Namib Desert Lodge

What you see when you approach is definitely not what you get once you are inside. Although it was a trek to reception for wi if and tv only at the bar the food was great.

Namibia Desert Lodge is about 50 km north of the entrance to Soussesvlei Park, facilitating an early morning departure for the park (a necessity given the midday heat). We were very impressed by the staff, several of whom were particularly helpful with travel tips and other advice, and all of whom performed their tasks with real professionalism. The meals were superb -- the best we experienced in Namibia outside of Windhoek. The WiFi is unreliable -- no surprise given the lodge's remote site.

Excellent location, good hotel however, food is only catered for Europeans/Germans, so other nationalities will suffer.

Desert lodge was beautiful. Pool was great and relaxing - lots of chairs and umbrellas. Tasty food in the restaurant. Wish it was a bit closer to Sossusvlei, but not terribly far nonetheless.

A relaxful delightful place to stay. Staff were helpful, informative and friendly. Hotel is well appointed and rooms were comfortable and large. Cuisine was superb. Great selection. Electricity supply creates a problem for hotel sometimes at night. If visiting in summer airconditioning may not operate 24 hours.

There's isn't much tech in the desert - no phone, tv, or wifi - but the service, tours, facilities, and bustle of this inexpensive lodge made for warm home-comings each evening I stayed. Restaurant staff was very attentive, food interesting and plentiful. Definitely take advantage of the Sossusvlei and Sundowner tours (hey, you've done enough desert driving). And bring your own toiletries! The location is farther from the Park than other lodges, but it's situated nicely against the petrified dunes you'll soon be toasting with a Sundowner cocktail!

The lodge was well positioned close to petrified dunes and with some walks that could be undertaken on your own to get a real 'feel' for the environment. On our walk we had an Oryx trot a few metres away from us! There is a small water hole near the lodge that attracts such game and particularly birds. The lodge has a variety of trees and flora all labelled which in turn attracts the birds and bees! Very well maintained and run. The lodge is about 5 km drive from the entrance gate at the main road and that provides the staff with the opportunity to have someone meet you when you arrive at the lodge, assist with parking and baggage and take you on a tour of the facilities and to show you your room. A couple of negative points were that there was no TV in the room although the booking form suggested such and also no tea/coffee making facility or mini-fridge. The TV was no real loss as there is so much to see outside your room (ours was facing the dunes and open grassland) but inability to brew a cuppa or have your own cold drink was annoying. Also the food and drink prices seemed a bit steep. We had lunch at one of the other lodges in the area and it was a much more reasonable cost although the room rates were much higher. Also for a buffet, a choice between two main dishes is a bit restrictive unless you are willing to eat anything that moves!

Here is the deal on the location- THE FAMOUS SAND DUNES OF SOUSSESVLEI ARE A 2 HOUR DRIVE. Since the drive from Windhoek on poorly maintained, gravel roads to the lodge was 4.5 hours that was fine with us but limited access for sunrise and sunset to enjoy the breathtaking red dunes. The setting of Namib Desert was beautiful with compressed sand dunes as a back drop that were lit at night. The room was comfortable though air conditioning was limited to hours decided by hotel. There were marked walking trails complete with written guides available at reception. The food was buffet style and fine. Yes, I recommend it for 2 nights as long as the traveler understands the distance to the dunes.On the Expedia site the lodge states the distance to the park is 60 kilometers to the gate. The dunes are another hour inside the gate- a bit misleading to the tune of 2 hours round trip.