Reviews of Royal Livingstone Hotel

"One of our favourite hotels in Africa.

On this occasion it was a very brief 2 night stop over to recharge our batteries so didn't participate in any activities apart from relaxing & having a foot massage around the pool. A walk to the falls and enjoying the Zebra's and Giraffes roaming around the grounds.

Breakfast here is probably one of the best you could experience. Very enjoyable dinners at both restaurants.

In our eyes there is nothing quite like this hotel - a bit of African luxury!" See all these reviews: 17n in Zambia; 3n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana

"The hotel was amazing. We were able to watch giraffes and zebras strolling past our terrace. As well as loads of mongoose playing around.

Free access to the Falls meant we were able to see the Falls in the morning and also watch the sunset another day." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia

"We stayed 2 nights at the end of our honeymoon after 2 weeks on safari in Botswana. The overall standard is fantastic, as you would expect in any 5* hotel. The semi-tame giraffe, zebra, impala, and monkeys are all fab. You can walk easily to Victoria Falls and there's no entry charge if you're a guest of the hotel, so you can drop in and out at different times of the day to see the falls in different light.

The hotel gave us a honeymoon welcome with champagne and cake in the room, which was totally unexpected and extremely sweet of them. Their spa is also lovely, we had massages at sunset overlooking the Zambezi. The staff are all wonderful (Juliet, Rogers, Alfred in particular), and the food and drink is fantastic and surprisingly well-priced given the quality and quantity.

The only slight drawback - and there is nothing for it except to be warned and ready to put up with it - is the noise of the helicopters doing sightseeing flights to the falls. They start at 08:00 and go all. day. long. There's obviously nothing the hotel can do about this and its not a criticism, but be prepared." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"The view of the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya) from the Royal Livingstone Hotel is very picturesque no matter where you sit outside at the hotel. Our favorite place was at the end of the swimming pool in a lounge chair. There are zebras wandering the grounds and they keep the very green grass clipped short. Impala and giraffes are a bit more shy.

We found the service impeccable at the Livingstone. Our room was immaculate and, though not very large, it was very nicely furnished and had a patio with a table and chairs that also provided a nice place to watch the sun set over the river.

Check-in was very efficient and accompanied by their signature iced tea (very delicious). The hotel wasn’t very crowded when we visited at the end of October, which was very nice. The property is very spread out with a large indoor and outdoor bar area. There were several dining locations. The Old Drift restaurant is more formal with indoor and outdoor seating options. The food was outstanding. The breakfast buffet is served here in the mornings and was very good. Kubu restaurant is outdoor dining (dinner only) on a deck just along the Zambezi River. It it a very pretty location and the food is not as formal here, but it sure was delicious.

A very friendly staff member took us on a bit of an impromptu walking safari our first morning and showed us the giraffes, impala and zebras. The second morning we made the 10-minute walk to the Zambian side of Victoria Falls to view them. It was low water, but the views from the Zambian side at Danger Point are beautiful and we did see a magnificent rainbow at Rainbow Falls. The view of the Victoria Falls Bridge is also quite nice. After touring the falls we took the Boiling Pot Trail down to the Zambezi River. It is quite a steep and rocky trail. We sat and watched the rafting groups put in and float down the river. It was shady and cool and quite a nice experience. There is no charge for entering the park from the hotel.

The Royal Livingstone was a perfect stop for us between safaris in Zimbabwe/Zambia and Botswana. It was nice to sleep late for a couple of mornings and not be on a schedule. We will stay there again." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia; 10n in Botswana; 6n in Zimbabwe

"Extremely beautiful location right on the edge of Victoria Falls.

Zebras, antelope, and giraffes wander through the hotel's grounds." See all these reviews: 6n in Zambia

"We were very happy we chose the Royal Livingstone Hotel for our third trip to the Victoria Falls area. It’s a lovely hotel with very comfortable rooms and excellent service.

We particularly enjoyed the location which has allowed us to stroll over to view the falls and which meant we had a lovely view of the Zambezi river from our room. Another highlight for us was the outdoor bar down near the river where we could see the “smoke“ from the falls in the distance and hippos across the way. The activities desk was very helpful in booking several activities for us (Sunset cruise, Livingston’s island/Devils Pool, and elephant café).

The complementary ride on the Royal Livingston Express train that was included in our booking was lots of fun." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia; 4n in Malawi

"Excellent location made repeated free visits to Victoria Falls possible. The flow over the falls was low because of successive low rainfall in wet season.
Free roaming zebra, giraffes along with impala and baboons in the grounds.

Lovely view of Zambezi river from our room.

We had a problem with our room which management addressed less promptly than would have been desired." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia; 2n in South Africa

"Luxurious but welcoming accommodation. Great location with prime view of the Zambesi river, definitely a plus, as well as easy access to the Zambian side of the Falls.

Attentive service, helpful staff assisted in arranging self trip to the Zimbabwe side of the Falls. Ideal start of the Southern Africa journey after the long flight. Wildlife on premises also a great introduction pre-safaris, e.g. zebras, giraffes, impalas, mongooses, monkeys as well as hippos in the river." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"The Royal Livingstone is a high quality hotel in a perfect position on the banks of the Zambezi above the Victoria Falls. Whilst the main objective was to see the falls again and relax for a day or two between our safari in Botswana and the long trip home, we did fit in a walking safari in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park where they have all the big animals including white rhino that are guarded 24/7 without any predators. To get close to the Rhino on foot was great.

A great base to see the falls." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"We arrived at Victoria Falls and wanted to treat ourselves by immediately upgrading from the Avani to the Royal Livingstone Hotel

The hotel was really lovely with great food, terrific service and of course an outstanding view!

I wept when we arrived at the waterfalls, such an incredible experience which reminded me of my insignificance on the planet and the awe of the natural world.

We loved our microlight experience over the falls, one we will never forget!" See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia