The Royal Livingstone Hotel

We were in Africa for 14 nights, and spent our first (and only) night here. I would have been more than happy to spend every night here. This is such a unique, wonderful place. I look forward to someday returning...for a longer stay!

They really made my birthday feel special and was a nice touch. The check-in experience seems a little varied but the nice butler service made up for it. Nice breakfast selection. Rooms could do with a refresh but the grounds are beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful hotel with gorgeous grounds and, of course, an incredible setting overlooking the river and falls. However, this is not a five-star hotel, and for the price, my husband and I both left feeling a little disappointed. The team are incredibly friendly, special mention to Betty, who was absolutely delightful, but the service at both restaurants was extremely slow. At dinner, our waiter left the bottle of wine on the table and took more than 10 minutes to return, so we ended up pouring our own glasses. Unfortunately, the food was also very, very average (stale bread every morning at breakfast). The room was another disappointment. If we had paid half the price, we would have been much more willing to overlook these things. But at $1,000+ per night, the rooms need some extra TLC, as do the little details: for example offering a variety of mugs and providing quality wine glasses and champagne flutes. Even something as simple as calling for an iron highlighted the lack of attention to detail: the iron that was brought to our room didn’t actually work. These may seem like small things, but when you’re paying this kind of price and are well travelled, they really do make a difference. The setting is spectacular and the staff are lovely, but overall, the experience didn’t live up to the five-star standard or the price tag.

Great service and experience was better than expected. The grounds are as imagined with animals roaming freely. All areas are beautifully decorated and drinks were good. I came for lunch only - had the lentil bolognese. It was so so but the peanut butter milkshake was great as was the table bread