Travel reviews by A & K from Bolton

"It's not in the centre of town. This was the only stop where I was left to deal with the luggage and on both entry and exit. Tired after long flights we were presented with a fixed price dinner of 3 courses which we said was too much to eat. In the end we had a starter, main and a glass of wine for the stated cost. It's not the cost that's the issue but the feeling of rigidity in agreeing a way forward.

The room was good and convenient for us. The woman who served the food whispered so we had trouble understanding her and was so so over-attentive at the table that it was frustrating. It seemed to us that she was following the dictates of the owner who seemed to watch every minute action and give her 'advice' rather than let her get on with things in her own way. Frankly, it created a tense atmosphere which we didn't want on holiday.

Just in case we were unaware of the tip box arrangement, we were handed notes about the house magicians who were working behind the scenes and deserved a reward. Not exactly subtle!

Another time I'd opt for a hotel in the centre of Windhoek as it would be easier to find and we could explore the central sights on foot."

"We arrived mid afternoon after our first drive on gravel roads and through the mountain pass. Reception/management seemed to be run by two guys who were brilliant. We were even told they 'owed' us a lunch and they made sure we had it before we left on our second visit - see below.

We are not great fans of buffets but this one was really good with game meats being grilled by staff to order along with the pre-prepared food which was cleared and refilled very regularly. All the staff were good at their jobs and clearly took the cue from the two guys who worked very hard and had high standards.

Interestingly, this was one of the few places on the trip that didn't ask us to fill in a questionnaire. Most not only handed one out but stood around while it was filled in - and who answers honestly in such circumstances? These guys had confidence in what they are doing and we're happy to endorse their operation.

We were out a 5am heading for the dunes. To be honest the packed breakfast was the least good thing about Dead Valley but who cares when seeing in the dawn over the dunes and Deadvlei! Later the temperature rose to 40C+ which even the locals found hot, so we appreciated the aircon in the rooms."

"It's not far from Dead Vally Lodge to Kulala but they don't let you use the good road, even if you have a NP pass, so you have to drive the long way round and once inside the estate the road is pretty rough. It was over 40C and after a tour of the facilities we were able to go to our room. Having been up since 5am we were ready for a nap. The room door was open (as opposed to unlocked) and as we walked in it was like stepping into an oven. It wasn't just the wall of hot air but the bed clothes were very hot to the touch. There's no aircon but there are fans that should help but it was too bad for them to be much use. The problem was clear - none of the canvas shutters had been closed up to keep the sun from heating up the room and even the door had been left wide open so the room was almost uninhabitable. The actual room itself was better than the rating below but not in the condition we found it. I slept for a short while and awoke to find the sheet and pillow drenched in sweat.

We were one of three couples staying there and the others said exactly the same to us. One couple had a second night and were dreading it! We all went ballooning the next morning and shared experiences. We didn't have breakfast as we had that at the ballooning. We did have dinner at night and it was reasonable but almost as soon as we arrived we were told we had to choose which courses/dishes we were going to have. No-one wants food waste but the emphasis was very much on staff rather than customer convenience.

The woman on reception didn't have a grip on what was going on, culminating her claiming not to know where the tip box was when I asked as we were leaving. The guy seeing to the luggage showed me it, taking me passed her. Again, despite having our passes for the NP we were refused directions to take the short and much better road back to Sesriem. We left wondering how this lodge could be so badly managed, glad we only had one night there and apprehensive about future nights at Wilderness venues."

"What a pleasure it was to return to Dead Valley where the staff all recognised us and were as helpful as before. As well as oryx we also saw ostrich and interesting birds.

See earlier for a fuller review."

"We left Sesriem in the low 40Cs, arrived in Swakopmund at 20C and by evening it was down to single figures. The staff at The Delight arrived at the room door with two hot water bottles! We were glad to get them. We liked this hotel and found the car park and the room in the inner courtyard to be very convenient. Breakfast was good and the staff generally went out of their way to be friendly and helpful.

On reception the delightful Dolores was wonderful as was her colleague whose name escapes me. We discussed options for sightseeing and for eating fish in nearby restaurants. Everything was booked as we wanted and even when something was fully booked the team had great back-ups they could turn to. Just what you want from a front of house team.

We ate at The Tug and The Jetty. The sea was crashing in and there was a lot of cloud so no great sunsets but eating fresh fish at the seafront is always a joy.

We did a natural history dune trip to see the small 5 which was fascinating and a trip down to Sandwich Bay to see where the dunes meet the sea."

"We were warned that the drive here from Swapukmund was difficult and so it proved after we left the coast. The staff here were good and we had an enjoyable stay. The rooms could get very hot during the day but by closing flaps and overall good management it was possible to keep cool and as the temperature dropped fast in the evening we were given hot water bottles on one of the nights. Not all rooms got them or needed them; it seemed to depend on the room location.

There was a lot of food - not just three main meals but extras thrown in - too much for us. We arranged to go looking for desert elephants on the first evening and found some, including a mother with a nursing baby asleep. The following day we arranged to visit the rock engravings, organ pipes, burnt mountain and the Damaraland cultural centre. The guides were good on both trips."

"As we booked late we had to accept fairly basic accommodation here or stay elsewhere. We chose to remain by the waterhole and that was a good decision. Apart from being on the small side the room wasn't too bad but it wouldn't take a lot for the NP to turn the whole venue into one that would rival the best of the private lodges. We had only a short walk to the breakfast restaurant. The same comments apply to the food - it wouldn't be difficult to improve it immensely.

From the central area it's a short walk or drive/park/walk to the waterhole. At night under the floodlights we saw rhino one night and the next a 'stand off' between elephants and rhino with the rhino being kept back while the elephants bathed. We saw the same elephant troupe the day after as we drove out towards the gate. There were also good sightings at the waterhole early in the day.

One surprise was the state of the road. All the guidance suggested it would be a good gravel road, certainly from Okaukuejo to Halili and Namutoni and it was anything but. Overall it was very poor and some stretches were amongst the most difficult driving of the whole trip and that's before we took side roads to waterholes, some of which were reasonable and others poor. However, the animal sightings does make up for all the hassle and it's just a pity that you have to keep an eye on the clock to make sure of returning within the time limit.

The problem with the road is that once the top surface disappears, just the rigid corrugations remain and make for a very bumpy ride. We were told that there's only one of the road sweepers but soon there will be three and the road will benefit as it's always better for a while after the sweeper has passed through.

It's difficult to see the big cats but we came across two young adult lions who had killed a giraffe and were protecting the carcass from predators looking for an easy meal. Overall our animal sightings were amonst the best we have experienced over the years throughout the world."

"On driving to the gatehouse we were told that we'd been upgraded from the Plains Camp to the Bush Camp. As the two camps were a little apart and the guests kept separate, we've no idea what the difference is or how good the Plains Camp is. We can only review the Bush Camp. Our building had a large room that was both bedroom and bathroom and then adjacent was another building with a living room. all rooms had windows to view whatever was going on outside.

The staff were good and the food was good. Our only complaint is that when about to set off on a leopard tracking trip we were told that we should buy water from the bar as none was carried. Really? This must be the only safari we've ever been on when the organiser didn't carry water for guests. With a few other little things it left an impression with us that it was a place very focused on the bottom line. There's nothing wrong with making a profit but a little subtlety with guests would go a long way.

The leopard tracking was a great success. We were lucky that he'd obviously had a big meal recently and was fairly inactive. Another day and he might have been in the mountains hunting and we'd not have seen him. The history of 'our' leopard was fascinating and we learned a bit about others on the reserve too.

The cheetah experience was more mixed but only because these magnificent animals are being squeezed out of their habitat across Namibia (and beyond) and are struggling to compete against leopards and hyenas. The Government has changed the law so helping orphans is much more difficult and their future looks bleak - but learning more about it all was worthwhile."

"Last stop and we had trouble finding this lodge. Driving out of Windhoek we were told to take the airport road (easy) until 'just after the old police barrier' - fine if you know the area and what that might look like. It would have helped to explain that there's a canopy which straddles the road. Once on the M53 road we were to drive 'for exactly 21.4km' to the Omaanda sign by a gatehouse. My odometer readings were very different. It's actually soon after the electricity pylons cross the M53 road. We got to a sign pointing straight forward and saying Omaanda was another 6.5km so on we went until we stopped and asked for help and turned back. That sign is supposed to point to the gatehouse and the distance is what remains once through the gate but you'd never guess. The staff said it was a common problem and claimed to have trouble getting the local authority to make changes but other places nearby were much better signed.

Once in Omaanda all was well. The staff know what they are doing and everything is very high standard. We cannot comment on their trips as we just wanted some rest and recovery before the flights home. It certainly provided that and we ate well and slept well. The views were great but we didn't see wildlife here but were happy to give it a miss after such an action-packed holiday."