By Mark Daffey
The pool at Royal Livingstone Hotel.
THE LOCATION
On the banks of the Zambezi River, near the point where it tips over the rim of the Batoka Gorge to form the mighty Victoria Falls, is the Anantara Group's Royal Livingstone Hotel. You could hardly wish for a better setting.
Wild zebras, impalas and giraffes roam freely around the manicured lawns of the Royal Livingstone Hotel.
The hotel's name honours the wayward Scottish explorer who became the first European to set foot here on November 17, 1855. Today it's Victoria Falls that everyone comes here to see. Visit some time during the months of March to May and you'll catch the falls in full flow. Bring your waterproofs though, for the mists swirling off the cascades rise a kilometre in the air at this time. Alternatively, come here later in the year and you'll be able to take the ultimate selfie while swimming in the Devil's Pool at the top of the falls.
THE PLACE/SPACE
Though it only opened in 2001, the Livingstone's design and atmosphere replicates the British colonial era, with more than a whiff of gentrified exclusivity harking back to those stiff-collared, gin-swilling days.
Zebra-hide rugs obscure concrete floors beneath elaborate chandeliers. Leather-bound volumes cram its bookshelves. And a portrait of David Livingstone himself hangs above the lounge area fireplace.
Wild zebras, impalas and giraffes roam freely around the manicured lawns of the hotel, inside the Mosi-oa-Tunya ('Smoke That Thunders') National Park. Two sundecks overlook a river teeming with crocodiles, hippos and elephants. There's a swimming pool (children must have adult supervision at all times), spa, fitness centre, restaurant, bar and lounge areas, and boardroom facilities for the industry captains and heads of state who regularly bed down here.
Surprisingly, there are no mosquitoes about. The hotel manager later explains that Livingstone and its surrounds are free from the malarial mosquitoes that once plagued this area.
THE ROOM
The Royal Livingstone has a total of 173 rooms, including four suites. We're in a Deluxe Corner Room that's a little on the cramped side, with a king-sized bed, armchair, small writing desk and tea tray taking up most available space. There's no obvious place to put our luggage so we plonk it on the floor. The bathroom, on the other hand, is disproportionately roomy.
Where corner rooms differ from other deluxe rooms is by having a balcony that's enclosed inside sturdy insect screens that allow them to double as sitting rooms. It means we can leave our windows open at night, keeping cool while we listen to hippos grunting and zebras snorting outside our door. Usually children aren't allowed to stay but they've made an exception for us, setting up the day bed for our nine-year old.
THE FOOD
The dress code for the Royal Livingstone Dining Room requires men to wear long pants, collared shirts and enclosed shoes. Women, it seems, can wear what they please.
The rudimentary menu includes steaks, river fish, turkey and pork dishes. A more intimate setting is the private dining option, available on the sundecks.
Meals can also be ordered and eaten in the atmospheric Travellers Bar – a time capsule from the early days of British exploration in these parts, with polo sticks, timber aeroplane propellers and antelope horns all mounted on the walls beneath thatched cathedral ceilings. If you've got the cash, order a dram of Remy Martin Louis XII cognac at ZMW4725 ($650) a pop. You'll get your name engraved on a plaque alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger's.
On our second morning we discover room service costs half as much as the $35-a-head breakfast buffet in the dining room.
STEPPING OUT
This part of Africa, which includes the town of Livingstone and its Zimbabwean counterpart of Victoria Falls, is arguably the continent's adventure capital. White water rafting, jet boating, bungy jumping and walking safaris are just some of the activities offered here by operators, big and small.
But it's not all go, go, go. There are cultural tours through local villages and markets, and vintage steam train rides on the Royal Livingstone Express. Take a river cruise on the African Queen. Or you could return again and again to see Victoria Falls.
THE VERDICT
The location is as good as it gets and the atmosphere mimics Britain's colonial era to a tee. The service, however, failed to live up to the hotel's five-star rating – not for the first time in Africa, it must be stated.
ESSENTIALS
Mosi-oa-Tunya Road, Livingstone, Zambia. Rooms start from $815 a night, twin share. Free Wi-Fi is available in all rooms.
HIGHLIGHT
Complimentary National Parks access to Victoria Falls via the hotel's private entrance between the hours of 6am and 6pm.
LOWLIGHT
Booking an outside table for dinner 24 hours early then being advised it wasn't available when we came to sit down.
Mark Daffey was a guest of the Royal Livingstone.
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