Avela Lodge

The location is perfect, but my Christmas lunch at Avela lodge was a poor experience. The food was average and didn’t match what the poster promised. The poster should say the menu is à la carte, not buffet, since buffet suggests you can get seconds, which wasn’t the case. Food also ran out and wasn’t replenished. For dessert, Malva pudding was all that remained because everything else was gone. The card machines didn’t support tap payment either, so we had to pay by EFT, which was inconvenient.

Some staff were friendly, but the basics were missing throughout my stay. Coffee was only available at breakfast when I asked, then later I was told there was no ice when I wanted water with some. The “boma” was underwhelming, and there was no ice there either. At breakfast, the scrambled eggs smelled unpleasant and there were no alternatives. When I asked politely for fried eggs, I got the response, “these are the eggs for today.” That felt inflexible and uncaring. The room looked clean at first, but wasn’t really clean. The bathroom had empty hand soap bottles, a poor flush, and slimy shower tiles. My Spa treatment was a disaster, with too much commotion. Generator problems added to the frustration. By Saturday’s dress-up dinner I’d lost interest and didn’t go. The package wasn’t really expensive, so I wasn’t expecting 5 star treatment, but even the basics weren’t delivered. This place has potential, but service and maintenance need major improvement. I hope they fix these issues.

The location is lovely, but the food and service were really bad. My four-year-old couldn’t stomach the starters, which were raw inside. He called them “yucky,” and honestly, they were. Of the main courses, only the cheese and broccoli salad was nice. The rest was bland, too salty or had some strange taste. Dessert was even worse. Our waiter seemed lost, and drinks took a full hour to an hour and a half to arrive. It ruined the mood, and afterward he seemed to expect a tip. With that kind of service? I wouldn’t go back. It was the lowest standard of service I’ve experienced so far, especially disappointing after traveling an hour and thirty minutes to get there.

The peaceful area felt refreshing, and our room was neat and tidy. Omolemo gave us great service, so energetic and welcoming, and Chef Blessing prepared a delicious meal. The spa treatment was refreshing too. We truly enjoyed our stay.