The building and grounds of The Kingdom are very nice and modern. The problems I had with the hotel I think stem more from the general economic problem with Zimbabwe than with the hotel itself. But those economic problems resulted is a rather unpleasant stay. I never felt unsafe, but I did feel uncomfortable.

Because the economy is so bad (early 2008) many of the harder working and more talented Zimbabweans have left the country for South Africa or England. This left a workforce that is on average weaker than it otherwise should be. The result is that even though occupancy was less than 50%, the staff seemed overwhelmed. The reception and dining staff especially so. Meals were a buffet and some items were slow to be repleanished. Other items (like eggs) were cooked to order and we ended up waiting in line for 10-15 minutes just to get some. At the reception desk we stood in line for over a half hour just to check out. It just felt like people weren’t trying their best.

The exception was the porter staff (who work for tips). They were a little too aggressive in their willingness to help, which also made us uncomfortable.

Because The Kingdom is physically so large, it took a good 5-10 minutes to walk from our room to the reception and dining area. There were also a bunch of children running around, seeming without parental supervision.

Attached to The Kingdom is a large building called the The Great Room, which contained restaurants, shopping, and a casino. This was physically a nice area but the food wasn’t very good. It was strange eating a $14 million hamburger and a $23 million pizza. Like most places in Zimbabwe, none of the restaurants took credit cards but they were eager to accept US dollars. We were fine as long as we didn’t run out.

And running out was a bit of a worry since bottles of water cost 2 US Dollars each. That’s a bit steep, especially since the plastic bottles were clearly reused MANY times. They were scratched and old looking and I have a suspicion that someone was just collecting them from trashcans and refilling them with tap water.

The TVs in the rooms only get 4 or 5 channels. This shouldn’t be a problem as TV watching isn’t something you would normally do a lot of. But the weather was rainy, and without tons of US Dollars (cash, not credit cards) we couldn’t take part in any of the tours and adventures offered in the falls area.

There is no in-room internet connection, but there is a little internet shop in The Great Room where for just a few bucks you can go online and even use Skype to call home. (You need you own Skype account.)

Under better economic times I’m sure The Kingdom would be a great place to stay. But for now, I can’t recommend it. I suspect the same problems would exist at all hotels on the Zimbabwe side of the falls.

My full trip at www.verticalwallpaper.com/africa/

We stayed here for 3 nights and had an enjoyable time.

While staying there amid the post elections confusion the resort had a plesantly relaxed and airy feel. I'd reckon only a small number of rooms where actually occupied. Which suited us well as I don't really want to experience when all of their 294 rooms are fully booked.

The staff was very friendly and attentive. The room was quite spacious and clean. Their rooms offer tea/ coffee and kettle (restocked twice daily) and Satellite TV (where we followed the latest Zim situation on CNN).

There's a pool bar and a buffet style restaurant. Their breakfast buffet contained a large variety and we made sure we digged in well. The food otherwise is quite pricey. They charge 30 USD pp for the dinner buffet which we thought was absolutely no value for money. The adjacent casino has a foodcourt with Spur (Burgers/Tex Mex) and Panarottis (Pizza/Pasta) which we found better value. We did get a bit of an attitutde from one of the waitresses at Spur but that was customer-friendly resolved by the manager (free drinks).

The town of Vic falls hasn't really much to offer apart from the falls. Furthermore one is constantly approached by locals who are desperately trying to sell souveniers, changing money etc.

Overall, this is a really pleasant resort to spend your time at the falls. However if you are just there for the falls 2 nights are more than enough. There's simply not much else to do. Also, as all other offered activities (helicopter flights, rafting, bungy jumping) are expensive and to be paid in USD only.

That said, one can get around without problems by paying in USD around the falls. Even more so as the 'official' exchange rate is 30,000 Zim$ to the USD. In real life this is totally absurd when local shops sell a roll of toiletpaper for 33million Zim$..... do your maths.

I'd like to say that I came away with a positive experience in Zimbabwe and The Kingdom, but I don't think I can. Most of the issues are not directly the fault of The Kingdom or the people of Zimbabwe, but it certainly sours the experience.

The resort and the hotel itself are okay. No real problems. The bed isn't that great, but it's passable. The air conditioning works well. The resort is huge and it feels it, since there will probably only be 100 or so people staying there at any given time. Don't bother with the casino or the restaurants at the hotel. They are not good and way over-priced.

Most of the problems are the result of the current political climate in Zimbabwe which everyone should be well advised about before going. We knew going in about most of the issues, but still weren't totally prepared for the consequences. Again, it's not the fault of the people but there are pros and cons of spending your time and money in Zimbabwe.

The main reason why I suspect most people would be staying at The Kingdom for is for the falls, which are spectacular. It's really a great thing to see. We took a helicopter ride over the falls which was really nice. We also did the booze cruise down the Zambezi, which was nice.

Overall, if you are comfortable visiting Zimbabwe at this time, The Kingdom is a decent place to stay.

The Kingdom was a bit of a revelation - and in a good way. We had previously stayed at the Vic Falls Hotel and paid considerably more for the privilege, so The Kingdom was a pleasant surprise at far more reasonable rates. The pool area is superb and the restaurant was great, especially the buffet - as with most places in Zim, however, it's easier to ask what the restaurant has in stock than to take the menu at face value!

The casino area attached to the hotel also has restaurants but I would avoid these - we had lunch in one and dinner in the other, and the steakhouse / burger place had run out of breadrolls (as had most of the country, mind you!) and as the power was only generator-driven, the pizza place could only do pasta dishes!

The hotel rooms were a good size - in 40 degree heat, make sure you check the airconditioning is working before committing to a room, though - as windows/doors must be closed so the baboons don't get in!

Great proximity to both the Falls and the local shopping area.

Can recommend this hotel as a good mid-priced option.