The Royal Livingstone Hotel Victoria Falls Zambia by Anantara

location 10 on 10 service 10 on 10 property 10 on 10 rooms and amenitis 7 on 10 wifi 5 on 10 a lot of work needs to be done in Rooms and wifi needs to be revamped at this location so stay can be even more complete. rest everything was great.

Our family stayed at The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara and had a really great time together. The location is excellent, right by the Zambezi River and close to Victoria Falls, so it was easy for us to visit the falls whenever we wanted. You can even hear the sound of the water from the hotel, which makes the experience feel special. The rooms were clean, comfortable, and spacious enough for our group. One of the most exciting moments for the kids was seeing zebras walking freely around the hotel grounds, it’s not something you see every day. The staff were friendly and helpful throughout our stay, always ready to assist when needed. Food was good, with enough variety for everyone in the family. We spent some time relaxing by the pool and also enjoyed short walks along the river. Everything felt easy and well-organized, which made the trip stress-free. Overall, it was a great place for a family trip, combining comfort, nature, and a unique experience all in one.

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.

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.