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Honeymoon to Tanzania & Mauritius
Kayleigh Knocker, 5th June 2022Overall the trip was very well planned and apart from the issues with out flights, which were down to the airlines, it went to plan. The organisation of the meet and greet and collection by our safari driver went smoothly and the driver Thomas was amazing. The safari in the Serengeti was brilliant, we managed to see all of the big 5 multiple times and experienced the wildebeest migration. Mauritius was lovely, with the hotel being spectacular. I would comment that the on-the-ground travel agent that met us at the hotel did not have many trips to offer. She only showed us two full day trips and when we said we only wanted half day drips she seemed to have no options. When we explained that we wanted to go to the waterfalls on their own she had no options. We ended up using Viator to book our trip to the waterfalls instead. Overall, the honeymoon was lovely. Though the Safari was fantastic, I think next time we will just go to Kenya as there are direct flights! Personally, I do not believe we will return to Mauritius as we were slightly underwhelmed with the sea life and would prefer to return to the Maldives instead next time.
Accommodation Visited
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
“Having arrived a day late due to flight delays we were very pleased to finally arrive at the hotel. The staff were very welcoming and the room was very nice. The view over the crater was lovely. We went into the bar to watch the evening entertainment and to call our son. The Wifi was a bit temperamental so we struggled to make the call. Normally we would not care about the WiFi but having left our 8 month old son this was quite important to us. The food was delicious and the staff came out to sing congratulations on our marriage and gave us a free glass of prosecco which was lovely.”
Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti
“The hotel was spectacular with brilliant facilities and the food was delicious. On our second night we came back to the room to see they had laid petals on the bed with the words happy honeymoon on the bed. We very much enjoyed our stay at the hotel. Our only negative which is why this review is 4 stars not 5 is that on the second night, after being seated we had to wait 20 minutes before someone came to ask us if we would like any drinks and gave us a menu when there were only 5 other tables seated in the restaurant.”
Mbali Mbali Soroi Serengeti Lodge
“Being one of the only two couples staying at the hotel it was like having our own private hotel! The staff were very attentive, the food was delicious, the room was lovely and the view was spectacular. Having returned from our safari for our second night we were welcomed by a pathway of petals leading to the bathroom where there was a bottle of white wine in an ice bucket with two glasses. This was such a lovely gesture and we enjoyed the wine, sat on the balcony watching the sun set. The location of the hotel is brilliant for getting to the wildebeest migration and I would most certainly go again.”
Crowne Plaza Nairobi Airport
“Considering we were only stopping the night before catching a flight out of Nairobi the next morning, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the hotel had covered our bed with fresh rose petals, with a bunch of fresh roses in the room and the bathroom. We were taken aback by this gesture and as it was not expected. The hotel itself was lovely, the facilities were brilliant with a roof top pool (which we would have used if our flight had not been late arriving to Nairobi) and the food was delicious.”
Sugar Beach Resort
“The hotel itself was gorgeous and we were upgraded to a Suite which was a lovely gesture. All the staff were fantastic and the food and drink were both great. The lunch menu was a bit restrictive since the main restaurant menu was the same every day and the other two restaurants charged for lunch even if you are All Inclusive as we were. We ended up going to the sister hotel next door which had two bars which served lunch which was included. There was a lack of information on the activities that were being offered. A board was available in the morning but it was quickly taken away leaving guests unaware of what was going on. There was a lack of activities at Sugar Beach, leading us to go next door to the sister hotel to hire paddle boards and a kayak. Considering that Sugar Beach is a 5 Star hotel, and the more expensive of the two, I would have expected it to have water sports facilities and not require its guest to walk 20 minutes to the hotel next door. During the evening there was a band playing at the restaurant. This was normally jazz, which was lovely during dinner but they finished playing at 10pm and everything seemed to go quiet. Though there had been advertisements at the restaurant for live music and late night DJs this seemed not to materialise. Again we ended up going to the sister hotel next door which had a live band playing at their bar which was more up beat and there was also a dance floor. Though the hotel was lovely and the staff were amazing I do not believe we would return due to the lack of facilities available and restricted food menus.”
Staff Review
“We couldn't have hoped for better service. Having had to postpone the wedding a year, our honeymoon was also moved which very little increased in cost. During this time we had our son, Noah, and as such made a few alterations to our original plans, shorting our trip by 5 days. Caroline was very helpful, recalculating the cost and working with us to identify the best flight options. When we finally got to go, we ended up getting stuck in Qatar overnight due to our flight being delayed, causing us to miss our connection. Caroline called us the next day to make sure everything was okay and to check if she could do anything to help. The overall honeymoon planned was brilliant. On our return Caroline provided us with an summary of the cancellation costs to claim from our insurance due to missing our connection. I would most certainly, and have already, recommend Mahlatini to anyone wanting to do a Safari in Africa as it certainly takes the stress away from planning and gives you the comfort of knowing should anything go wrong, they are there to help.”
