Pelican Lodge and Camping

We had the worst experience of any ever in Botswana. The aircons aren't working in most rooms and there is so much maintenance needed that they can basically just break everything down and rebuild. The swimming pool is empty and even though the staff said it's under maintenance, it has been empty for years. There are lice in the beds and most of the showers aren't working properly. At dinner there was also not enough cutlery and the bar is not well stocked. There was also not enough food and we had to wait long for food to be restocked if there was more left. The staff really tried, but they couldn't make all this right even if they tried. The food was also put on the grill in the morning and just left there with no attention and flies everywhere. The next morning when it came to payments there were beverages on the bill that was not ours and it took way too long to actually pay. Overall the place has potential but there is NO MANAGEMENT.

We were four adults and had booked two rooms for one night, thankfully. The 8, 9 and 10 star one-word reviews on Bookings(dot.com) for this accommodation describing it as ‘Exceptional’ or ‘Superb’ are clearly suspicious. The sparkling blue pool pictures are obviously from its heyday which appears to have long since passed. Presently, the pool has no water in it, its surface literally disintegrating from long-term dry weather exposure and erosion. We stayed at seven different locations on our Botswana road trip and visited several others. All other accommodation pools were clean and in use. Wear and tear of the walls and walkways is also common throughout the property making the place appear more like a ruin than a lush safari retreat. The staff blamed the dilapidation on covid but this kind of erosion and disrepair does not occur within a year. There is evidence of a fire having had occurred at some time as scorching was still very evident on the beams and thatch in some areas – particularly where the thatched corridors once stood. Our guess is that the site has suffered a devastating fire and they have been struggling to recover. Which is tragic and heartbreaking, but they are not being honest about the current state of the property which is nothing like the photos presented on Bookings. They should remove all the pool pictures, be honest about the facilities that they are able to offer, and lower their room rates to an appropriate price that covers the bare minimum. This place is in a fantastic location for the Nata Bird Sanctuary and would be perfect for travellers on a budget if Pelican L&C is willing to lower their rates. Summary of issues: - No water in the pool, and the surface appeared to be suffering from long-term erosion. No sign of repair work being done. - The bath water was dark brown and the plug hole was damaged so the bath ran empty moments after being filled. - Toilet leaked and stank of urine. - WIFI didn’t work. A router was provided and required to be shared between two rooms but needed to be replaced by one that only worked intermittently. . - Only one kettle was provided between two rooms so that the occupants of one had to constantly disturb the others in order to boil water for themselves. If they were asleep, tough! - Loud, noisy fridge. - No mosquito netting in the rooms – which is standard in Botswana because of Malaria risk. - Only four channels on the television and were all snowy and watchable. - General weathering and disrepair of walkways, walls and surfaces made the place feel unsafe. - There was no food in the restaurant. They were waiting for a delivery but could not say what would be delivered. We ate at another lodge 3 miles down the road. - Very overpriced for what they are able to offer. Positives: - Despite the problems with the bathroom area and lack of basic ‘kitchen’ facilities the bedroom was clean and tidy. - Staff were polite. Shortly after arrival, I reported our grievances to reception, and