Reviews of Sam's Giardino
(88%) From 110 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Sam's Giardino review
Only reason for staying here is Sam with his superb hospitality and knowledge of good food and wine which you can buy by the glass very reasonably. He even booked a fish restaurant for us on arrival as that day's menu did not suit us. He also confirmed our tour for the next day.
Room was small and had no fridge although our freeze packs were frozen for us. The guest house is 15 minutes' walk from the town.
Day trip to Sandwich Harbour - An excellent day with our guide, Ernst, driving over and climbing up the dunes, experiencing different shapes and colours of the sand. We saw very little wildlife, principally birds on the guano platform off the coast north of Walvis Bay, pelicans in Sandwich harbour and numerous desert insects.
Ernst is passionate about wildlife and conservation and shared his enthusiasm and knowledge with us in a most enjoyable and long day. Thanks to tide times and his passion to show us all that he could we were back at 7pm instead of the planned 5:30!
Nice break at Sam's
Location bit out of town, but good secure parking with nice sized rooms. Sam attentive and helpful to give advice and make arrangements. Food and wine in particular were good around a single menu option. Compared with previous accommodations, staff at Sam's were rather subdued and less friendly. One of our party was not a dog lover and found dog sitting by us at breakfast and fouling the garden somewhat unpalatable.
Walvis Bay has some good boat trips that are well worth considering.
Just a comment for those planning a visit to the area, we drove from Kulala camp to Swakupmond and the roads were very poor and journey took us all day.
Pity about the dog
A convenient place to stay but we feel that the owner did not create a very relaxing atmosphere.
Although promised that the dog would not be in the public rooms when we were there (because of allergies) we had to persuade the owner to keep the dog out of the rooms.
Sam's Giardino review
We thought Sam a little stand-offish when we first arrived, but think he must have been pre-occupied. He was an excellent host, being very informative and helpful. He introduced us to some excellent South African wines and told us about how he trains his staff.
We had dinner at Sam's the first night we arrived and the food was good. The breakfast was the best we had in Namibia - there was such a variety of things available.
Sam provides free internet access and tea/coffee with a wide selection of different tea bags. There are also lots of books (belonging to Einstein, his dog), that are available for browsing.
Sam's is about a 15 minute walk from the centre of Swakopmund - we walked and found it safe.
Overall, we found Sam's a very homely and friendly place to stay.
Sea kayaking excursion: This was a great half-day trip. Jeanne was very helpful and reassured us that the trip was safe. We saw lots of seals and dolphins - it was terrific when they came so close to the kayaks, and there are no other boats around. Jeanne kindly emailed us some digital photos of our trip.
Excursion to coastal desert: This was a great day-trip, even though we didn't quite get to Sandwich Harbour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. The rest of the party spoke German so he had to repeat everything for us. We loved driving and walking in the dunes, and running down them. We also saw a lot of bird life, including pelicans and flamingoes. Lunch was also excellent.
Sam's Giardino review
Sam is a real gem! A wonderful host; he found an emergency dentist when my partner lost a tooth after we had been turned away by the main practice in Swakopmund.
Managed to get a table at the Tug restaurant in town, which is recommended for the food, even if the service was rushed.
Sam's Giardino review
Food excellent, nice location just outside immediate town centre but easy walking into the centre. Sam's advice was simple and practical Lovely collection of wines and books, even though I don't drink alcohol!
His phrase that has stuck is "Namibia is Africa for Beginners", it is absolutely true. Great choice for breakfast.
A unique hotel
Another warm welcome, with Sam's personal attention to all our needs even our smallest question was answered.
We ate in on two of our three nights, Pierre ably hosted our first evening, and both meals were enhanced by Sam's wine suggestions.
The location was great for getting around and seeing the sights. As ever the staff were friendly, happy and efficient.
Expert Africa comments
We organised a trip to Sandwich Harbour for these travellers, and they commented about it:
"We had a ball on this trip, Ernst was a most knowledgeable and entertaining host. The civil engineering to get along the beach was great fun, the only shame was we only had a short time at Sandwich Harbour itself, this was because of the tides so even Ernst couldn't change that.
Dinner amongst the dunes with a flypast of pelicans was a bonus. The vast quantity of birds at the salt flats were breathtaking, as was the smell. All in all a great trip."
Sam's Giardino review
Sam is a very friendly and helpful host. A short distance and very safe to walk into town for an evening meal. We ate at the Tug, recommended and booked for us by Thomas at Kulula. Sam also provided an extensive evening meal at a reasonable price if you wish. Very comfortable room, plenty of tea and coffee available and free internet which was a bonus.
Read more about the whole tripDid it rain?
Sam was a wonderful host and was quick to help in any way. Particular thanks for sorting out a hire car exchange for us while we were out for the day. The constant availability of tea/coffee and internet on the mezzanine floor was much appreciated. Einstein's library was also much appreciated. It was good to see how Sam's hotel is constantly upgrading, with new ideas and development. We were pleased to find secure carparking behind the gates.
Read more about the whole tripGreat base in Swakopmund
Comfortable, with Swiss precision and efficiency. And a free internet connection.
A very good base for activities around Swakopmund
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
