Protea Hotel Livingstone
Plot 2110, Mosi-O-Tunya Road
Livingstone
PO Box 60286
Phone: +260 213 324 630
The hotel is located in a quiet safe area, in the outskirts of the city, at about 20 minutes walking distance from the Museum. Nobody will annoy you while waking around, actually people will be very friendly to you if you just smile.
The common areas are just beautiful with a colonial style and plenty of water ponds and fountains, great furniture and paintings, which contrasts with the dryness of the hotel surroundings. The pool is small but lovely, next to the restaurant, which also operates as a bar.
My room had classic colonial style, and it was lovely, comfortable, very spacious with a huge bathroom and wall mirror, and a basic selection of good quality toiletries (citronella repellent moisturiser included). Both the room and the toilet were super-clean and there was an electric anti-repellent in the room. The room had a flat screen TV with a varied selection of channels, 3 movies channels, BBC, Aljazeera and National Geographic, among others.
The restaurant was open long hours and offer a varied selection of Zambian and international dishes. The restaurant is a bit pricey for Zambia standards, but it is very pleasant, stylish, and offers small buffet dinners and lunches at 150 Kwatcha (about 24$ Au). I had the breakfast included in the price of my room, and it was also buffet style with plenty of sweet and savoury, hot and cold options, and also Zambian and International dishes. Request your breakfast pack if you have to leave the room before the restaurant opens (7am) and collect it from reception; this pack includes just cold stuff.
This was my first visit to Zambia and the staff made my visit really enjoyable and unforgettable, and most of them were very polite, friendly and attentive. Some of them were extremely helpful and went out of their way to help me in anything I requested.
POINT MAKERS
+ The hotel has one of the best complimentary high speed wifi I have found in my African trips!
+ Most tour operators drop buy and pick up from the hotel, so it is very convenient to visit Victoria Falls.
+ Wakeup call available and they called on the clock.
+ There is a small gift and tour shop at the lobby.
+ Huge selection of food and drinks at the restaurant and bar.
SO SO
== The towels racks in the toilet were too high for me!
== The storage room for storage was limited despite the room being quite large.
== There was no bathrobe or sleepers, no pen or pencil in my room.
== The hotel has no room service.
== All the power points in my room were used, so one needs to unplug things (fridge, TV, or lamp) to plug anything else.
== I was told twice that I could not get an international adaptor valid for my Australian plug. The excuse, "we have it for African plugs" is a bit lame, Livingstone is a place massively visited by non-African tourists. It was my persistence in asking for a solution and the kindness of one of the guys at the hotel that provided me with an international switchboard to recharge my laptop. I have been in very remote countries in the world, way more remote than Zambia, and they had International adaptors and no excuses.
== The lunch and dinner buffet were pricey (about 24$ Au) and the beef used in the dishes was really poor quality, with plenty of bones and tendons, not much meat in it.
== The only fitness centre I saw on my floor was a lonely cross-trainer/bicycle placed in a corridor..
== The Breakfast pack I got one of the days was poor, not even a hard boiled egg in it.
== In general, I found the hotel pricey for the services you get.
IF THIS WERE MY HOTEL I WOULD...
-- I would try to enlarge the number of power points in the rooms. We all travel with gadgets, and recharging three gadgets having just a power point is never convenient.
-- I would try to enlarge the number of power points in the rooms. We all travel with gadgets, and recharging three gadgets having just a power point is never convenient.
-- There is a NEED to have universal electricity adaptors available at reception for International visitors.
-- I would provide customers with pen/pencil, disposable sleepers and a bathrobe, after all this is supposed to be a posh-ish hotel and you charge customers as such.
-- I would place an extra towel rack in the bathroom for "shorties" like me. Otherwise, a small stool in the bathroom would do the job.
-- I would open the restaurant for breakfast at 6am instead of 7am, and I would include a boiled egg or some sort of protein in the breakfast takeaway packs.
-- I would change the beef provider and get some good quality beef.
-- I would provide a complimentary shuttle to the city centre.
-- I would place an extra towel rack in the bathroom for "shorties" like me. Otherwise, a small stool in the bathroom would do the job.
-- I would open the restaurant for breakfast at 6am instead of 7am, and I would include a boiled egg or some sort of protein in the breakfast takeaway packs.
-- I would change the beef provider and get some good quality beef.
-- I would provide a complimentary shuttle to the city centre.
MIND
> Insects will visit you in your room. Plug your electric anti-repellent (blue flat repellent bar is provided by the hotel, so you just introduce it in the little plug and switch on the power).
TIPS
+ If you want to bring down your food costs, you have several food joints at a walking distance. Otherwise, you can walk about 12 minutes and go to the Mosi-ao-Tunya Gateway Shopping Mall, on the way to the Museum, where there are several cafes and fast food places.
+ The same shopping mall has two banks, one of which accepts international Visa cards. Mind the timing, because it seems that the ATM is not functional until the bank offices close (that was my case, anyway). There is another small shopping mall and a petrol station on the left hand side of the hotel, at about 4 minutes walking distance, with a few shops and a Barkley's Bank ATM there, but, like in other cases, it was not working when I visited.
+ Get some Kachwa (Zambia's currency) on arrival and you will save money. Otherwise, you will be (over)paying in USA Dollars, especially if the American Dollar is not your currency.
