Hobatere Lodge

We took the 06:30 morning game drive. Our guide was Liffius who drove us to the waterhole where the lions congregate. Upon my request, he drove closer to the lions. They walked away as soon as we got closer. I would have appreciated if he had warned me that driving closer could scare them away. I would have understood. I think it is important to educate the customers how the animals can behave if we approach too closely. If I had known there was a risk of lions walking away, I would have accepted a comfortable distance for the animals. The game drive was basically a single trip to the waterhole, nothing more. The lodge lies in a concession area of almost 9,000 ha so we were expecting to explore much more of the terrain. We felt our guide was driving at leisure without enthusiasm to pursue other animals besides the lions. It is well known that lions hang around the waterholes so it is an easy drive for the guide. Our guide was pretty relaxed, not making any effort to scan around for animals nor tracking signs to find them. We were disappointed with our guide. If you decide to go on a game drive, ask for Martin as your guide. We heard other guests were very happy with him. I would suggest Hobatere Lodge to clearly describe it as a lion game drive so the customers know what to expect. Upon our return from the morning game drive, another lapse at breakfast time that can easily be improved. I suggest to make available plenty of hot milk at breakfast time. I asked for hot milk to make a cup of hot chocolate. I clearly said hot chocolate. To my surprise, they brought back a milk jug that accompanies coffee, not enough for a generous cup of hot chocolate. Other guests had been also waiting for milk to be restocked at breakfast time, not only myself. The staff needs to better trained to be more attentive to the guests’ requests. Another lapse happened at check-out. Our invoice was incorrect with an extra amount of approximately NAD 1,300. We were very surprised with such a big mistake to what appeared to be a basic calculation. We got suspicious if it was indeed an inadvertent error. The highlight of our stay was Melody who looked after us at dinner time, with thorough attention. The food was delicious, our compliments to the chef. Soft drinks are served directly on glasses. I would suggest to use bigger generous glasses with ice cubes on the side. After two gulps, I had already finished my glass. Overall, staff dedication and commitment need to improve. There is a clear lack of training. This is the first lodge where we encountered a free wifi threshold. You need to pay beyond a certain usage. It just sounds like a means to make more revenue. Free unlimited wifi should be a basic service in modern hospitality.

What we liked: Great private and remote area with lots of wildlife around (fenced off). We saw lions, a giraffe and springbok simply from the patio at the reception. The little cabins were beautiful, very clean and cool on hot days. The reception was spacious with opportunities to work, relax on a couch, dive into the pool or watch wildlife from a little overlook. Evenings were beautiful with little campfire and sunsets. They offer various tours on their property and we took a cool night drive (saw desert foxes, owls and small cats). Their driveway is a 14 km long sand road, conditions vary from day to day but it was doable with a 2x4 SUV. Just take into account that it can take 30 minutes from the lodge to the main road. From there it is 5 minutes to Etosha's West Gate which is a MUST-DO. We had the most amazing animal sightings there, almost better than in the famous eastern part of the park. What we didn't like: We gave the staff a heads-up via mail about being vegetarian. They answered that it was noted. On arrival we put it down again on a paper sheet as dietary requirement. In the evening we were asked how we wanted our steak. We clarified the situation an got... sides only. They just took the meat off. Second day they served us meat directly. We clarified the situation and got... fish. We clarified again and got sides only. We asked for a little more rice and veggies and they brought us some immediately. Guess they just don't quite know what vegetarians are but it would have been nice if they had at least remembered us or written it down somewhere - but this way we felt like they didn't really care about their guests and we were just a number for them.

We were there with a small group of 16 pax in total. We got a very friendly welcome, a feeling of a private lodge dinner-service, a great gamedrive an perfect rooms. Thanks for this perfect hospidality. Also for our technical problem we got the best assistance.We will come back next year! Thanks to the friendly staff!