Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs R - Chertsey

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A very enjoyable holiday

On this trip, I visited South Africa between 29-Mar-2012 and 14-Apr-2012 and I travelled with 1 other person.

Most places we visited were repeat visits and little had changed.

The one new venue was Babylonstoren, which was far more commercialised than we were anticipating. It's probably more geared towards younger people. It definitely is not suitable for the disabled. However, we have not heard or seen a single negative comment about it. so it presumably comes down to personal preference.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

As far as we are concerned, no improvements needed!

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Own arrangements 30-Mar-2012 review: Not as we were expecting.............	Poor
Southern Cross Beach House, South Africa 3-Apr-2012 review: Very homely with a great view across the Bay	Excellent
Phantom Forest, South Africa 4-Apr-2012 review: A beautiful treetop setting	Good
Auberge Provence, South Africa 6-Apr-2012 review: Immaculate B & B managed with great pride	Excellent
Le Quartier Francais, South Africa 9-Apr-2012 review: Pure luxury in a beautiful location.	Excellent
Babylonstoren, South Africa 11-Apr-2012 review: A great concept but rather 'commercial'	Good

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A magical, almost spiritual experience

On this trip, I visited South Africa between 28-May-2010 and 6-Jun-2010 and I travelled with 1 other person.

We have done numerous safaris but this was different. We were not expecting vast quantities of game but we were pleasantly surprised by the number of animals we saw, which included 7 cheetah and 2 male black-maned lions. The game viewing was probably not helped by the volume of rain which had recently fallen, resulting in long, fresh and sometimes green grass.

We found ourselves appreciating the smaller, less significant animals more than we would normally; for instance the mongooses, squirrels and even mice. Finding meerkats is definitely not 'simples'! But we succeeded. Bird life was surprisingly profuse, with a good variety of raptors.

The park infrastructure was excellent. The tracks were sandy, well maintained and the main ones easily negotiable by 2wd, right up to Union End. Petrol is available at Mata Mata and Nossob, but beware that the shops here were not well stocked compared with Twee Rivieren.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Difficult to see how the Expert Africa team could have done a better job! Excellent as always............

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Twee Rivieren Rest Camp, South Africa 29-May-2010 review: Perfectly good stopover at entry to the Park	Good
!Xaus Lodge, South Africa 30-May-2010 review: Very comfortable lodge in a superb location	Excellent
Kalahari Tented Camp, South Africa 1-Jun-2010 review: Unexpectedly, our favourite camp!	Excellent
Gharagab Wilderness Camp, South Africa 2-Jun-2010 review: Beautiful remote location	Good
Grootkolk Wilderness Camp, South Africa 3-Jun-2010 review: Not quite up to the standard of the others!	Average
Le Must River Residence, South Africa 4-Jun-2010 review: Very comfortable rather than luxurious	Good

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Another great holiday with Sunvil

On this trip, I visited South Africa between 16-Oct-2009 and 30-Oct-2009 and I travelled with 1 other person.

All very enjoyable with a very high standard of accommodation and food. It was meticulously organised by Tracy, who is really professional.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Keep it up! Our next trip is already booked...............

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Phantom Forest, South Africa 22-Oct-2009 review: luxury in a luxuriant setting	Excellent
Auberge Provence, South Africa 24-Oct-2009 review: A revelation at Hermanus	Excellent
Le Quartier Francais, South Africa 26-Oct-2009 review: Still a fabulous gastronomic experience	Excellent
Roggeland Country House, South Africa (this camp has since closed) 28-Oct-2009 review: A family run hotel with lots of history	Excellent

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A really memorable holiday

On this trip, I visited South Africa between 22-May-2009 and 31-May-2009 and I travelled with 1 other person.

We could not fault a short but very special trip, which was touchingly ackowledged as such at several of the places we stayed.

We had stayed at all 4 places before and it was good to be recognised as returning, rather than new, guests.

Suggestions for improvements:

Keep up the current high standards! Sabina could not do enough to help. Again....................................

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Roggeland Country House, South Africa (this camp has since closed) 23-May-2009 review: Very comfortable with excellent food and wine	Excellent
Le Quartier Francais, South Africa 25-May-2009 review: A fabulous experience.	Excellent
The Marine, South Africa 27-May-2009 review: Very luxurious and peaceful	Excellent
Lanzerac Hotel, South Africa 29-May-2009 review: A comfortable hotel in a lovely location.	Good

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A great experience apart from the car!

On this trip, I visited Namibia between 15-Apr-2009 and 28-Apr-2009 and I travelled with 1 other person.

Excellent apart from a big disappointment with the hire car

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Zebra River Lodge, Namibia 16-Apr-2009 review: The friendliest lodge ever in a fab location	Excellent
Sam's Giardino, Namibia 20-Apr-2009 review: An ideal stopover in Swakop	Good
Damaraland Camp, Namibia 22-Apr-2009 review: A great lodge in a stunning situation	Excellent
Anderssons Camp, Namibia 25-Apr-2009 review: Rustic lodge in a great location	Excellent
Mushara Lodge, Namibia 26-Apr-2009 review: A very luxurious, professionally run lodge	Excellent