Rest Camp Victoria Falls — Hotel in Victoria Falls Municipality

This place exceeded our expectations.||||We stayed 4 nights in a chalet. (We spent our entire stay singing “Everything is beautiful at the chalet”, and you’re welcome for the ear worm musical theater nerds). The room was basic but large with two twin beds. There was a fan and mosquito nets, but we didn’t need to use either at this time of year. There was also a small dresser and a table with two chairs. It isn’t a space for hanging out in, but it served its purpose. There were two sets of bathrooms equidistant from our chalet that had both toilets and showers. The ones nearest the restaurant had two showers with anterooms which were useful so we used those ones. The temperature controls on the showers were temperamental and you’d often go from freezing to scalding and vice versa, but it never did run out of hot water which was good. ||||There are tents set up for less money, and rooms with bathrooms attached for more. We were happy with our choice. ||||The location is great right off the main strip. Easy to walk to the Falls. Lots of touts who want to sell you stuff, but they aren’t too pushy once they see you really aren’t interested. ||||There is wifi, but good luck using it. The signal is strongest around the restaurant, but even there it was often unusable. There was always a sizable group sitting around the pool on their phone with frustrated looks on their faces. Even early in the morning when there weren’t many people it wasn’t much better. ||||The front desk were very pleasant, though we didn’t interact with them much. But they set up airport transfers for us, and helped arrange a load of laundry with housekeeping. They sell water and snacks but at inflated prices. They did point us to the local “OK” grocery store up the street. Prices there are in the local currency, but when you get to the cashier there is a big sign on the wall to convert it into USD (and a few other currencies). It’s not the best rate and they did not give us change, but it was still a great deal. We got water and snacks, a loaf of bread and peanut butter, all of which helped us save a lot of money since everything in Vic Falls is so comparatively expensive. ||||We did eat one meal at the “In-da-Belly” restaurant on the property, you can see my separate review. It felt pricey but the food was good and well-presented, and is a good option if you don’t want to walk around town. ||||One thing to remember about Vic Falls, is that there are wild animals that live here too. The property is surrounded by an electrified fence, which does little to keep the vervet monkeys and baboons out. But one night we were sitting by the pool near the fence and were could hear things moving around in the dark. We followed the fence down a way and were astonished to see a small group of very large elephants wandering by eating the vegetation. It was both a little scary and totally amazing. Walking around town you will most likely see warthogs, water buck, and definitely more baboons, but we were told the big 5 were all in the area. ||||If we return to Vic Falls I would stay here again. There are much nicer places to stay if you want to spend the money, but we were quite comfortable here, and I would...

I stayed at Victoria Falls Restcamp and Lodges my first three nights in Zimbabwe (Please note: the TA name of this accommodation is incorrect). I was traveling solo, but I chose to stay in a 2-bedroom "lodge" (cabin) because it had a private ensuite bathroom. I didn't want to stay in a dorm or use a communal shower and toilet located in a separate building.||||Each bedroom in the cabin had two single cots, a dresser, large closet with hangers, mosquito net, and ceiling fan. The mattresses were thin, but bearable. The lighting was good throughout. There is no TV or WiFi in the cabin; it is only available at reception and in the restaurant, but even there the signal was very weak.||||There was a dining area with a small dinette table and four chairs. The kitchen was full-size and surprisingly well-appointed. It had a mini-fridge, tabletop oven with two burners, toaster, kettle, pots and pans, and dishes, cups, cutlery, and place mats for 4 people. The bathroom had a shower, tub, and sink. The water was hot and the pressure was good. ||||The two front windows on either side of the front door did not have curtains so passersby could look straight into the cabin. This was particularly disconcerting at night when the inside was illuminated. I didn't feel comfortable with this, so I covered the windows with bath towels. ||||Mind you, this was a camp cabin, not a hotel suite, and it was VERY basic and spartan. The walls are cinder block and the floor is bare cement, so the bedrooms felt a bit like a jail cell. Frankly, my initial instinct when I opened the door was to turn around and go find a hotel. However, at $27 per night including taxes, it was by far the cheapest private room with bath in Victoria Falls so I decided to grin and bear it.||||If you are traveling with a companion or a group, the cabin is not that bad. However, as a solo traveler I found it dreary and boring, particularly at night since there was no TV or WiFi in the room.||||You must leave a $10 cash deposit upon check-in for your room key which will be refunded at check-out. Also, you can book tours at reception, and Charlene, the concierge is very professional and personable. However, you can find cheaper prices online or at one of the tour agencies less than a block down the street. For example, the Chobe day trip safari was $175 if booked at the camp; I paid $140 at a tour agency. The sunset cruise was $55 at the camp; I paid $40 at the tour agency. ||||Unfortunately, I did not feel quite safe staying at VF Restcamp. The front door lock on the cabin was flimsy and so were the locks on the windows. The campground is also very dark at night. Walking back to the cabin from the restaurant I could barely see my hand in front of me. They supposedly have 24-hour security, but I did not see or hear any night patrols. For these reasons I don't recommend the cabins for a female traveling solo, and I wouldn't stay...

First, it must be clear that this is not a hotel, but a rest camp. If it's ok to stay in a park in Africa, in lodges or tents, this is the place for you. If you want to stay in a room, search another accomodation. The camp is in downtown Victoria Falls, 200 meters from the main street and 15 minutes walk to the falls. There are many shops and restaurants, fast foods and bars just along the street outside the gate. It is safe to walk around in Victoria Falls also in the evening. You can stay in a tent provided or in lodges, which have 2 bedrooms, a living room with a table, a kitchen and the bathroom. The lodges are very basic and old, but also much cheaper compared to a hotel room. There is a good à la carte restaurant: I ate there both dinner and breakfast and both were good with very affordable prices. There is a swimming pool, also if the water wasn't inviting.||||This said, I decided at 22:00 to leave the camp and I went at Hotel Rainbow, just accross the street. The main reason which made me decided for this was that the lodge (L11) was terribly hot. There were 35 degrees that day (which is average in Victoria Falls in October) and everything was hot in the lodge: floor, walls, beds, chairs... At 22:00 the temperature inside the lodge was for sure over 40 degrees. There was no air condition, but only a fan, which didn't help. It was practically impossible to keep the windows open, because there is no mosquito nets and as you are in a park, everything comes inside. It's true that there are mosquito nets around the beds, but the insects and animals are anyway in your room! I asked if they had a lodge with air condition and they had (L15) with an extra cost of Usd 36,-. I decided to take it anyway, but when I went there I saw a big, grey and hairy spider in the lodge and I decided not to take it and I went to the Rainbow.||||Contra: lodges very basic and old; no windows-glass in the living room (windows always open, but with mosquito nets); no mosquito nets on the windows in the bedrooms; some different kinds of insects and animals inside the lodges (in mine there was also a gecko); no toiletries in the bathrooms; very dark in the evening in the park and to get to the lodges; general air of neglet (3 sun beds at the pool were broken); reception open only until 22:00; the water of the swimming pool was turbid and not inviting.||Pro: cheap; park well mainteined and...