Reviews of Avani Victoria Falls

"large property located on the falls. Sadly, we arrived after 6pm when the gate to the falls was closed and had to leave at 0700 am the next morning.

The gate to the Falls was supposed to open at 6am but we waited until 630am with no-one in sight to unlock the gate. We had previously been to Victoria Falls in the dry season so we weren't devastated but we were disappointed.

Room was clean but nothing special. We ate at the restaurant where the service was spotty at best." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia; 8n in Zimbabwe

"I would put average, but you go there for access to the falls, which it delivers. Good pool and grounds.

Food and staff not brilliant except for the concierge. She was very helpful with flight check-ins and boarding pass printing - at no charge.

To be fair, the breakfast was fine. For dinner, very little of the menu was available and the standard was variable." See all these reviews: 8n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"excellent location. Fabulous to visit the FALLS as often as we liked .

Rooms good. Service was somewhat slow. Little variety in menus- only one dining facility available and was a bit limited in choice.

Reception staff a little less welcoming than perhaps should have been. Otherwise all staff great . Service a bit slow." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia

"Nice hotel to spend a couple of nights at the falls" See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 3n in Botswana

"This is about as close as you can get to the falls on the Zambian side.

Food and facilities were excellent.

Worth noting that in October the Zambian side of the Falls is pretty unremarkable, although we were using Livingstone more as a stopover than as a destination in its own right." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 3n in Botswana; 2n in Namibia

"We came here for some R&R after spending time in South Luangwa and it was a great choice. As it is 'connected' to the Falls and offers free entry, we wondered to see them every one of our 3 days. They are breath-taking. We had inter-connecting rooms so our 2 boys, aged 10 and 13 - had their own room. The rooms were exceptionally clean and well appointed. Although the pool was a freezing for a comfortable dip, it was perfect for the kids for a quick splash during the day.

The grounds of the hotel are beautiful - the wildlife wandering around - zebra & impala were an added bonus in a very different landscape to where we'd been on safari. I found myself 'held up' by 4 stunning giraffes on my short stroll to the Royal Livingston for a massage one morning! Beats Liverpool rush hour any day!

All the staff we came across were friendly and helpful. We booked the African Princess sundowner trip from the hotel which was a stunning evening and greatly recommended.

The food was disappointing though. Expensive for what is was and the service a bit hit and miss We could have ventured into LIvingstone, but didn't bother, so it couldn't have been that bad! We did book the Royal Livingstone for dinner one evening and while not that significantly different in price, was much tastier. Take the time to take the short stroll through to this hotel - even for a sundowner, as you can see the mists from the Falls from the sun terrace as you gaze across the Zambezi. A truly remarkable view to sip a gin and tonic with." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia

"The most perfect location with easy access to Victoria Falls.

Incredibly friendly staff with five star service and good facilities on site (including a doctor/clinic). The swimming pool was huge and the grounds well maintained and regularly patrolled by security people.
The hotel was not too busy which made it very comfortable - I can't comment on what it might be like if very busy.

We spent time visiting the Falls which was mind blowing - totally impressive. River levels were quite high. We had organised to go white water rafting and kayaking and we were collected from outside their activity centre. We would stay here again." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia; 2n in Zambia

"We found Avani to be a splendid entry to our safari experience. We enjoyed the wild animals roaming the grounds, and even though they sometimes slowed us down a bit as we had to wait for them to vacate the sidewalks, their presence reminded us of what we'd come to see and that we were entering their world. We very much enjoyed being by Victoria Falls and were awed by their beauty and majesty. We never tired of viewing them up close or at a distance, below or above the Falls.

The Avani hotel staff was always friendly, helpful, attentive, and did everything they could to make our stay pleasant. We enjoyed visiting with individual servers and felt they made an effort to treat each guest with personal attention. I smile to remember various members of the staff and how beautiful their smiles were and how attentively they waited our tables.

The food selection was a bit limited in the evenings, for we had only one meal option--if there were a lot of guests at the hotel, then the buffet was the only food option and there was no ordering off the menu. Some evenings we would have preferred a smaller, less expensive dinner, but the full buffet was the only option. However, if there were fewer guests at the hotel, then there was no buffet and only the menu option. The breakfast buffet, as the half-board option, was very large and offered a bountiful assortment of food and choices, both off the buffet and made to order. I can't imagine anyone not being completely satisfied with the breakfast options.

Our daughter became quite ill at Avani (we believe it was a reaction to her antimalarial pill but perhaps was something she picked up traveling) and needed medical attention from the onsite Avani Clinic, where we were received excellent and effective care. This made us even more grateful that we began our trip in Livingstone rather than with a safari. We were extremely grateful for the medical service she received and the medics' ability to stabilize her.

As to activities, the hotel offered several options but didn't put any pressure on us to purchase them. The hotel was quite helpful in arranging guides to take us to the local markets, as well as making dinner reservations at the Royal Livingstone Hotel, for the Mosi-oa-Tunya rhino safari, etc.

Overall, we were all very pleased with Avani--it was precisely as Maruska had described it, and we thought it was a lovely, relaxing, and fun location to recover from jet lag and adjust to a new environment. We would be happy to visit again." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia; 1n in South Africa

"This was our first experience of Zambia and Africa so were excited, and I think not quite sure what to expect. However, from the moment we were met at the Livingstone airport and throughout the stay at the Avani (and indeed throughout the whole trip) our expectations were exceeded. The reception was warm and welcoming, and throughout our stay we couldn't fault the team at Avani - they are really professional, and also very friendly. The best thing for us was the location to the Falls - and the fact that there is no additional entry fee. We visited the Falls at least three times, and I'd recommend early in the morning as a beautiful time to view. The track up and down to the Boiling Pot is a good way to get a bit of pre-breakfast exercise as well!

Breakfast was included in the price at Avani, and was an extensive buffet with a good variety of food

We also made use of the bar and restaurant at the Royal Livingstone next door - including a memorable and special dinner for two under the 'monkey tree', which was not nearly as pricy as expected (in fact on par price-wise with the Avani's dinner menu).

The staff at Avani arranged a taxi to take us into Livingstone town, where we went to the museum and had a look around town. There were plenty of tours on offer, but we were happy to just chill out and get over the jet lag.

We highly rated the Avani - it is not a 5 star hotel, but then it is not charging 5 star prices either. Maruska and information on the Expert Africa website describe it well and we were really happy with the recommendation." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia

"This was our first trip to Southern Africa, so to have Zebras 'welcoming' us at the barrier to the hotel set the tone very nicely for the next few days

We found the staff very helpful (particularly Selina) and would recommend it to others.


Whilst stay here these travellers did a full day trip to Chobe National Park:

Simply the best part of our holiday. The whole day was organised so well, all we had to do was turn up on time and enjoy the ride.

To see so many Elephants, Giraffes, Impala & Kudu up so close was something I'll never forget
And not forgetting the Hippos, Buffalo and even a Crocodile, from a safe distance obviously

Fantastic

They also did a helicopter ride:
The 12 minute ride felt like 12 seconds.

We had been to the Falls on both sides of the border the day before, but to see it from above was breathtaking

The pilot also talked to us the whole time which was really enjoyable" See all these reviews: 3n in Zambia