4/10 Poor
Alexandra
May 16, 2025
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Huge disappointment; icky rooms
The Chobe Safari Lodge was a very expensive mistake.
TL;DR It wasn't just bad for the money we spent, but bad for a standard $200/night hotel.
The Bad:
- The room was incredibly disappointing: it was not well appointed, small, and not especially clean. Hard to explain how ick it felt.. your heart sort of drops when you walk into the room and you realize this is what you got your hopes up for.
- I had to ask for soap and shampoo to be brought to the room; there was literally none. It took three go-rounds with the hotel service to actually get soap and shampoo.
- The pool was filthy -- it's literally a dare to get into the water.
- The "nature walk" was the lease compelling nature we saw in Botswana.
The OK:
- One redeeming point was the woman at the front desk (Patricia, if I recall correctly?) who helped us check in; she was gracious and helpful. All other staff we interacted with were actively unhelpful and indifferent.
- The boat tour was just OK; it was not the glamorous boat tour you'd expect. It's one sub-par drink on an otherwise pared-down boat. But you do see some cool stuff.
To note:
- All activities cost extra. They are not included in the cost of the hotel.
- Essentially all of the activities outside of the standard safari stuff seemed pretty lame when you dug into it.
In all, if you're looking for a really nice stay, better to properly spend on one of the $800-$1000/night hotels for just one night rather than spending two at a truly sub-standard hotel.
Alexandra
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025