Some References
Here are some references, letters and comments from some of our previous clients. This page will be added to periodically, as new letters come in. Contact details of the letter writers can be provided on request.
Madagascar:
From: Brian Davidson
Sent: 11 July 2008 15:46
Hi Rita,
Yes, we made it back from Madagascar! And a big thankyou to you, Cindy and Helen for a glorious holiday. ZA Tours were fantastic. They took care of us royally, very flexible, especially when we took a great deal of time in the markets! The trip to see the lemurs was unique - we saw five out of the six species, reportedly, and the Vakuna Lodge had great service and good food.
The Colbert upgraded us to a terrific suite, great start to the hols! And I promise I spent a lot of time with Iranja management. Objectively speaking, I thought the chalets were beyond compare, the food was good and the service adequate. We have opportunities to make it world class, but we'll get there!
The Relais des Plateaux was not as I imagined, OK for an overnight stop, clean and adequate, but the food was amazing!So many, many thanks. And please pass on our thanks and regards to Hoby, Tony, Natalie and Serge from ZA Tours.
Kind regards
Brian Davidson
From: Nigel Patterson
Sent: 08 July 2008 15:33
To: Janet McCloughan
Subject: Thanks for Baboo Holiday
Dear Janet,
We are back after a wonderful visit to Baboo Village. We had a fabulous time and it was exactly what my mum both needed and wanted. It rained for one day only! Christen is fantastic and we got to know him quite well. I have attached a couple of pics for you – let me know if you want any of them in high res for brochures etc. In the pic with my mum and her two “toy boys”, Christen is the one on the left in the pic and another French guest on the right (with the beard).
Once again, thanks for all your excellent organization.
Regards,
Nigel
From: Jan Niemandt
Sent: 01 July 2008
To: Constance Dikgale
Subject: Thank you
Dear Constance,
We would just like to thank you for our trip to Madagascar. It was a real experience and the well organized itinerary made it a pleasure. The guides and support staff of Za Tours were excellent. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we landed at Antananarivo on 12 June and there is somebody waiting to assist us.
Thank you for making it a memorable trip.
Jan & Lizl Niemandt
From: Alison Westwood
Sent: 24 June 2008 12:01 PM
To: Judy Harrison
Subject: Another Madophile is born
Hi Judy,
Just to let you know that I'm back from Madagascar in one piece and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Although no aye-ayes ever made an appearance, I succeeded in seeing (and hearing) the Indri in Andasibe and received a 'gift from above' from a red-ruffed lemur in Masoala.
The trip ran seamlessly and I was impressed with the service of Za-Tours and with the friendliness of the staff at the Vakona and the Palissandre. Masoala was undoubtedly the highlight of the trip. The location is unbelievable; the lodge is well-established and smoothly run; the guides were the best I encountered in Madagascar; the food was so delicious that I was thankful it was also so healthy; and our hosts, Pierre and Sandra knew exactly how to ensure we all enjoyed our stay. I can recommend Masoala Forest Lodge without qualification, and will send you some photographs of the lodge and surrounds later this week. Unfortunately I was unable to see the other two lodges in the area as they were closed and empty.
It was lovely travelling with you and Janet, and was a great introduction to a country to which I hope to return as soon as possible.
Warm regards,
Alison
From: Dream Destinations
Sent: 12 April 2008 09:15
To: Helen Mann
Subject: Feedback from Wikus Kruger
Hi Helen
Sorry, we've been meaning to get back to as soon as possible, but things have been a bit hectic. First of all, thank you very much for a really great honeymoon. It was really great. Everything went well, there were no glitches, apart from changing seats on the flights so we could sit next to each other. Upon arrival in Antananarivo we were met by a friendly driver from ZA tours, who took us to Residence Lapasoa. Very nice hotel, not your normal, boring 4 walls. We were fetched early the following morning by the same driver, put on Air Madagascar and flew to St Marie.
The island is really beautiful, but has been devastated by the cyclone. Everywhere rebuilding is going on, but some of the roads are quite damaged and there' quite a bit of rubble etc lying around. The forests on the island as well as the coral around the island has also been damaged quite a lot. Saonambo, where we stayed the first night, was very nice. On the beach. Food was also good. I wouldn't recommend staying there for more than a few nights, so it was nice when we were transferred to princesse Bora the following day.
Great resort, although they are also doing quite a bit of reparations and the like following the cyclone. We were the first guests there. Was beautiful, we had a wonderful bungalow. thank you very much.
The only slightly negative thing is that I, along with a bunch of other guests from the lodge, picked up some stomache virus around last Thursday. The hotel management says its a kind of stomache epidemic going around on the island in the aftermath of the cyclone. Anyway, this made it a bit difficult to enjoy the last few days. I'm still sick with the same virus, it really takes a long time to get out of your system. And Marilize got sick from it too. But hopefully it will pass soon enough.
We were put in a really big family room on our last night in Residence Lapasoa, which was really great. Oh, and we also got a bottle of champagne on our first night at Princesse Bora due to our honeymoon status, which was also nice.
The food was mostly really good, although I can't think of it too much right now.
Thanks again, I really appreciate all of your effort.
All the best
Wikus
From: Maiju Taivalmäki
Sent: 28 March 2008 05:12 PM
To: Anika Oosthuizen
Subject: Hello!
Hi Annika!
Thank you once again organising the rainforest experience for us. We really enjoyed it. Easter was great in Madagascar.
Best wishes
Maiju Taivalmaki
From: Elise Kreusch
Sent: 01 February 2008 09:42
To: Rita Bachmann
Subject: Jesche x 4
Hi
I received a call from Franz Jesche and he raved about the Discovery North itinerary he booked with us. The food was excellent everywhere and he said they had a wonderful time. They were all keen photographers and the guide from King de la Piste was brilliant – full of enthusiasm and they said they will request him again if they revisit Madland. They loved Chanty Beach but said the beach itself was muddy so Christian arranged a day excursion to Iranja with a delicious seafood picnic on the beach – great idea for all our clients.
Sent: 27 December 2007 16:17
To: Rita Bachmann
Subject: FW: copy of vouchers, itinerary, fact sheets etc
Dear Helen,
Just a bit of feed back on our trip to Madagascar. We enjoyed every moment of it and it was a truly unforgettable family holiday. On arrival we were efficiently picked up by Za Tours and the Hotel in Tana was great. It was well located and gave us a pretty good feel of the capital. By the way I thought that the hotel on our arrival was much better than the one you booked us on our return - - it just had so much more charm, but no pool and aircon - I suppose that it all depends what you look for.
On arrival to St Marie we were efficiently picked up and transferred to Baboo Village. The hotel is great as a snorkelling destination, and because the water around the the hotel is shallow it was nice and safe for the children. For those who are looking for plenty of fish the snorkelling immediately around the hotel is disappointing. Swim a bit out to sea and it's great - in short its good snorkelling for good snorkellers.
The hotel staff where ever so friendly and went out of there way to prepare meals to meet different tastes - Preparing , from time to time, pasta for the children was no problem - many things not on the menu just appeared out of the kitchen. It is worth noting that the portions are large and that one dish easily serves two children - bed and breakfast and ordering the other meals on the go was the correct option.
The rooms were up to expectations - just note that the rooms do not have fans as per your brochure, but keeping the windows open at night does the job.
The return flights and arrangements went according to plan - a few flight delays but time takes a different dimension in these sort of places.
Just a bit of advice for future travellers;
- Make sure that you travel with VISA cards only - Master Card and other cards are not readily accepted in Madagascar. If you have a VISA card the ATMs work well. Also don't try and change traveller Cheques, it will take you days. Euros are accepted just about everywhere.
- Make sure that you have the correct amount of Euros (= cash ) to acquire visas on arrival.
- Also remember that prices are quoted in either FMG (= the old currency) or Aryaries ( AYR) - If a price looks high it's because you have been quoted in FMG - divide by 5 to get to AYR. It seems that tourists are sometimes tricked in this manner.
- Very little English is spoken, but as long as you are in the main hotels, English should get you a meal.
- Smile, be friendly, re define time and things get sorted out.
Thank you for organizing the trip
Francois and Silvia
From: Vilhieta Retief
Sent: 31 October 2007 18:31
To: Helen Mann
Subject: RE: MADAGASCAR
Hi Helen!
We’re back in one piece from Madagascar and had a wonderful holiday! Everybody tanned and smiling! Everything went very well and our accommodation was first class. Seeing that it is very dry at the moment in Madagascar, John – at Sakatia Towers had a bit of a water problem – was busy digging another water well. The benefit to us though was, that it was not so humid.
Nosy Be Hotel (also a very nice hotel) on the other hand, had again a power problem as the one generator packed up – had to switch on the aircon ten times during the night – power tripped out! All part of the Africa feeling! Just thankful that there wás an aircon!
We had wonderful snorkelling experiences at Tanikely (went there twice). The water was literally crystal clear and I swam with the turtles for long distances! They also dished up a beach-dinner second to none – we totally overate ourselves!
Le Crique is a beautiful setting. Although the snorkelling was not good – all the fishes between mainland Madagascar and the West Coast of St Maré seems to be ‘caught’. The men also one day went on a fishing trip and not even a bite. But the next day they went by motorbike to the east side of St Maré and there seemed to be more sealife (open sea).
They hired 2x 250cc Honda motorbikes and we went north the whole length of St Maré island. The roads of course are terrible – deep mud tracks and rocks – because it is hilly, they had to accelerate and we were like popcorn at the back. Needless to say, the second day we two girlies stayed on solid ground and preferred to go ‘shopping’ in town!!
Our Perinet Resrv visit was also good – saw many lemurs and Vakona Lodge is very nice.
Just a practical tip for future clients – if they have headlamps (these nice small ones you get now specially if you are a camper) will work very well on this trip. Power is not very reliable and on the night walk in the Reserve it also works well. Smaller to pack!
Well, I thought I’ll just shortly brief you, seeing that I gave you such a hard time to put everything together! It was nevertheless worthwhile in the end! Thanks for all your trouble!
Kind regards
Vilhéta Retief
From: Jessica Opie
Sent: 16 August 2007 03:16 PM
To: Elise Kreusch
Subject: RE: Madagascar: feedback
Hi, yes we'll send on the Eulophiella photos (when I get a chance at home).
You are welcome to put our comments on your website and yes we did see lemurs at Eulophiela (Indri and Sefakia golden lemurs) ! We love the lemurs. Also the island lemur sanctuary at Vakona Lodge is wonderful (esp the furry cuddly black and white lemurs)
I forgot to mention that "le 3 Metis" in Tana was also very good - they give an especially good breakfast (breakfast was a bit ordinary at Eulophilia; they could have included some fruit?)
From: MALCOLM BRUCE
Sent: 14 August 2007 04:31 PM
To: Janet McCloughan
Subject: RE: Holiday Feedback
Have returned having had a great holiday - Thanks. Feedback for you -
Road to Berenty - by far the worst road journey. Agree not to be done at night. Many may not want to do it at all - but the Reserve is very special and the first introduction to the flora & fauna so unique to Madagascar. Felt safe every where we went (except airport) and ZA Tours drivers and escorts were all excellent and very helpful (although French is helpful as English is not as good). Only time short changed was at the Bank at the Airport in Antananarivo. As needing cash (no credit cards) local money given for 700 Euro is loads!! The result is you are given bundles of 10 * 10,000 Ar already made up. We ended up with more than 20 bundles. To count these in the Airport with a cue behind and a lot of people hanging around looking at you handling large sums of money is unrealistic. 5 bundles were 8 * 10,000 Ar only and 3 were 9 * 10,000 Ar.
Wait at Airport at end of holiday unrealistic - arrived 10.30 am flight boarding midnight. ZA Tours pointed us in direction of Relais des Plateaux who pick-up and drop-off from Airport and we had the us of a room for the day and night until we left which was very pleasant. Also got in tour of Croc Farm and local Market.
We did take mosquito nets and used them on some occasions as not provided and there were mosquito's about - soft Europeans!
Thanks again
Malcolm
From: Matthew J. Lum
Sent: 16 July 2007 14:08
To: 'Natalie Tenzer-Silva';
Subject: We're back
Natalie, Janet, and Robert,
Well, we’re back safely in Santa Barbara. What a great trip, and everything went so smoothly. I do have to say that we were very nervous about the trip to Madagascar on many fronts but everything went much better than expected, if not perfect. I need to give Unusual Destinations my highest compliments and recommendation. They had great, friendly and patient guides that spoke good english. These guides were a huge security blanket for us. They even had an english speaking guide as well as a driver pick us up the last day in Tana just to take us to the hotel. I would have only expected a driver for such a short transfer, but they made sure we had someone we could communicate with to ensure we were comfortable and had all of our needs taken care of. All the flights in Madagascar were on time and comfortable with good food. No issues whatsoever with luggage.
Ironically, the only problems we had the entire trip were when we hit the U.S. in New York on the way back, when we ran into rude people, and they had lost a piece of our luggage. After waiting over an hour for our luggage, we had to go and wait in a 2-hour line to file our claim since there were so many others with mishandled luggage. Finally a representative said we could file our claim online so we decided to do that and headed to the Hampton, much later than expected. Then they booked us into a room that was already occupied, and we walked right in with someone else already in bed! When we finally got checked in we tried to order pizza to be delivered but the places had closed 5 minutes prior, so we just went to bed exhausted and hungry.
All in all it was fantastic. Thank you all for your efforts and patience!
Matt
From: Andrew Gilbert
Sent: 22 June 2007 19:46
To: Helen Mann
Subject: thanks: our trip to Madagascar
Dear Helen,
Our trip to Madagascar was wonderful. You asked us for some feedback. For those people, like us, who want to get away from things and soak up the local ambience, Isle St Marie was magic and Isle Aux Nattes even more so. We really enjoyed staying at Baboo Village. It was not expensive, very comfortable and had a wonderful slow pace and setting. Food was fantastic. We would go again tomorrow. The June weather was unsettled, as predicted. Some lovely sunny days but interspersed with wind and rain squalls. We did not let it spoil the holiday. The whales retuned early and arrived on our second last day. Attached is an extract of a letter that I sent friends which captures our adventures.
Thank you to you and Elise for sorting out Airlink's change of flights. We were sorry to have to leave the day early but realise it was not your fault. I have written to Airlink complaining about their arrogance in arbitrarily changing flights when they codeshare them with Air Madagascar. I will send you a copy for your records.
Thank you for a great package and all that you did to make it such a wonderful family holiday.
Regards
Andy and Yvonne
Andrew Gilbert
From: David Pulvermacher
Sent: 31 May 2007 18:02
To: Helen Mann
Subject: Madagascar Reply
Dear Helen
Thanks so much for replying so quickly.
The staff at Masoandro lodge were extremely friendly and helpful, but we found it rather odd that the manager didn't once introduce himself. I spotted him lurking on our departure and spoke to him about the refund to which he replied that there wouldn't be a problem and please to speak with you.
We found our room rather dark and gloomy and terribly musty and the ever present smell of mould was quite overwhelming even though we opened all the windows and door.
As the bungalows are unpainted hardwood, they are very dark, especially at this time of the year. They are all sea facing indeed, but the foliage is so thick that one can only catch a glimpse of the sea. Sundowners on the stoep are out of the question, as a result, so we transported the "drinks cabinet" down to the beach.
The private beach is not a patch on the beach at La Crique and swimming wasn't much fun at low tide due to the coral. (I think that's why they built the swimming pool). The breakwater which runs out from the pool from the beach is in a state of disrepair as well, though one could still walk along it. It looks as though it has succumbed to either old age or cyclone damage.
The public areas are clean and so was our bungalow, though "slightly distressed". The shower curtain had seen better days and the mossie net, yes, had a hole in it. The curtains needed attention too.
The food was well presented but the cuisine was, in our opinion, mediocre.
Generally Masoandro Lodge was not a patch on La Crique, where everything was brighter, the rooms had no mouldy smell and the food was wonderful.
Marc, the Maitre d'hotel greeted us on arrival and was charming and attentive.
Having said that, we would hate to see either hotel upgraded to boring 'Southern Suns' level. We prefer to stay in a place which feels like home and is unpretentious, both of which hotels fit that bill well.
Paille en Queue was pleasant enough, but lacking in character and too far from town. We arrived in the afternoon, had a swim and wondered why we had been booked into an Hotel which was not nearer to the centre of the town? It was neither one thing nor the other.....It felt a bit like being in Jhb!
We should have stayed in the centre of Tulear.
We had a look at the Hotel Hyppocampo which looked better (I don't know if it is more expensive) but if we were to return we might choose to stay at the Saxophone, which is full of character. Hyppocampo had a good view of the sea/mangroves and has a lively atmosphere.
Anakoa is very stylish and new. The bungalows are well appointed and spaced apart. Being in the front row, we had a marvellous view of the beach and the sea. Unfortunately for us, the owner is busy building about 8 new bungalows, so it was noisy during the day, as Dave has previously mentioned.
The staff went out of their way to be pleasant and helpful, and the meals were excellent. They need to have more information available at reception regarding their activities. I'd read about the sailing/surf gear and quad bikes, but could we find them?
At Sakamanga we stayed in a minute room on our last night and it was awful.
We did not mention it at the time because it was a Saturday night and the
hotel was full. In view of the fact that the reservations had been made well in advance, this seemed a bit like drawing the short straw....
In spite of the few glitches, we enjoyed our trip greatly and will return to that wonderful island again if we can. We thought it might be useful to give some feedback since there might be some benefit for others. Attached, some relevant (hopefully) photographs, which illustrate some of the foregoing.
The highlights of our trip were the walk in Perinet Reserve with our excellent guide Luke, listening to the Indri wail, the trip to Nosy Ve and the irrate Tropic bird with young, squawking at Dave!, the cameleon I almost bumped into, watching the clouds roll in at the end of the day, the electric storm at Anakao which turned to into a serious downpour and the vibrant city life in Tana and Tulear. Last but not least, the smiling faces of those who have so little............
What a diverse place in every way.
Kind regards
Ky Pulvermacher
Sent: 07 May 2007 01:15 PM
To: Judy Harrison
Subject: RE: Stewart and POtgieter 25 Apr
Hi Judy
I would just like to say thanks for arranging an absolutely unforgettable holiday for us. Everything went according to plan, and Tsarabanjina is just one of the most amazing places in the world. I have only fond memories of Madagascar, and will definitely be back.
Thanks so much once again.
Rob
From: Helen Mann
Sent: 26 April 2007 12:10
Cc: Rita Bachmann
Subject: Report back from our VIP clients Beglinger/Helbling
Iranja is absolutely grand. The staff are charming, the food is MEGA, the diving is out of this world. Wild sea turtles laying eggs, turtle eggs hatching ...stunning. Even the local birds sit amicably in front of your nose and wait for you to finish looking at them. No mobile phone AT ALL, and satellite phone they say costs Euro 6.00 per MINUTE but they have skype - call sign is Iranja resort.
Come back soon and check it out - I'm so glad you insisted on us coming here.
Shall write up travel account when I get back: road to Berenty ghastly; Berenty GREAT, road to Pangalanese not great, but Indri up close and personal, etc etc etc
Thanks re flights - huge weight off my mind.
Shirley
From: Ron Steel
Sent: 16 April 2007 16:16
To: info@unusualdestinations.com
Subject: Trip to Madagascar
Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our trip to Madagascar organized by you through Fish Hoek Sure Travel. All the travel arrangements were so well organized, and we were picked up from airports and hotels right on time. Your choice of hotel in Antananarivo (Relais de Plateaux) was excellent - it was clean and comfortable and very close to the airport, and we found the personnel at Masoandro lodge very friendly and helpful. I also appreciated your attention to detail, for example, the travel pouch made out of the same brightly coloured raffia we found on the island.
Thanks very much. We will definitely recommend you to people we know.
Regards,
Elsie and Ron Steel
From: Silke Hollander
Sent: 16 April 2007 07:45
To: Helen Mann
Subject: Nosy Be Hotel
Dear Helen,
We are back from our holiday and we should wanted to let you know that we had a fantastic time! Very relaxing with some few activities, just what we were looking for.
Thanks for all you help in arranging this trip.
All the best
Silke Hollander (Ms)
Retha-Marie Middel
Sent: 11 April 2007 13:00
To: Helen Mann
Subject: Van Hengel Group
Dear Helen
My clients are ecstatic about their stay in Madagascar – they are already planning another visit!!
They loved the hotel (Vanila), they visited some other hotels in the area and according to them this one is the best.
Thanks again for your kind assistance!
Kind regards, Retha
From: Robert Power
Sent: 08 January 2007 11:31 AM
To: info@unusualdestinations.com
Subject: Att: Janet - Lovely Holiday
Dear Janet,
Thank you for arranging such a lovely holiday for us. Everything was just perfect and the holiday lived up to five people’s expectations – quite an achievement. It was a wonderful adventure that went from one high to the next. We loved our hotel in Tana and had a great meal at Villa Vanilla and from that high everything just got better and more exciting. Vincent and his staff were great and all the excursions beautifully arranged. The food was lovely and the setting quite spectacular. It ranks as one of our most unusual and best holidays ever – and we have the photos to prove it!!
Kind regards
Liezel Power
Ethiopia:
From: Cathy Johns
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 4:47:05 PM
To: Janet McCloughan
Subject: FW: Ethiopia
Dear Janet
I received an email from Mr Georgiadis after his trip to Ethiopia.I thought you might like to read his email, as it could not have been done without your helpful and friendly assistance. How was your trip to Ethiopia …..mmmm, are you even back yet??
Thank you for your help with Mr Georgiadis’ booking – it is much appreciated.
Kind regards
Cathy
Dear Cathy,
I just got back this morning. The trip was absolutely fantastic and I wanted to let you know that you did an amazing job at organising everything; also thanks so much for your proactive approach staying on top of everything (visa, yellow fever certificate etc). Lalibela (with its 900 year old rock-hewn Orthodox churches) is a unique place which really made a big impact on me, as did Axum and Gondar. I really enjoyed the trekking in the Simeons as well. Everyone was extremely friendly and I really developed a great appreciation for the country, its history, culture and the people. I will try and persuade my father (to whom I am copying this email) to go as well one day!
Speak to you soon, and once again, thank you for your assistance,
Vassos
From: Keri Harvey [mailto:kerih@icon.co.za]
Sent: 19 April 2005 10:19
To: Rita Bachmann
Subject: Back from Ethiopia
Hi Rita
We are back home after a fantastic trip to Ethiopia. We saw and did sooooo much, including seeing 6 Ethiopian wolves, and we had the pleasure of meeting Fikre too. Thank you so much for all your kindness, assistance and generosity that made the trip possible - I have plenty to write about and already have commissions for 4 stories - Sawubona, Business in Africa, Discovery and Style! But there will be more in the future too.
Best regards and thanks again for your support with the trip. It's all hugely appreciated.
Keri
From: Marion and Reinoud Boers [mailto:boers@iafrica.com]
Sent: 20 March 2005 03:26 PM
It gives me great pleasure to thank you for the superb tour arrangements made for 26 members of the South African Archaeological Society who visited your wonderful country from 18 February to 4 and 9 March respectively.
Your attention to detail, the friendliness of your staff, the trouble taken by you to respond to our numerous pre-tour questions, your willingness to investigate conditions in person to the extent of reconnoitring the Hadar and Gona palaeo-anthropological and archaeological sites in the Rift Valley can only be lauded highly. The extra little touches, such as paying for the coffee ceremony in Bahir Dar and the drinks for the farewell dinner, and the birthday wishes and cakes organised for those who had their birthdays during the trip, were unexpected gestures that were greatly appreciated.
Without fail participants were delighted with the incredible variety of the tour and the arrangements. Our guide, Daniel Tesfaye, was universally liked and appreciated for his wide-ranging knowledge, while the drivers were most pleasant and those on the longer tour, Mesfin, Henock and Solomon, became friends of the party.
As a tour operator myself in years gone by, I can honestly say that your service compares to the best I have experienced in the world. To successfully take a group of 26 persons in a convoy of six 4x4s through a country as varied and, in part, touristically undeveloped as Ethiopia takes some doing and we must compliment you highly. I will recommend you without reservation to any travellers planning to tour Ethiopia.
We wish you deserved success in the future.
With kind regards
REINOUD BOERS
South African Archaeological Society, Trans-Vaal Branch
Liz Cotton
Somerset Tours & Travel (Pty) Ltd
08 March 2005
Hi Helen & Rita (and Janet etc etc)
Ethiopia was just such a magic destination which has left indelible memories on the group. Its a really powerful place ~ the impact of which, only hits one when one gets back! So nice to deal with Fikre and his lovely guide, Mohammed who escorted us all the way round Ethiopia, and the drivers who took us in 4x4s through the Rift Valley down south and out east to Harar! Ethiopia Airlines is dreadful to fly with locally ~ they never take off on time ~ they overbook the flights and then load all the luggage ~ and then when the time comes to take off, there is always a huge argument on the tarmac with the tour leaders as to who is going to leave their luggage behind because its not safe to fly ~ something to do with heat and altitude! Not on your nelly! Nobody is going to leave any luggage behind because they are going to have exactly the same problem the next day and then the luggage sits around in a dusty old airport and it never catches up with you!! Then all the luggage comes off ~ then it all goes back on again..... typical Africa, I guess ~ and 3 hours later ....... !!! Oh well, its a laugh ..... afterwards!! You just gotta go with the flo, hey!!
Hope to take another group out to Ethiopia sometime! Would do the same routing ~ very important to get the whole country in perspective ~
Bestest
Liz
Mozambique:
From: Simon Fraser
Sent: 09 July 2008 12:02
To: Cindy Zwarts
Subject: Re: Azura
Hi Cindy
What a wicked place will let everybody know please keep me in the loopif specials come up I can go on a whim.
Regards Simon
PS Jonas and the staff are fantastic
From: Dimiter Todorov
Sent: 18 June 2008 04:01 PM
To: Janet McCloughan
Subject: Re: Mozambique
Hi, Janet,
I really enjoyed my break in the Quirimbas.
I was more than happy with my stay at Guludo. They have the perfect tropical paradise (12 km long!) beach setting. And being on the mainland you miss on the claustrophobic feeling that comes with small islands. The lodge is not far from local fishing communities, so you mingle with them on the beach, but I see this as a bonus. Apparently my stay there contributes both directly and indirectly for the local communities' well being. And they are very friendly in return and one feels very safe.
This lodge is also my type of lodge being rusting and lacking electricity and running water. One gets private bushshowers, which are more than enough. I remember I preferred staying in one of their tents, but did not regret at all being accommodated in on of their new designer's "eco-bandas". I can appreciate the excellent taste of the architect/designer of these.
The lodge is run quite effectively by a bunch of young British people, most of them on 1 or 2 year contracts, very enthusiastic about their jobs (and the good causes supported by the lodge) an very professional. Service was immaculate.
Diving was also great. In terms of number of turtles encountered :-) Well, one thing that I aslo enjoyed a lot, was the lodge being quiet this time of year. It was only me and another very nice couple from Canada. I can imagine, that during peak times, it could get a bit overcrowded in the bar/dining area. Especially if it starts raining and everyone tries to fit in the limited roofed space. But this is compensated by the space one gets on the beach when it's not raining.
Only one remark - the land transfer from Pemba does not take 2 hours but at least 4 hours. They do quite a long detour on the main tar road. In fact, knowing that it would be 4 hours could have turned me back, which would be a shame. It is quite a pleasant scenic drive on good roads. Unfortunately my flight arrived 1:30 hours late, so most of the drive was in the dark.
I did also enjoy the Ibo Lodge very much. Although it is of completely different style - a bit heavier in terms of luxury, facilities and decoration. Which I also liked. The setting is also perfect and service - flawless. One gets the feeling, however, that something is not quite right in the way the world is going, if it takes 1 million US$ dollar investment (quote the owner) to refurbish just two buildings in a run-down place like this, where tens of other similar houses still lie in ruins. I guess this place is in a desparate need of some backpackers accommodation and infrastructure. To liven it up a bit. But for now, one can still enjoy it being "unspoilt".
When it comes to the food, both were very good, but in the tough race the gold medal goes to Guludo's chef.
I hope my review helps.
Thanks and best regards
Dimiter
Dear Rita and Helen,
It was indeed our pleasure to meet you in person at Indaba - I find my dealings with your company very pleasurable - you have the most comprehensive website, confirmations and information of ANY South African tour operator - for this I congratulate you.
I hope your meeting with Holiday Aviation was fruitful in your quest for a refund of the passengers air fares.....
Kind regards
Janet Aldworth
From: Robert Cranmer
Sent: 18 December 2007 15:38
To: Helen Mann
Subject: Barra Photos
Hi,
We didn’t dive with the people you mentioned, but my daughter grew very attached to Antja, the little blonde-haired dive instructor. We also dived a lot with Richie, the bald, blue-eyed guy, but all of them were fabulous. We had cassita’s 22 and 23 so although we were really close to the main reception, we weren’t affected by noise at all. The mossies were hell though – I reckon they figured out how to lift the nets and get inside for a feast!!
We went on the Ocean Safari and were the only trip (which also impacted all the other boats that went out at the same time) when we saw no whale sharks – really disappointing!! The quad trip was excellent and kayaking on the lagoon was really fun. Drank plenty of Pina Colada’s and Strawberry Daquiri’s which seemed to be the right thing to do in that heat, but those combined with the diving, etc. is what did all the damage to the bill.
Have downloaded my photo’s – some attached for you to check out. Took my underwater camera so got some great pic’s on the dives!!
Enjoy Christmas and New Year……….till next time!
Cheers
From: Lynda
To: 'Trish Bezuidenhout'
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 1:53 PM
Subject: RE: July E-newsletter
Hi Trish
I would just like to let you know we had the most wonderful holiday at Quilalea. The weather was great 28 deg each day. The snorkelling and diving was amazing, straight off the beach is a reef, you felt like you were watching a movie on a tropical aquarium. The staffs were very professional and friendly and the service was excellent. The food was outstanding with lots of seafood, and the meal times were quite flexible, due to diving. Two candlelight dinners were served under the stars and on the beach. They went out of their way to ensure we enjoyed ourselves. The Villas are well equipped and clean, with no sand on the floors. Shampoo, Sun soother, soap, swimming towels, bath robes, beach slops, sarongs, beach mats, umbrellas are all supplied for use during your stay. Four of us flew by helicopter to the island and my husband went by plane to Main Island then by helicopter to Quilialea what and experience. We were greeted by staff at the helipad with refreshing towels to wipe our hands and faces, after a short walk to the bar, we were served a refreshing complimentary cocktail. They have thought of everything. My husband and 2 daughters did their dive course at Quilalea and the dive instructors were very professional. We also took an afternoon trip on the yacht to a neighbouring island, other than being a bit sea sick it was amazing as we saw dolphins and whales on this trip. We also went kayaking on neighbouring island Sencar through a mangrove estuary that was beautiful.
My husband and I felt it was good value for money and will definitely visit again.
My only complaint was that the LAM flight was via Maputo, each way we had to get off the plane go though passport control approx 1 and half hours delay. Apparently SAA Airlink now flies 3 times a week direct JHB to Pemba. So next time we will take that option. I felt I should let you know about Quilalea in case other people enquire.
Thank you
Lynda Taylor
From: Neil Slabbert
Sent: 09 May 2007 12:47 PM
To: natalie@prestigesafaris.co.za
Subject: RE: Follow up
Hi
Londo Lodge was absolutely awesome! Owners are nice people, service excellent and the activities were great. River Club is a bit of a snobby destination to be honest. Nice place with some great views from the rooms etc but atmosphere was very different there compared to Londo ... just not as relaxed. Not a train-smash thing but just thought I would let you know for future reference. All in all a great time was had and its really not great to be back!!
cheers
Neil
Reunion Island:
From: Judy Harrison
Sent: 30 April 2007 10:53
To: Rita Bachmann
Subject: Reunion Feed back
Thank you, we had a lovely time in Reunion.
The flight on Air Austral was very good, food excellent as well as the service. The hotel was lovely, a typical resort, not my ideal place though as it was much too big (catered for more guests than I like to see when on holiday) lots of kids. Many activities included in the stay ie. bike riding, kayaking, snorkeling, volley ball, a gym, etc. The hotel beach is on the lagoon edge so the snorkeling was very popular. There are 3 restaurants to choose from but very expensive, a buffet for two costs R350 each and a bottle of Australian wine, which was the least expensive was R230, so our first dinner at the hotel cost us R1000.00!
The nearest town is St Giles, which is about a 3km walk along the beach or you can get there by walking along the path, there are a variety of beach restaurants which we discovered along this path. A better bet than the hotel for a more local feel and of course less expensive but by no means cheap. St Giles is very popular, a bit like a tropical Camps Bay, lots of boats, beautiful houses on the hill, little cafes where you can eat or have a drink. The local beer is called Le Dodo (like the bird!)
Traffic is a nightmare… so taxis are not used, as far as we could see. Best form of transport is by bus, we caught it to Saint Dennis and also to Saint Leu, R28.00 return per person.
At peak times it will take about 1½ hrs to drive the same distance it would normally take 15 minutes to do. It is like London traffic, quite unexpected on an island. Although as it is a French Department it is very much a first world country, not at all like dusty pot holed roads I have seen in Zanzibar. We did not hire a car (which we had fully intended to do). They drive on the other side to us, the roads are very busy and narrow and the French are mad drivers Joburg driving x10! So we thought it might all end up in an accident, and decided to rely on the bus and tour guides.
Unusual Destinations rep met us at the airport and our transfer was waiting for us. They arranged for their rep to meet us at the Hotel the next day to help us plan our stay. This was very helpful.
We took a 4x4 tour around the island with a wonderful guide called Pierre, he picked us up at 6am and dropped us off at 7pm! We drove all over the island looking at beautiful natural scenery, Creole Architecture, ancient volcano’s, a sugar and rum factory included in the tour was a typical Creole lunch out and much more, we were exhausted when we got back!
The highlight of the trip was that a few days prior to our arrival the Volcano had erupted in the “Wild South” of the island. We took a helicopter ride over the island to see the lava flow, that is something I feel very fortunate to have seen, maybe only once in a life time experience.
We had a relaxing and eventful holiday you can do as much as you want or as little as you chose. If you have adventurous clients who want to go I would recommend that they go for a longer stay, time flies and you can only do so much in a day
Not many people speak English on the Island, we were lucky to be at a big hotel where most of the staff has some form of English. The guides and helicopter pilot spoke only a little English, but we did not feel left out at all, the experience was in itself amazing.
I will send you some pictures
Many thanks everything
Zoe Smith
Rwanda:
From: Judy Harrison
Sent: 05 July 2007 13:58
To: Rita Bachmann
Subject: Rwanda 3 days
Hi Judy,
Everything went really well and we had a great time.
The Mountain Gorilla Lodge was awful! Given the cost of the holiday
and although there are probably not better places in the area, I would
have taken people back to Kigali rather than stay there (the beds were
cold and damp). Still, we had a good holiday.
Carol
Seychelles:
From: Phil Morrison
Sent: 30 August 2007 15:15
To: Helen Mann
Subject: RE: le meridian Barbarons
Helen
A bit of feedback on our holiday:
Flights to and from Seychelles
Positives
: Service excellent on flights
Negatives
: Air Seychelles only has 2 aircraft and both flights to and from the island were very late on departures, arrival at hotel first night only at 4am which killed the 1st day.
Creole agents
Positives
: Very efficient, pickups well run and courteous people
Negatives
: None
Hotel
Positives
: Hotel was very nice right on the beach
: Room very clean
: Fruit on arrival
: Breakfast excellent
: Relatively well maintained
: Check in and out efficient
: Extras bill correct
: Beach very nice
: Good snorkeling at low tide, lots of fish to be seen
Negatives
: Towels not replaced twice
: Tea and coffee not renewed regularly had to phone
: Jacuzzi out of service
: Drinks very expensive euro 4.5 per local beer, wine out of reach (same beer 12rupees in shop across road)
: Buffet euro 40 per person (average evening dinner in hotel R1000 for two)
Excursions
Quite expensive
2 island tour fly Praslin boat Le Digue fly Mahe euro 195 per person
Content, quite disappointing. Praslin, 1 ½ hours in forest, short tour of island, ferry to le Digue small tour, lunch on beach, visit coconut plantation, 2hrs beach, ferry to Praslin, left at airport 1 ½ hrs before flight back Mahe
Overall
Excellent destination but 1 week enough, not a holiday for people on tight budget or limited resources, needs to be pointed out to people that all costs in hotels are in Euros, Rand is about 1.2 to the Rupee, gifts are very expensive.
Hope this helps with details on this destination
Phil Morrison
Tanzania:
From: Judy Harrison Sent: 20 July 2007 15:32
Subject: Clients Stevens on safari
Hi Judy
Safari went well and I would like to drop a note to Cliff (if he is the
Boss) to give him a very positive report on his Guide/Driver - one of the
very best we have encountered over the years
On the flight to Zanzibar now
Cheers Trevor
From: warren
Sent: 27 December 2006 09:13 AM
Subject: RE: HONEYMOON
Hi Retha,
Thank you for your email and for organizing the trip- it was absolutely great. I have made some comments below, which I hope are constructive but I want you to know that we had brilliant time!
Good points
Savannah Tours- they were absolutely fantastic. They were always on time, the guide was superb and everything went exactly according to plan- you can always use them!
Kinassi Lodge- They were marvelous! I cannot speak highly enough of their service, food, location etc. We certainly had the best service we have ever had in Africa here. They look after you 100% and the food was stunning. I was amazed at the accommodation and snorkeling. We spent a few hours swimming with Whale Sharks which was an absolute highlight for us!
Overall organization- we were very happy and would gladly recommend this trip to anyone. There was one day that we felt was a little wasted (see below) but in the end things worked out very well. I would probably spend a little less time at the Serengeti next time and extra day at Mafia but then the island was always going to be my own highlight. Other people would probably prefer more time viewing game.
Points to consider
Tips- I think it would be a good idea to let people know that they may want to tip their guide after the Safari. We should have thought about it but we did not so this was an unexpected expense for which we had not budgeted. After asking a few people we found out that a reasonable tip is about USD10 to USD 15 per person per day. So, at the end of a 5 day trip you are in for USD100- USD 150 per couple. This is quite a bit if you have not budgeted. It was not an issue for us as we had sufficient funds but we were surprised and we noted that most of the people we met did not think about this before the trip.
A wasted day- the 18th was actually a wasted day as we left the last lodge early in the morning and spent two hours in transit before waiting at Arusha for quite a few hours and then going to Dar and leaving the following day. I would suggest that you arrange for people to travel to Dar on the 17th (in our case) as there really is no need to hang around for an entire day. There are plenty of flights and the travel time from the last lodge at the crater is quite quick.
Check the bills- tell people that they must check their bills carefully when leaving the lodges on Safari. We found errors every time we checked the bill because they are dealing in hundreds of thousands on shillings at a time. I suggest you tell people to take a small calculator as it is hard to work in such large numbers e.g. USD 150 = TSH 180,000! We often found discrepancies of TSH 40 000 (R240) at a time, which starts to add up.
Checking in at airports- the guides and transfer people like to get you to the airport very early - we sat at Dar for about two hours after getting up at 05:00 to go to Mafia at 10:00 but there is very little point in doing so. You cannot check in until 1:30 hours before the flight so you sit outside the airport until then. We had a similar experience at Arusha on our way to Dar. I think one should tell Savannah not to let the guides drop you off too early.
I hope you take these comments as constructive as we really had a wonderful time and would gladly go back again, especially to Mafia.
Thank you so much for all your help- I am sure we will be in touch again for another trip.
Regards,
Warren Ingram
Director
24 October 2006
Translated: Dear Lucia,
Many many thanks for all your (you all) excellent organization. We thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. The people cannot stop talking about how wonderful it was. Please phone me if there is any comeback from the agent in Tanzania
Message from Mr Greyling
Regards
Lucia SURE GLENWOOD TRAVEL (PTY) LTD
Beste Lucia,
Baie, baie dankie vir al jou (julle) uitstekende reelings. Ons het die naweek ongelooflik baie geniet. Die mense kan nie ophou praat oor lekker dit was nie.
Skakel my gerus indien daar enige come-backs is van die agent in Tanzanie.
Groete
André Greyling
Zanzibar:
From: Euan Wingfield
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 09:56
Subject: Zanzibar
Hi Evelyn,
Had a really good time in Zanzibar; for your information, the Fairmont is a fairly large place with conference facilities as well just holiday packages……………………………..also solidly Italian, (one of my colleagues is going to a conference there next month, in fact. Fumbar Lodge on the other hand was absolutely fabulous, although don’t spread it around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Many thanks,
Euan
