and all sorts of aspects of life in Namibia and Namibian history.

The camp facilities provide basic comforts but are not luxurious. There is no electricity but that is part of the charm. We found it very relaxing to get into the rhythm of light/dark as part of the daily cycle. Dinner was cooked over an open fire and eaten by the light of kerosene lamps with some interesting stories from Bruno.

One of the things we liked best about this reserve (apart from the wildlife especially Bruno's wild cows!) was that relatively modest hills gave great views over the Central highlands south towards the Waterberg plateau and north towards the Otavi mountains (where we were headed next). Perfect spots for sundowners."

"When we visited Hakusembe they still repairing the damage from the big floods this year and some facilites eg the bar and dining room were not yet reopened. Despite that the staff were amazingly friendly and cheerful and gave us excellent service. We loved the location on the banks of the Kavango and ate our dinner to the sounds of partying from the Angolan side - they were just about to have their election.

We liked our chalet which had a little veranda and views over the lawn to the river. The bathroom was fine but a bit dated."

"We visited Nxamaseri in May after unusually heavy floods and we thought the area was absolutely stunning. The boat transfer to the lodge is an amazing experience in itself through the most beautiful wetland area.

We thought the lodge itself had a lot of character and charm. The (relatively new) managers are a delightful South African couple who really looked after us well.

Our guide was very good on birds and we saw lots of species on our boatrips (with a bit of walking on dry land) even though this was not the best time of year for birds.

We'd love to go back and visit the lodge again at a different time of year.

Day trip to Tsodilo Hills - We really enjoyed this trip although a lot of of the rock art we saw had been damaged by human contact and therefore was a little disappointing. However a couple of times we did some rock scrambling to get up a bit higher and the condition of the pictures was much better once we got away from the most accessible areas.

Nevertheless we did think the trip was worthwhile to soak up the general ambience of the place and find out about its history. It took us about one and a half hours from Nxamaseri (including the initial boat transfer) and the lodge provided us with a very splendid picnic lunch which we ate on a table and chairs under the trees.

We also 'visited ' a San village near the hills. I felt a little doubtful about doing this but our guide said they welcomed visitors to sell their shell jewellery. I bought a couple of necklaces - we didn't look round the village, it wouldn't have been appropriate and I would not suggest visiting unless you're going to buy something."

"This lodge has a great location on the banks of the Okhavango River but it was let down by the standard of our room which we thought was badly in need of refurbishment (particularly the bathroom).

When we arrived our room and bathroom were filled with wasps - checking out the accomodation before guests arrive might be a good idea. Also providing insect repellants in the room would be appreciated as being near the river there are quite a few insects.
When we were in our room after dusk the hippos sounded very close and their trail/ river entry point was very near our tent. We were provided with a torch but I didn't feel very comfortable walking over to dinner in the dark- as other guests haven't commented on this maybe I'm being a wimp!

On the plus side the food was very good and the owner and staff were very accessible and helpful. For example as soon as we arrived (by boat transfer) we asked to be taken straight out again and they were very very obliging. After dinner the staff gave an impromptu concert of singing and dancing which enjoyed."

"We loved the space and decor of our suite and the wonderful carved artwork on the door and around the lodge - all very luxurious.It was quite blissful to be able to spread ourselves out and unpack everything!

Our guide Beavan was very good on all aspects of natural history and also the history of the area and we had the best leopard sighting we've ever had. In the morning we did a boat trip on the Kwando river and in the afternoon land safaris in the Bwabwata National Park.

We stayed for 2 nights and that was perfect.

The food was of a very high standard and beautifully presented. One small suggestion - a salad option at lunch would be appreciated as two hot meals a day with no exercise was getting to be a little too much for me at this stage of the holiday."

"We really enjoyed our stay here and thought it was a delightful spot and very comfortable. We were offered a night/day on one of their houseboats on the Chobe which we weren't expecting but was a great way of experiencing the area.

The Chobe waterfront had quite a lot of tourist traffic both on the water and on land and for this reason when we were not on the housboat we preferred having our boat excursions in the quieter areas along the channel and the Zambesi side of the island - there's no game but it's good for birdwatching.

The owners have recently retired and Walter a new manager has taken over. Generally we found the staff very helpful but one small suggestion - when guests arrive early afternoon after a long journey a light snack would really be appreciated.

Our guide was quite quiet at first but with a bit of encouragement we found that he had a wealth of knowledge and it was very interesting to hear him talk about life on the island. We thought it a real plus point that guides were recruited locally."

"We weren't quite sure what to expect from this hotel - we thought it might be a bit brash/new but it really exceeded our expectations. It was very elegant and well appointed.The bar /restaurant areas on the veranda looking out over lawns and the river were really delightful and we were quite happy to while away at least a couple of hours a day there. The breakfast buffets were very lavish without a doubt the best on our holiday.

Service was also of a very high standard. Guests have their own butler who is very good at sorting out wet gear after trips to the Falls!

We're not sure how much we paid for this experience but (in our blissful ignorance on this point) our view was that it was well worth it to be able to end our holiday on a high point.

One minor niggle. We booked a Livingstone town tour via the hotel with Bushtracks. We enjoyed the tour (and were glad we had done it) but thought it rather overpriced particularly as our vehicle was not suitable for town driving being a clapped out safari style landcruiser. When I asked to sit in the front seat so I could hear what our driver/guide was saying I had to clamber over the front door as this was tied shut with string and could not be opened. Not up to the Royal Livingstone's normal standards! Generally everything was very expensive (not helped by the dollar pound exchange rate) but if they're charging those prices they should be providing the service to match."