Sneak peek inside the UK's new safari lodges where you can watch giraffes from bed
A mere 50ft away from our private decking, a giraffe and a calf pad silently across the sand, a zebra then appears behind them. We stand and stare, not daring to move, as we watch them roam freely and feed on foliage.
Close-up and personal encounters with African animals are what people travel thousands of miles across continents to see. We, however, are just 15 miles from the Mersey Ferry, and this feels as close to a safari as you can get without stepping on a plane.
We are among the first-ever guests staying at The Reserve, Chester Zoo's brand new luxury lodge complex, which opens to the public on Monday, and it certainly has the feel of a high-end, bucket-list experience.
Our safari adventure begins as soon as we drive into the new quarters, with greeters waiting at the doors to whisk our luggage to one of the 51 lodges, then valet park our car.
Into the elegant reception area, the central bar with natural, African-inspired decor, beautifully furnished with sink-in sofas, statement chairs and green foliage, leads out on to a sleek decking area overlooking a lake, perfect for sundowners. There's even a firepit for after-dark drinks.
The lodges themselves are a cut-above, verging on honeymoon luxe, with giant beds placed front and centre – the ideal lounging spot to watch those majestic creatures wandering past the windows. The outdoor decking runs the length of the lodge, with an in-built love-seat ideal for snuggling up and observing animals by moonlight.
Our lodge, sleeping four, also has a sofabed for our children, a sparkling bathroom with rose-gold fixtures, walk-in shower and separate bath. Brimming with luxuries, there are bath products by Origins, a minibar, coffee maker, bathrobes, slippers and a large, wall-mounted TV. Although I did wonder if this would ever get used given the front row seats to the live animal show right on the doorstep. If you're travelling as a group, double or triple (interconnecting) lodges are available, sleeping up to nine.
Guests at The Reserve can choose from the introductory Savannah Explorer package, with overnight stay, dinner allowance, campfire experience and extended hours in the zoo, right up to a two-night VIP package. We opted for the Savannah Adventurer package, which includes special hands-on and behind-the-scenes experiences including the Heart of Africa evening safari tour.
Guided by rangers who provided in-depth commentary, we were able to enter the new area when all the other day visitors had gone home, for uninterrupted views of the animals as they went about their night-time rituals. African wild dogs and dik-diks (adorably tiny antelopes), seemed to enjoy a bit of evening company as they came out to play under the cover of darkness.
We also loved our Giraffe Keeper Kitchen experience, where we learned about the life of a giraffe keeper (which, among other things, involves becoming an expert in giraffe droppings), before making snacks of leaves and branches in basketball-sized containers with holes, which the giraffes enjoy prising out with their long tongues!
Giraffe dinner done, we grabbed a drink in the Tsavo Lounge at The Reserve. From the Taste of Africa cocktail selection, we sipped a zinging Dawa, with vodka, lime, brown sugar and honey, and a Fynbos, a mix of brandy, ginger liqueur, rooibos tea and honey, as a band of percussionists drummed lively African rhythms and the good vibes flowed.
Dining in the new Amboseli Restaurant, named after a Kenyan region where Chester Zoo works to protect lion populations, is another highlight for guests at The Reserve. On the menu, the sharing platter starter featuring chicken wings, mini glazed sausages, padron peppers and dipping sauces, was excellent, as were mains of linguini with mussels, ribeye steak and fillet of beef for two. We enjoyed this feast with pints of Alpacalypse, a session IPA from SALT Beer Factory from Saltaire, West Yorkshire, and a smooth pinot noir called Great Moor by Pattingham Vineyard in Staffordshire.
A peaceful night in the lodge was followed by morning coffee on the decking overlooking our new pals, father and son giraffe duo Meru and Stanley (named after Mount Stanley, the tallest mountain in Uganda, where the zoo's conservationists are helping giraffe populations), and a full English with Bury black pudding in the restaurant.
Then it was through a special gateway, just for residents of The Reserve, and into the new Heart of Africa area of the zoo, for a full-on day of animal antics.
Opened in spring this year, this 22-acre habitat is the largest in the zoo and home to 57 species including giraffes, zebras, ostriches, meerkats, rhinos, and flamingos. Wide, meandering pathways snake through them all, with elevated spots and glass barriers giving the best views. There's also the new Pamoja Village play area for kids.
With 37,000 animals from over 500 species at the zoo, staying overnight gives you the chance to fully explore everything at your leisure. Some of the biggest thrills came from seeing the big cats, including lions, jaguars, and snow leopards – first-time parents Nubra and Yashin welcomed a cub in June. Don't miss the butterfly house, either, where hundreds of butterflies fly freely, and the bat house, where you can see (and feel) fruit bats in the moonlit bat cave as they flit through the air, millimetres from your face!
During the zoo's 94-year history, generations have enjoyed fun-filled days with the family, but with the addition of The Reserve, a trip to the zoo becomes a dream destination with added animal magnetism.
Book the holiday
Savannah Explorer package from £492.50 per night, based on two adults sharing a Lakeside Lodge and staying September 17. Savannah Adventurer from £611 per night, based on two adults sharing a Lakeside Lodge and staying September 17.
Savannah VIP package from £1,488.62 for two nights, based on two adults sharing a Giraffe VIP Lodge, December 16-18. Day tickets: adults £38, children (3-5) £28, toddler (1-2) £2.50, under 12 months free, four-person family ticket £99.
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The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
We're on safari … in the Netherlands
There is a moment on our first evening at the Beekse Bergen safari resort that stops us all dead in our tracks. The kids are wearing the khaki safari hats from the welcome packs left on their wooden bunk beds, and we are relaxing on the veranda of our hotel room, with panoramic views of the 'savannah'. From this elevated position, we're studying our neighbours on this 10-day holiday in the south of the Netherlands: Nubian giraffes, white rhinos, antelope, zebras and ostriches, all intermingling on the plain, metres in front of us. The light is fading and a heatwave is enhancing the African theme of Beekse Bergen. In the humidity, our impromptu animal quiz, aided by our in-room brochure, is halted by a low, menacing rumble. It takes a moment for context to overtake common sense. The thunder we think we're hearing is actually the roar from the pack of lions that live just behind our accommodation. We all fall silent, absorbing one of the primal sounds of nature. It may seem like an unusual place for a safari – close to the modest city of Tilburg and 20 miles west of industrial Eindhoven – but this is a safari holiday Netherlands-style, where you don't have to fly to Africa to get close to our planet's most impressive mammals. The 120-hectare resort is a group of interconnected sites, comprising a hotel, lodges, chalets and cottages overlooking several open plains full of wildlife; the safari park, which guests can explore on foot through a connecting gate from the resort; a lakeside resort with a beach, more lodges and a campsite for all budgets; and the Speelland theme park – with indoor and outdoor rides, slides and games. The resort has strong conservation credentials, with many species that are designated 'vulnerable' or 'extinct in the wild' protected here as part of a Europe-wide network of more than 300 zoos, aquariums and parks, including Chester Zoo in the UK. The rangers tell us that all the animals living in Beekse Bergen were born here or moved to the park from another zoo; none were taken from the wild. The Dutch have a particular, tailored approach to family holidays, designing thoughtfully for children but without compromising on aesthetic and luxurious touches for adults, and Beekse Bergen is no exception – it's a hit with our seven-and 11-year-olds, and us parents, too. Custom-made bunk beds in one room, a picture window with views of the animals while soaking in the bath in another: attention to detail and lots to keep the kids entertained. For anyone staying, there is free unlimited access to the enormous safari park by car, bus or – our favourite – walking trails. Unlike a single costly trip to a regular zoo, we can make repeat visits to enjoy as many of the 100-plus animal species as we can, and at our own pace. Highlights include a magnificent Amur (Siberian) tiger, freestyling ring-tailed lemurs shrieking close above our heads, blustering rhinos locking horns over food, and the quiet grace of the African elephant families. Small 'ferry' boats with guided tours (in Dutch) take passengers from zone to zone, via lakes where we get a rare sighting of two iridescent kingfishers – a personal highlight among the more spectacular beasts. By the end of our stay, a battered map covered in ballpoint pen ticks is hard evidence of two children brimming with memories. We love the birds of prey display, with vultures, eagles, owls and storks swooping low over our heads, catching food thrown for them in mid-air. There are scheduled lion-feeding sessions and we stumble across the seals' mealtime, laughing as the three blubbery mammals wriggle comically out of the lake and on to the sand. For an extra €17.50 (£15) per person, there is also the option of a 45-minute 'game drive' with a guide – ours is the excellent Eva – to get up close and personal, away from the main car trails. We meet alpha male giraffe Jim and his harem, and as the herd licks the roof of our cruiser with their giant tongues, our amazed seven-year-old clicks her camera over and over again. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion It's easy to spend a week or more here, exploring every corner of the complex, ticking off animals in the safari park, swimming in the indoor pool and riding bikes (available to hire on site) to the playgrounds. Evenings are for indoor bowling, eating at one of multiple restaurants or relaxing back in the lodge. We visit the Speelland theme park a couple of times – a brilliantly wholesome outdoor and indoor activity centre with fairground-style rides, pedalos in the lake, go-karts and bouncy castles. We pop into nearby Tilburg (15 minutes by car; 25 minutes on a bike) for takeaway pizza, grocery shopping and a day perusing the shops and markets, visiting a traditional Dutch pancake house for lunch. There's also time for a day trip to Amsterdam (less than 90 minutes by train from Tilburg), where we wander over the canal bridges, meander along beautiful streets with vintage antique stores and hop on and off the tram. Our youngest decides she wants to move to the pretty Dutch capital so she can ride her bike to work every day. Back at the park, we split our stay between the hotel and the resort. Our first few days are in one of the hotel's Savanne rooms, geared to guests who want to eat at the resort's many à la carte, buffet or fine dining restaurants. We then move to a Savanne lodge at the 'top' of the safari resort, with a view of the bigger 'Masai Mara plain'. The detached lodges are more spacious with full kitchens, ideal for self-catering families. Some even have saunas. While there is a small grocery shop on site, nearby Tilburg has plenty of supermarkets to stock up at. Our tip would be to budget for the significant additional cost of breakfast, lunch and dinner if you stay at the hotel. While the veranda view of the plain from our first hotel room is spectacular, the additional cost of eating out makes the self-catering lodge much more affordable. Is there a specific age where our fascination with animals dims, before being reignited as a parent? I would say for any child pre-secondary school – before the self-conscious cynicism and underwhelmed eye-rolls kick in – Beekse Bergen is a remarkable family holiday, especially for those interested in the natural world. 'A safari in the Netherlands?' your friends will ask, intrigued and maybe a little sceptical: 'How does that work?' As ever, with Dutch family vacations, it just trip was provided by Little Clogs Holidays and Beekse Bergen safari resort. A seven-night lodge stay for two adults and two children starts at €1,731 (£1,500), including tourist taxes
Time Out
12 hours ago
- Time Out
Stay at this Penang resort and wake up to this incredible view every morning
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There are three dining options available on-site but let's be honest, you're in Penang. The real gastronomic action is out there on the streets. Still, M Social has a few solid options if you don't feel like heading out. Beast & Butterflies is an all-day dining restaurant where breakfast starts from 7am. Here you'll find Malaysian favourites like kaya toast and nasi lemak alongside an international buffet spread. Outside, The Social Hub offers light snacks as well as an afternoon tea set for those looking to have a leisurely mid-day break. And down on the 7th floor, you'll find Breezy Bites, a poolside pitstop that offers alcoholic bevvies and snacks. What are the facilities like at M Social Resort Penang? Theres a 25m pool filled with floaties that's perfect for kids (and adults who secretly love lounging on hot pink inflatables). Just beyond is the beach, which is semi-private and shared with nearby condos, but blissfully quiet when we visited. 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BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
Pan-Africanism finds fresh momentum in the Caribbean
Augustine Ogbo works as a doctor, treating patients in clinics across the striking Caribbean island of St he returns to his home in the coastal town of Rodney Bay, he clocks in for his second job - as the owner and solo chef of a Nigerian takeaway."Egusi soup and fufu, that's more popular... they love jollof rice too," Dr Ogbo says, reeling off a list of his customers' favourite 29-year-old hails from Nigeria - population 230 million - but crossed the Atlantic for St Lucia - population 180,000 - to train as a doctor in set up his home-based takeaway, named Africana Chops, in 2022, after being incessantly asked by his St Lucian friends for Nigerian takeaway is now thriving, Dr Ogbo tells the BBC, and not just because his island customers think the food is tasty."They know that we all have the same ancestral origin. So most of the time, they want to get in touch with that," Dr Ogbo explains, adding that interest in African culture has grown "tremendously" since he arrived almost a decade Lucia is not alone in this phenomenon. Across the Caribbean, the desire to reconnect with the population's African heritage appears to have strengthened over the past few across the Caribbean have been expressing African pride through cultural means, such as food, clothing and travel, while governments and institutions from both sides of the Atlantic have been meeting to forge economic ties. Africa has had a long presence in the Caribbean. A significant part of the islands' population descended from enslaved West and Central Africans, who were forcibly transported to the Caribbean by European merchants in the 17th and 18th was abolished in much of the Caribbean during the 1800s, while independence from European powers came the following century. The descendants of enslaved people retained some African customs, but largely developed their own standalone cultures, which differ from island to island. In the past, there have been major campaigns to encourage African pride, as Dorbrene O'Marde, who runs the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission, says."It was particularly strong in the 1930s or so, and then again in the 1960s - we saw a major outpouring in sync with the [American] black power movement during that period," he says, talking to the BBC on the island of O'Marde believes the Caribbean is witnessing a renewed, more promising version of such "pan-Africanism" (a term used to describe the idea that people of African descent should be unified)."It has widened beyond psychological and cultural themes and we are now talking in broader economic terms, such as stronger transportation links between the Caribbean and Africa," he says."We are in a different phase now of pan-Africanism – one that's not going to wane like before." One thing that separates this wave of African pride from the ones that came before is social Howard, an entertainment and cultural enterprise lecturer at the University of the West Indies, says a "significant" amount of Jamaicans are connecting with Africa through platforms such as TikTok."People are learning more about black history beyond slavery," he tells the BBC from his home in the Jamaican capital, Howard also points to the global rise of Afrobeats, a musical genre from Nigeria and feels that in Jamaica specifically, the popularity of Afrobeats is partly down to a desire to reconnect with the continent."Through the music videos, [Jamaicans] are seeing certain parts of Africa are similar to Jamaica and are developed. We had a concept of Africa as this place where it is backward and it's pure dirt road... the music is changing that."Asked about the view of some Jamaican commenters online - that islanders do not need to reclaim their African heritage as they have an equally valid, hard-won Jamaican heritage of their own - Mr Howard stresses that the two are not distinct."Our whole culture is African, with a little sprinkling of Indian and European and Chinese. But for the most part it is African-derived. It is the most dominant part of our culture," he leaning into their African heritage are not just consuming the culture, but actually getting on flights and exploring the continent tourism authority in Ghana - once a major departure point for enslaved Africans being shipped to the Caribbean - told the BBC there had been a "notable increase" in holidaymakers from the islands in recent Werner Gruner, South Africa's consul to the Bahamas, says that over the past two or three years, his office has seen a rise in local people travelling to South Africa, Ghana and Kenya."I see a lot of interest in safaris and I think people also start to realise that South Africa and other African countries are actually very well developed," Mr Gruner says. Even Burkina Faso, an economically struggling country under military rule that is not well known for tourism, is apparently on some people's buckets lists. Mr O'Marde says some of his countrypeople want to visit the country because of the pan-African leanings of its leader, Ibrahim Traoré.Getting to the mother continent from the Caribbean can, however, be complicated, with travellers often forced to fly via this year, in a speech in which she referred to herself as a "daughter of Africa", Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley called for the construction of "air and sea bridges" between Africa and the Caribbean."Let us make these changes, not just for heads of state, but for ordinary people who wish to trade, travel, and forge a shared future," she institutions like the African Union, African Development Bank (AfDB) and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have been working on the "trade" angle, hosting conferences and setting up memorandums of understanding with their Caribbean says trade between the two regions could jump from around $730m (£540m) to $1.8bn (£1.33bn) by 2028, provided the right conditions are at the moment, Africa and the Caribbean have some of the lowest indicators in the world for transport infrastructure, logistics quality and customs efficiency, according to the World Bank. In an attempt to reduce trade barriers, the prime minsters of Grenada and the Bahamas this year called for Africa and the Caribbean to launch a shared Prime Minister Philip Davis told delegates at an Afreximbank meeting in Nigeria they should "seriously" consider a single digital currency, while Grenada's Dickon Mitchell said: "Such a move would symbolically and practically affirm our shared identity not just as trading partners, but as members of a truly global Africa".Getting more than 60 countries to coordinate and launch a standard system would be no easy feat, but Mitchell said this must be done if the regions are to "take control of [their] own future".Back in St Lucia, Dr Ogbo says his attempts to bring egusi, fufu and jollof to local people are a small but worthy contribution to the strengthening of relations between Africa and the June, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu signed various cooperation agreements with St Lucia during a state visit and Dr Ogbo sees Africana Chops as an extension of that. "I can say I'm working hand-in-hand with the Nigerian government and even the St Lucian government to promote the African culture," he doctor and businessman is now trying to upgrade his food business to a full-fledged restaurant - and he hopes the "cultural exchange" between Africa and the Caribbean also goes from strength to strength."It's awesome!" he says. "I'm really, really excited about that." You may also be interested in: Why the King can't say 'sorry' for slaveryGhana's love affair with reggae and Jamaican Patois'There's power in names': Antigua unearths lost ancestors Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
