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What our clients are saying about us and our trips...

With web review sites being all the rage these days, it can be a little difficult to sift through the debris to actually find out what a place or hotel is like. From our point of view, having stayed in 99% of the hotels and safari lodges we sell (and quite a few we don't), we think that these reviews can be very misleading as it is impossible to know what the reviewer likes, was looking for, paid etc. etc. In our opinion our job is to find out what you like and match the correct product to you...see how we have done. (please note that ALL of the reviews we feature are 100% real and unedited. If you would like to speak to any of our past clients please let us know)

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Hello Nick,



I can hardly believe that it’s already a week since I got your email and apologise for not getting back to you sooner. My tardiness in no way reflects a reluctance to give you feedback on our trip, rather the difficulty in catching up with life and settling back into some sort of routine.

So, what can I say about our trip?
I said “Wow!” a lot and had a pretty much permanent smile on my face just about sums it up from a personal point of view, but I suppose that doesn’t help you much!

So, here goes:
 
The organisation and coordination were seamless and we were only once, on the return flight from Zanzibar to Dar, slightly at a loss as to where we should go to “check in” at the airport. This was rectified within minutes and I mention it only to emphasise how perfectly everything else worked out.
 
All our flights, transfers, drivers and vehicles were excellent.
 
Onsea House was great but I feel we were there such a short time that we didn’t do it justice somehow.

Ngorongoro Crater was well worth the adjustment to our schedule to include and a fantastic introduction to the country.

Sopa Lodge was excellent and much nicer than it appears on the website.
Kwihala was the absolute highlight for me in the whole trip and I could write a whole book on our time there. Couldn’t recommend it enough.
Rufiji River Lodge had the disadvantage of following Kwihala, but was also excellent and gave us experience of a completely different landscape, flora and fauna.
Ras Nungwi was stunning and the sort of idyllic luxury I never expected to experience.
Beyt al Chai was yet another jewel in our holiday and its individual style made it so much more special than staying in a more conventional hotel would have been.
 
Throughout the entire trip we felt relaxed and confident in what we were doing and the guides, lodge, camp and hotel staff bent over backwards to make us feel welcome and take care of us. Their attitude was always impressively professional but they also took time to get to know us, especially the kids, and not only did we feel as though we were in very good hands but we had lots of fun with them too.

The food was, without exception, exceptional! I cringe when I remember now, asking you what we might expect as vegetarians and the variety and quality of food we were given, even on safari with such limited facilities, would put many restaurants here in Europe to shame.
 
I hope you’ll have gathered by now that I quite enjoyed my trip (!) and would also like to commend you for putting together such a varied and interesting itinerary. It’s clear that you chose wisely in terms of accommodation and location and we very quickly realised that we could confidently look forward to each and every stage.



One other thing I meant to include, particularly with Kwihala, was the attention to details, e.g. early morning wakeup call served with tea and coffee, shortbread heart biscuits served in the afternoon, Baobao tree theme carried throughout the camp, from design features within the tents themselves to the crockery and soap dishes in the bathrooms. Minor points, but definitely add to the experience.



I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend your company and all of the places we stayed in to friends in the future and have already been asked for details by one. I’d be glad to think our experience might encourage someone else to use your services!

 Our trip was special because we were together as two families and will share so many good memories for years to come and for enabling that, I sincerely thank you.



Kind regards,


Jennifer

Jennifer and Family

Hi Nick,



Thanks for your e-mail. Actually I was going to pre-emptively write to you earlier this week but I think we underestimated how long it would take to get back into the swing of things after 3 amazing weeks off!



We had a great time on our honeymoon; thank you for the efforts you went to to put together the itinerary for us. Ras Kutani provided the perfect start after the excitement of the wedding activities and we really enjoyed the setting, the food and the service. To be honest we did nothing but sleep on the beach for the whole three days - just what the doctor ordered!



As I think you had hinted, Jongomero is a touch above Selous in terms of overall experience, and we were especially lucky not to have too many other guests staying with us at the same time. In fact, for the vast majority of the game drives we were the only two guests and even had the luxury of two guides to ourselves...



Selous obviously has the advantage of being able to offer the water and walking safaris, which we found to be a nice change. Obviously the disadvantage is that of busier game drives with more cars out and about but of course that can't be helped and one thing became even more clear as we spoke to other people for whom it was not their first safari: the South is the place to be in terms of not being overrun by other safari-goers and vehicles.

 Unfortunately we had the misfortune of having a young child (6 I think) as well as two young boys from another family (9 & 10) with us at the camp. Probably either families would have been OK in their own right but together there was a tendency to get a bit too hyperactive. However, the management at the camp appreciated the situation even before we formally brought it to their attention and not only did they speak to the families to explain that the behaviour was unacceptable, they also went out of their way to organise for us to be seated away from them and even set up a lunch excursion on the floating pontoon with another honeymoon couple to limit the exposure. Top marks.



Kilindi also gave us just what we needed to unwind again before having to think about returning to reality... The management there also was very keen to make sure people were having a good time and had everything they needed. They couldn't do anything about the rain though! Luckily the afternoons tended to clear up so we still got plenty of beach and pool time :)

The only thing about Zanzibar that we would mention is that the city tour of Stone Town didn't really appear to offer much value for money. I don't know whether the guide was less motivated since it was Sunday and therefore officially a day off (not to mention the first day of Eid after a month of fasting) but we didn't feel as though we gained anything over and above that which we would have got simply by having a guide book and a map of the town..



Overall, any minor niggles were more than offset by great service, delicious food, stunning scenery and of course the excitement of safari. We could not have hoped for a more enjoyable start to married life and would like to thank you once again for everything. Now we have to start saving for the next trip to complete the Big 5 viewings (although 3 out of 5 ain't bad I suppose..)



Regards


Mark and Asu

Mark and Asu

Hi Nick,



I have been trying to send you a note on a couple of occasions but my computer was having none of it so i gave up. Anyway........ 

...without question our trip was the best family holiday we have ever had. The boys loved it as did Andrew and myself and just wish that we could do it all again. 



All the lodges, guides and everyone we met were just brilliant. Swala camp was my favourite lodge, it was just beautiful and waking up to see what was going on at the watering hole was just wonderful. Liz and Garth were just so friendly and i would definitely have sacrificed treetops for another day there. Thomas and Joe both loved Treetops. Boys and trees! Tarangire was great, first predator we saw was a leopard and cub so i could have gone home then! Ammy was our guide in Tarangire, he was such a friendly knowledgable man, as were all or guides; Albert in the Serengeti and Alfred at Ngorogoro.



The Serengeti was just amazing. The Wildebeest were starting to mass and we were lucky enough to watch 3 river crossings even though i would have liked to have seen the mass crossing, i think we were a week early. Thomas was desperate to see a croc attack but by the end he was so happy that they all got across safely, even though there were a few who looked like they were either going to get swept away or taken by the croc who was bearing down on them.

Sayari Camp was great, everyone was very friendly and helpful. Whilst there i had an allergic reaction to Malarone and they were very good about looking up symptoms and giving me so cream and antihystermine. 

Ngorogoro is just something else. It's like the land that time forgot. So beautiful and lush on the outside then once your in it could be a different planet. 

In hindsight i think we should have done Tarangire, then the crater and left the Serengeti until last . It was just so amazing and the numbers of animals we saw anything after was just never going to live up to it. 



Kilindi and Zanzibar was a honeymooners paradise but fortunately they all kept away from us and i don't think our children annoyed them very much. The villa was perfect and we were very well looked after. The hotel arranged for a quide to take thomas and i around stone town which was really great. We managed to avoid the meat market but he loved the fruit and vegetable market and loved hearing about the Slave trade. He was pretty upset as he just couldn't fathom people were bought and sold but he loves history and some aspects of history just don't give us that warm proud feeling.



Thank you so much Nick for organising our holiday. We loved every minute of it. Everything was just brilliant. Even the very small details were taken care of. We saw everything we wanted to. The big five and just about everything else. Still going through my photos, down to 600 but don't want to cull anymore. I could ramble on for ever about what we saw on what day but there is just too much to tell. 

The boys are already asking when we can go back but i quite fancy the gorillas next time and i think the boys need to be older so we'll have to wait for that one. Also there's been chat amongst a few of my friends to climb Kilimanjaro. Saw it through the clouds on a couple of flights..........maybe but it's very high!!!



If there is anything in particular that you would like to know don't hesitate to ask.



Thanks again Nick


Kind regards


Deborah

Deborah and Family

Hi Nick
 


The Olympics was great. Even got to see a GB gold in person.
 
The trip was fantastic. Really well organised and a great experience all round.



The Selous Safari Camp was a great recommendation. Emiel was an affable and gregarious host, the food was unbelievably good, the butler and housekeeping service incredibly courteous and the tents extremely comfortable.
 
To top it off the guiding appeared to me at least to be first class (in particular Mwita on the driving tours). Incredible spotters of wildlife and fantastically knowledgeable.
 
Luck seemed to be on our side too. We saw all of the big 5 (apart from Rhinos which we knew from the outset we weren't going to see) plus Hunting Dogs twice (including a pack chasing and killing hares). I will still never know how Mwita spotted a leopard up a tree.


Ruaha national park was definitely worth seeing, and our luck with the wildlife continued. On a great first day we saw a pack of lions eating a giraffe, with vultures and jackals waiting nearby and a hyeena just across the road. Our guide was extremely affable and a good spotter.
 
The camp facilities and cuisine were much more basic (which we expected) and the organisation was nowhere near as polished as Selous.
 
Both camps kindly offered us the experience of having dinner served on our patios outside our tents. It was a great experience at Selous, we felt extremely well looked after and safe at all times. In Ruaha, it felt like it was something they had never done before and there was shades of Fawlty Towers to the service.



On Zanzibar, Breezes was absolutely perfect for us. Occupancy was probably about half so it didn't feel too busy, but the facilities were superb and the setting beautiful. Loads of offers for us to try too (discounts on the PADI course, free reefwalking, yoga, spa etc.)
 
The final hotel was great too - great rooms and facilities and the offer of a free dinner was very kind considering we were only there one night. Although to be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed with Zanzibar town itself (certainly compared with Marrakesh or Fez).
 


Definitely impressed with Tanzania though and may think about the north at some point.



Kind regards,


Sam

Sam and Judith

Hello,

Thank you for your email and sorry for late reply but I have still been in African mode until today.

 The holiday was brilliant and all went without a hitch, well one minor one when no one met Holly from Dar International to bring her to domestic but was easily sorted with a phone call.

All flights were excellent and we were on first name terms with all pilots with them waving us on by the time we had finished.

Ras Kutani was superb and greatly enjoyed by all. They couldn't have done enough for us and I have already recommended it ( and you) to friends. They went out of their way to accommodate our gluten free diet. Only regret is that we didn't have longer there but we did need to press onto Rufiji.

The game drives and the accommodation were excellent. The guides were very knowledgeable and helpful. The biggest let down was the food. I appreciate the distance from shops etc but it was more the attitude of Sally towards the food.

However, I do want to reiterate that the rest of the care and accommodation and experience was very good and some of the meals we received were very nice.

Thank you again for all your help and assistance in making our holiday such a special one. We had an amazing time and will definitely recommend your company to anyone wanting a similar experience.

Many thanks
Jill

Jill and Family

Nick,

We all had a fantastic time.

The Manze Camp and Safari were really special. The whole experience exceeded our expectations and we were very sad to leave. The staff, guides and management of the camp were exceptionally competent and relaxed.

 We are converts! We are already thinking ahead to 2013.

Ras Nungwi was very chilled. We would probably stay less time in the same location if we repeated the trip. On balance though we have developed a preference for exploring more of the bush.

 For my wife, who was born in Dar the willingness of the guides and staff at the Manze to help her recover lost Swahili made the whole experience more special. 

A few minor reminders that we were in Africa were less than expected and not a bother.



Thanks for your efforts and best regards

RS

Roger and Family

Hi Nick



Many thanks for the email. Manze tented camp was just excellent, and the trip went very well. Really enjoyed it.

...please add that the staff were all excellent (the guides, drivers and the staff at the camp)

Many thanks for organising.

Michael

Michael

Dear Nick.



We just wanted to drop you an email to say thank you for putting together the honeymoon.

We had a fantastic time. Guludo was uncomparable, a fantastic place to escape, a beautiful beach, fantastic to swim, snorkel and dive, as well as fantastic staff and a creative kitchen and bar. We have been enthusing about the Quirimbas to everyone we came into contact with.

We also enjoyed the contrast of a trip to the Selous, we especially enjoyed the Lake Manze camp, great to see such a large amount of game, birds and fauna.



Thank you for sorting the flights out. We would not have made it to the Selous if CFA had not left at 9 as planned, but it was an experience sitting in the cockpit of the little cessna flying over the coastline.



If you need any formal feedback please let us know, we would be more than happy to sing your praises. Hopefully, we'll be in contact again in the future, we have been eye a trip to Argentina and Chile for some time!



Thanks again,


Paul & Gayti

Paul and Gayti

Nick,



We had a fantastic time on safari and echo beach was a little out of the way but very nice and quiet.

Would love to go back and hopefully will when we can afford it. If you spot any good deals in the future let me know. 


All connections and pickups worked well and your choices were excellent,

thanks and keep in touch,



Regards 

Luke

Luke and Debbie

Hi Nick,


I was going to e-mail you last night but ran out of time. The hotels were wonderful and we had a fantastic time.

The location of the Z Hotel was perfect private but near to the lively beach and bars when we wanted to go there. The staff were brilliant and very helpful, we couldn’t fault it. They also organised a private snorkelling trip for us as we noticed that the “public” ones were a bit crowded and it was excellent.

Unguja Lodge was indescribable it was absolutely perfect. It wasn’t like being in a Hotel at all but rather more like being very well treated house guests of Ralph and Eilies. We had monkeys in our villa’s which we loved, enough lizards etc around to satisfy even my reptile mad husband and the staff were outstanding nothing was too much trouble for them at any time.

Nick who runs the dive centre was great we did an excellent snorkelling trip and then a trip to swim with dolphins. We were exceptionally lucky with this and swam for a couple of hours with a pod of around 30 dolphins. I have been sad to end a holiday before but never to actually leave a hotel but I was genuinely upset to leave the lodge it was like paradise and felt like a home away from home.

We had a great meal at Esseque Zula many thanks for that and it was just a shame that this hotel was virtually empty and Aidan and I were the only ones in the restaurant but the food was excellent.

Another big surprise to us was how reasonable Zanzibar was, we didn’t spend even half of what we had expected to on food and drinks!

The Seyyida Hotel was also good but unfortunately plagued with mosquitoes and in a bit of a dodgy area but again their restaurant was excellent and very reasonable.

I really want to thank you Nick as the hotels you selected for us were exactly what we wanted and far surpassed our expectations. I don’t think we could ever go on a “resort” holiday again. We are hoping to return to the Lodge again and to combine it with a few days on Pemba Island and Chumbe Island so you will be hearing from me.

Again many thanks it was all exactly what we wanted but never thought we could find. If you want me to write a review for your website I will be more than happy to do so,
 
Marina

Marina and family

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