Thornicroft Lodge - South Luangwa — Hotel in Eastern Province

This is a tricky review, purely based on the experience of this lodge. In a safari park, I'm not sure if you would have a similar experience in a different lodge - where spiders and snakes are normal inside the lodge! Yes, this is what happened during our stay. We were picked by Elana from the airport. We learned that we are the only guests at the lodge, and only 1 or 2 other couples were expected. We were shown to our room, which was at the END of the row. Strange, if you're the only guest - why would they put you at the other side? Anyway, we got our bags in, and noticed some really large flat spiders in the bathroom. This freaked us out a bit, since we're not used to this. This is where I wonder, is this normal, because you are in the jungle right? However other people we talked to, who stayed in similar places had no such complaint. Anyway, we tried to live with that. There was also no phone in the room, which means if we wanted something we cannot just call for it. We also could not just walk out the room, because we needed an escort (Jackson) who would ensure you're safe. However he would not always be around, and on the second day we struggled with not having enough drinking water! The internet, electricity and water would regularly be cut off - again, we could not do anything until we were able to get to the reception. NOT what you expect in a hotel. On the second day, 2 snakes fell from the thatched roof just meters from the bed! We were then swiftly moved to another room. The food arrangements were luckily on our side, since we were able to tell the chef what we would like to have, and he was good at preparing that. Plus point there. But we were on edge the entire stay, and never really relaxed because we constantly worried when we would see the next problem/ issue. Would I recommend this lodge, probably not. There is a lovely spa in the Lodge, and I did get a massage. Ruth is really good, BUT there is no hot water in the shower facility in the Spa. Which means, if you need to have a shower after a scrub, you need to go to your room, and then go back, unless you're ok to have a cold shower. So these small things actually added up to a poor experience. On the last day, they didn't even have shampoo! They had to go and buy a bottle. Shocking. The staff tried (Rivai, who served us was always smiling), but there are some...

Even though we were the first 2 guests to arrive in the early new high season of 2018 and were the only 2 guests at the lodge which made us feel a bit awkward with all the friendly staff giving us instant service to whatever we wanted or needed, and the new Management team Dylan and Nadja who are so new to find their way around aswell, everyone was so lovely and nice, the 3 night stay was excellent after spending 3 days camping at nearby Croc Valley. A hot shower and a nice comfy bed is fantastic then! Food could have been a little better with options instead of set dishes after and before the game drives. But speaking of, the game drives are one of a kind. Splendid! Thanks to our friend Godfrey who with his 26 years of experience, really gives you the best safari drive experience of the park. Taking us to all the corners of the lower park where other jeeps don't go. He's very intelligent, smart and funny. Were we saw the very hard to find leopards 5 times in a day, other guides didn't. Big thanks to him! The lodge itself is easy accessible but bumpy road towards it from the main road as all roads are like that. You are in the jungle remember! Good chalet with the occasional bug inside. But that's normal in these places. Good mosquito net around the bed keeps you safe. We actually found a little scorpion on the floor which was cool! Captured it and released it in the wild. Nice bar but could have used a bit of ambiance background music maybe, specially with just the 2 of us, it can get a bit quiet when running out of chats. Played a good game of yahtzee with Yahtzee Johnson! Hilarious! Please set up a WiFi system too, guys!, which there wasn't when we were there. But maybe they are setting it up before the high season. Overall excellent stay and we would definitely come back! Thanks all staff at...

My experience at Thornicroft Lodge was outstanding!! From Mfuwe airport pick up to return, all my expectations were met. The lodge is beautiful, and has all necessities including air conditioning. The game drives were wonderful! In a space of days, we saw the big five. Lions feasting on a kill, elephants, giraffes, buffalos and leopards! We did not expect such great animal views in just two days.|The birds in South Luangwa are beautiful! |The ledge staff were warm, respectful and accommodating.Food was cooked to taste each day. |Each and every staff member from the kitchen, restaurant, housekeeping, gardens and office made our stay pleasant and unforgettable. A special thanks to Elina the lodge manager who catered to our overall needs. Robert our game driver was knowledgeable on all aspects of the game. I had the pleasure of a spa treatment by Ruth. The experience was truly enjoyable and relaxing. The spa overlooks the river and all spa amenities such as oils and lotions were available. I highly recommend getting a massage as it is an added amenity not usually available in South Luangwa lodges. Thanks to our host Khadija who organized our overall needs trip for which I am extremely grateful. We had a choice of lodges in South Luangwa and we chose the right one! I highly recommend Thirnicroft Lodge should you decide to visit South Luangwa!...