Reviews of Royal Livingstone Hotel

"Amazing hotel! After almost two days of traveling from California to get to Africa we were swept off our feet with the warmth and hospitality when we arrived!

As you enter the lobby and see the beautiful Zambeze river through the open air windows it takes your breath away. Then the tea and hand massage while we checked in was delightful. Every staff member was totally attentive during our two day stay. I highly recommend and would certainly stay here again. We did not participate in activities as we wanted this time to rest, enjoy the location and prepare for our upcoming safari days.

We did walk to Victoria Falls and hike down to Boiling Point (with the baboons and monkeys!) to watch the rafters depart which was a great outing and so easy to get to from the hotel. The giraffes and zebras on the property are quite fun.....but they are wild! We did participate one day with one of the guides when they were being fed.....such fun and so delighted we ran into him on the grounds and he invited us to join him!" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"A five star hotel next to the Victoria falls - for me a 45 year dream come true.

Zambian hospitality all the way with a day trip to Zimbabwe as well." See all these reviews: 8n in Namibia; 3n in Zambia; 2n in Botswana

"Anyone going to see the Falls really should stay here since it is truly grand and in sterling terms not expensive. We rounded off our trip to Botswana with a trip to the Falls and 3 nights at the Livingstone and it was a very good decision.

We went home refreshed and recharged and the Falls were worth two visits." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zambia

"The Royal Livingstone is a beautiful hotel and provided a fitting end to our safari expereince and an excellent location to experience the majesty of Victoria Falls.

The only glitch was when they billed us for the basic room rate (already paid via Expert Africa) but that was probably because of the confusion over our 'upgrade' from the Zambesi Sun." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia; 1n in South Africa

"Great location and excellent facilities.

Slight negative for poor waiter service at dinner. Good attention on initially taking your order, but then descends into chaos as the restaurant gets busier.
Bit pricey for the quality on offer." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"After a week of safari it was very nice to relax in the sumptuous surroundings of the hotel. The location is amazing, and sundowners on the deck were a great way to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The hotel was preparing for a major conference, and there was a certain amount of preparation work for that going on - but it was kept out of the way as much as possible.

We did travel over to Zimbabwe to see the falls from that side - and we strongly recommend that. It does require some negotiation of African customs and immigration, but that in itself is an interesting experience!! It did not seem that there was anyone arranging trips over, but that added to the interest - working it all out ourselves was a good challenge. Someone who is less confident might want to find out more about the procedure before going.

We also did the Jet Extreme boating experience at Victoria Falls. The kids loved the extreme of the boating, but what was particularly interesting was the drive through the villages to get there and stopping at the Chiefs house!" See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia

"When we were planning our trip, the Royal Livingstone Hotel seemed a little pricey.....but wow, this is such a special place. The setting alone is spectacular and the grounds are beautifully kept. Our rooms on the upper level were lovely with balconies that overlooked the Zambezi River and the Sunset Bar. The ambiance was exceptional; watching the sun set over the Zambezi River was pure magic. We especially liked being so close to Victoria Falls and walked there several times.

This was our first stop so seeing elephants, zebras, impalas, giraffes, baboons and monkeys roam the property provided a fun introduction to Africa. The grounds staff was helpful in making sure we spotted the wildlife and sometimes escorted us to the "prime" observation areas. One evening, a pair of elephants interrupted happy hour as they fed on the trees near the bar and a family of zebras grazed a few feet from our rooms.

We loved the restaurant. The food was excellent...especially the steak, prawns, goat cheese appetizer and crocodile omelete. We enjoyed our breakfasts and dinners al fresco and found the prices quite reasonable.

The Island Breezer Tour (tour of Livingstone Island) was our favorite activity….we never dreamed we would get within a foot of the falls’ edge…and even had the opportunity to "swim"! Our timing was quite good as the rainbows on our 9:00 a.m. excursion were stunning. Seeing hippos and elephants on the boat ride back to the hotel was an unexpected bonus. We enjoyed our afternoon helicopter tour as well....seeing the falls from the air was thrilling, but this was the only activity that felt rushed.

One morning we took a taxi from the hotel to the curio market in Livingstone; this proved to be a fun and somewhat adventurous way to collect some souvenirs. We encountered one issue in room 5082: the fan for the heat/AC was extremely noisy, but intermittently so. The maintenance staff was responsive, but the issue was not resolved during our stay." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"Beautiful hotel in a superb location" See all these reviews: 5n in Kenya; 2n in Zambia

"The Royal Livingstone Hotel was a perfect bit of luxury after our safari. Although we'd read beforehand about the local residents, it was still a shocker to see a giraffe outside our door first thing in the morning!

The hotel was heavenly, from the hand massages offered to us at check-in, to the comfy beds and generous breakfasts. The Falls are practically on your doorstep, and the view from the hotel's deck is magical! But watch out for the monkeys which appear out of nowhere when nibbles are served with your drinks! Hilarious!" See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia

"On arrival at the Zambesi Sun hotel we were told that because they had a conference on, we had been upgraded to the sister hotel, the 5 star Royal Livingstone.

For us the hotel was just somewhere to sleep and have breakfast before venturing out to the falls and other excursions, rather than spending a lot of time relaxing by the pool. So, while it was a lovely place, situated as it is on the banks of the river and within easy walking distance of the Victoria Falls, we ate no meals apart from breakfast and spent our days and evenings elsewhere in the main. Breakfasts were a huge buffet and of excellent quality. Such service as we had was good. Both the Zambesi Sun and Royal Livingstone share extensive grounds, or rather a mini safari park given the zebra, antelope and giraffe roaming free therein. There is direct access to the falls from the Zambesi Sun side of the grounds.

A good base for the falls, river trips (we went fishing as well as enjoying a sunset cruise) and the nearby town of Livingstone with its museums, bars and restaurants. We found an excellent indian restaurant (the Golden Leaf) and ate there twice in our 3 days." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 3n in Zambia