Mokuti Etosha

The quiet, calm atmosphere and the immaculate, well-kept grounds made the stay feel especially relaxing. Every meal's buffet had plenty of fresh, delicious choices. Our safaris were amazing, and we saw all five of Namibia's main animals. What really stood out was the staff. Everyone was attentive, friendly, and genuinely welcoming, with thoughtful little touches throughout that made us feel valued. The facilities were excellent, too. This is a fantastic base for Etosha, and we'd happily return and recommend it to anyone visiting Namibia.

The grounds were beautiful and so well maintained. It was lovely walking around and watching squirrels and mongooses. The reptile park tour was scary but interesting, so thanks to the guy who showed us around. I only wish we'd stayed longer than one night and had more time to enjoy what the hotel offers. I'd fly halfway around the world to come back. I've worked as a travel agent and traveled widely, but I hadn't experienced service like this before. The kindness and sincere smiles began with the greeting at the gate and continued all the way to the chef, who came to our table to share a cake recipe. At dinner, the waiter introduced each dish personally, and the food was high quality, original, and delicious. Breakfast had a great choice of savory and sweet items, along with fresh-squeezed juices. The rooms were large and brand new, and the mini-bar had a wide selection of complimentary drinks.

A perfect base for exploring Etosha. The resort grounds are incredible, the food and service were excellent, and it's closer to Etosha National Park than anywhere else in the region. They also sell fuel on site, which is essential if you're doing several game drives around the wildlife-rich area. Absolutely a five-star resort.

Mokuti has nice facilities, but too many problems affected our stay, and I can't recommend it. It's expensive and didn't feel worth the price. Other lodges we've visited were better, and I'd suggest Okutala Etosha Lodge on the other side of the park. The worst issue was food hygiene. At dinner I saw fruit flies inside the dessert cabinet, on its ceiling and on some of the desserts. I alerted the chef, who removed a couple but left the rest. I told our waitress, then showed her where the flies were when nothing happened. She seemed unconcerned, and even after agreeing the desserts should be removed, she walked off without doing it. Guests were still taking desserts the flies had landed on. At breakfast the next morning, the cabinet was still in use, with some flies inside, and there were flies on bread left out in the open. There were so many flies around that the lodge should have taken steps to protect the food, such as covering it with cling film. We also found lots of tiny bugs on and in the bed when we first entered our room. I showed reception photos, and they offered to change the bedding. I said the bugs seemed to be falling from the thatched roof, which they were, so we needed another room. They eventually moved us, and the new room was much better. I hope they called pest control for the first one. The rooms also didn't look like the website photos. Renovations are underway, but many rooms seem old and less attractive than the main lodge. A large conference group was staying there, and apparently had booked every outside restaurant table. For most meals we weren't allowed to sit outside, so we ate indoors with lots of flies. Some tables had the company's name on them, but others didn't. A chef said we could use one, then a waitress rushed over and said they were all booked. Nobody ever used the table we had asked for while we ate inside. It was disappointing to be unable to enjoy the facilities on holiday. There was smashed glass by the pool, too. I'd heard a glass break earlier and saw staff cleaning it up, but later I nearly stepped on shards still scattered around a sun lounger. I was lucky not to get hurt. I don't know how the glass was missed during cleanup. I asked a staff member to come over, and they cleaned some more, but this was a dangerous hazard that should have been dealt with properly the first time. At checkout, I was just handed the invoice and nobody asked how the stay had gone. I raised the food hygiene problem anyway. The receptionist said they'd pass it on but didn't seem very concerned. Many staff were friendly and polite, and the lodge looks nice, but the overall experience was let down by too many issues.