Dear Camille,
Although we have been home for months already and faced the dreadful never ending winter snow storms…the vacation still remains vivid in our minds!
It was perfection and I do apologize for the delay in responding to your email. We loved every accommodation. The food at 15 on Orange was perhaps the best cuisine of our trip but that is not to diminish the quality of our meals at the other locals. The girls and I agree that every place, with the exception of the Rovos Rail would be a welcome repeat visit. The train was lovely, however …too formal and confining for the energy level of my 20 year olds, and the staff is polite but not warm or as friendly as all of the other places you chose for us. That was on my bucket list and now it is off.
We all fell in love with Africa and as I’m sure you have heard…the girls were in love with everybody!!! I believe that our family was quite different than their usual guests … they enjoyed the girls “enthusiastic” attitude and having only 2-3 nights at each local was probably enough!
Your planning was flawless.
I will say that the accommodations at Islands of Siankaba were lovely, however, not without a few hiccups. The entrance road was flooded and we were stuck in the mud and needed to transfer to another vehicle, the power went down due to a fallen tree and the backup generator was not fully cooperative (unfortunate more for those working in the kitchen than for us), some wood work was done on my room during our stay and the wood shavings were left on the bathroom floor, and I recommend guests confirm pricing and review extra charges carefully. This may be a reflection more of being in Zambia than the lodge but I do not have a comparison. The staff were charming as with all locations and we did enjoy our stay.
I have recommended your services highly to those whom have expressed an interest in making this wonderful trip.
Thank you again for your seamless planning,
Sherry