I stayed at the Protea Hotel Livingstone on a trip to Victoria Falls. The reviews indicated that it was a nice hotel with great customer service. However, I believe that some of hte reviews are for the wrong hotel. For example, the "Something out of Africa" review for this hotel is for the Royal Livingstone Hotel NOT the Protea Hotel Livingstone Hotel. There are no zebras, monkeys, butler, or free admission with the Protea Hotel Livingstone Hotel.

To manage expectations, this hotel is an adequate hotel for someone coming to see Victoria Falls. the When we arrived, the service was good at check-in and the hotel appeared well-maintained. However upon arriving in our rooms, our rooms were small, dark, and showed signs of age. The staff were constantly cleaning and spraying insecticide but insects are frequently in the hall and rooms. While it was clean, it gave the impression that the hotel had reached its peak in the past.

As far as planning activities in the area, the hotel does not associate itself with the activities center in the lobby area. So make sure you clarify with the activities center employees what activities/schedule you have planned in advance - ther service is not the same quality as the hotel.

Overall, a mediocre experience.

This hotel is quite a big complex. The reception area is open and very luxurious. The restaurant is right beside it. My room was in the opposite group of buildings and in between is a large pool area with a bar. The hotel has only opened two years ago and everything is new and very modern. My room was spacious, very clean and had all amenities including a luxurious bathroom with a shower, satellite TV, air condition and a very comfortable bed. Only the view was onto the railway track, and not all that great. Staff was the greatest, very friendly and accommodating, and helped out with everything I asked for. Cold breakfast is from the buffet and hot breakfast to order. It is served in the open restaurant or on the terrace at the pool. The hotel has free Wi-Fi. It is walking distance (about 2 km) to town and 7 km to the Victoria Falls and the border. It is categorised as a 3 stars, I think in London this would be 4 or 5. Great hotel.

The staff at the Protea Hotel are friendly and accommodating. The facilities are clean well-maintained, comfortable, and attractive. The location is very convenient, with access to a shopping center with a grocery store, a restaurant, and a couple of fast-food establishments within walking distance. I have stayed there twice and will likely stay there on my next visit. Highly recommended.

We moved here after the riverside hotel we had originally booked turned out to be something of a disappointment with cold, damp rooms. The hotel is part of the South African Protea chain. It is smart, clean and tastefully modern. As holidaymakers we were entirely satisfied with it and found it a very pleasant to stay. It has a couple of small ponds in the public area around which one can sit and have a drink or afternoon tea with scones. The rooms were fine, although for some reason the mini-bar was not stocked. Breakfast was good. Staff were very helpful and polite.

Although the hotel is set on the main road in Livingstone it is very quiet: a landscaped grass bank the length of the hotel hides any view of the road and any traffic as well as cutting out noise. Conveniently, there is a gas station and shopping mall with ATMs, post office and supermarket about 200m from the hotel.

NB. Rooms are located on the ground and first floor but there is no elevator.