Travel reviews by Ms D from Wellington
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
4
Excursions taken
0
My July 2017 Trip
Kenya between 22 Jul 2017 and 30 Jul 2017
"Overall a really great trip. Porini Camp was not great , but maybe I have been a little spoilt in recent years having stayed at some amazing spots, Elephant Bedroom being one of the best.
As I mentioned I really loved the Samburu area, and would love to go back next year."
As I mentioned I really loved the Samburu area, and would love to go back next year."
Arranged By Richard Trillo
Eka Hotel
"Eka Hotel Review"
1 night
Arrived
22 Jul 2017
"Very nice hotel, great food, and friendly staff"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Porini Amboseli Camp
"Porini Amboseli"
3 nights
Arrived
23 Jul 2017
"Not one of the better camps I've stayed at ! I found the camp a bit disorganised, we were asked to be ready for game drives at a certain time, but our guide was always 15-20 minutes late.
I had chosen this camp because of my love of elephants, very few in the conservancy, and we only went into Amboseli one day for a few hours.
I presume that you passed onto the camp that I was vegetarian, very embarrassing when I asked for a vegetarian meal, it finally arrived when all the other guests had finished eating, and was the same meal they all had, minus the chicken.On the last night the meal was good, so they finally got things right.
I was in the furthest away tent, which is ok, but they would forget about me in the evenings, and I would need to walk to dinner unescorted-- I was ok with this, but for other guests who have not had much bush experience it would have been a frightening experience, especially after they had emphasised the dangers of walking alone after dark.
A small thing, but I never got a clean towel in the 3 days I was there. The second day I purposely left it on the floor, but it still wasn't replaced, just folded and put back on the rack, dirty .
The staff were lovely, I just don't think the management skills were there, things seemed a bit disorganised. This all sounds quite picky when I read back over it, but I have stayed in many different camps over the years, and have very rarely been disappointed."
I had chosen this camp because of my love of elephants, very few in the conservancy, and we only went into Amboseli one day for a few hours.
I presume that you passed onto the camp that I was vegetarian, very embarrassing when I asked for a vegetarian meal, it finally arrived when all the other guests had finished eating, and was the same meal they all had, minus the chicken.On the last night the meal was good, so they finally got things right.
I was in the furthest away tent, which is ok, but they would forget about me in the evenings, and I would need to walk to dinner unescorted-- I was ok with this, but for other guests who have not had much bush experience it would have been a frightening experience, especially after they had emphasised the dangers of walking alone after dark.
A small thing, but I never got a clean towel in the 3 days I was there. The second day I purposely left it on the floor, but it still wasn't replaced, just folded and put back on the rack, dirty .
The staff were lovely, I just don't think the management skills were there, things seemed a bit disorganised. This all sounds quite picky when I read back over it, but I have stayed in many different camps over the years, and have very rarely been disappointed."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Average
Service
Poor
Activities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Poor
Feedback response
The owners of Porini Amboseli responded with great concern to this feedback and are very sorry that things were not better for Ms D. While they are glad that she liked the camp staff they expressed their sincere regrets that the camp didn't live up to her expectations.
They say their guides know they need to be ready at least 15 minutes before game drives. While they believe some other guests were late for the shared game drives, they accept this is no excuse for leaving her waiting without explanation. They will be reiterating to the guides the importance of this.
They regret that during the time she was in camp, there were not as many elephants as usual. Expert Africa have also visited this camp when elephants were all around it, so seeing few in Selenkay is most unusual.
This guest’s request to Expert Africa for vegetarian meals was relayed to the camp’s booking office in Nairobi but did not go beyond there to the camp itself, for which they are very sorry. The member of staff was very apologetic and confirmed she is going to be more meticulous to ensure it doesn't happen again.
The camp was very concerned to hear this guest was not escorted properly after dark, which is not normal practice. They are reviewing their systems to ensure that no guest can ever move around camp after dark without being escorted.
Porini Amboseli's policy on towels is that if the towel is on the floor of the tent it should replaced. They very much regret this did not happen and have taken up the issue with all their tent stewards to ensure the policy is adhered to.
Overall, Expert Africa feels Ms D had an unusually poor experience at this camp, which normally gets abundant praise. As the local community relies heavily on the camp’s success, they recognise they cannot afford to let things slip and will be addressing these issues urgently.
They say their guides know they need to be ready at least 15 minutes before game drives. While they believe some other guests were late for the shared game drives, they accept this is no excuse for leaving her waiting without explanation. They will be reiterating to the guides the importance of this.
They regret that during the time she was in camp, there were not as many elephants as usual. Expert Africa have also visited this camp when elephants were all around it, so seeing few in Selenkay is most unusual.
This guest’s request to Expert Africa for vegetarian meals was relayed to the camp’s booking office in Nairobi but did not go beyond there to the camp itself, for which they are very sorry. The member of staff was very apologetic and confirmed she is going to be more meticulous to ensure it doesn't happen again.
The camp was very concerned to hear this guest was not escorted properly after dark, which is not normal practice. They are reviewing their systems to ensure that no guest can ever move around camp after dark without being escorted.
Porini Amboseli's policy on towels is that if the towel is on the floor of the tent it should replaced. They very much regret this did not happen and have taken up the issue with all their tent stewards to ensure the policy is adhered to.
Overall, Expert Africa feels Ms D had an unusually poor experience at this camp, which normally gets abundant praise. As the local community relies heavily on the camp’s success, they recognise they cannot afford to let things slip and will be addressing these issues urgently.
East Africa Manager
Elephant Bedroom
"the Magnificent Elephant Bedroom"
3 nights
Arrived
26 Jul 2017
"I realise this camp was a lot more expensive than the first, but the contrast was amazing, can't praise Elephant Bedroom enough.
My guide James was fantastic, really went out of his way to make sure you saw as much as possible, and very knowledgable.
Beautiful food, lots of choice, and the rooms were lovely.
I really enjoyed my stay here so much that I am thinking of returning next year.
Heaps of beautiful elephants !"
My guide James was fantastic, really went out of his way to make sure you saw as much as possible, and very knowledgable.
Beautiful food, lots of choice, and the rooms were lovely.
I really enjoyed my stay here so much that I am thinking of returning next year.
Heaps of beautiful elephants !"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Eka Hotel
"Eka Hotel Review"
1 night
Arrived
29 Jul 2017
"Same as the last review , when I was here 7 nights ago"
Excellent