My First Taste of Five Star

The Royal Livingstone Hotel.

The name is world-renowned and synonymous with luxury.

Admittedly, the first time I heard of it was when Leah mentioned it was included in our travel plans. But I quickly got wind of its glowing reputation after speaking with my South African friends. They told me it is known as being the best of the best, and is one of the most glamorous places to stay in the region.

It lived up to every expectation and more.

Entrance

The arrival area is made of marble with massively tall vaulted ceilings with open-concept archways, the foremost of one offering a welcoming, stunning view of the rolling green lawns and the fast-moving waters of the Zambezi River.

Riverside deck for sundowners! 

When I first arrived, I was greeted by Edward, a man dressed in traditional Zambian garb whose sole job was to welcome and assist people leaving and entering the hotel. He was an absolute joy and a great addition to the hotel experience. Any time of day, he was there with a big smile and a booming, rich voice to call you a bell boy or to hold an umbrella over your head while you climbed into a waiting car. The Von Hagens and I all looked forward to seeing him every day that we spent at the hotel.

To check in, I was coupled up with my own personal hotel agent who brought me into the formal tea room. Whilst perched upon beautiful couches and sipping a cappuccino, we completed the process.

I was taking in the surroundings and enjoying the old-world glamor of the place when the agent asked if I'd like a complimentary hand massage.

Umm... YES please.

A masseuse appeared out of nowhere with a warm towel and lotion. After my awful morning at the Zambian airport, the unexpected pampering felt extra amazing.

I took a minute to absorb the classic beauty of the room: wooden chess and backgammon sets, floral couches and stately lamps, chandeliers and grandiose paintings, crystal decanter sets, china cabinets filled to the brim, an bar and lounge area complete with a baby grand piano and a wall planked with dark wooden shelves displaying bottles -- complete with an old-school sliding ladder to reach the top shelves.

The distinct flavor of colonial charm is carried throughout the hotel. The hallways, entranceways, restaurants, and bedrooms are all infused with touches of exotic beauty.

Dinner at the hotel restaurant -- the zebras walk right past to your table on the lawn

The pool is surrounded by pristine white lounge chairs and canopies, which icarries through to the bedroom where the crisp cream bed linen invites you to get lost in its pile of extra large feather pillows and fluffy soft duvet.

The best part of the bedrooms? They act as makeshift apartments with each room having its own door and balcony to the outside.

Each bedroom has its own entrance . You can see here there are four doors -- two upstairs and two down.

Okay, I lied.

Actually, the best part is that each room has their own personal butler.

Yes, you read that right. Butler.

This person's job is to stand outside your room all day long and assist you in any way possible. They can make dinner reservations for you or take an order for room service. They answer questions about the area and direct you to appropriate resources. They take care of your laundry and -- get this -- tidy your room every time you leave it.

How awesome is that?!

So you shower in the morning and by the time you return midday, your soggy towel has been replaced with a fresh one and your toiletries and entire room is neatened up for you! Amazing.

Sarah and Aaron catching some rays poolside

My favorite part? The hotel itself is set within a game reserve. This means wild African animals are free to roam the property as they wish.

What does this fact actually translate to? My goodness.

The first time I was driven through the cream and gold gates, we rounded a corner to be met by a family of giraffes standing in the path, munching away on leafy trees. Hell-o!

Monkeys are seen running around outside the bedroom patios constantly. Babies, mothers, grandpas... they were all there, scampering about in the trees and on the furniture.

We were warned not to leave the balcony door open unattended because of the little creatures.

Jason didn't listen and left it wide open one afternoon while watching T.V. Well.

A monkey busted into his room! While Jason froze, the monkey jumped onto the coffee tray and snatched a whole tin of biscotti before bolting outside and up a tree.

Within minutes a whole gang of monkey were running around in excitement, double-fisting biscotti into their mouths while hotel staff sling shotted pebbles at them, trying to retrieve the canister.

Hilarious to say the least. Jason was a tad more careful with his door after that.

And if dinnertime wasn't already magical with candlelit, live flutists and guitarists... wild zebra would visit our table. For real.

We'd be eating our sorbet when a whole family of zebra would emerge from the dark brush onto the lawn and walk right past. They weren't more than five meters from our dinner table.

Even more incredible was that one of the females had given birth on Christmas day to a healthy baby. So every night for supper we'd have the pleasure of seeing the little tyke run alongside its mother and get used to being on its four feet.

The only shit thing was people being stupid with their cameras. How is it that tourists seem to lose all common sense whilst traveling??

People would run up in the dark to the little guy and his mother, squealing with their camera flash going off like a strobe light in the poor animal's face. Do they not think of the animal's welfare first??

I also witnessed many folks inching their way towards the baby in an attempt to get a photo with it. But I mean, I'm talking less than two meters away. Anyone would tell you that is a dangerously stupid idea at any time, never mind when the herd and mama zebra is mere feet away.

But anyways, back to the hotel.

It has 14 estheticians on hand, offering everything from private massages in tents on the riverbank to personal in-room treatments. They visit you poolside and offer pedicures and manicures right then and there. You can have anything waxed or treated without ever having to leave the grounds of the hotel.  

High tea is served in the afternoon. Both it and dinnertime is formal with a dress code and reservations are a must.

Sundowners (drinks at sunset) are served on a large deck and bar area that sits on the edge of the Zambezi. And afterwards, you don't even have to walk back to your room. Chauffeured golf carts are available to drive you anywhere on the grounds at any time of day. 

I really can't say enough good things about the Royal Livingstone. My time there was just... beautiful. 

And it was made possible only because of Leah and Kern. Hopefully one day I will be able to thank them properly because the gift they gave me of my time at the Royal Livingstone was not only a highlight of my Christmas holidays, but a highlight of my entire time thus far in South Africa.

This is the view from the sundowners deck at the hotel. 

See the mist? That's from Victoria Falls where the water tumbles over the edge!

Mist by sunset