I recently wrote a post about how travelling is not a holiday. Here’s where I start to eat my words (and hopefully not make you, dear reader, too jealous!). We’ve just spent two nights in the most fabulous lodge accommodation, The Islands of Siankaba — voted Livingstone’s best lodge for two years running. So after spending the last week in a $5 tent, you’re quite right to ask, how did we get here? We’re lucky enough to have been invited by the kind owners, who are friends of ours.

Upon arrival at the lodge by private boat (private BOAT!) we were immediately greeted by our hosts who thrusted cocktails into our open hands. There was a miniature scuffle between the staff and ourselves when it came to carrying our bags off the boat. You see, as a backpacker your bags are our weakest link and bus station touts regularly try to run off with them to bundle them into a taxi for a fee, so when someone tries to ‘help us with our bags’, we bolt into action to defend our belongings. It turns out that in a luxury resort like this, there are staff to carry our bags to our room for us!

When you see the photos of our room, which is uber-luxurious by anyone’s standards, just imagine the feeling of elation you’d experience after spending over twelve months in dirty, budget hotels with grotty bathrooms and lately a broken, $5 tent, like we have. Elevated safari lodge cabin on stilts (our feet never touched the island floor!), his n’ hers washbasins, free-standing roll-top bathtub, American king-size bed–with individually pocket-sprung mattress, not standard-issue foam–with electrically heated sheets, a private balcony overlooking our own waterway (complete with resident crocodile), gourmet restaurant and finely-stocked bar.

After having high tea (high tea!) we, and other guests, were ushered onto one of the boats to be taken out for a relaxing sunset cruise in the Zambezi river. With wine and canopies, obviously.

The biggest thank you to our hosts in the UK and Lusaka for inviting us to stay and also to the staff at the lodge for ensuring that we forgot our budget backpacker lifestyle for a couple of days!

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