Review of My Trip to Zimbabwe and South Africa
Hills of Africa
I won 2 nights at the 12 Apostles and 2 nights at the Royal Malewane and, since I don't sell Africa very much, I had Sandy Salle and her team at Hills of Africa put the rest of my trip together. I gave her my budget and she requested agent rates on my behalf. She made me feel so valued as an advisor and as a client - she was super excited for me to be able to go on this trip that I've tried to plan 3 times and it fell through each time!
I really like that Hills of Africa provides clients with information at 8,6,4 and 2 weeks prior to travel. These messages remind clients what tasks need to be done and what they should prepare for - including visa and passport requirements, vaccination reminders, packing guides, Adaptors required for each country, tipping guides, restaurant suggestions, photography and more. This may be standard with other companies but I am always impressed by it.
They also provide your choice of just emailed docs or a printed book. I always choose the printed book - and found it easy to review over the 8 weeks prior to our trip.
They always include the VIP airport transfer services, who and how much to tip, internal flights, weather and packing info, etc. I truly felt well-prepared for our trip! My past clients have had nothing but raves for them also!
Hotels
We spent the night our first night at the City Lodge Hotel at Johannesburg Airport. It was fine for our needs but if you have luxury clients, you probably want to make another choice as it is pretty basic.
Our next stop was Victoria Falls. We stayed at Old Drift Lodge, which was old school and a great intro to Zimbabwe! Our "room" which was really a canvas-style bungalow was cozy with views of the river. The staff was so nice, helpful and kind. The food was very good and the river cruise and game drives were decent too. We saw hippos, crocs and elephants but there were less sightings here than we had in South Africa - which we were prepared for and not disappointed. The only negative is that we are kind of spoiled with NYC and DC cocktail bars, so the cocktails were not great. One of the guides, Jeremiah, took us to Victoria Falls and gave us a ton of information making it really interesting.
Next stop was at Mala Mala Lodge, which was spectacular! I was completely charmed by this old-fashioned safari lodge. Our room was huge. We had a patio where we sat for hours and watched the animals right outside our room. The open areas of lodge - the bar, the sitting area and the Boma (where meals are served) were beautifully decorated. The staff was fantastic there also - our guide, Brandon, was so knowledgeable and made our game drives thoroughly interesting! The food was excellent and the cocktails were perfect!
Our next stop was at the Royal Malewane and it was truly spectacular! As I said, I won 2 nights there and it was over-the-top luxury and is very expensive. It does not feel like a safari lodge at all. This would be for the clients who will take nothing less than the best! The max number of guests is 24 and I think the staff is double that! They were all amazing!!! The game viewing there was absolutely the best of the 3 places we went. Our guide and tracker were both excellent. We even got lessons on astronomy and the constellations while we were out. I felt like I was on Fantasy Island!
Our final hotel was the 12 Apostles Hotel right outside of Cape Town. It is a Carnation hotel and is an iconic hotel; however, I found it a bit quirky. The rooms are lovely, spotlessly clean and very comfortable - some with amazing views of the ocean. No complaints; however, reception is very cramped and not the least bit grand for such an iconic place. The Leopard Bar is a bit dated, but they have an outdoor area that is absolute perfection to have a drink and to see the sunset. The restaurants were OK (honestly only ate a few things so take my review with a grain of salt) but the brunch was very good. I think the least positive thing is that you are at least 20-30 minutes’ drive outside of Cape Town so I would make sure your clients know this before booking them.
Any questions? Just let me know.