Travel reviews by The Hornbills from UK

"The Olive Grove was fine as a starting point in Windhoek, as we got orientated and prepared for our tour ahead.

The staff were friendly and helpful, but it is a very transient place by the city based nature of the place."

"Although just one night stop, the owner and all his staff were particularly welcoming and friendly. There were lots of nice little touches, like the free bottle of wine in the strohballe rooms.

The rooms were well appointed and the buffet style meal was also excellent. a very pleasant lounge/bar area to relax in the evening.

It was a bonus to be able to view the amusing resident meercats."

"The cabins were excellent, the lodge very impressive, and our overall experience was OK.

However the place certainly had an impersonal feel , the staff were not as friendly and personable as they were in other lodges. Considering we had missed a night here, there was no evidence of a caring attitude for us after our experience.

As Canyon Village tends to cater for large groups, the atmosphere in the dining room for two of us was not as relaxing as it could have been and the meals too had a feel of mass catering."

"As a guest farm and stop on the way Sinclair Farm was good.

The reception from the owner was very friendly and welcoming. She was very helpful in advising us on a walk before dinner.

The family service at the evening meal was also very friendly, and the food was homely, but very enjoyable.

The rooms are a little tired and dated now, but that is a minor criticism."

"Sossus Dune Lodge is undoubtedly a most impressive lodge. The accommodation and facilities were absolutely superb in every way. The attention to detail in the chalets was wonderful. The design and furniture of the chalets was first class. The main lodge was equally impressive. The staff couldn't do enough for us.

The guide on the sunrise trip to Sossusvlei was also superb, the timing and choice of locations was faultless and he was also very friendly and informative. The management were very sociable and accommodating,eg helping us make a phone call to our next destination.

The only criticism was that the food was not up to scratch. Both I and another guest, who we made friends with, suffered our only stomach upset here, and Lynda had an undercooked chicken. It didn't spoil the wonderful experience, but if this is part of a pattern, perhaps the lodge needs to know if its catering lets down the otherwise excellent standards."

"This was fine!"

"The location and design of this hotel is fantastic! It undersells itself in its literature, the ship design is unique and wonderful. The lawn on the beach is a little haven in a town like Swakopmund.

The rooms were excellent, and although we didn't eat here in the evening, the dining room was super, tastefully furnished, with wonderful views and if the breakfasts were anything like the evening meals then the food was also excellent. The best breakfasts we had all holiday.

Staff too were very helpful and friendly, especially in the dining room and also I appreciated the complimentary car wash - it needed it at this stage!!"

"Another stunning lodge. The Bradt guide describes the place totally accurately!!

The location is wonderful, the design unique, the chalets superbly designed, and the hilltop location and design of the "castle" also wonderful. The guide was excellent in finding the elephants and then allowing us lots of time to just sit and watch them. Although the lodge was busy, the food was excellent and individually served.

The staff here were particularly friendly and a very happy bunch!!!

We drove to the bushmen paintings ourselves, and thought that the price the lodge charged was very expensive with little more to offer than what you could achieve on your own, with a guide at Twyfelfontein."

"As a stopover on the way to Bushmanland, this was ok. The rooms were fine, the gardens pleasant and relaxing, the food excellent, the only down side was the noise from the road, which kept us awake at nght, with lorries driving past on the adjacent B1, most of the night.

There was certainly nothing there to keep you for more than 1 night stopover."

"This was the highlight of our visit to Namibia.

An absolutely unforgettable and stunning experience!!!! A luxury camp would ruin that experience. The tented camp was excellent, but for those expecting standards and sophistication like Doro Nawas it does not compare. There was no continuous electricity, tents with shower [hot water from a wood burning boiler] and toilet outside the sleeping area [ still under cover] but we thoroughly enjoyed that aspect . The hot water bottles in the evenings and early morning call accompanied by coffee were greatly appreciated. If Arno and Estelle were to make it more sophisticated, it would spoil it in our opinion!

We found the tents comfortable, the evening meal was basic, but very good and plentiful, and wine included. Breakfast too was basic, cooked breakfast on one morning only.

We arrived at lunchtime and went out to set traps in the afternoon. The next day we went out hunting all day, and half of the third day we spent with the hunters collecting tree roots for quivers and just half a day in the village. We could have easily spent more time there.

We know we had a particularly lucky experience here as our day with the hunters was successful in hunting and killing porcupine,and so particularly special. No one expected us to be out beyond lunchtime, but we were out until 6pm! (we were given the option of returning but there was no way we wanted to do that.) If we had known there was a chance of being out all day, we would have carried more water and snacks, but the experience far outweighed any discomfort.

Arno was both a fascinating and knowledgeable character and evening drinks round the fire were special. The opportunity to watch the villagers' healing dances in the evening was also very special. Arno's nephew, Theo, was our guide, he was very friendly and enthusiastic. His skill and knowledge belied his youthfulness. he was excellent.

However the bushmen, especially the hunters, were the stars. It was a totally authentic experience with them doing whatever they wanted to do and we just tagged along. Although they had no English, they communicated with us and were so friendly, welcoming and wanted to share their incredible knowledge and skills with us.

We were concerned whether we would have enough fuel for the return journey and so bought a spare jerry can(£30). We did not need it and Arno would have topped us up with fuel for the return if we had been short. We would recommend Nhoma Camp 100%, and a stay of a minimum of 3 nights is a must,"

"Okinjima is a highly sophisticated, professional and well tuned operation. The welcome was very warm, but as we arrived at 3pm, it was a rush to take advantage of the afternoon activity- advise others to arrive by 230pm at the latest.

The meals too were of a very high standard and excellent formal service. We were a little surprised to have two European style meals, but the quality was excellent. The bushman's omelette as a brunch was excellent too!

The viewing of the cheetahs, leopards and the rescue work was all very polished too, but again excelllent, and the guides were keen to please the guests, as were the rest of the very professional team. The tracking of a cheetah on foot was exciting, especially as it had a kill, and although it is easier to be successful, when the animals are tagged, it was stiil exciting and rewarding.

The rooms had some quality and thoughtful touches (wall hangings, ornaments etc) and were good, but not outstanding, compared to 2 other lodges we had stayed in.

Overall, highly recommended, used to high turnover and we hope they maintain the quality with the big planned developments and extensions"

"We appreciate that Expert Africa has reservations about the ethics of Okapuka, but it made an excellent final stop before we flew home. We are glad we didn't stay in Windhoek, Okapuka was near enough to go in to the capital for last minute shopping, but was a beautiful setting and lodge to relax in. The meals were excellent and in a wonderful dining room with views on to the floodlit watering hole."