Travel reviews by Honeymooners from London

"This was our first African safari so we don't have any personal comparisons to draw but we had a fantastic time enjoying the vast variety and abundance of wildlife on the game drives, boat safari's and walks on offer at Lake Manze. The benefit for us was that Lake Manze was both readily accessible from international flights to Dar Es Salaam and was also a short transfer to Zanzibar.

As well as the location, we heard from other travellers that the Selous is quieter and less commercial than some of Tanzania's Northern game parks and so it was not unusual to be able to spend as long as you wanted with the lions, crocodiles or birds in an afternoon and not be disturbed by many other cars or visitors.

The camp was welcoming, well run and we thought the drivers and guides were generally very informative, experienced and worked together very well to ensure that guests saw what was of most interest to them.

The tents were clean and comfortable and the lack of electricity or fences really gave you a feeling of being 'amongst nature'. It was quite common to see elephants in and around the camp and Giraffe and Hippos were never far away. We were both surprised and pleased to see so much and would definitely consider a safari again."

"The food was good and the service was professional and attentive. There was enough variety to keep you happy for a week or so.

The pool area was very pleasant and the beach was relaxing although the water was well farmed with seaweed and the beach was busy with fishing and walkers.

In order to snorkel and dive a boat was required to take you to nearby Mnemba. We thought that the snorkelling was good but perhaps not as good as the Maldives, Greek Islands or Australia and the trips at $45 were fairly expensive although that was a good ratio of staff to assist.

It was surprising that the hotel didn't make some excursions easier - perhaps spice tours, visits to a different part of the island, or down South to see the dolphins. This meant the there wasn't a lot of activities which would be perfect if you were seeking simple R&R."

"Very friendly and a good location to explore Stone Town.

Fairly basic accomodation was clean and comfotable. It was great to have air conditioning and the staff had made a special cake to celebate our honeymoon!"