Emanya@Etosha

We spent 3 wonderful nights at Emanya. The lodge is beautifully designed blending modern and traditional architecture to create a relaxed and inviting environment. The staff are simply amazing managing to balance the attention to detail in a friendly and professional manor. In particular Max, Reno, Elise and Joel were exceptional, we didn’t get the chance to speak with all of the staff but all were very good. The rooms are large, elegant, and very comfortable, the turn down service every night with lit candles made it feel even more special. Food was exquisite and a good variety of options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As for Etosha park we went spent 2 days exploring ourselves managing to see Giraffes, Elephants, and Zebras however we couldn’t find the big cats. When we arrived at Emanya we met Joel who manages their game drives. Right from the start we knew Joel could help us find some cats and we weren’t disappointed seeing both Cheetahs and a Leopard up close, along with a White Rhino, Giraffes and Elephants. Joel is simply a brilliant guide, very friendly, hugely knowledgeable and adept at understanding the needs of the groups to ensure a great experience is had by all. We highly recommend taking a game drive whilst staying at Emanya and we hope to return to this beautiful oasis one day soon.

Unfortunately never again and actually zero stars! The lodge has nice facilities and the waterhole is great and there are lots of animals passing by. We stayed at the lodge a year ago and felt very comfortable. That's why we came back this year to spend a relaxing day by the pool. Unfortunately, the lodge has slowed down considerably in the last year. The local staff are very hard-working and friendly, but the manager/owner seems to be overwhelmed. The staff convey a feeling of enormous insecurity, if not fear. The pool looked completely filthy. The floor and walls were black in places and I think it was mould. It didn't look at all inviting and I assume it was a health hazard. Despite this, my son (10) was personally promised by the manager that the water was clean and that he could go swimming without worrying. I wouldn't have had a problem if the pool had been officially labelled as unusable. It would have spoilt our stay, but things like that can happen. However, I cannot accept that my child was knowingly exposed to danger. When asked about this, we were shouted at by the elderly lady, who was obviously the owner or at least the boss of the lodge, and we were threatened that we would have to pay, if we damaged her reputation. My son was completely terrified after the boss went berserk. He was really scared for our lives. The pictures are attached, you can see for yourself if you would have let your child swim in this pool. After our complaint, they tried to clean the pool late in the evening in a panic, which probably proves that it was not as clean as they claimed. Most guests only stay for one night, which is why a dirty pool and a sun deck in poor condition will certainly not result in so many negative reviews. The rooms are very nice but smelt a bit musty (rooms 1 + 2) and the wall under the roof looked damp. There is no mosquito net over the bed and no mosquito net on most of the windows. It's astonishing how you can let such a great resort get so run down. The deck by the pool is rotting away. Several places are broken or boards are sticking up. Parts of the steps to the viewing deck at the waterhole were missing, which is very dangerous, especially in the dark. Unfortunately, the food wasn't great either. We have eaten much better at other lodges. The prices on the drinks menu did not match the bill. So after two nights we left disappointed and quite stressed after all the trouble and will unfortunately not be visiting Emanya Lodge again. The management urgently needs to change something here so that the lodge can shine again in its former splendour and guests can feel comfortable again without having to fear damage to their health. The lodge advertises itself with the slogan "Discover quintessential African luxury in Namibia". Unfortunately, this is currently far from the case.