Reviews of Ilala Lodge
Wildlife sightings and reviews
260 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Ilala Lodge and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Jul-2019, 47 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Ilala Lodge.
Leopard
0% success
Elephant
53% success
Buffalo
17% success
Zebra
17% success
Mr & Mrs K
Maidstone
"Ilala lodge review"
1 night Arrived 7 Nov 2011
"See previous comments earlier. [Ed: see below!]"
See all these reviews: 8n in Zimbabwe; 1n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Mr & Mrs K
Maidstone
"Ilala Lodge"
1 night Arrived 31 Oct 2011
"Service levels from staff were excellent.
The meal menus were imaginative (not too many dishes) but the actual quality was not quite as good as I had anticipated having read the menu particularly when considering the price which I felt was pretty expensive." See all these reviews: 8n in Zimbabwe; 1n in South Africa
The meal menus were imaginative (not too many dishes) but the actual quality was not quite as good as I had anticipated having read the menu particularly when considering the price which I felt was pretty expensive." See all these reviews: 8n in Zimbabwe; 1n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Mrs B & Ms W
Surbiton
"Ilala Lodge"
3 nights Arrived 16 Oct 2011
"Very relaxing end to our trip. Nathanda at Zambezi Safaris, the in-house tour operators, was excellent!"
See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 3n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs S
Nevada
"Ilala lodge"
2 nights Arrived 14 Oct 2011
"There was miscommunication about our transfers to and from the airport that caused some stress. Otherwise, our stay was excellent.
The activity staff was very nice and helpful." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 2n in South Africa; 2n in Zimbabwe
The activity staff was very nice and helpful." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 2n in South Africa; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr & Mrs P
Harrow
"Ilala Lodge review"
3 nights Arrived 8 Oct 2011
"We stayed in a downstairs room, which was a tad "tired". An upstairs room with a terrace would have been preferrable. We stayed three nights-two might have been sufficient.
Close to the Victoria Falls Hotel and we would recommend having high tea and lunch there. Servise was in general good, but there was one major slip when the wine arrived after the meal." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia; 6n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
Close to the Victoria Falls Hotel and we would recommend having high tea and lunch there. Servise was in general good, but there was one major slip when the wine arrived after the meal." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia; 6n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
R, M, A & P
W Sussex
"Ilala Lodge review"
2 nights Arrived 2 Oct 2011
"This is more of a hotel than a lodge. Some of the staff were "just going through the routine" in their dealings with guests, others were excellent and put themselves out to help us and sort out problems. The river cruise was good and of course its brilliant to see the Falls. The restaurant was excellent.
Our experience of the boarder crossing into Zimbabwe was not good, about 2 / 2.5 hours, two long queues and in high temperatures, at one point queuing in the full sun. In reality there is nothing that can be done about this and it is a reality that "needs to be experienced" as part of visiting Zimbabwe. It may therefore be worth giving a bit more information to prepare people for what may happen." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia; 5n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
Our experience of the boarder crossing into Zimbabwe was not good, about 2 / 2.5 hours, two long queues and in high temperatures, at one point queuing in the full sun. In reality there is nothing that can be done about this and it is a reality that "needs to be experienced" as part of visiting Zimbabwe. It may therefore be worth giving a bit more information to prepare people for what may happen." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia; 5n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs H
Northwood
"Lovely Ilala Lodge"
3 nights Arrived 30 Sep 2011
"Glad we chose this over Vic Falls Hotel. Much quieter and more personal. Friendly and helpful staff. Even tried Warthog Fillet which was excellent.
We were more than happy with our experience of Ilala Lodge. 'Excellent' is a difficult box to tick as there is always room for improvement." See all these reviews: 12n in Zimbabwe
We were more than happy with our experience of Ilala Lodge. 'Excellent' is a difficult box to tick as there is always room for improvement." See all these reviews: 12n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Mr C & Mrs M
Cheshire
"Great small atmospheric hotel"
2 nights Arrived 20 Sep 2011
"2 great days here. a lovely way to finish our holiday. Would recommend this to anyone.
Brilliant location for the falls and all activities can be booked at the hotel and include transfers." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 6n in Zimbabwe
Brilliant location for the falls and all activities can be booked at the hotel and include transfers." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 6n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Family L
Sevenoaks
"Ilala Lodge review"
2 nights Arrived 20 Sep 2011
"Excellent central location 15mins from Falls.
Excellent service from front desk staff & activities agent, slightly let down by slowish service in restaurant." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia; 4n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Excellent service from front desk staff & activities agent, slightly let down by slowish service in restaurant." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia; 4n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Mrs M
Luxembourg
"some problems at Ilala Lodge"
1 night Arrived 17 Sep 2011
"I arrived at Ilala Lodge late in the afternoon and had a positive first impression. My room was spacious, clean with everything you might need in the bathroom. I made reservation at their well known Palm Restaurant and enjoyed an excellent dinner. But, some hours later, the problems startet with cramps etc. Fortunately, my transfer to the airport was scheduled around noon, that left me some time to recover. But it also meant, that no morning visit of the falls and no shopping was possible.
After this unpleasant experience I can recommend Ilala Lodge Hotel, but not their restaurant." See all these reviews: 10n in Zimbabwe
After this unpleasant experience I can recommend Ilala Lodge Hotel, but not their restaurant." See all these reviews: 10n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Rooms:
Good
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