Travel reviews by Mrs B from London
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
2
Countries visited
3
Lodges stayed in
10
Excursions taken
2
One of our best holidays ever
Tanzania and 1 other country between 17 Oct 2015 and 27 Oct 2015
"Wonderful and unforgettable trip. We did so much but also had a chance to relax.
The only slight hitch was the elections which took place on 25 October, causing some disruption in Zanzibar. We had to alter our days for visiting Stonetown and doing our boat cruise. While that wasn't a big deal, I think had there been more violence following the results being announced, we could have had problems getting home. As it was we heard reports of tear gas and demonstrations on 27 October but they did not affect us.
Expert Africa should have let us know in advance that the elections were taking place - date, possible repercussions etc - we may have then decided to do Zanzibar first followed by Selous."
The only slight hitch was the elections which took place on 25 October, causing some disruption in Zanzibar. We had to alter our days for visiting Stonetown and doing our boat cruise. While that wasn't a big deal, I think had there been more violence following the results being announced, we could have had problems getting home. As it was we heard reports of tear gas and demonstrations on 27 October but they did not affect us.
Expert Africa should have let us know in advance that the elections were taking place - date, possible repercussions etc - we may have then decided to do Zanzibar first followed by Selous."
Feedback response
We are sorry that the general election in Tanzania was not discussed in detail before these travellers departed on their trip. We are glad to hear that these elections have taken place without any major incident or interruption to international travel - as they did in 2010 when the general election was last held. We always keep a very close eye on the political situation in all of the countries that we feature and we would always warn our travellers if we ever felt there was cause for concern. Nonetheless we understand that events such as these should be brought to our travellers attention in the lead up to their trip, and we will do our best to ensure that they are discussed in future.
Sand Rivers Camp
"g Sand Rivers stay"
4 nights
Arrived
18 Oct 2015
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Unguja Lodge
"Unguja lodge Zanzibar"
5 nights
Arrived
22 Oct 2015
"Lovely peaceful and chilled out lodge. The location is stunning with views of the sea and beach. Our villa looked straight onto it. The villa was wonderful. Lots of space outside our room to sit and enjoy the scenery. As we noted in our feedback to Unguja, they could make the actual bedrooms a little more cozy with say rugs, pictures etc. It was a bit bare.
There were nice touches like lending us a beach bag and Khangas to wear.
Staff were friendly and helpful. Sophia was very organised and made sure all her guests were enjoying themselves. The boat and diving team were great too."
There were nice touches like lending us a beach bag and Khangas to wear.
Staff were friendly and helpful. Sophia was very organised and made sure all her guests were enjoying themselves. The boat and diving team were great too."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
The most memorable holiday we have had
Namibia between 20 Aug 2010 and 5 Sep 2010
"Quite unforgettable. The scenary, the people, the animals at Etosha, the roads(!). Such a colourful experience
I can see why people return (we met one guy on his 10th trip)
We feel that we have been away for a month.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The only thing is perhaps to reiterate to travellers that the GWR lodges in Etosha are pretty basic compared to private lodges (at least Halali is - Namatoni looked rather better and that is the impression we got from other travellers and apparently another one is opening in the north of Etosha that is good too)
Also, I think that Uk drivers do need to understand that the gravel roads are very very different from tar roads. We found driving on them for hours an uncomfortable experience. Some of the D roads and those round Grootberg were terrible. Maybe they are good compared to most of Africa but not compared to Europe"
I can see why people return (we met one guy on his 10th trip)
We feel that we have been away for a month.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The only thing is perhaps to reiterate to travellers that the GWR lodges in Etosha are pretty basic compared to private lodges (at least Halali is - Namatoni looked rather better and that is the impression we got from other travellers and apparently another one is opening in the north of Etosha that is good too)
Also, I think that Uk drivers do need to understand that the gravel roads are very very different from tar roads. We found driving on them for hours an uncomfortable experience. Some of the D roads and those round Grootberg were terrible. Maybe they are good compared to most of Africa but not compared to Europe"
Haus Sonneneck
"lovely peaceful place to relax after flight"
1 night
Arrived
21 Aug 2010
"We were the only people there which made it even more relaxing. Friendly hosts and nice rooms."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Kulala Desert Lodge
"wonderful location"
2 nights
Arrived
22 Aug 2010
"amazing location and the views from the tents were wonderful (though rather cold on the first night) Service friendly. Food rather erratic. Some meals were good, others not so good.
Lovely layout - verandah pool etc
Open fire a good idea but still rather cold in the building on the first evening"
Lovely layout - verandah pool etc
Open fire a good idea but still rather cold in the building on the first evening"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Average
Facilities
Good
Cornerstone Guesthouse
"Lovely hosts"
3 nights
Arrived
24 Aug 2010
"Easy location to find.
Peaceful gardens. nice rooms, super comfortable beds and best breakfasts of anywhere we stayed and very friendly hosts"
Peaceful gardens. nice rooms, super comfortable beds and best breakfasts of anywhere we stayed and very friendly hosts"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Coast and Sandwich Harbour
"really fun"
25 Aug 2010 • All-day excursion
Our guide Ernest was really enthusiastic and informative
We loved Sandwich Bay and saw a lot of wildlife
The kids climbed and ran down lots of dunes and we had fun going up and down them in the jeep too
It was the only grey and chilly day we had!
We loved Sandwich Bay and saw a lot of wildlife
The kids climbed and ran down lots of dunes and we had fun going up and down them in the jeep too
It was the only grey and chilly day we had!
Kayaking with seals
"A wonderful way to see the seals and dolphins"
26 Aug 2010 • Morning excursion
A lovely morning. I'd have liked to stay out longer than the 1.5 hours we had
Jeanne was a great host. She took photos and emailed them to us for our return
We did a sandboarding trip in the afternoon - the kids' favourite part, I think. We had a great time too. The instructors were great fun and looked after us well
Jeanne was a great host. She took photos and emailed them to us for our return
We did a sandboarding trip in the afternoon - the kids' favourite part, I think. We had a great time too. The instructors were great fun and looked after us well
Grootberg Lodge
"fantastic and dramatic location"
2 nights
Arrived
27 Aug 2010
"The location was stunning . The hosts were very efficient and helpful in sorting out our tyre punctures. Compared to the other places we stayed the atmosphere was rather serious and less relaxed.
The food was generally good and the activities well organised"
The food was generally good and the activities well organised"
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Taleni Etosha Village
"really relaxing place"
1 night
Arrived
29 Aug 2010
"We would have given this an excellent as the rooms were the best we stayed in - we loved the outside showers and loos - the pools were great (and not too cold) and the food was plentiful and varied.
However, both the kids were struck down with violent stomach upsets within hours of each other on the evening of 30th August and we can only think that they got food poisoning from the evening meal at Taleni.They both had a stir fry there which neither of the parents had.
I would be interested to know whether anyone else was ill on 30th August. We effiectvely lost a day as neither of them was up to doing anything - just sleeping"
However, both the kids were struck down with violent stomach upsets within hours of each other on the evening of 30th August and we can only think that they got food poisoning from the evening meal at Taleni.They both had a stir fry there which neither of the parents had.
I would be interested to know whether anyone else was ill on 30th August. We effiectvely lost a day as neither of them was up to doing anything - just sleeping"
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Feedback response
We were sorry to hear that the children of this party became ill during their trip, and thankful that it lasted less than 24 hours. Whilst such upsets are unusual for our trips in Africa, they do occur – although in our experience, cases like this aren’t often because of ‘food poisoning’ (ie: incorrectly stored or cooked food); they’re usually down to poor hygiene.
Taleni Etosha Village assures us that they maintain high standards of hygiene, and investigated this incident thoroughly. 38 other guests had dinner with this family on 29 Aug. They comment that their ‘stir-fry is very popular, and usually 60% to 70% of the guests order it’. The majority of these guests also stayed the following night, 30 Aug. They had no other reports of any illness.
Whatever the cause; we’re very sorry it impacted on this family’s trip – but thankful that such incidents are a rarity, and that this one was so short-lived.
Taleni Etosha Village assures us that they maintain high standards of hygiene, and investigated this incident thoroughly. 38 other guests had dinner with this family on 29 Aug. They comment that their ‘stir-fry is very popular, and usually 60% to 70% of the guests order it’. The majority of these guests also stayed the following night, 30 Aug. They had no other reports of any illness.
Whatever the cause; we’re very sorry it impacted on this family’s trip – but thankful that such incidents are a rarity, and that this one was so short-lived.
Halali Camp
"a bit of a institution after the other places"
1 night
Arrived
30 Aug 2010
"We were expecting it not to be up to the standard of the other places - and it wasn't
The food was overpriced and terrible
The pool was cloudy
But... the waterhole was fabulous (even though the none of us could spend too much time there as the kids were ill)
The rooms were fine if rather uninspiring
The friendly garage man mended (another) puncture"
The food was overpriced and terrible
The pool was cloudy
But... the waterhole was fabulous (even though the none of us could spend too much time there as the kids were ill)
The rooms were fine if rather uninspiring
The friendly garage man mended (another) puncture"
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Good
Service
Average
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Average
Food
Terrible
Mushara Bush Camp
"overall our favourite place"
2 nights
Arrived
31 Aug 2010
"This was just lovely. The main eating area was really well laid out and supercomfortable
The pool was fabulous
The tents were comfortable (particularly the beds)
Service was great and so was the food
On the safari ride we did with Mushara we got within feet of lions"
The pool was fabulous
The tents were comfortable (particularly the beds)
Service was great and so was the food
On the safari ride we did with Mushara we got within feet of lions"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Okonjima Plains Camp
"best gardens of anywhere"
2 nights
Arrived
2 Sep 2010
"Another wonderful place (close second to Mushara)
Lovely lush gardens and pool.
The restaurant was great and staff friendly
Rooms were a bit cold and decor (rocks) was rather odd but comfortable nevertheless
We saw leopard (at distance), hyena and practically tripped over cheetah"
Lovely lush gardens and pool.
The restaurant was great and staff friendly
Rooms were a bit cold and decor (rocks) was rather odd but comfortable nevertheless
We saw leopard (at distance), hyena and practically tripped over cheetah"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
We saw lots of animals at close quarters. We had an elephant visit our terrace at 1am on our final night. A little scary but he meant no harm and only damaged a couple of boulders!"