Travel reviews by Wattled Starling from UK

"Campsite - Good stop over, great early am game drive"

"Campsite - Good lodge with attractive surroundings - friendly staff, beautifully maintained, great camp space, good trails"

"campsite space itself was pretty good, shady and clean but campsite as a whole was very noisy and overcrowded. Not enough ablution blocks, cold showers and, though the staff did clean them, the toilets were often dirty because too many people were using them. Didin't stay both nights that had paid for because it wasn't great."

"Campsite - One member of staff was very unwelcoming when I arrived and remained unfriendly but other staff really lovely. Beautiful location for walking and of campsite. Loud pop music played in bar early evening, which seemed more of the staff need than the visitors. This seemed out of place, especially when people seemed to want to enjoy the sunset peacefully. Varied lengths of walking trails through different mountain terrain. Stunning views. Feral horses nearby a must visit on your own - wonderful."

"Interesting fort, lovely location, great apple pie and friendly staff. Cold showers that trickled out at best. Although campsite clean and pleasantly located it was spoilt by a large group of campers playing loud music for many hours into the early am."

"Lots of overlander trucks which very noisy but lovely site, clean and spacious. Toilets tended to block and fill up as did showers but good warm water."

"I arrived, unsually, very, very early am but was made to feel very welcome - tea and melt in your mouth muffin!

Marianne and Rob were very warm hosts - the quality of their care for creating a friendly environment was palpable from their care of the surroundings, the ambience of meal times, the careful seating of people, outstanding cooking and, most noticably, a team of staff who clearly cared about their work, not only because it was important to them but because thet felt respected by and cared for by Marianne and Rob as their managers.

Varied walks in really interesting terrain - great pools for skinny dipping. It came highly recommended and it deserves all the recommendation it is given as a lodge - which is down to Rob and Marianne and their staff."

"Lovely little campsite in fab location. Cols showers not great when it was freezing cold outside too!"

"Harold was very welcoming and extremely helpful in making dinner reservations for me. Clean, comfortable b and b in good location.

Wasn't sure how happy the staff felt there, they seemed subdued and unhappy. Didn't know how valued they felt."

"I really liked this campsite. The showers were great. Lovely location on the edge of the dry river bed. I was camped next to the reception area where the staff came together in the evening around the communal campfire.

It was lovely to hear them chatting to each other. A really warm atmosphere. Very clean and cared for and about environment. I will always remember the really warm smile I was given by the woman on reception - so welcoming."

"Okaukuejo Campsite - Facilities good - showers hot, etc. This campsite was the dirtiest I had, bits of food and rubbish on the ground.

Ground was so hard I couldn't get my tent pegs in and had to use stones to secure my tent. Broke all my pegs!

Good food in restaurant, great next to waterhole. Friendly staff."

"Halali Campsite - Not a very clean site and only half a table. Lots of overlander trucks that were noisy. Good ablution blocks. Lovely swimming pool. Food not that great. Great location near waterhole."

"The plateau, the actual lodge and its facilities and surroundings were lovely but I found the atmosphere there oppressive, controlled, cold and uncomfortable, so much so that I spent most of my second day there at the restcamp in the park down the road.

I was given an itemised sheet of things in my room to check, tick off and sign and have counter-signed as soon as I arrived, which I thought was appauling and insulting. It was a horrible welcome, even more so when you have just driven 6 hours!

The staff wore name tabs with their last names first, which seemed so impersonal but I thought it was clear that many of the staff were slightly fearful, seemed very controlled and unhappy. I would even go so far as to say that the environment was oppressive. It gave me a real sense of what it might be like to live in an apartheid society. It was horrible.

It wasn't that the staff were not good or friendly, just that they seemed to be so controlled and were therefore so submissive and unalive. I hated it. The uniforms felt like bootcamp, prison outfits.

It is such a shame because I could see the care that has gone into creating the physical environment of the lodge and rooms and how hard the owners have worked to do this. The room was lovely, food good (particularly as they catered specifically one night for me in cooking me fish when everyone elde had red meat, which I really appreciated) but I think they strip away all that is good by the atmosphere that has been created there., which I believe does not come from the staff but the owners and managers. Horrible.

Interestingly, the only time I saw one of the owners was when I settled up in reception on leaving, even then I was given no introduction. I knew the lady was the owner because I recognsied her from the brochure. It was so disappointing to have this exp the last two days before returning home. It will not of course taint my overall experience of Namibia but gave me a very uncomfortable eye-opener into how the culture and treatment of blacks and whites clearly can be in this country.

Sadly I would not feel able to recommend that anyone stay in this lodge. I was only at the restcamp/park down the road for some hours but the welcome and ambience there was so different it felt like a breath of fresh air. Such a shame."