Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara

We were a Zambian family in a convoy of two cars who decided to see if we could have breakfast at Avani, which shares the same entrance as the Royal Livingstone Hotel. After we walked around Avani for a few minutes, we suddenly decided to go to the Royal Livingstone and have breakfast there instead. Thus, with eager anticipation, we hopped back into our cars and headed to the hotel.

When we got to the entrance road which leads to the Royal Livingstone after a few minutes' drive from Avani, we found that some cones were lined up on the road blocking the driveway to the hotel. There is a small guardhouse nearby and a young man came out. He proceeded to ask us if we had a reservation at the hotel to which we responded with a "No we don't. We just want to go there to have breakfast."

He then told us that if we wished to do that, we had to go back (?!) to Avani to inform them of our intention to go to the Royal Livingstone. We were nonplussed to say the least and our reaction was on the lines of 'Come on! Really?!' We all looked at one another with that universal "Oh?" which is accompanied with a raised eyebrows facial expression and just said, "Forget about it. Let's just go." (It would be remiss of me not to state that the young man was polite throughout the entire exchange.)

That said, is that the hotel's standard protocol that anyone wishing to go there has to [kind of] go through the indignity of turning around and seek for permission from the Avani side?

For context, we had been in Victoria Falls Town on the Zimbabwe side and on the spur-of-the-moment went to - or visited - three luxury lodges and hotels to merely eat or drink something. At all of them, there were no restrictions that were directed at us. Matter of fact, they were effusive in their welcomes starting from the entry points as we drove in.

I fully understand that every establishment "reserves the right to... etc, etc." And if that is the case with Royal Livingstone, then I would implore the establishment to put up signs at the entry points - and indeed on their website - to inform would-be visitors that patronage without a reservation is verboten.

Prior to this review, my wife attempted to reach out to Anantara to let them know our disappointment with our stay with a very non satisfying response. Anantara hotels in the past have always lived up to their reputation of luxury and quality of service until our recent stay at the Royal Livingstone. Prior to our arrival, maintenance decided to stain our door which transferred wet stain onto my wife and her clothing. We overlooked the incident and with being exhausted from our flight, we opted for room service Pad Thai that showed up with no chicken and spaghetti noddles in the dish. Very odd, but we decided to overlook the start of our stay hoping for a new start in the morning. We walked to breakfast at 9am and after being seated, maintenance struck again to start pressure washing on one side of the guest while lawn service started mowing on the other side. Spoke with the manager which he made the appropriate move to allow the guests to enjoy their breakfast and halt pressure washing and lawn service during those hours. While speaking with management, I inquired if 9am was normal for pool setup not to be done with cushions on the chaise loungers along with staff folding towels on deck. We intended to enjoy the pool after breakfast, but walked back to the room as it wasn't ready for guests. Upon arriving at the pool for relaxation, I was appalled by the condition of the pool and cushions. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised upon check-in to see the lobby chandelier shades in poor mounting condition, lights in the ceiling not secured partially hanging down, our room having paint on the towel rod & light switch cover, and shower door hinge flaking chrome, and furniture flaking sealer. This isn't luxury and Anantara should be ashamed to have one of their hotels in such bad shape from service to amenities. A site inspection needs to happen.

Гуляющие зебры, антилопы и встреча в отеле Эдуардом - топ. Организовали очень быстро экскурсию к носорогам. Прайс выше обычного, но возможность такая есть, имейте ввиду. Готовят ужины в ресторане основном очень вкусно. Вход на водопады для данного отеля бесплатный.

Our stay at The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara was unforgettable. The atmosphere is peaceful and relaxing, with beautiful views of the Zambezi River from the verandas. One of the best parts was the private access to Victoria Falls, which meant we could visit early in the morning before the crowds arrived. The breakfast was excellent, and the service from the staff made us feel very welcome throughout our stay. It’s definitely a place I would recommend for couples looking for a romantic and unique getaway.

Hotellet ligger helt ved Zambesi elven og man ser vannskyen fra Victoria Fallene fra restaurant og bassengområdet, kort vei å gå for å se fossen fra Zambesi siden. Vi så flodhester i elven på morgningen og hadde Bavianer, Impalaer, Sebraer, Apekatter og Giraffer gående rundt oss på Hotellets området på dag og kveld. Veldig spesiell opplevelse som vi anbefaler.

A wonderful place to stay to easily access the Falls and to stay in comfort and luxury. I would recommend it unreservedly.

We loved our week here. The staff are just so friendly and the hotel setting is amazing with wildlife wandering around. The other evening two Giraffe literally walked in front of us dining in the Old drift restaurant. The zebra are always there. Its a few minutes to the falls themselves, or they will take you by golf buggy. The setting by the river is literally fantastic. So many different things to do for all age groups

Wow, what a hotel, it is spectacular! The design and decor and delightful, the staff warm, friendly and helpful and the setting is simply magnificent. We chose the hotel because we wanted to see a zebra by the pool and we were not disappointed. The security staff even took me to see a giraffe that had wandered in, so kind! I hope to come back many times.

Ein Traum - sehr freundliche Mitarbeiter, leckeres Essen, Giraffe Zebra Affe haben Hallo gesagt, traumhaft schöner Sonnenuntergang und ein angenehm warmes Wasser im Pool, der tiefer und zum schwimmen einlud

Serine and clean environment

Everything

Прекрасная локация и замечательная территория

It's one of my favourite hotels I've ever stayed in and my favourite in Livingstone. Everything is exceptional. I always get value for money.

Enjoyed my stay, waking up to animals at your door was fun. Helicopters heading to falls were noisy during the day and wait staff service was very average often getting orders wrong and very very slow. Food was fantastic in main restaurant

Me and my family had great experience. The staff were friendly, the food was excellent with a wide variety of options and the facilities were modern and in good conditions. There was a mistake in the total cost but they fixed it immediately. Also my family had status with Anantara and they upgraded both our rooms free of charge to the better rooms that were refurbished. The welcoming and leaving experience was one of the most iconic experiences I have had. Some staff on arrival were dance and singing while playing music to welcome us. They also did this when we were leaving too. Recommendation if eating at the restaurant facing the beach you spray insect repellent and eat with the table light off so no light attracts flies come to the table and get into your food and drinks.

What an amazing experience. This very charming hotel has a colonial flair, in a picturesque location by the Zambezi River. The main reason for choosing The Royal Livingstone for our stay in Zambia was the roaming wildlife; giraffes, zebra, impalas, and monkeys frolick around for many photo opportunities. The other plus was the complimentary access to the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, which is stunning.

We stayed in the Premier Garden Balcony Room, with all the amenities that you'd need. Even prior to the stay, we were treated with luxury of choosing our pillows / drink preferences / room temperature settings. The hotel also boasts a lovely pool that is often visited by zebras grazing the grass around it, as well as a private 24/7 gym. We did not manage to experience their spa facilities this time round. There is also an activities coordinator who can help plan interesting things to do.

We cannot fault the service here. From the get-go, there was upbeat drumming to welcome our arrival. Check-in and check-out were seamless and there was attention to our preferences and itinerary (shout-out to Pittard at front desk). We had a personal room butler Johnathan who was so attentive and kind with his service. A very special moment would be on our last day at the Royal Livingstone, we were treated to a surprise breakfast on the jetty due to bad weather affecting our dinner plans the previous night. Special thanks to FnB coordinator Lister for organising this and making our stay extra special, as well as Skinner and Mwangala for their exceptional service. Even Nafi (?may be wrong spelling) who is part of the maintenance team was so helpful with pointing out where the giraffes were during our stay.

The food here was a delight. We had complimentary buffet breakfast at the Old Drift, as well as delicious meals from Kubu and the Old Drift, alongside very tasty cocktails and mocktails with recommendations from staff.

The Royal Livingstone is highly recommended. The price is definitely on the steeper side, but we could not fault the wonderful stay in a wonderful hotel with wonderful people.