First of all, the trip altogether was just perfect and fully fulfilled all our very high expectations! We got all the nature, privacy, exclusivity, adventures and luxury we were looking for, that made our honeymoon so unique and so splendid. You really managed to convert all our ideas in this trip, all combined with a superb care. Thank you so much!
So, let's have a look at the different stages. Of course, there were some minor issues that haven't been perfect, but they didn't really inflect the big picture...
Arusha:
Our plane from Amsterdam was late, so we arrived just before midnight at the Onsea. We stayed at the "sister-hotel", room was nice but not too charming.
Mahale:
Greystoke was for sure the right place to go there! Banda and lodge were absolutely stunning and the chimp-treks is such a great experience. When it comes to the staff, Nomad seems to do things right. Service was top notch (not only within africa), the best on our trip. Also, Greystoke managed to astonish us everyday with some minor acts and things. They recently changed the local management, Susan and Buzz are very likeable and they made us feel very welcome.
Katavi:
This was the right place to "save" some money when it comes to the place of stay, no doubt. The camp and the tent was fine, although there's a big gap between Foxes and our other lodges. But wildlife (which was the reason to go to Katavi) was so fantastic, we even saw lions hunting a warthog from our tent. We really enjoyed all the sightings, Katavi is Africa as it's best, and our guide Youstin (or Justin or Houston) and his capabilities to spot the animals was awesome.
The staff was not so experienced, but did quite well and the food was very good too.
Selous:
Back to Nomad. The lodge was, again, stunning, and we really loved our all open suite with the pool. Service was Nomad-great as well, food was perhaps a bit substandard, but ok. Selous with it's river was a great diversification to Mahale and Katavi, and we also saw some very nice scenes with Hippos, Lions, Crocs and so on. But there where not too many animals around, so game drives could have been more spectacular. I think the park was "unnaturally empty" at our time, which could happen and is part of the game/nature. The place at the lake with all the hippos and birds as well as the dinner under the stars was beautiful.
Vamizi:
The whole island, the lodge and our villa were just amazing. For sure the perfect place to go on honeymoon. We really loved the picnics at the even more remote beaches, that was the thing we were there for. Unforgettable! Diving and snorkelling was good, when it comes to this, we've seen betters (Tioman, Malaysia) and worse (Belize; Venezuela;...). We really loved this unique and remote place!
Thank you again for this magnificent honeymoon! Of course, feel free to use the positive parts of my feedback (which reflects our feelings about the trip) for your website.
All the best,
Martin and Karine