Travel reviews by Ms P. from Minneapolis
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
6
Excursions taken
2
My Oct 2018 trip
Tanzania and 1 other country between 25 Oct 2018 and 12 Nov 2018
"My daughter and I absolutely loved our safari and bush experiences. The bush camp staff were exceptionally committed, knowledgeable, and hospitable.
Unfortunately, we were terribly disappointed with the last part of the trip in Zanzibar."
Unfortunately, we were terribly disappointed with the last part of the trip in Zanzibar."
Feedback response
We are really glad to hear that these clients had a wonderful time on safari, and enjoyed their stay at each of camps. We are sorry to hear that they were disappointed by Zanzibar, and felt that this did not match up to their time on safari. Time spent on the beach is typically much more affordable than time on safari, and the drop in quality is often very noticeable when following a luxurious safari with highly attentive staff. Whilst all the beach lodges we feature are different, we feel that they all provide a good standard of comfort. We are sorry that Zanzibar did not live up to their expectations on this occasion.
Arranged By Lyndsey Marris
Oliver's Camp
"Oliver's Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived
27 Oct 2018
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
1 sighting
Cheetah
1 sighting
Eland
Many sightings
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Hippo
1 sighting
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
Many sightings
Wildebeest
Many sightings
Zebra
Many sightings
Gibb's Farm
"Gibb's Farm review"
2 nights
Arrived
29 Oct 2018
"We absolutely loved Gibbs Farm! Every part of the property, accommodations and service were absolutely perfect. The location was fantastic - on the crater rim but outside Ngorogoro. We could have used another day here to rest and relax and adjust to the time change and rigorous schedule."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Lake Manyara Safari
"Safari in Lake Manyara National Park review"
29 Oct 2018 • All-day excursion
This was a busy and crowded park, notable for baboons and elephants. While we enjoyed seeing the wildlife, we could have skipped this park and gone directly to Gibbs Farm for rest and relaxation.
Safari in Ngorongoro Crater
"Safari in Ngorongoro Crater review"
30 Oct 2018 • All-day excursion
I'm glad we visited the crater because of its geological features. The trip into and out of the crater was rather intense - steep and rocky (which describes most of our drives). We did not see as much wildlife.
Namiri Plains Camp
"Namiri Plains Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
31 Oct 2018
"Another of our favorite camps and parks! Our guide Khahil was terrific and the wildlife sightings were fantastic.
We really enjoyed the camp manager Diana and the rest of the staff. Again, the food was so delicious.
We had developed colds and had to share a jeep with a loud talkative couple, so on our last afternoon we decided to slow down, get out of the jeep, and take a walking safari. It was such a good experience, finished by gin and tonics with the rest of the guests in the bush."
We really enjoyed the camp manager Diana and the rest of the staff. Again, the food was so delicious.
We had developed colds and had to share a jeep with a loud talkative couple, so on our last afternoon we decided to slow down, get out of the jeep, and take a walking safari. It was such a good experience, finished by gin and tonics with the rest of the guests in the bush."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
Many sightings
Cheetah
Many sightings
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Hippo
1 sighting
Lion
Many sightings
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
Wildebeest
Many sightings
Zebra
Many sightings
Ikuka Safari Camp
"Ikuka review"
4 nights
Arrived
3 Nov 2018
"Another remarkable property in an unbelievable location. We loved our guide Reuben, who went out of his way to show us different parts of the park and the wonders of wildlife.
I still had a cold so I stayed at the camp one morning. The staff was quite kind and solicitous.
This was the perfect place to finish our safari adventure."
I still had a cold so I stayed at the camp one morning. The staff was quite kind and solicitous.
This was the perfect place to finish our safari adventure."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Eland
1 sighting
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
Many sightings
Roan antelope
1 sighting
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
Zebra
1 sighting
Matemwe Lodge
"Matemwe Lodge review"
3 nights
Arrived
7 Nov 2018
"This was suppose to be the relaxation part of our safari, but we found the whole transition very jarring and unpleasant. The contrast to the bush was so stark and discombobulating. I would not recommend this facility for the transition out of the bush - in fact, we wish we had gone straight home and had avoided this experience altogether..
It is located quite far from the airport on a very rough and rocky road - we probably expected a smooth and gentle transfer. The resort was enclosed by a high wall separating it from the village -- completely the opposite of Gibbs Farm where the village life was incorporated into the camp.
The facility was not at the level of our bush camps and we were immediately disappointed. It felt desolate, isolated (in a very different way from being far distances in the bush). It was not remotely as comfortable as the bush camps, and the food was sorely disappointing too. This did not seem up to Asilia standards whatsoever.
The manager was cordial but not as warm and welcoming as our previous hosts. She didn't understand our disconnect with the place and kept saying odd things like "the village children are well fed" and "the village people are very happy with their lifestyle." Our concern was not with the village but rather the entire experience. She tried to make our stay a bit more pleasant with a water trip to a nearby island and we really enjoyed that outing.
Another disappointment is that where other camps were all-inclusive, this facility was not - drinks, laundry, and excursions were all extra.
This was such a terrible disconnect with our bush experience. We left a day early, which was a mistake, because we really hated - using this strong work intentionally - our room in Stone Town."
It is located quite far from the airport on a very rough and rocky road - we probably expected a smooth and gentle transfer. The resort was enclosed by a high wall separating it from the village -- completely the opposite of Gibbs Farm where the village life was incorporated into the camp.
The facility was not at the level of our bush camps and we were immediately disappointed. It felt desolate, isolated (in a very different way from being far distances in the bush). It was not remotely as comfortable as the bush camps, and the food was sorely disappointing too. This did not seem up to Asilia standards whatsoever.
The manager was cordial but not as warm and welcoming as our previous hosts. She didn't understand our disconnect with the place and kept saying odd things like "the village children are well fed" and "the village people are very happy with their lifestyle." Our concern was not with the village but rather the entire experience. She tried to make our stay a bit more pleasant with a water trip to a nearby island and we really enjoyed that outing.
Another disappointment is that where other camps were all-inclusive, this facility was not - drinks, laundry, and excursions were all extra.
This was such a terrible disconnect with our bush experience. We left a day early, which was a mistake, because we really hated - using this strong work intentionally - our room in Stone Town."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Average
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
Feedback response
We are very sorry to hear that these clients had a bad experience at Matemwe Lodge, as ordinarily this property receives good reviews from our travellers. At the time of travel the roads in Zanzibar were undergoing maintenance works, which has been impairing the quality of the journey to the east coast of Zanzibar and clearly had a negative impact on these travellers journey for which we can only apologise. We are also sorry to hear that they found the lodge to be disconnected from the village, and did not live up to their expectations, especially when compared to the safari camps. Whilst the hotel is closely involved with the local community, including supporting the local school and clinic, this is often not apparent to guests staying at the lodge. The lodge is in a secluded location at the north end of Matemwe Village, and, is surrounded by a wall, as are many properties on Zanzibar. This helps to create a private experience for the guests and prevents guests from being approached, while they relax, by those trying to sell goods. We are sorry that this made these travellers feel isolated. Matemwe Lodge is intentionally rustic in style although we have always found it to deliver a high level of comfort and the lodge underwent a soft refurbishment earlier in 2018. However we know the lodge always takes traveller feedback seriously and will look into these issues raised. Accommodation on Zanzibar and the beach is typically much more affordable than on safari, and overall the standards of service can be lower, and we can appreciate that this can cause disappointment after a luxurious safari with highly attentive staff. Accommodation on Zanzibar is usually booked on a half-board or full-board basis, which we mention in all our documentation to our travellers, and sadly many hotels do not offer an all-inclusive package.
Africa Specialist
Jafferji House
"Jafferji House review"
1 night
Arrived
10 Nov 2018
"This was a huge mistake - it was not the magical place depicted in the literature. The manager was unfriendly, the room was stuffy to the point of suffocating, and the days seemed interminable waiting to leave - completely opposite of our lovely and wondrous days in the bush, which flew by.
We decided to spend as much time as possible out of our room, so we made our own itinerary - visit to a spice plantation, prison island, walk around the area, visit local coffee shops."
We decided to spend as much time as possible out of our room, so we made our own itinerary - visit to a spice plantation, prison island, walk around the area, visit local coffee shops."
Terrible
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Terrible
Location
Average
Service
Terrible
Activities
Terrible
Rooms
Terrible
Food
Average
Facilities
Poor
Feedback response
We are very sorry to hear that these travellers disliked their time at Jafferji House in Stone Town. Jafferji House is a small boutique hotel in the heart of the old town, and whilst it has not been designed to be overly luxurious we feel that it still offers a good level of comfort and is one of the better boutique hotels in Stone Town. Stone Town can be hot and humid in November but Jafferji House does have air-conditioning in all the rooms, though we are sorry to hear that this did not help them. Jafferji House always takes travellers feedback seriously and we are sure that they will take their comments onboard.
Africa Specialist
The camp manager Levi was a very hospitable host. The food was remarkably delicious (I asked for a few recipes)."