London Zoo Lodges — Local services in London

Just a few observations from a recent stay with my adult son.||Positives:- Our guides were friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The lodges are in the middle of the Land of the Lions. They are cosy with tea, coffee and drinking water provided. It felt like good value with dinner and a buffet breakfast included at the Terrace Restaurant. It was great to tour the zoo after it had closed and to hear the lions roaring when we got up.||Negatives:- The twin beds in our lodge felt very narrow and neither of us could get the shower to work at a reasonable temperature, it was either freezing or boiling. I couldn't check my messages inside the lodge as I couldn't connect to the WiFi. The guides offered everyone a welcome drink of either a glass of prosecco or juice, which could be taken on the first tour, and it didn't seem sensible to allow people to walk around with glass. I would have preferred to be offered free juice with dinner and forgo the welcome drink. My dinner was lukewarm, but I didn't ask for it to be reheated as I wasn't very hungry, so I didn't mind not finishing it. We only saw a few animals on each tour as the explanations about them were very detailed e.g. ten minutes hearing about the Komodo dragon, which wasn't visible as it was inside, and a lengthy chat about the empty grade 1 listed penguin enclosure. There is an opportunity to put food into a ball for the wallabies. Each lodge was given a ball, but when it was our turn, the food provided had run out, as other participants had taken more than they should. ||Tip:- If you don't have children, consider visiting in term time. We never considered this as we are happy being in the company of children (my son is a teacher) but we were unfortunate to have several families that knew each other staying in the lodges and they let their children run around playing tag and making a lot of noise on the grass in front of our lodge, both once they had checked in and from 7:30 the next morning!||Overall:- Recommended if you have younger children, but it's obvious from previous reviews that a lot of older people enjoy the...

I was very lucky to be invited by a friend to celebrate her 60th birthday at this fantastic London venue. Our stay was on 5th September 2019. We spent two whole days at the zoo and got up close to lots of lovely animals. When we arrived at the Lodges, we were greeted with a very warm welcome from the the keepers/hosts who outlined very clearly the health & safety aspect as well as the itinerary. Our Lodge was amazing ... beautifully clean and pristine with lovely decoration and linens, tea making and en suite facilities etc. Also a delightful verandah. We were offered a glass of prosecco at the start of the first evening walk. The keepers were so knowledgable, enthusiastic and such fun and truly dedicated to conservation. A delicious two course dinner awaited us after the first walk. Food was of a very high standard. We then did a night walk which was very excitig and were given the opportunity to prepare food and feed some of the animals. Then it was time to hit the pillow and we had an excellent night's sleep. It was amazing to think that we were sleeping only metres from Bhanu (the male lion ) and his ladies! After a delicious hearty breakfast, it was time to feed the very entertaining penguins who were awesome and continue on our morning walk and talk. This has been such a wonderful and outstanding experience that I will never forget. The keepers/hosts were first class and relayed how grateful they and ZSL were for our contribution in helping to fund their vital work. In addtion, I would like to thank Abi and the team for the safe delivery of my zoo gift to my friend's bed in our Lodge (soft lion toy.) Furthermore, I would have no hestitation in recommending this fabulous experience and venue. Thank you so much for such a fabulous stay.. Best wishes to you all and the...

The lodges are within hearing distance of the lion enclosure.||How many times are you ever going to be able to say you were woken by a lion's roar?||The lodge was on the small side but had everything it needed; and it was comfortable and had good character, as befits such a place.||We were on the adult-only version of the experience; I imagine it'd be a bit different if more children had been there, so bear that in mind when reading.||There were three "behind the scenes" tours included; this definitely set it apart from other (apparently) similar experiences we've had. The zoo staff conducting these were helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and funny; no question was too trivial and some of the little touches were just brilliant. ("This is the most social of this group of apes. She's going to show you her teeth, then she'll show you her bum." And, no sooner had he said it...!)||I'm not going to try to give you stuff to look forward to, because I'm sure the tour is different depending on who's likely to be up and around -- but you won't be bored!||The meals included in the deal were excellent: good food, served in the Terrace restaurant, but at a time when nobody's around except the lodge residents and zoo staff, which made it feel extra special.||I can't recommend this enough. Brilliant,...