Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs C from W Sussex

"Fabulous setting right on the banks of the Zambezi. The cottages are lovely with good views, set next to the river and far enough apart to give absolute privacy. The sounds of hippo calling to each other accross the river was wonderful. The highlight of our stay was finding a hippo on the lawn in front of our cottage leisurely chomping the grass until, having caught sight of us, it slunk quietly away and slipped back inot the river with a grunt of "goodbye".

Tongabezi facilities were good with private dinning on a wooden deck with unforgettable views of the river. Staff were friendly and attentive.

Activities were very good and staff were amenable to requests. We went to Victoria Falls twice - it was just mesmerising. We also got to visit the Royal Livingstone Hotel en route and had the opportunity to savout the ameneties there and see the mist rising from the falls accross the river!

We enjoyed Tongabezi.

We would like to just make mention here of the second stage of our trip which was overland from Tongabezi to the border with Botswana. This was another terrific experience. The Zambezi is the border and having had our passports stamped at the border post, we had to carry our luggage to the water's edge and wait for a little steel boat to take us accross the mighty Zambezi. Halfway accross, the boatman stopped the boat and gave us a lecture on the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe rivers and the countries bordering - meanwhile the little boat bobbed up and down in this vast expanse of water and the huge lorry ferry ploughed passed us. Slightly surreal!"

"Selinda was really good. We were delighted that we had the Honeymoon Suite...it was more private than the other tents and had wonderful views of the plains over the spillway - elephant and buffalo in long lines crossing the plains.

The tents were luxurious and spacious and furnishings and decoration throughout were beautifully done. Service was unobtrusive and excellant and the staff were helpful and friendly.

We had an exceptional guide (Steve) who behaved very responsibly and was extremely knowledgeable. Game drives were very good although the game was sparse but we saw everything including leopard.

Everything was carried out with the guest's comfort in mind and every whim was catered for. The whole place had a lovely atmosphere and we were made to feel welcome and "special" like honoured guests.

We would thoroughly recommend Selinda."

"We were pleasantly surprised by Kwara. The setting was excellant - a wooded area by a hippo lagoon.The rooms and facilities at Kwara were much better than we expected. Whilst not exactly "luxurious" the tent was extremely comfortable and pleasant and very private being high up on stilts with views over the plains.

We had good game sightings from our terrace and also had five elephants outside the tent one evening eating the trees. This was a little scary but very exciting and we watched them for some time before they moved on to the next copse and tent. There were also hyenas who regularly raided the kitchen and on our last evening, a lioness waiting outside camp as if expecting tit bits!!

Guiding was slightly disappointing. I think we were unlucky in that we were assigned a new guide who seemed to have a fixation on lion kills! There was interaction with the other guides though and we did see lots of game although this involved some very tiring long drives over really awful tracks. The vehicles used were South African Uris which were not suitable for the sandy terrain and these made the drives arduous rather than enjoyable. We enjoyed the mokoro trip...quite an experience...and the double decker boat trip at sundown.

In general, the staff were lovely and there was a very relaxed atmosphere but little attention to detail and service. However, the food was good and several guests had been time and time again.

We did get to see Little Kwara (which had been our preferred choice) and yes, it was more luxurious but game drives were the same as Kwara so I don't think we missed out that much as our main aim was to see game!!

Overall, Kwara was OK."

"As expected of an airport hotel. Nothing to complain about!! (Was previously a Holiday Inn and still looked liked it!). Facilities were good and staff very friendly and helpful."

"Azura lived up to expectations. It was the icing on the cake!

The villas are spacious, airy and private with lovely views of the sea. Each has a lovely garden full of birds. The furnishings are stylish and attractive. There is also a library with a flatscreen TV and 2 PC's for guest use.

Service is very good. Attentive and unobtrusive. The staff are mostly locals keen to learn and they will talk and ask questions (especially about music and football!) Each guest is assigned a "host" which who caters for your every need. The atmosphere is pleasant and courteous. Nothing is too much trouble. Emphasis is on relax and enjoy.

Activities are well managed and cater for individual tastes. Almost always private. Oliver was particularly enthusiastic and knowledgeable and we enjoyed our picnic on Pansy Island followed by the challenging climb up the "big dune"!

We also liked seeing island life and watching the locals coming and going along the beach and wading out to the little boats. The local school was great. Azura is a honeymooners paradise (I suspect we were the only couple who were not on honeymoon).

Overall a great stay and we would heartily recommend it!!"