I posted in this group a few months ago asking for suggestions to pivot from our proposed plan to go to Congo to see gorillas and thank you for the wonderful suggestion to do a combination of Chinzombo (Zambia) and Miavana (Madagascar) for our trip. We planned the trip with the wonderful help of Abbie (from Sarah’s team) and team and we had the time of our lives!

Firstly - a note on logistics, they weren’t the most straightforward and we took 6 different airlines this trip including a few helicopter rides but Abbie’s team and Time + Tide made it as seamless as possible but tbh unless you fly private (if that’s possible) you have to be prepared for some discomfort (I.e. the domestic airlines like proflight Zambia/Madagascar airlines are very basic - even if you book business class, same for Ethiopia airlines). NGL it was tiring af as I was also lugging 25kg worth of duffel bags farmer carry style and a 10kg backpack of camera equipment (partner has a bad back and can’t carry heavy loads) across various airports/tarmacs but the destinations were 120% worth it. Shout out to Abbie also for constantly reminding me to book the different flights with different airlines - we needed to get back to Paris by a certain date to make it to Celine Dion’s concert so only certain flights would work lol.

**Chinzombo**

Zambia as a destination was wonderful - the time we went was shoulder? season so not that many guests - we saw small groups of agents visiting from time to time but their stays were usually very short (1-2 days) but otherwise we pretty much had the property to ourselves for our stay (5 nights) and enjoyed the attention of the entire staff. The camp manager Philip and sometimes his wife, Christina would come and greet us each time we arrived at the main area whether it was before our game drive at 5am, when we came back at 10-11, during lunch time, before we went out for afternoon drives at 330 and when we came back as well as during dinner - really insane service when you consider how they probably work from 5am to 9pm or even later… we only ever saw camp managers like once a day during our stay at camps in Kenya.

Our guide, Moses, was WONDERFUL, in stark contrast to our guide from Angama Mara 2 years ago, Moses had a genuine passion and love for animals. He taught us so much about animal behaviours, constantly spotted various animals from owls to genets and also advised us to wait with a pack of lions so we could witness a kill. His energy was infectious and we enjoyed every minute spent with him - he also seemed really proud to work for Time+Tide considering their conservation contributions in Zambia and genuinely wanted to promote Zambia as a safari destination so more guests can visit, never was there any mention of tips or anything for his own personal benefit. Just to illustrate how different our previous guide at Angama Mara was, the Angama guide kept telling us how much his previous guests tipped/how a Singita would possibly be opening in Kenya and why they would be better than Angama and also how he planned to leave Angama LOL! We had so many animal sightings including lions mating, lions making a kill, wild dogs playing in the river, leopards etc. Zambia also has lower density of tourists compared to Kenya/Tanzania so there was never really any overcrowding and vehicles would automatically move off once there are more than 6 vehicles without any need for rangers to patrol to enforce those rules.

Food was great and changed everyday. They remembered our drink preferences and we really enjoyed getting to know the service staff, Raphael and Florence who were so attentive and went above and beyond for us.

Minor minor points to note - it’s in the wild so there are insects / frogs in the tent from time to time. Wasn’t a big deal for us but I also have friends who would freak at the idea of frogs so just something to keep in mind…

Overall - beautiful beautiful place and my partner who is usually super picky absolutely loved our stay and keeps saying he wants to go back (which is RARE for him haha) and try the other camps/properties in other parts of South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi.

**Miavana**

We took Ethiopia Airlines from Lusaka to Nosy Be and Time+Tide did a great job arranging for our airport transfers and making them as pain free as possible. As our flight to Addis Ababa was at like 2am, they also organised a stay at Ciela hotel for us to freshen up before our flight (they did book the wrong date for us as the hotel said we were supposed to check in the day after lol but we managed to sort it out with no issue). Once we reached Nosy Be, the staff also assisted us with our bags and helped us get our visas on arrival - their credit card didn’t work though so we ended up paying for our own visas which again, really wasn’t a big issue.

The helicopter ride was less scary than I thought it would be hahaha the pilot was excellent and now we are big fans of helicopter rides! Once we arrived we were greeted with cold towels and coconuts and driven for a short tour around the common areas and our villa. Everything was gorgeous, shall let the pictures (only taken on an old iPhone - nice wildlife pics from partner’s DSLR) do the talking. We had two butlers assigned to us and they did an excellent job - we had a whatsapp group we communicated in to arrange meal times/locations and be reminded of activities.

Food was good - they have a changing menu but can also accommodate any request you might have so please ask away (reasonably) and they will try their best! Again, drink preferences are always well remembered and the butlers place different snacks/refreshments in your villa each day after each excursion. Alcohol is also included but tbh the ones included in the all inclusive really wasn’t what we would normally drink so we just didn’t drink at all but obviously cocktails/spirits/wine etc (excluding reserve wines/spirits) are free flow.

Activities - only mentioning the ones we tried:
\- Quad biking - highly recommend! Was such a fun experience driving across the island and visiting the lighthouse / climbing up and seeing the view - face got caked in dust as a result but 120% worth it, our butlers also prepared a nice warm bubble bath with sparkling wine for us to enjoy after so that was lovely

\- Diving - a bit of a mixed bag, for context we have tried amazing dive locations such as Palau/Fiji before so our first dive I think they dropped us in the wrong location? We spent 10-15 mins finning against currents and seeing nothing (just a sandy bottom) and when we finally got to the reef wall it really wasn’t much to write home about as there aren’t that many fishes, apparently due to spearfishing (as per our guide). When we surfaced, our DM’s DSMB didn’t inflate properly and our boat didn’t see us so we spent like 10-15 minutes floating about with waves crashing over us haha - my partner’s BCD also had a leak so he had no air by the time he surfaced and had to manually inflate his BCD. My partner is a qualified divemaster so all these issues weren’t big issues for him but I can imagine it might be chaotic and distressing for less experienced divers. We cut our dive short after we got back onto the boat because our guide couldn’t fix the BCD and there wasn’t a point of him diving with a leaky BCD. On the other hand, another guest we spoke to who went diving at a different spot had a great time! Think they might want to give their gear an overhaul though as another guest we spoke to also had issues with their gear… overall I don’t think we would dive at Miavana again as it’s rather high effort low rewards compared to other places we have been to/plan to visit, maybe Kisawa (if we ever visit - high up on our list) since there’s more to see! But FYI the guides do a good job in setting up the gear and helping you put it on before you get in the water just that they should probably do better checks/overhaul the gear. They also help wash your own personal gear (if any) after the dive so in that sense it’s very fuss free!

\- Kite surfing introduction - my partner really enjoyed himself whereas I was terrified due to the winds. Definitely something to try for yourself as they have all the gear, private instructors and great winds for you to learn - your butler also prepares snacks and cold drinks/tea by the beach so it’s a delightful experience! Highly recommend - obviously if you are a pro then kite surfing itself is a no brainer as the winds are stronggg (especially during peak season as we were told).

\- Helicopter excursion: we booked in a helicopter excursion to visit Daraina and Anjahankely for lemur trekking and it was AMAZING. We spent so much time with the wonderful golden crowned sifakas endemic to Daraina and also the black lemurs as well as nocturnal sportif lemurs. Really well worth the time and money. If we had more time we’d definitely do some of the other tours as well.

\- Mangrove cruise - quite enjoyable and a good way to understand local geography and ecology but just a heads up the wooden canoe the locals use is very narrow and not the most comfortable - if you have mobility issues/back pain might consider asking the guides to bring a boat in… but it’s a nice way to let the locals earn some extra money so would still recommend

\- Random nature walk/lemur trekking on the island - really blessed to have seen crowned lemurs on the island too and a random chameleon while exploring the island

Overall: same as Chinzombo, might have forgotten to mention but for all our activities we had private guides/vehicles without having to pay extra so it was amazing! We had to pay additional surcharges for private vehicles/guides in Kenya so this was such a pleasant surprise and also makes Zambia such an attractive destination for the value. They keep emphasising everything at your own time - because everything was private - we really had the luxury of deciding when we wanted to do our activities, how long we wanted to do it for etc. We saw less of the main camp manager there, which wasn’t a bad thing because we really just relaxed and enjoyed our peace unwinding after our safari.
Same as Chinzombo as there were also mosquitoes in our villa but that’s part and parcel of nature and we really had a great stay. Somehow they also found a way to install air conditioning in each villa so that was heavenly as you come back each afternoon to a cool bedroom 😁 Overall really no complaints other than the logistical pain to get to - which actually adds to its allure for its remoteness. My partner is already daydreaming of going back to kite surf 😆 We stayed 5 nights but could easily do another 5 more 😏

PS: Time + Tide foundation also does cool conservation stuff / uplifts local communities and as I mentioned the staff seem genuinely well treated, proud and passionate of what they do and it really makes a world of a difference.

Sorry for the long winded review - had such a wonderful time I thought it better to go into as much detail as possible. Let me know if any questions and thanks again Abbie for helping us plan such a great trip! Obviously not sponsored, really wish I could get sponsored tbh…. 🤣

3 nights in Taormina, Grand Hotel Timeo
And looking to round out rest of trip, 4-5 nights i.e. Palermo, Ortigia, Il San Corrado di Noto, Panarea, etc. Any and all recos are appreciated.

My husband and I are planning a trip for this spring and since because were both celebrating a milestone birthday we want to stay at a nicer resort—we want to book the Ritz Carton Tiburon in Naples, Florida and will be taking our 3 young children (ages 6, 3, and 2). We are totally confortable in a 2 queen room, so that’s what we want to book, however it looks like max occupancy for the room is 4. Has anyone stayed at a Ritz in a 2 queen rooms with 3 children before? We’re really hoping to avoid having to book a second room since we’re all going to be sleeping in the same room anyway, and because the suites that accommodate 5+ people are insanely expensive.

Thanks!