On the morning of Sunday the 13th October, we headed to Port Lympne. We were going to spend the next couple of days there. Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve is about a 25 minute drive from our home, the perfect sort of distance away for a short break! Here is my review of how our stay went!
The Accommodation
Our Pod at the Pinewood Pods facility was lovely. It had the room to sleep four. We noticed that a fourth person would make getting in and out of the pod a little more difficult. The bedding and towels were clean. The beds were comfortable and we had more than enough tea and coffee to get us through our stay. The Pods are located right next to the Lion and Tiger enclosures. Hearing the Lions, especially Daddy Lion ‘Milo’ throughout the night was magical. The Lions have three beautiful cubs that were born about five months ago, staying so close to them was very special!
The facilities
Despite the Pod being well cleaned, the toilet and shower block was pretty dirty. Not only did it not look clean, but it didn’t smell clean either. We checked out the facilities right after check in, so they were not dirty from use. If anything they should have been cleaned and ready for new guests. The extractor fan was thick with dust. The floors had a fine layer of watered down mud. The pedals on the sanitary bins did not work. The access to the toilet and shower block had steps, meaning that even if you were to stay at the accessibility friendly pod, you wouldn’t necessarily have an access friendly stay.
The Staff
The staff at Port Lympne generally seemed very helpful and genuinely happy to be there. The Safari drivers were fantastic and very knowledgeable. The restaurant and shop staff doted on my daughter and were full of praise for her manners.
The Pinewood Restaurant
When staying at the Pod we decided to bring our own bits and bobs for breakfast- juice, croissants and long life milk for F. I am glad we did, because a basic dinner of hot dogs and chips for three of us, cost over £35. I cannot imagine how much we would have spent if we’d had to buy all of our meals, snacks and refreshments there. Based on the prices for four meals at the Pinewood Café alone, we’d be looking at around £140 alone.
The Animals
I wholeheartedly believe that Port Lympne is one of the greatest zoos in the country for conservation efforts. This can be seen in their successful attempts at breeding endangered animals such as Lions, Gorillas and Rhinos. The work they have done to reintroduce animals that have been on the brink of extinction is nothing short of amazing- especially in regards to Silverback Gorillas, over 50 of these beautiful and endangered animals have been sent to wild Congo over the years where they are safe and thriving, all thanks to Port Lympne’s conservation and breeding success. The animals all appear happy, healthy and well cared for. The keepers and staff clearly adore the animals that they work with and see on a daily basis.
The Port Lympne Safari
The Safari as an experience was excellent. Being able to see the animals wander free, without bars or the conventional confines of an enclosure was fantastic. F wanted to go on it three times and still didn’t tire of the whole experience! Some facts given to us by the three different safari drivers varied. For example:
“We only have one male giraffe here, if we have more than one, they may swing their necks to fight and this can cause a massive amount of damage, injury and distress to the animals and their enclosures”
compared to
“We have 4(?) females and 3 males in the giraffe house and surrounding enclosure”.
and
“African hunting dogs have a success rate of up to 90% unlike other comparable but larger carnivores like tigers or lions who have a success rate of 20 to 40%”
compared to
“African hunting dogs have a success rate of up to 90% unlike other comparable but larger carnivores like tigers or lions who have a success rate of 30 to 50%”
Leaving us wondering what exactly was true and accurate and what wasn’t.
We were also quizzed by one driver on F’s age, when other drivers let babies less then six months on board. The inconsistency in safety information was definitely confusing! I also feel that it would be beneficial to warn people about how bumpy the safari is. Visitors could then make an informed decision to ride- especially in case they are pregnant, suffer from back / neck complaints, arthritis, complex pain syndromes or heart conditions.
Accessibility at Port Lympne
Some types of accommodation include a Golf Buggy to use at your leisure throughout the park along a Buggy route, our accommodation unfortunately did not include this. We enquired to see if we could maybe hire a Buggy for the duration of our stay but sadly the reserve only ever has enough buggies to cater for users of higher end accommodation. I feel that if additional buggies could be made available, it could really benefit Port Lympne’s guests with additional mobility needs- the park is particularly hilly and access to manual wheelchairs is a nice option, but putting their use to practice seems almost impossible in a park where even pushing a three year old in their stroller was a struggle.
Would we go again?
We enjoyed our stay and really recommend going if you can find a similar experience at the off peak reduced rate. For the full £200 to be worth spending, the toilet and shower facilities need to at least be clean. As a whole, I feel that if I had paid the full £200 for a nights stay, I would have been disappointed, solely based on how dirty the toilet and shower facilities were. However, as I paid the off peak price of £100, I was very pleased with the value of money. We had two days park access for two adults and a child, a nights stay in a lovely little pod and unlimited rides on the safari. Realistically I would have been happy to pay up to £150 without extras for this experience!
I have been visiting Port Lympne for just under 25 years and have never been disappointed- visiting the animals makes learning about them and their habitats super fun and interactive. I grew up visiting this zoo and I am pleased to be doing the same with my daughter as she grows!
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Elena Ikkela
Quite helpful, actually. Cheers!