Reviews of Avani Victoria Falls
(85%) From 210 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Zambezi Sun review
We didn't have high expectations, but were pleasantly surprised. It is an excellent location a really easy stroll to the falls, it was very well maintained and the pool is excellent.
The only suggestion we have is DONT eat in the restaurant for the evening meal. Our agent had said to go to the Royal Livingstone and we did that on the first night - excellent food and service. We tried the restaurant on the second night... it was a debacle. Who would have thought that Potato and Bacon Chowder was in fact potato salad with lettuce and tomato. The other options were all chicken and then were was chicken on the mains. They conceded that the low numbers in the restaurant had caused them problems. We should have eaten at the restaurant around the pool !
Excellent resort, marred by mosquitos
The overall experience was fantastic. However, the only thing which let this hotel down was the amount of mosquito's in the room. We were absolutely bitten to shreds by the mosquito's and this was after using wrist and ankle strap repellents, sprays recommended by the hotel and our own Jungle Formula. There was also a plug-in mosquito repellent which the hotel provided and we kept the patio door closed throughout our stay.
The main bar/pool area was fine, as was the breakfast area, but the room was a haven for mosquito's. I would recommend the hotel fumigates the rooms twice daily, when the room is turned over in the morning and once before bedtime.
Average stay in a rather corporate hotel
We wished we had booked the Royal Livingstone Hotel. The Royal Livingstone is the sister hotel to the Zambezi Sun and there is a free shuttle between them.
As soon as we arrived we realised that the Zambezi Sun had a rather corporate feel to it. The bars and rooms are all inward looking to the inner garden area and so we could have been anywhere in the world. The Royal Livingstone on the other hand has wonderful views over the Zambezi River where we saw our first hippo whilst having a gin and tonic in the riverside bar, wonderful. I realise this is a review of the Zambezi Sun but unless your budget is really tight than I think the Royal Livingstone is worth the extra cost just so you can have breakfast with that wonderful view of the Zambezi.
We tried to change our booking but unfortunately all the rooms in the Royal Livingstone were fully booked. We had dinner there and it was wonderful.
Zambezi Sun. (Avani)
Fantastic position to the falls. A large and less intimate hotel but with plenty of space and a lovely pool to relax after the 5 AM starts!!
Read more about the whole tripZambezi Sun review
Please see the review of our first 3 nights at Zambezi Sun - now taken over by a new company and called Avani Resort.
Read more about the whole tripA 3 night stay followed by 1 night later
We were picked up promptly at Livingstone airport and the driver gave us a good introduction to Zambia on our drive to the hotel. We were greeted by a quartet of lads in costume singing and dancing to new arrivals. This gave a great atmosphere to start with! We enjoyed watching the zebras and impala roaming the grounds in amongst the iron work animal statues dotted around the grounds.
Our rooms were clean and very well decorated. Good facilities. During our single day/night, stay, the electric power frequently went off but was indicative of the whole area - not just the hotel - but quickly restored.
Breakfast was good with a wide choice and good friendly service.
The pool was cleaned each morning and checked regularly during the day as leaves etc kept floating into the water. There were frequent checks.
met expectations
selected hotel for its proximity to Victoria Falls ( although views of Falls from hotel property were somewhat limited). An unexpected benefit was the fact that the hotel was located within a National Park and there was abundant wildlife that were cited while walking thru the very spacious grounds of the hotel and its "sister hotel" located nearby.
Wildlife cited while strolling included baboon families (en route to Victoria Falls viewing area), zebra, giraffe and impalas. A member of the grounds staff was extremely helpful in walking us to the area where the zebra and giraffe were grazing.
The entire hotel staff ( reception staff, security people, grounds staff, wait staff) were extremely friendly, helpful when needing assistance, and appeared sincere in their efforts to provide outstanding service to the hotel guests. Hotel rooms were clean, and while not luxurious, were very adequate and met our expectations. The breakfast provided as part of the room cost very extensive and food quality was good/excellent.
We had a late evening snack (no dinners because of other scheduled activities outside the hotel property) at poolside which was good/excellent. We had a snack at the pool one afternoon--service was a little slow but this was only a very minor inconvenience.
Zambezi Sun + Royal Livingstone
Although we had initially booked the Zambezi Sun, we were lucky enough to be upgraded to the Royal Livingstone. The location of the 2 hotels is perfect for being close to the Falls & all activities.
The service is also very good in both hotels. However if you plan to spend sometime at the hotel, then the RL has perfect river views. The whole frontage of the hotel (restaurant, bar, pool) & all the rooms are directly overlooking the Zambezi river. You can see Hippos in the river & Elephants crossing from the other side, inside the grounds of the hotel Zebra, Giraffe & Impala are also roaming free.
This is definitely worth paying the extra for.
Location Ideal for an Overnight Stay
Victoria Falls are magnificent. Pictures, postcards, and even documentaries do not adequately capture the grandeur of the falls that you experience being there getting drenched in the mist blowing up from the gorge, the continuous deep reverberating thunder felt throughout your entire body.
The falls are just a short, safe walk from the Zambezi Sun property. Otherwise, the western resort style hotel is nothing special. In all fairness, though, my style is more adventurous, preferring remote bush camps. The Zambezi Sun was clean and the rooms were brightly decorated, the breakfast was good, and the staff was helpful.
