Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs SA from Norfolk

"Just the best of places and not being 5 star makes the place even better.

Food is simple and enjoyable though could get repetitive since the menu cycle is based upon a 4 day stay. We stayed for a week.

The beaches, the sea, the swimming and the snorkelling are out of this world.

However our villa could have done with a make over. The wet room had an old shower head that sprayed water everywhere and the water in the wet room had a mind to come into the rest of the villa. Not mind blowing to design a wet room where the water stays in the wet room! The chairs on the veranda were "tired" and frankly uncomfortable. I had mine replaced with a more modern looking one and my wife made herself comfortable with lots of cushions. Our front door did not lock/unlock correctly being broken though it was only there to keep the birds out! We rather enjoyed the issues with the villa, reminded us of home."

"Delightfully converted and developed estate house with a swimming pool which was nice to cool off in.

The staff were very friendly helpful and made our stay hassle free.

Being set back and on the hill from the beach the hotel was nicely away from the noise and rush of the port however it was a very short walk or cycle ride down to the port."

"We loved this hotel the first time we stayed on the island and were most pleased to stay again in a beach room. Our room had had a recent make over and was of good quality build and looked great.

However the designer must have been a tad short of the practicalities of a "good " room. The wardrobe in the back of the room needed some form of lighting to see what was in them. The bathroom which looked fantastic was far from ideal. The basins were difficult to use (his and hers) and there was no shelf to put things on except under the basins in a puddle of water and then try to fish them out. The toilet door was only supposed to open inwards which blocked access to the WC which one almost has to step over to get in. Getting out one pushed the door the wrong way and then it hit one of the basins before opening fully. It was easier to squeeze through the gap than open the door the correct way. The bath was fantastic but the taps were on a remote tripod arrangement...………...so I could not turn the water off with my foot!

The shower greeted one with a blast of cold water if the cleaner/previous user had put the hand shower facing the door. However a hand shower AND an overhead shower which worked really well made up for most of the design deficiencies.

Yes little things in an otherwise great room."

"Jonna is a fantastic guide and made out stay the greatest. Lack of rains in January and February resulted in early die back of the grasses and the game was unbelievable. I shed a tear having to leave River Camp after 4days and 5 nights of total excessive hospitality."

"Yet again a fab stay and the people are so nice. Total attention to the guests seems to be the guidelines for all the staff.
We were spoilt. And the game continued in bucket loads."

"Our guide Kiki was again top guy like all RPS's staff and we were treated to great Safaris. While Bertram built a bridge for us to cross a stream Kiki was faced with either us wading through the muddy waters or going back. He was persuaded that we might be old but were not going back. Off came the boots and I suggested trousers as well but this would have been going too far! The resulting "bare foot safari" through the marsh must be a highlight of the holiday and surprisingly yours truly did not fall into the water.
Again we came across a multitude of game and birds...............what a fantastic way to see Africa. We wondered why did we ever come in the dry season since the valley in the wet season is beautiful and packed with all the animals you could wish to see, many with their young"

"This river lodge delivers "all what it says on the can" in luxury and service. We were even given a surprise dinned on the balcony of our chalet by the staff to celebrate that we were in our 40th year of marriage.

While the Shire river was so low that the waters no longer came up to the camp we had great views of the river from the camp. The wild life was varied and excellent even for non birders.

A visit to the sanctuary was well worthwhile to see the elephants and other four footed game at the water hole which is kept active from pumped water during the dry season."

"Pumulani is a curious Lodge in design and what is on offer. In its day I am sure that the chalets were ground breaking and award winning however the dated design lacks practical functionality in many respects. The rooms are huge as are the beds but lack details such as bedside tables [ we had to use a chair] , hanging space [there was one unit on the wall] , places to put haversacks [I used a book table]. The bathroom was huge and totally mega.....twin shower.....twin basin...and bath. Well the bath was a very small and I could only just squat in it. The basins were set high and too far back on the shelf to allow personal washing. The ballroom door which opened inwards leading to the bedroom had no catch the bedroom side and was hung so that it was always open into the bathroom. The bedroom access from the vast lobby come sitting room was through an opening with no door. The chalet had one small air conditioning unit in the bedroom which might just have been sufficient for the bedroom but with all the open doors etc really could not cope and made little difference.

The brick built chalet was painted green unlike the main building which was cream. Our chalet walls became roasting hot during the day and the chalet was an oven which the single air conditioning unit had little effect upon. The main building walls were much cooler than ours. One could not leave any windows open since there were no grills/mesh/nets to keep the monkeys and insects out. There was little in roof overhang thus the sun poured into the rooms. One wall had windows pointing to the rising sun thus the chalets warmed quickly in the mornings. The expedient of adding shutters was an obvious addition the chalet needed to these windows. The balconies [two!] offered fantastic views and a nice 15 foot drop onto rocks below which the single piece of tree branch nailed to questionable uprights seemed little safety. The balconies were potential death traps and our chalet was not suitable for a "family" I guess. Things were different a few years ago.

What to do at Pumulani now that the lake has dropped is serious question. Swimming off the "beach" is a No No since the waters edge is thick mud into which one sinks to the knees. Worse still is the fact that the beach is very flat and one has to wade many meters out before one can then float through the weed. Not a pleasant experience. We did struggle out to the advertised swimming platform which was covered with bird droppings and unusable. There is a small sandy area 5 minutes walk from the beach where one can get into the warm lake water and swim among the weed which the lodge management seem to know little about. There was a much better beach 45 minutes walk or canoe paddle from the lodge where the swimming was quite good. Pity that the management had not thought to arrange free boats to this area since their beach was not for swimming. We took a ride to an island to snortle with the fishes which was good if expensive. I used the Lodge's sailing boats which were for the competent sailor I would suggest, and were in a bad condition and poorly maintained. We went for a scramble up the hill behind the Lodge. Two and a half hours later we considered the scramble was a bad description and should have been described as a "serious" walk for a rambler and impossible on a hot day. Our day was cloudy and low twenties centigrade. This brings up another issue with the Lodge.

The management seemed to know little of what was on offer for the visitors. They did not know about the beaches, we doubted that they had been on the walks, doubtful that they had used the sailboats and obviously had little idea about the chalets. I did suggest to the under manager that she should stay in a chalet to experience the pros and cons.

But before one thinks this is just a moan this lodge has mains electricity to each chalet [and backup generator] , air conditioning, kettle and fridge and air conditioning. Good food at the restaurant and a practical swimming pool. We had dinner on the beach one night. The service was second to none all our stay and the laundry service was free and same day returned.
The management admitted that there were things to be done like getting an engine for their second boat. The engine had been "bought" a year ago and delivery was the "problem". Malawi is very poor and life is very very Africa !
Pumulani is a great place to relax and unwind but hardly a lake beach holiday."

"Tongole Lodge is both an uplifting story and a worry. The wild life park has been fenced leaving Tongole Lodge outside the park. The animals have been moved into the park thus there should be few four footed animals to see. The birds of course fly over the fence. The water for the park is via the Bua river which when we were there had ceased to flow and was just a few water holes. With 3 months before the rains we wondered what the animals would do for water when the holes dry. Tongole always has a length of the river flowing past the lodge since the river is fed by a series of springs which have never been know to dry up. If the park elephants get too thirsty they may well knock the fence down despite the 7000 volts on it. We were not allowed into the park, a third of which had been burnt [by poachers it is thought], since there were few roads and the animals needed time to settle in after the move. A lot had come from the Shire river area. We had no particular desire to go into the park to see more elephants and the tsetse flies were everywhere.

Tongole Lodge was a fantastic few days which we spent mostly canoeing up and down the river watching birds. My highlight was the Fish Eagle which flew from a tree and snatched a large catfish out of the river in front of us. Our host and guide Emmanuel was a fund of knowledge on all the flora and forna though his speciality was birds. Birds were varied and plentiful.
The lodge cook was a genius and each meal perfectly cooked. The accommodation was up to the best safari lodge standard.
The service was embarrassingly good, made more so in that we were the only tourist there for three of our days. What a pity that the lodge did not have more guests though I suggest that this lodge is not for those who want to watch big game since there is little to see. We did see monkeys, two elephants, bush buck and crocodiles."

"Met our needs for a comfortable one night stop after the flight"

"Perhaps we were spoilt as we were the only 2 guests there for the whole four days. Bruno had a broken leg so his son Cai was our guide.

Fortunately Bruno and Cai's idea of heaven was just to be out walking in the bush which matched ours exactly. The occasional game sighting and talk on the flora and fauna added to the walking. I think because we were so at one with Bruno we were privileged to be taken to see some of his prized game one night, while our supper simmered away at camp.

Talking of food it was good camp tucker and went down well.

This is not a luxury game lodge with game drives. More an exclusive part of Namibia for who want to experience Africa and walk the bush with an agreeable and knowledgeable host."

"We just stopped the one night. Very smart lodge and excellent friendly service.

Views across the river from our room were good."

"Stayed here two nights with these friendly people and enjoyed excellent room, service and food. What more could one ask of a Lodge on the banks of the Okavango River than to be sung to sleep by the sound of hippos.

An ideal location for the Mahango Reserve.

We visited the Mahango Reserve three times while there and saw an amazing variety of game and birds."

"The papyrus was burning in numerous places when we arrived and only the night before the Lodge had only been saved by damping down the roofs. The owners offered us another lodge north which we accepted as it would have been foolish to refuse,

Eve and Small took us by boat to the alternative lodge and were our hosts and guides for our two nights. They even arranged for our car to be moved.

What can we say about Eve and Small that would reflect the care and attention given to the two of us. Yes we were their only charges for our stay and I hope they enjoyed the boat safaris as much as we did. We left feeling pampered and privileged."

"A very comfortable lodge fit for royalty with game drives on land and water. What more could one ask of an African holiday?

We were privileged to be out game driving when the first rain of the season arrived and did it rain! The guides said it was one of the most violent storms they had experienced with lightening , thunder and sheet rain. It was so bad that we could not drive and sheltered in a Ranger Station. If you have never smelt the bush after the first rains you have missed and experience. Elephants appeared and seemed overjoyed with the rain. What an experience!"

"Spending 2 days on an African cruise is a great way to see the birds and game that abound on the Chobe River.

The boat was very comfortable and the crew always attentive and the guide we had knew his river well. We even managed to see and photograph a group of three lions one evening.........from a boat!

To drink with elephants was a new experience though I expect the elephants were well used to tourists in boats and were happy to have us quite so close."

"We saw the Falls in full flood last year. This year there was a draught and next to no water in the Falls. We went swimming in the Devils pool at the top of the Falls, a spooky experience to say the least.

The Hotel may be old but is still an excellent site with the best of services and an unbeatable location.

Why stay anywhere else one would have to say?"

"The trouble with our holiday is that we chose the best camps to stay in and while they were all different they were all 5 star.

We loved every day and were treated like Royals."

"The trouble with our holiday is that we chose the best camps to stay in and while they were all different they were all 5 star.

We loved every day and were treated like Royals.

Mind you Tuba Tree camp is the most fantastic lodge arrangement and truly superior"

"The trouble with our holiday is that we chose the best camps to stay in and while they were all different they were all 5 star.

We loved every day and were treated like Royals.

We thought that the canoe safari might be a waste of an afternoon however we thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the sundowners with the other guests. It was perhaps the change from so many road safaris."

"Anyone going to see the Falls really should stay here since it is truly grand and in sterling terms not expensive. We rounded off our trip to Botswana with a trip to the Falls and 3 nights at the Livingstone and it was a very good decision.

We went home refreshed and recharged and the Falls were worth two visits."

"This has to be THE top hotel though I can see that some people might find the rooms a little old fashioned.

The room was large, comfortable, huge bed, nice bath and shower, lots of hot water and since we were on the beach front a great view in the evenings and mornings.

The monsoon was blowing in the right direction for the hotel and therefore no weed, clear water, no waves and great snorkelling.

Food excellent and the choice very good.

The staff were really very friendly and helpful. How nice to have free tea and cakes at 4pm-5pm.

And the biggest surprise was that the hotel appeared so quiet. It was reasonably full though it seemed not so. Just reflects how nice the experience was........relaxing and luxurious."

"If you are the type of person who likes nature, is happy to have birds sitting on the veranda all day and night, loves deserted beaches, golden sands and the constant presence of birds, crabs, tortoises, and other animals then this could just be the place.

We could well understand why the return rate is so high for Bird Island............oh and not a paper, radio or TV was available....................GREAT.

We have given activities and facilities excellent since these were nature based and we loved them.

Not a child friendly place would be our guess, they might get bored and pester the wild life."

"Why go to the Seychelles and stay in another Hilton one might ask.

Our room was a disaster waiting to happen. Rather dark and done nicely in wood however. Our bed area was raised up about 9 inches thus an invitation to falling over day or night as one could not see the step. They gave us daft bits of cake in the room each day but wanted to charge us 5 EURO to use the WIFI in the loby area. We understand that a high percentage of customers complain at the wifi charges. The washbasins in our room were impossible to use without spraying water everywhere. They looked fancy however.

The bar/snackbar we wanted to use was "unusable" in the evening due to the live entertainment being three times too loud. The management might have considered why the bar was used by so few people and why a number preferred to sit outside even when it was raining.

Oh for Bird Island, why did we not stay another few nights."

"m"

"Even though the glass door in the resaurant fell out when my wife walked into it!"

"Lovely people in a super loation"

"It was a farm but did not disappoint either in interest, facilities or friendliness"

"What we expected since everyone just comes down here to see the dunes.
Staff OK but not as friendly as other lodges.
Our guide to the dunes was fantastic , a super day."

"Very friendly people who seemed genuinely interested that we had a good stay.
Great farm food and a fantastic walk down a valley with a stream."

"We thought we would have some R&R in the sun until it was explained to us that the weather is alway worse than Skegness in winter!"

"The staff were mega friendly and helpful.

It was what holidays are all about."

"While the service and food was "typical of a large hotel" [what a diiference to the smaller places we stayed in] the location and facilities for game watching were tops."

"We thought this Camp was much better than the previous one, perhaps because we were in the Park and the camp was not so large.
Staff were still a little less friendly than the farms and lodges we stayed however no complaints.

Food again as a bit large hotel buffet............ie the coffee was cold and they seemed to run out of plates again!

Take an early evening meal was good advice.
Game watching was again more than we hoped for."

"While this was just a stop over for on the way home the manager and staff were again the friendliest and nicest people one could hope to meet.

We just loved the challets and had a nice moring walk."

"Pole Pole is an eco lodge however you would not think so from the excellent service and standard of the place.

Being only a few guests at one time one is assured of a personal service second to none. The temperatures were very high 33c and the humidity very high thus drying of things was a little bit of a problem........but no hassle to the understanding guest.

We ate like kings and queens the 5 star food. The sea was warm, the corral and fishes a marvel. The manager Gabriele who was standing in for the owner could not do too much for us and was concerned that each guest each day was getting the most out of Pole Pole and the facilities.

Finally one word of caution! The dining room chairs were instruments of torture and we were pleased to hear that Gabriele was to recommend that they were burnt as soon as possible, and some comfortable chairs purchased."

"The bungalow was excellent, comfortable and well fitted out. The bathroom was a palace. There was even coffe and tea making facilities in the bungalow which was a surprise. The two pools, bar and restaurant areas were in top class condition and the gardens were beautiful.

The place was a bit of a surprise being a bit off the beaten track yet all the facilities you could ask for. There was so much at Matemwe bungalows for so few guests that we felt very special.

The food was good however I think we had been spoilt having just come from Pole Pole where the food was out of this world. The bay has a lot of stones and sea urchins thus is not suitable for swimming except with shoes and then only in one or two sandy areas at high water.

With restricted sea access we were a bit concerned at the high price for a boat trip to the corral bank for snortelling and the trip for lunch on the sand bank was priced far too high in our opinion"

"If one goes to a marine park lodge one does not expect a 5 star hotel, and Chumbe will not disappoint. I am reminded of the song the "Bare Necessities" when thinking of the earth toilet in our chalet which was a one room accommodation for those who know each other.

This not for profit operation was to protect the marine park and guests were a route to this objective. The guides were very friendly and everyone was keen to ensure that we had an excellent holiday with them. The snortellng was first class on a fantastic corral reef. We will never forget swimming with a large Hawkbilled turtle.

Chumbe Island Lodge did not disappoint but it would not be to everyones taste."

"Noted for its food which is very good and not highly priced..........excellent value.

The hotel is really a B & B grown into a small hotel and thus has a nice warm feeling to it.

Again the staff could not do enough for us."

"It is hard to be objective about the Tafika experince since everything was just so perfect. We were lucky/clever in going in October at the end of the dry season when all the game was close to the river. We thought that the staff might be a bit burnt out after months of clients but we could not have been more welcome if we had been the first clients of the year.

The guides and all the other staff were so attentive it was almost embarrassing. How the guides could explain the role of the sausage tree to us and make it fresh and exciting having done it a hundred times already was remarkable. While we expected the guides to specialise in a subject we were delighted that they all seemed to know the flora and forna in depth.

The food was amazing, so good, the rooms clean, fresh and inviting and the setting of Tafika just perfect. One reason that we had such a perfect holiday, saw so much game, had such interesting walking safaris is that Tafika has limited numbers, we think 12 clients at a time. We wanted a holiday Safari experience of a life time and we got it. Tafika is a premium experience but we would definitely say one gets excellent value.

The only problem we had during our stay was finding a plug to charge the camera!

We took a flight into Tafika instead of coming by road..........an excellent move and we suggest it to everyone.

In retrospect the game was a little too available [unafraid]........but I can not really believe that I am complaining!"

"Great walking and we managed to find something new and exciting on each Safari.

While obviously more remote than Tafika the service, food and the camp were just as good.

Could the holiday get better?
Excellent for all aspects................"

"We loved this bushcamp not just because it had all the Tafika standards but because the area was so beautiful.

Clients who just go to Tafika would be missing a seriously great experience if they did not come here."

"No more words are needed........... just thanks to some very nice people."

"We would not have missed the Mwaleshi camp experience from choice since in a way it was so different to the other camps in the southern park.

All the Tafika standards of service, food etc were here but the game was a lot more nervous.

Our walking Safaris were therefore more exciting and we had to work for our views of the game."

"I am sure the service was good however after Tafika we felt that the hotel did not really want to see us and we were just another 2 tourists passing through.

The evening meal was poor.....we had a steak each and returned Pam's since it was cold and we were not sure it had been cooked.

The room was average and neither Pam or I slept well.........Oh for the delights of Tafika."