Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs M from Kingsley

"Very nice hotel in good location that is easy to find from the airport. Huge room and good balcony.

Only there for one night so we ate in their restaurant and the food and the service were excellent."

"The lodge is in a good location with walks and views of the plateau. The rooms are basic but adequate although it took us a while to realise we were in a refurbished one! However the outside areas around the rooms are lovely and the visit of the dik diks,a hare and a variety of birds more than compensated.

The massive disappointment were the facilities. There is a bar but whilst there is an outside sitting area there are no tables and chairs and the paving is breaking up. We ate in the restaurant as there is nowhere else to go and the first night was a buffet and although chaotic with queues the food was quite good. The second night was a la carte and again was OK as long as you didn't want exactly what you ordered, we settled for near enough.

The swimming pool was very dirty, full of leaves and the filtration system didn't seem to be working at all with some of the grids around the edge broken and quite dangerous.

We took an early morning safari drive up on to the plateau and that was excellent with a very good guide"

"We have been to this camp before so knew what to expect. However we had a much nicer room than last time comfortable and spacious and very close to the water hole which was the highlight of the stay. We were only there one night but were lucky enough when we went to the waterhole after dinner to see nine rhinos all at one time interacting with each other, really brilliant.

Only slight worry is there seems to be a lot of coaches now driving around Etosha and all the camps seem to have large parties in them."

"Very pleasant lodge with good facilities, lovely gardens, good food and very friendly and helpful staff.

Good for relaxing by the pool but still only a few minutes from the entrance to Etosha."

"Getting to the lodge from the main tarred road takes forever especially after an already long drive and getting back the following morning was even harder as they only signpost one way!

The location by the river is lovely but the rooms have definitely seen better days and the electricity goes off in the evenings so no fans. The food was good but one night was enough.

Highlight of the visit was picking up petrol in the completely chaotic garage in Rundu!"

"Excellent location, lovely spacious rooms with a big balcony overlooking the river, hippos and crocs. Nice bars and restaurant on decks over the river with good food and very friendly staff.

Drove to Mahango National park which is very close and was most enjoyable and did a sunset cruise to Popa Falls with an excellent guide and great views of the wildlife and birds. The cruise took an unexpected turn halfway through as our guide did a mid river rescue of some Germans whose boat was stuck on the rocks as the engine had failed. Much more exciting than we ever could have imagined !

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay and could have stayed longer."

"Did not get off to a good start as we waited over an hour to be picked up at the entrance to the park. We then had to drive to where we were leaving our car and had an hours drive to get to the camp.

The camp itself is located right on the river on wooden platforms so the views all round are good. The tents are huge and well equipped and whilst I accept it may be an old fashioned view I still like my bath in the bathroom not in the bedroom !

There is a large living area in the tents but we prefer to be outside and although there is a balcony all round the tent there are no sunbeds anywhere and no pool.
The evening meals were disappointing as the food although OK was cold by the time it got to you, nothing worse than cold soup. The service very hit and miss, we ordered two glasses of wine the first night and they arrived after we had finished our main course. We also asked what was on the menu that night and the waiter didn't know and there was no written menu.

The best thing were the activities with the excellent Beaven, an early morning river cruise and an evening game drive. Thankfully they were good as they were extremely expensive, more than double the price we paid elsewhere.

For me this is somewhere that is trading in style over substance and needs to provide more than a pretty tent."

"We just loved it here, the location is perfect and everyone so friendly and helpful. The food was excellent and the rooms lovely.

We did evening river trips and morning game drives with the excellent John who was so knowledgeable and showed us so many fantastic animals and birds. Could have stayed longer and would like to return."

"Perfect location only a short walk from the falls. Lovely room with great views of the spray from the falls in the distance and very pretty gardens.

Elephants, warthogs and mongoose in the grounds of the hotel. Good restaurant with fantastic food and nice swimming pool, whats not to like!

Great end to our holiday and perfect place to relax for a couple of days."

"Easy to find from airport, lovely room, good food and service.

Would have liked another night here to see more of Windhoek"

"Hosts were friendly and helpful. Lovely sitting down to dinner with the family and learning about farming in Namibia from someone so obviously passionate about what they do. The area they farm is extensive with challenging wild life problems so Ernst's views were fascinating.

Excursion to Quiver Tree Gorge with Ernst as guide was brilliant , lots of mountain zebras, kudu, babboons etc.
Also really good walks self guided around the farm and chance to enjoy the lovely location and scenery.

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay and was an excellent introduction to Namibia."

"Could not have a better location and being able to see the sunrise before other people in the dunes was a privilege.

The guide for the Sunrise tour was excellent and the breakfast amongst the dunes an experience never to be forgotten.
Also went to Dune 45 for sunset - spectacular!

The staff generally could not have been more helpful and friendly. Luckily all our luggage was taken to our room as it was a bit of a hike on the boardwalks as we were in one of the furthest rooms. The room itself was a joy and the stars at night spectacular.

A very special place, would have liked to stay longer."

"Drove into Swakopmund in a sandstorm so possibly not a good introduction. The location of Beach Lodge was really good but it was VERY cold while we were here so could not take full advantage of the spectacular beach. However a couple of very windy beach walks enabled us to see the paddling flamingos and lots of other bird life. Our room had lovely views although on an upper floor and no lift.

The Wreck restaurant was not open on Sunday so we ate in Swakopmund. Tried several restaurants without success as the girl on reception had recommended places but not said we needed to book. Eventually got into KUCKIES after a wait which was not too much of a hardship as the bar was good and the seafood was excellent. Ate in the Wreck restaurant at the hotel on Monday but a bit disappointing, the food was good but not as nice as the night before. I felt they were trying too hard to be upmarket so was not really a relaxing atmosphere."

"View of the 'fort ' on approach looked rather like Alcatraz !! Not the most welcoming of buildings but luckily better inside than out.

The rooms were also splendid so first impressions not always correct! The elephant drive was a huge success, with a lot of elephants to the pound and the guide excellent. The visit to the village was really interesting and the people really keen to share their way of life with us. Anyone who thinks they have a hard life should definitely go there and experience how happy and welcoming these people are in very difficult circumstances. We also learnt that empty coke cans keep elephants away from your tomato plants!

The staff were friendly and helpful and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay."

"This definitely was very like Butlins with lions but however the location and waterhole were such a big plus that it didn't matter.

It was a great base to explore the park and the sheer numbers and variety of animals around is mind boggling. The room was OK,a bit dark, but we spent very little time in it as there was so much to see. The swimming pools were pleasant and much appreciated in the hot afternoons.

The restaurant was a self service buffet and was OK but not all elements turned up at the right time and service, seating and amount of cutlery were very hit and miss. Had a local school singing one night and that was excellent.

The only organised activity we took part in was the night drive and we saw a huge amount of night, the occasional rhinos rear end retreating into the distance, but little else. The driver was not to be deterred and he drove us endlessly for hours only stopping after a near collision with an extremely large, very cross elephant. An interesting experience but not one I would recommend.

When we left we drove to the other end of Etosha which was very different and I would have liked to have spent a bit more time in maybe one of the other lodges in the park."

"An interesting experience but not my favourite accommodation, I think I am too old to really appreciate tents and it was much more like camping than I expected. A long walk to our tent from the restaurant. This camp would probably be more appreciated by people with children.

Having said that the staff were delightful, the swimming pool lovely, and the main restaurant area and camp fire in the evening was really good. The food here was also excellent, as was the service. The wart hog lawnmowers were a huge success and loved by everyone."

"Although much more of a managed 'safari park' type reserve than Etosha with less variety of animals it was still very enjoyable and being able to see a cheetah in such close proximity on foot is a huge thrill. Our driver for the cheetah walk was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable and the sundowner a perfect end to the day.

We wish we had stayed here for longer as would also have liked to do the leopard tracking as we had not seen one elsewhere. The only down side is we felt the activities on offer were a bit of a 'hard sell' and making money was important.

The rooms were excellent with spectacular views and facilities generally very good. Staff friendly and helpful."