Hi Ilze.
I’m now feeling normal finally after the trip home.
All connections went without a hitch. Everywhere you said people would meet us, they were there were there with signs, greeting us by name and in autos that were clean. Everyone offered us bottled water when we arrived to be driven heather and yon.
One and Only Hotel was excellent. It compares favorably to a Ritz, Four Season, or Intercontinental Hotel. Our water view room was large, with fine linen. Buffet breakfasts were of fine quality, even inluding fresh oysters every day. Staff called us by name. Security was top notch. I really appreciated not being nickle and dimed for various fees such as internet, valet parking, and resort fees. South Africa is way ahead of USA in this aspect. We had one small problem in our 5 night stay and management took care of problem immediately. No issue.
One small issue that some of your clients might need to know about. We stopped for afternoon tea at the 12 Apostles Hotel and found out that they allow cats to stay on site as pets. I am very allergic to cats and It would have been a problem for me. Another issue the 12 Apostles has, they are repainting some of their rooms and there is the strong smell of fresh paint, also most of the rooms can only be reached by stairs as their elevators only go to the front building. We are happy we did not stay there.
Shinde Tent Camp was an excellent first stop on our first visit to Southern Africa. Food, service, accommodations excellent. No A/C, so I would not go in your summer. We were the only Americans there, but no issue. We met a lot of very nice people. Three days was the proper time to spend at this camp. Great experience
Linkwasha Camp was our favorite site for the whole trip. We could of stayed a week. When I visualized Africa from my readings, this is what I thought. I can’t say enough about this camp. You were the one that recommended it and the one we doubted and questioned the most. This was the big winner. Kudos to you. I assumed you have stayed there so I won’t go into details. If you need more info, let me know.
Chobe Game Lodge was a great hotel but we only needed two days there. It feels like Disney Africa. Area very touristy and they only had two sets of same activities. I did have a nice massage at hotel. Food was great.
Royal Livingstone was a one night stay. One day was enough for us. Area very touristy, hotel barely 4 star. We can say we saw Victoria Falls. Everything as expected.
Exeter River Lodge was an excellent stay. Food and service excellent. Common areas in great shape. Rooms had unheated pools and very nice outside showers. Rooms were a bit shabby and worn. Linens need to be replaced. We saw lions eating fresh buffalo kills, very gruesome. Animal viewing excellent. Until rooms get refurbished this is only a 4 star experience. Sorry to be so picky. I think this hotel slightly overrated by Travel Advisor Site. My expectations for this lodge were just so high.
We missed seeing cheetahs and wild dogs on this trip. We would love to come back to Southern Africa. We like staying in luxury tent camps, maybe even some non luxury tent camps on our next visit. Pam is now sorry we did not spend 4 weeks on this trip. Let’s plan a new trip for your winter 2018:
5 nights Cape Town
7 to 10 nights Nambia
4 plus nights Tanzania maybe Kenya if it is safe
8 to 10 nights traveling South Africa, no need to go back to Kruger
To sum up, this was an excellent first trip to Southern Africa. Ilze you get 5 stars for planing and executing the travel plans. I hope everything is going well for you and your family.