Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs R from New York
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
11
Excursions taken
0
My Nov 2013 trip
Namibia between 8 Nov 2013 and 25 Nov 2013
"In all, our trip was more wonderful than we had anticipated. The country is just beautiful and we almost invariably found our interactions with lodge staff and other encounters very friendly and helpful. We found the Namibian people to be so soft spoken and gentle and attentive without being obsequious .
The lodges were very clean, well run and some beautifully designed. Driving was easy (amazingly few cars on the road), the roads well marked and the parks organized nicely for self driving. In my ratings of the various accommodations I was grouping B&Bs and lodges separately in my mind and not comparing them so that an excellent in a B&B would have no bearing on the same rating in a lodge.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Your service and help was excellent and could not be improved upon. The one suggestion, however, would be to focus a bit more on the activity level desired by your clients. We would have enjoyed a more physically demanding trip, i.e. more hiking and less driving.
Unquestionably we were fortunate to have hooked up with Expert Africa. Thank you again and again."
The lodges were very clean, well run and some beautifully designed. Driving was easy (amazingly few cars on the road), the roads well marked and the parks organized nicely for self driving. In my ratings of the various accommodations I was grouping B&Bs and lodges separately in my mind and not comparing them so that an excellent in a B&B would have no bearing on the same rating in a lodge.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Your service and help was excellent and could not be improved upon. The one suggestion, however, would be to focus a bit more on the activity level desired by your clients. We would have enjoyed a more physically demanding trip, i.e. more hiking and less driving.
Unquestionably we were fortunate to have hooked up with Expert Africa. Thank you again and again."
Arranged By Maruska AdyeRowe
Tamboti Guesthouse (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"Tamboti Guesthouse review"
1 night
Arrived
8 Nov 2013
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Okonjima Plains Camp
"Okonjima Main Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived
9 Nov 2013
"The facility and food were excellent and there was a lovely pool for hot afternoons. The staff was very good. We had a garden room which was fine. Our tour guide, Jonas, was just adequate. We wish there were more information given on tours rather than concentrating solely on looking for cats. On one of our tours there was a private guide with a small group and he was full of fascinating information which he generously translated into English and shared with us. It made us realize what we were missing.
Choosing the education center as an an activity should be skipped as all it involved was reading information boards which could be done on your own. Again, this may have been what we experienced because of our particular guide who was napping in the truck.
The sundowner at the Zen garden and other overlooks was just beautiful and not to be missed. Overall definitely worth the visit."
Choosing the education center as an an activity should be skipped as all it involved was reading information boards which could be done on your own. Again, this may have been what we experienced because of our particular guide who was napping in the truck.
The sundowner at the Zen garden and other overlooks was just beautiful and not to be missed. Overall definitely worth the visit."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Waterberg Camp
"Waterberg Camp review"
1 night
Arrived
11 Nov 2013
"Although the escarpment was quite dramatic and worth seeing I think just a day drive in for a look and a walk would be adequate.
Facilities and food were average and walking trails not very interesting. They did have a very nice pool."
Facilities and food were average and walking trails not very interesting. They did have a very nice pool."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Good
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
Onguma Forest Camp
"Onguma Etosha Aoba review"
2 nights
Arrived
12 Nov 2013
"This was a lovely lodge and the staff was excellent. The food was beautifully prepared and served outside by candlelight.
One downside of staying outside the park is not being able to take night drives or view the lodge waterholes at night or in early morning but the staff packed us a great take away breakfast so that we could enter the park as soon as it opened. We took one sundowner drive into Fisher Pan and saw a spectacular sunset but otherwise the drive wasn't very interesting."
One downside of staying outside the park is not being able to take night drives or view the lodge waterholes at night or in early morning but the staff packed us a great take away breakfast so that we could enter the park as soon as it opened. We took one sundowner drive into Fisher Pan and saw a spectacular sunset but otherwise the drive wasn't very interesting."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Taleni Etosha Village
"Taleni Etosha Village review"
2 nights
Arrived
14 Nov 2013
"The best part of this lodge, for us, was staying in the tent. it was so cleverly designed and although there were other tents around they were placed so that they felt very private. Sleeping with all the flaps zipped open was almost like sleeping outside. Great fun.
Again, staying outside the park excluded us from night drives and the in park lodge waterhole."
Again, staying outside the park excluded us from night drives and the in park lodge waterhole."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Average
Dolomite Camp
"Dolomite Camp review"
1 night
Arrived
16 Nov 2013
"The camp itself is beautifully designed and situated-public spaces, individual rooms and a really nice pool. We especially loved the rooms with balconies that were so private and peaceful.
The food in the dining rooms was good and staff , when we were there, pleasant. We left by taking the longer road out to the gate because there were water holes noted on our map. All but one of these was closed and we wished the we had known this before we chose this route. We did not take any of the drives."
The food in the dining rooms was good and staff , when we were there, pleasant. We left by taking the longer road out to the gate because there were water holes noted on our map. All but one of these was closed and we wished the we had known this before we chose this route. We did not take any of the drives."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Average
Doro Nawas
"Doro Nawas review"
2 nights
Arrived
17 Nov 2013
"This was one of the two lodging highlights of our trip. The setting and design of the main lodge and individual units was just wonderful and staff was, without exception, genuinely attentive and helpful. It is all in a spectacular setting and enjoying this at night by rolling the bed out onto the terrace was a brilliant idea.
We did take the evening drive to look for the elephants and happily found them but even if we hadn't the ride in the riverbed at sunset was gorgeous. The tours are a little pricey but the experience of being in this setting for a couple of days was unmatched for us."
We did take the evening drive to look for the elephants and happily found them but even if we hadn't the ride in the riverbed at sunset was gorgeous. The tours are a little pricey but the experience of being in this setting for a couple of days was unmatched for us."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Vingerklip Lodge
"Vingerklip Lodge review"
1 night
Arrived
19 Nov 2013
"As with Waterberg, the Vingerklip might be worth a drive for a day visit but not for an overnight.
Rooms were good, pool nice but the rock formation not worth more that a couple of hours. We did make reservations at the Eagle's Nest. The walk up and view from the top is wonderful but dinner at the restaurant pretty terrible. It's all cooked below and shipped up to steam tables. A better decision would have been to walk up for the sunset and have dinner in the restaurant below.
Really, we didn't think that it warranted an overnight."
Rooms were good, pool nice but the rock formation not worth more that a couple of hours. We did make reservations at the Eagle's Nest. The walk up and view from the top is wonderful but dinner at the restaurant pretty terrible. It's all cooked below and shipped up to steam tables. A better decision would have been to walk up for the sunset and have dinner in the restaurant below.
Really, we didn't think that it warranted an overnight."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Good
Service
Average
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Poor
Meike's Guesthouse (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"Meike's Guesthouse review"
2 nights
Arrived
20 Nov 2013
"Meike's was very well located to walk into town, which was welcome after so much time in the car, and provided secure parking. The rooms were very clean and comfortable and breakfast wonderful. We went for an early morning kayak trip and they packed a lovely breakfast for us. This is a very good place to stay in Swakopmund."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Desert Homestead
"Desert Homestead review"
2 nights
Arrived
22 Nov 2013
"The chalets were well situated looking out into the beautiful desert. There is a small pool for cooling off in the hot afternoons. Dinner was served very nicely on the outside terrace.
We asked for a take away breakfast and left in time to be at the park gate when it opened. It is a long drive within the park to get to the end of the road where the shuttle takes you further and by the time we arrived at our hiking set off point the sun was quite high and it was already very warm (in the end of Nov). This is another situation where staying within the park would have allowed access to the dunes earlier in the morning and late in the evening(without a long drive back to Desert Homestead in the dark). The lodge was comfortable and staff very nice."
We asked for a take away breakfast and left in time to be at the park gate when it opened. It is a long drive within the park to get to the end of the road where the shuttle takes you further and by the time we arrived at our hiking set off point the sun was quite high and it was already very warm (in the end of Nov). This is another situation where staying within the park would have allowed access to the dunes earlier in the morning and late in the evening(without a long drive back to Desert Homestead in the dark). The lodge was comfortable and staff very nice."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Tamboti Guesthouse (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"Tamboti Guesthouse review"
1 night
Arrived
24 Nov 2013
"see first review but our second stay was as helpful and welcoming as the first."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
There were nice tables and chairs on the terrace outside of our room so that you could bring in dinner. Windhoek is not a town worth spending any time in but this place is good for one night to recover from the flight and get organized for the trip."