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