Travel reviews by Patricia and Leo from LDN
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
3
Excursions taken
1
Our 40th bday trip
Kenya between 24 Oct 2024 and 3 Nov 2024
"This was a spectacular trip.
We were impressed by everything from the moment we started communicating with Expert Africa, our travel planner Jessica was attentive to our likes/wants/needs and made sure our trip came together wonderfully even though it was a little bit last minute. There were wonderful unexpected details like mailing us a Kenya guide and luggage tags that added to the delight and anticipation.
The trip itself flowed seamlessly and we didn't have to think about any logistics, we could just enjoy the experience. The places we visited were gorgeous, and we were blown away by the service and facilities at our safari lodge and the beauty of Diani beach.
We were also pleasantly surprised at how good the food was throughout the trip, as this was not something we had high expectations of. We got to do exactly what we'd asked for: enjoy nature, eat well, stay in small hotels, spend almost all our time outside, see lots of animals, and rest by the beach at the end.
This was hands down the best trip we've been on (this is saying a lot because we're big travellers and have high standards) and we've been raving about it since we returned.
Thank you!"
We were impressed by everything from the moment we started communicating with Expert Africa, our travel planner Jessica was attentive to our likes/wants/needs and made sure our trip came together wonderfully even though it was a little bit last minute. There were wonderful unexpected details like mailing us a Kenya guide and luggage tags that added to the delight and anticipation.
The trip itself flowed seamlessly and we didn't have to think about any logistics, we could just enjoy the experience. The places we visited were gorgeous, and we were blown away by the service and facilities at our safari lodge and the beauty of Diani beach.
We were also pleasantly surprised at how good the food was throughout the trip, as this was not something we had high expectations of. We got to do exactly what we'd asked for: enjoy nature, eat well, stay in small hotels, spend almost all our time outside, see lots of animals, and rest by the beach at the end.
This was hands down the best trip we've been on (this is saying a lot because we're big travellers and have high standards) and we've been raving about it since we returned.
Thank you!"
Arranged By Jessica Plumb
Karen Gables
"Karen Gables review"
1 night
Arrived
25 Oct 2024
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Lewa Wilderness
"Lewa Wilderness review"
4 nights
Arrived
26 Oct 2024
"Exceptional service, spectacular location, beautiful lodge.
We have nothing but good things to say about our stay at Lewa Wilderness, both of us are big travellers and this is definitely at the very top of our travel experience.
The staff was consistently friendly and skilled at anticipating needs. There was a lot of special attention going towards delighting guests with wonderful surprises.
We were impressed by the quality of the food, it was always fresh and tasty. The staff went out of their way to accommodate dietary restrictions, albeit with some confusion occasionally about who was intolerant to what, but they handled it with such attention and politeness that I truly didn't mind a bit of mixup.
Our game drive guide was knowledgeable, skilled, and friendly - overall, we had a spectacular time at Lewa Wilderness."
We have nothing but good things to say about our stay at Lewa Wilderness, both of us are big travellers and this is definitely at the very top of our travel experience.
The staff was consistently friendly and skilled at anticipating needs. There was a lot of special attention going towards delighting guests with wonderful surprises.
We were impressed by the quality of the food, it was always fresh and tasty. The staff went out of their way to accommodate dietary restrictions, albeit with some confusion occasionally about who was intolerant to what, but they handled it with such attention and politeness that I truly didn't mind a bit of mixup.
Our game drive guide was knowledgeable, skilled, and friendly - overall, we had a spectacular time at Lewa Wilderness."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Black Rhino
10+ sightings
Buffalo
10+ sightings
Eland
6 sightings
Elephant
10+ sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Lion
10+ sightings
White Rhino
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
The Maji
"The Maji review"
3 nights
Arrived
30 Oct 2024
"The location is perfect, immediately in front of a fairy tale beach. The aren't many rooms so it was quiet, and the attention was very personalised.
The staff is incredibly warm and friendly, and everyone went out of their way to make our stay good. For example, they baked a special gluten-free cake for my birthday and everyone joined in and sang, it was sweet. We were very impressed by the quality of the food, it was always fresh, delicious, and top quality.
The facilities are a bit dated, but still charming, particularly the outdoor terrace where we had most of our meals. The Bali-style daybeds in front of the beach are wonderful. They have fun touches like a sunblock station at the beach area (which came in handy because we'd forgotten ours).
There weren't many guests while we were there, so they were doing some renovation work. It wasn't bothersome, and the manager did ask us to tell her if it was too much and she would stop the work, but we didn't feel the need to. The one uncomfortable thing was that this meant there wasn't a bathroom available on the ground floor, you had to ask someone to open one of the rooms for you, which is not something I want to do every time, so we just walked up to our room when we needed to go. Again this was circumstantial, I'm sure they've finished the renovation now.
The one drawback, which has nothing to do with the hotel itself, is the amount of people on the beach trying to sell you things the second you step outside the hotel property. It made taking a leisurely walk on the beach impossible, particularly when I walked on my own (I'm female). The beach is beautiful enough that it made up for this nuisance, but it's the one thing that would put us off returning here.
Overall, we had a great time here, the hotel is a good and comfortable spot to enjoy Diani Beach with great food and friendly service."
The staff is incredibly warm and friendly, and everyone went out of their way to make our stay good. For example, they baked a special gluten-free cake for my birthday and everyone joined in and sang, it was sweet. We were very impressed by the quality of the food, it was always fresh, delicious, and top quality.
The facilities are a bit dated, but still charming, particularly the outdoor terrace where we had most of our meals. The Bali-style daybeds in front of the beach are wonderful. They have fun touches like a sunblock station at the beach area (which came in handy because we'd forgotten ours).
There weren't many guests while we were there, so they were doing some renovation work. It wasn't bothersome, and the manager did ask us to tell her if it was too much and she would stop the work, but we didn't feel the need to. The one uncomfortable thing was that this meant there wasn't a bathroom available on the ground floor, you had to ask someone to open one of the rooms for you, which is not something I want to do every time, so we just walked up to our room when we needed to go. Again this was circumstantial, I'm sure they've finished the renovation now.
The one drawback, which has nothing to do with the hotel itself, is the amount of people on the beach trying to sell you things the second you step outside the hotel property. It made taking a leisurely walk on the beach impossible, particularly when I walked on my own (I'm female). The beach is beautiful enough that it made up for this nuisance, but it's the one thing that would put us off returning here.
Overall, we had a great time here, the hotel is a good and comfortable spot to enjoy Diani Beach with great food and friendly service."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Poor
Rooms
Average
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
They were quick to organise a massage, lunch, driver, early breakfast, and basically anything we asked for.
The pool area is great for lounging and the terrace was the perfect spot for lounging.
Overall, a great experience, and we would definitely return."