Ai Ais has recently been rennovated, so I think that older postings relating to it's construction site appearance can be overlooked. The rennovations have been completed, and to be honest, they have done a pretty good job. If you are coming from Germanic Europe and are used to five star all singing and dancing spas, then you may be disappointed. Ai-Ais is back to basics, even with the rennovations. This is no bad thing. If you are also looking for quick and efficient service, you may also be disappointed. You will need lots of time and patience at Ai-Ais.

We didn't camp, but the difference in price between camping and rooms was 50 Namibian Dollars, so it was a no brainer for we hopeless campers. It was a room for us. The room was large, clean and spacious with air conditioning, fridge and lovely big balcony which overlooked the mountain. One door opened onto the balcony and lead to stairs which took us directly to our car which was very convenient, and the other door took us directly into the spa which was fantastic! Another 25 steps took us to the dining room, so we had everything close by.

The room was not fancy, but the beds were clean and comfortable, and the bathroom was spacious. We particularly liked the outdoor shower, which also meant that everyone was ready much more quickly with two showers which could be used simulteneously. There were a number of different plug points for charging up phones, etc, and this was also very useful.

We loved the outdoor pool, especially in the evening when the sun had gone down and it was much cooler. It was a lovely pool to swim in, although all that you can really be bothered to do is splash and float around, as it's so warm. Around the pool area, there are a number of sun loungers which all seemed to be in good condition. The source of the water is from the ground and not the mountain, and you can watch the hot water as it bubbles up at 65 deg C. You CANNOT put your foot into this without serious burns - I'm amazed that other reviewers have done this!!!

The spa itself if very pleasant and relaxing and the waters are a delight. This is what real spas are all about - never mind the fancy extras. Having said that, you could treat yourself to a massage if you wanted to. Even though the masseusse had finished for the day when we arrived, she was happy to come and do and evening massage if we required. We didn't as we just wanted to wallow in the spa.

The food we found to be average fare, but it wasn't bad at all. Given that we were in the middle of nowhere, we were just grateful for having a selection. Service was painfully slow but pleasant, but we weren't in a hurry. Breakfast was good, with a selection of cooked breakfast items made to order and some delicious home cooked muffins.

Overall, we found service to be friendly, but usually slow. When I asked for more information about the spa waters, one of the reception staff took me outside to show and tell me more about the waters, their composition and the source. This was a nice touch.

The drive from Ai-Ais down to the South African border was one of the most incredible of our entire 10 day drive through Namibia - especially driving past barren desert on one side of the road, with lush, green vineyards literally on the other. It was an amazing experience, and Ai-Ais was the perfect half way point stop over en route for home in Cape Town. Go to Ai-Ais and enjoy.