No trip to Namibia is complete without venturing out into the desert in the South. When I was planning this trip, I’ll admit that this was likely the portion I was most excited for given my lack of any desert experience to date. We rented a car from Joan Rent A Car, a local business run by an amazing man named Andre (www.joancarhire.com), and drove 5 hours to the Desert Grace Lodge. Now, the drive is usually approximately 3:30 hours, but because we drove half the distance at night, extra caution was required! We got to The Desert Grace at about 9:30 PM and were greeted by one of the staff members who was kind enough to situate us in our spectacular room and bring us some pizza following our long drive. The experience only got better from there.
We woke up bright and early the next day and toured the property in the morning, starting with our remarkable bedroom. The room was really spacious, featuring a king-size bed, desk area, luggage storage area, and sizeable bathroom with glass dividers separating the toilet, shower, and vanity area. The room had a deck overlooking the desert, which featured a small pool, and also had an outdoor shower (and we all know how much I love an outdoor shower). The hotel was exquisite, with amazing common spaces. I was especially fond of the bar/lounge area, as well as the color and décor of the main lobby area. Pink is so rarely used so tastefully today, so I was very happy to see that!
During our time at The Desert Grace, we got to do some awesome activities. By far my favorite was the sundowner on the desert dune. There honestly isn’t a more perfect place to watch the sunset than atop a desert dune. I had high expectations for this experience and all my expectations were shattered. I also really enjoyed the night scorpion walk, where we got to see scorpions illuminate under the flashing of the UV lights. I had no idea scorpions were largely so tiny and had such a short lifespan. Isn’t it amazing all the things you learn on your travels? In all, it was a spectacular trip all around. I couldn’t recommend this lodge more!! I’m not sure if the Namushasha Villa or this hotel was my favorite in Namibia, but one thing is certain, the Gondwana Collection is an excellent brand and they know how to put together a great hotel.
