Travel reviews by J & K from London

"Olive Grove was very welcoming. It felt like a peaceful, secluded little haven in Windhoek.

We were only there for one night, but it was a nice way to start our trip.

Nice little touches, such as complimentary port before bed time."

"What a fabulous place. Chic, yet comfortable. Relaxed and quietly efficient with welcoming, friendly staff, for whom nothing was too much trouble. Our guide was really good, too and we had him all to ourselves for the couple of days we were there. The food was delicious. In fact the food throughout our trip exceeded expectations. Nice sundowners, too.

We were particularly delighted with our own 'Kulala', which afforded a great view, but with complete privacy and the opportunity to sleep under the stars (although admittedly we did sneak back inside when it got cold - a double duvet might have helped, but it was not an issue)

We opted for a balloon flight and champagne breakfast and were thrilled with the whole experience. Highly recommended if you can do it."

"We stayed 2 nights at the Strand, which is a large hotel overlooking the ocean. It was very nice and we had some good food in one of the restaurants (Brewer and Burtcher, we went back there the following night just for drinks) . We wouldn't have wanted to stay longer, preferring the isolation of the more remote areas and the lodge type accommodations, but you cannot fairly compare a large town hotel with these.

Swakopmund itself was a bit cold, which we had expected, but we fitted in some quad biking, after a bit of confusion at the hotel whereby one of the staff seemed very keen on a particular company and booked us in when we had said we wanted to think about it first and consider other options. It all worked out in the end, though."

"What a fantastic lodge, cleverly built into the rocks. We were upgraded to the only suite for the one night we were there, which was a wonderful treat. Elevated accommodation with a vast bedroom and lounge area, outside bath with a private view and large decking area. We were hot and tired after a long drive and decided to postpone sightseeing to make the most of it (plus the all inclusive bar) .

The food was delicious, as we found throughout our visit to Namibia. The only thing we would have liked in hindsight was a mosquito net. The mosquitos were a bit pesky despite the insect repellant and 'Doom' spray, and I got quite badly bitten. That aside we would have loved to have stayed longer."

"What a fantastic lodge, cleverly built into the rocks. We were upgraded to the only suite for the one night we were there, which was a wonderful treat. Elevated accommodation with a vast bedroom and lounge area, outside bath with a private view and large decking area. We were hot and tired after a long drive and decided to postpone sightseeing to make the most of it (plus the all inclusive bar) .

The food was delicious, as we found throughout our visit to Namibia. The only thing we would have liked in hindsight was a mosquito net. The mosquitos were a bit pesky despite the insect repellant and 'Doom' spray, and I got quite badly bitten. That aside we would have loved to have stayed longer."

"We stayed here for one night. We were impressed by the singing welcome and goodbye. Even the chef joined in.

Our thatched cottage was comfortable and we had a nice view. The night we stayed, a bush dinner was set up, which was great fun. The BBQ was delicious and the bar staff didn't seem to mind that we kept them up late afterwards."

"Ongava Lodge is beautifully located with the open lounge and dining area overlooking the waterhole. Nice ambience. We weren't lucky enough to see the rhinos on our game drive (although we saw a small lion family with two adorable cubs) but we did see one at night at the waterhole. There is a hide which enables close up views and the rhino hung around for quite a while.

Our room was a little way from the main lodge and waterhole, but very private. We could relax on the deck and watch the procession of animals making their way across to the waterhole.

As we found throughout our trip the food was delicious."

"Onguma Tree Top was very different. A small lodge with only 4 rooms linked by an elevated walkway overlooking a very busy waterhole. This was a real treat. Very quiet and relaxing watching the comings and goings at the waterhole from our bed or the deck.

The evening safari on the property was great and we got a close up look at a family of lions and once again excellent sundowners and sunset.

The food was fantastic and was prepared in front of us by the chef. The staff, as everywhere, were welcoming and friendly. Another place we didn't want t leave!"

"This was the last leg of our trip. We had enjoyed every single place we had stayed and we certainly weren't disappointed with Okonjima. Another beautifully designed lodge with great staff and good food.

We were impressed with our massive room with a private view from the bed. We also had a separate 'viewing' room, equipped with 2 chaises longues, a fridge, tea, coffee and biscuits, and overlooking a tiny waterhole, with plenty of birdlife to keep us entertained.

We were lucky enough to see leopard and it was really interesting to learn about all the conservation work that goes on here. I would have liked to have seen the wild dogs, but understand they had been moved earlier on in the year, which can't be helped. An excuse for another trip!"