From the outset I have to say that we were disappointed with Arathusa. It may have been because it was at the end of a trip that had so many highlights and therefore our expectations were too higher than the Arathusa could meet.

We stayed for 2 nights from 13 June following a 3 week trip that had taken in Victoria Falls, 4 nights in a camp in Botswana, 3 nights on a houseboat on the Chobe plus 10 days travelling around South Africa.

I always try to be positive with accommodation and there is much to be positive about Arathusa

It is in a great location around the lagoon - with resident hippos - looking across to a large expanse of grass plus woods behind. The lack of fences means that the game really comes to you - as it did the day before we arrived when hyenas carried off a leopard's kill from outside one of the rooms.

The lodges are huge with big bedrooms and bathrooms with adequate storage. They overlook the lagoon and I feel are much better located that the more exclusive ones hidden in the bush and which require a guide at night.

Being situated within a concession means greater flexibility for off-road daytime pursuits and for night drives. The wildlife is plentiful especially leopards which we hadn't seen in such numbers before and we were able to get really up close to the animals. The guides and trackers were very professional and found game in the most unexpected places.

In addition to the game drives the Lodge offers different dining locations within the camp as well as breakfast in the bush

The camp is well appointed with a small pool and deck overlooking the lagoon - a well stocked bar surrounded by comfortable chairs.

With all this going for it why were we disappointed???

When we arrived we were given room 8 which had a somewhat disappointing view of the dining area - so given that the Lodge was not full we asked to be moved to another room with a better view - we were offered and accepted room 9 that had a clear view of the lagoon and the hippo island - just had to be made up - no problems we said - popped open a Castle and waited - 30 minutes later we were in and unpacked - then the issues started - no key could be found initially -
the door lock was faulty and the catch fell into a locked position as soon as it was closed whether you were inside or out plus the door had a habit of sticking. The manager's response was that these problems were as a consequence of us changing rooms - fine ok .

We had lunch - 2.00 pm in the afternoon - which appears odd - that was the main course followed at 3.00 pm with pudding before the game drive - because of the rush from game drive to dinner then bed then early start we didn't find out until 11.00 the next day that they hadn't turned the hot water on !!!! - at this point our rosy glow of the lodge began to go downhill.

Therefore looking closer the rooms appear to be tired, the shower door didn't fit and flooded the bathroom and the plug didn't fit the basin

In addition, the food was never hot and I must confess I left a lot of food - the culinary highlights for me were the soup and the 2 sweet flans produced for afternoon tea which is a clear indictment. For me the food was never better than average and at times poor especially the wilderbeest kebabs which presented the culinary nadir

In addition there was no encouragement to linger after evening meals with a rush to get you off to bed so no sitting around the campfire exchanging travellers tales

The game drives concentrated on ticking off the big 5 - rather than embracing all the biodiversity - perhaps that is what the customers want - a rather limited approach compared to our experiences elsewhere on the trip.

The game drives were in the Toyota land cruiser - 9/10 seats - there were 2/3 vehicles used - ours because of the timing of guest arrivals had 8/9 people in it which I felt was unacceptable whilst the other vehicles had 4 in them for at least 2 game drives. When I asked to transfer I was put off by the argument that a new guide wouldn't know what we had seen. I feel the lack of space reduced the flexibility for game viewing a less crowded vehicle offers

When we went to settle up we were told that our bar bill had been taken care of by the manager who was standing behind the receptionist. This refund was said to be for the problems with the door. However he told my wife that he was aware of the issues on the game drive and our reason to want to change vehicles for which he did nothing.

Others I know will rave about Arathusa but from our experiences this is not the case.

Had a marvellous 3 nights stay here which included 6 Game drives (3 early morning and 3 late afternoon ) Managed to see an awful lot in this time with the big five spotted very early on in the stay. Accommodation was comfortable and spacious. Staff were very friendly and attentive at all times ! Our Ranger Armand and Tracker Chris were very friendly and informative and we had some very productive drives producing hundreds of photo's many of them close ups !
Sometimes the food was not always to our taste but this did not mar the overall experience !
Everyone we met were thoroughly enjoying themselves and this created a brilliant atmosphere and made for a very memorable stay !
Highly recommended