Victoria Falls - Hotels?
 

Hi - I'm traveling to S Africa for work later this month and would like to take a few days at the start of May to visit Vic Falls. Hoping someone will have hotel suggestions? Can't afford the 5 star but hopefully there's reasonable options? Thanks!

check out Ilala Lodge in Vic Falls. I liked it better than the Vic Falls Hotel. Good food, swimming pool, clean rooms, air conditioned, close to the falls and the markets and animals roaming the grounds
www.ilalalodge.com

Vacancy rates are rediculously low in Vic Falls, Zim. Pick a couple of the top hotels, pitch up in a cab and tell the driver to wait with your luggage in the cab, ask the desk their best rates and then offer a low ball hard cash price.If you are not a good negotiator, don't bother. Cash is king there. Zimbabwe dollars is monopoly money or tp at best. Your credit card will not give you as good as price. The exchange rate for Rand is not near as good as dollars, Euro or pound.

Or, "tell the driver to wait with your luggage in the cab" and then come back out and find the cab gone with your luggage.
regards - tom

Tom
Give me a break. There are means to keep a taxi driver there.

Well, seriously, tell me some?
regards - tom

I've traveled all over the world for over 30 years, and it just dawned on me, I should be compensated for those things I take for granted. Like pulling up to a 5 star hotel, telling the concierge or bellmen to hold the cab while I go to the front desk. Duh........ It is just one of a couple ways I have held a taxi in VF in the past with no problems. I didn't think it would be necessary to hold anyones hands in this.

And if it is not a 5 star hotel (lucky you) and there is no doorman/bellman there, then what would you you suggest? I suppose just trust the cab driver? Or simply do not do this unless it is a 5 star hotel (lucky you)?
regards - tom

Tom
Seems like an unusual thread. You can go to the Sprayview Hotel,which might be a 2 star and there is a bellman to open your taxi door when you arrive. Kind of standard operating procedure for hotels and lodges in VF these days.

Tom I would do the same as Luangwablondes however I would leave my wife and 3 adult age children in the taxi. Unless I had been a real s.o.b. to them for the previous ten days I would expect taxi to be waiting for me when I returned :))
Regards,
Eric

Okay you two, Play nice....
I second the Ilala Lodge, although the other hotels look nice also, Ilala is less expensive (generally & I am not one of those hard ball negotiators). It is quite close to the falls, and the laundry service was great!!! I am returning in June (single female traveller), and NEVER felt unsafe (from people -the baboon coming into the my room last time gave me a scare, as he did not want to go away-no matter how many things I threw at him LOL). They will not enter the room if a human male is inside- so most pepole won;t have this issue!

Hi Suzic,
As we'll be staying at the Ilala for our upcoming trip, I'll remind my husband to look testosterone pumped or at least like a bad a$$ man :)

I wonder if I should be offended if I frighten away wandering baboons.

To be honest, I don't think the Ilala is as flexible(its very popular) as a hotel with like its larger cousins, the VF Hotel, Elephant Hills, and one I have almost felt like a bottom feeder at- the Kingdom for $28, no breakie, several years ago. I think that was in the order of close to 10% of rack rate at the time.

Thanks for the input everyone! Will check out the suggestions. If I can keep up with the questions - any thoughts for the Zambia side?

Thanks again