River View Lodge

I never stayed here, and I’m sure the cottages may be excellent. I’m writing to alert others to be careful when booking through outside providers like booking.com. The Lodge’s profile said in fine print that different terms and policies would apply if you booked more than three rooms. We booked four. I only spotted the sentence afterward, and it didn’t give any specifics or link to them. The booking.com confirmation email said nothing about it either. Then, a few days later, they imposed an arbitrary 24-hour response deadline on a reservation more than seven months away. If you’re like me and don’t reply immediately to emails about something so far in the future, you may end up paying penalties. We didn’t like the new terms, so I asked to cancel and was charged a 10% fee. The cost of the stay also went up by more than 10% from the booking.com quote once the Lodge applied its new policies. Despite my earnest appeal for courtesy, nothing. It was a very disappointing and unpleasant experience.

We had a car breakdown on the way to Kasane and had booked three nights, but couldn’t make the first night because we broke down at night. I tried calling the hotel six times, with no answer, then looked on their Facebook page for another number and found a mobile one. The man who answered said he was the director. He was very sympathetic when I explained what had happened and even asked if we were okay. We checked in the next day, Saturday afternoon. At reception, one tall, slim woman with short hair was exceptionally lovely, smiley, and professional. I asked whether anything could be done about the missed night. The other woman, with short twisted hair, who I think works in reservations, abruptly asked if I hadn’t read the terms and conditions, then said there was no refund. This was our first time at the hotel. The breakdown wasn’t our fault or theirs, but the way she addressed it was uncalled for. She told us to wait and see another woman, Shingi. At 4pm I went to reception and saw Shingi. She already had an attitude when she came to speak to me. I explained, and she said they don’t offer refunds. I clearly told her I WASN’T ASKING FOR A REFUND, I was asking if there was anything the hotel could do. She spoke to me with an attitude, so I just thanked her and left. Customer service matters, especially in situations like this. The director was professional and gave very good service on the phone. I understand there’s no refund, and I wasn’t asking for one. But being spoken to with an attitude by staff on arrival, then spoken to in such a disgusting manner by supervisor Shingi, is not okay. Staff need to improve their customer service skills. I definitely won’t return, and I’ll tell all my friends in the UK who were considering visiting about the bad service.

The food was good, and the rooms were spacious and clean. Apart from Mike, though, the team was very passive and didn’t really spread good vibes. The pool water was cloudy and uninviting, and the wooden deck was broken, seemingly for a long time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good value overall. You need to work on the positive vibes!

The staff were super friendly, attentive, and kind. The location and rooms were nice, though the pool needs regular, thorough cleaning. I’d suggest the owners make tipping easier. Maybe put an envelope for the cleaning staff in each room, and have reception mention tips at check-in and checkout. The little tip box in the dining area is barely visible, so most tourists visiting the lodge don’t notice it.