Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara

My wife and I stayed at the hotel and loved every second of our stay. The hotel is ideally situated for the Victoria Falls and is situated within the national park so you see giraffes, impala’s, monkeys and zebra’s around the grounds. The staff are very attentive, our butler Kennedy was always on hand to assist us. Other members of staff such as Chola, Dorothy and Lupendo made our stay memorable and pleasant and we can’t wait to return for our next visit.

2nd visit disappointing. The greeting from the dancers at the entrance is too delightful for words!! A welcome of note!! Then a man dressed in an African Outfit ushered us to a table with a drink for registration. He was kind enough to book a table for dinner and let us know that is we need anything we just need to dial 9 for our ‘butler’ !! We duly went for dinner .. I sent my fish back was inedible my husband’s meal was also 2nd rate. Breakfast was magnificent with an opulent display and choice. After a booze cruise and highly recommended, we ordered a toasted sandwich in the bar as the Terrace restaurant was fall. The bar is reminiscent of times gone by beautifully appointed and to add to the ambiance a pianist with amazing talent. But this bar was empty of guests for our entire 3 day stay. I remember the music and dancing last time we were there, it was such a vibe!!! The bedrooms are well appointed and our ‘butler’ reminded us that we just needed to call and he would be there to sort out any problems. TV did not work.. butler told us he would need to get maintenance the next day which never happened! In the morning we had a new ‘butler’ the spray bottle for mosquito repellent was not spraying. She never brought a replacement! The man in the bright African garb was there every morning doing what he does, delegating everything to our ‘butler’. This is not a cheap holiday for South Africans and therefore there is an expectation. Unfortunately The Royal Livingstone Hotel is just not the same and overpriced in comparison. We had a great dinner at the Terrace restaurant as a finale… don’t bother to book at the fine dinning restaurant the food and views are a lot better. Two things to do are Devils pool and an up close and personal experience with feeding elephants.

This goes onto my bucket list recommendation for anyone who likes big rivers and classic hotels. The Royal Livingstone is the oldest and original river crossing location going back two centuries. It’s been there so long it is part of the national park surrounding the falls which means zebras/monkeys/giraffes on the grounds and free access to the falls. This hotel is truly a classic. On the same level as Old Cateract Aswan (if you know you know). Sundowner by the river and you may spot a hippo or something hungrier. Don’t think about swimming in the river. The falls may not get your first!! Staying on land, you are totally safe. The pool is delightful with great service. You can fully expect some zebras to come around for a photo opportunity! The falls viewing from below is easy access and EPIC. Another way to view from the top is a boat tour to Livingstone Island and then hang over the falls edge for a photo opportunity OF YOUR LIFETIME!!! Like I said, it’s a tick off the bucket list!

We had a wonderful three-night stay at the Royal Livingstone. We had a beautiful room, we loved walking to the waterfalls and to see all zebras, giraffes, impalas and monkeys walking freely on the grounds of the hotel. The staff were all lovely and made us feel very welcome - all though we were travelling with two very active children (3 y o and 1 y o). There was a kids club in the neighbouring sister hotel were we went in the mornings, which they enjoyed. The food in the hotel restaurants was of very good quality but not amazing. We appreciated that they served a lot of classics and offered a special menu for the children. The location of the hotel by the Zambezi River and about 10 minutes walk to the Victoria Falls is excellent. The presence of wild animals wandering the hotel grounds made our stay an unforgettable experience.

My husband and I chose to stay three nights at Royal Livingstone after our busy10-night tour of South Africa. We thought that three nights at the hotel within walking distance to Victoria Falls would be a great way to relax after our busy itinerary...and are so glad made that decision! Prior to traveling, the hotel's eel communication was friendly and efficient. They connected me with Bushtracks tours and Sharon on that team helped book our additional experiences seamlessly with our hotel stay. Once onsite, the hotel Manager(s) named Gift and Longa helped confirm those plans with the tour desk so we always knew what was next on our itinerary. There were several tour/meeting groups sta9ing at the hotel and the staff seemed to know that individual traveller's can potentially get lost in the mix and we felt very well taken care of by the team. We enjoyed the 10 minute walk to the Falls. There is another hotel (Avani) connected to the Royal Livingstone by a shared entrance off the road and by a long walkway. While I am sure those guests enjoyed their stay and the walk to the Falls is slightly shorter...I am so glad we chose Royal Livingstone as the overall atmosphere is much more relaxing and refined. The daily breakfast buffet was nice as well as the beautiful patio setting along the grass with a view of the river and roaming Zebra, Giraffe, and Impala. We added activities of the Elephant Cafe, "Ultimate Sunset Cruise", and Royal Livingstone Steam Train Dinner. The Elephant Cafe was one of the best dinners we had during our entire trip and the interaction with the Elephants was amazing. We chose to arrive via speedboat which was a nice touch as compared to a ride in the van. The Ultimate Sunset Cruise paired a small safari boat experience from the hotel dock where we saw hippos, elephant, crocodile, and others along with a stope on one of the small islands for more drinks and appetizers, before joining up with a larger boat to enjoy the Sunset. When we arrived the larger boat, we were escorted directly to the Captain's Deck for more drinks and light snacks (peanuts). The Royal Livingstone Steam Train was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the experience of dining on the train. There were a couple of large tour groups on the train that seemed to know each other so the atmosphere was not as "intimate" as it could have been if everyone had booked on their own. Overall, we would stay at Royal Livingstone again! The staff and setting made it a great experience.

Well this was an amazing location--a very nice walk to the victoria falls, and while you walk there are zebras, giraffes, monkeys, babboons, antelope, etc all living rather peacefully (don't get too close!) on the property, and rooms facing the river...what more could you want? Service friendly and excellent, rooms comfortable and sweet, with quiet balconies facing the river and animals mentioned above strolling past. the reception area and drinks areas are gorgeous, pool etc. Also scheduling excursions here was great. Only thing we didn't absolutely love was the dinner buffet, which was totally fine, but pricey and not unusual, so if you stay here, take a taxi ride to Livingstone and try some local restaurants for the fun and adventure.

This is a review for the spa. I had an excellent experience. Tsitsi was world-class and very professional. A very memorable experience overlooking the Zambezi with great attention to detail. I highly recommend the spa and will be returning.

We have been to this lovely hotel three times, specifically to visit it and Victoria Falls. I'm surprised by the negative reviews of staffing, because we found the staff to be excellent, deferential and prompt. The grounds are spectacular, the buildings are designed beautifully. Our first room, however, most likely had not been renovated since this resort was built in 2001. It was small. We had a sleepless night with a very noisy and faulty air conditioner, a ceiling fan that clicked, and hot water that took five minutes to deliver itself to our shower. There was only one plug in for any usage by guests, and it required an outlet converter. Very limiting and cumbersome. The hotel did, appropriately, move us the next morning to a larger, renovated room. The air conditioner was minimally noisy, the fan worked, and the hot water delivery, while slow, was markedly better. The outlets were generous and built for international usage. With a resort of this caliber, however, they should renovate their old rooms immediately. This is a beautiful resort in a location unlike any other place in the world and should offer high standards in all their rooms.