Name: Rivernest Boutique Cottages
Address: Along Sedie - Matlapana Road, Maun, Maun, Maun, 1910, Botswana
Rating: 7

Elevator/lift

Smoking areas

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Reception desk

General

Breakfast

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Airport transportation - pickup

Transfer

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Free parking

Parking

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Extra decontamination measures

Contactless check-in and/or check-out

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the boutique hotel

Maun Airport

Rivernest Boutique Cottages

Maun

I liked this place - rooms are spacious and comfortable, and i love Rivenest location. They have also great chef de cuisine (and in case of need he can prepare you delicous vegetarian / vegan meal) :D
At the time when we arrived there was more guest, so the menager of the hotel set us the table outside, next to the pool, and it was lovely!
There is also some cats - so if u r catlover - you will find here nice companions :D

Rivernest - great place to stay in Maun

We spent here 2 nights. The room was big and comfortable but there were a lot of mosquitos that disturbed our night. The swimming pool is small. The breakfast was good and also the staff is kind. Air conditioning, kitchenette and frigo available in rooms.

Mosquitos 

We are a group of seven friends that had been travelling independently through Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia for a few weeks without incident until we arrived here.
We booked 5 rooms for 3 nights  last September and had an email to confirm this.  We arrived around 4.30 pm., to be told they were expecting us, but the reception staff were hiding (really).
Basically they had double booked, and everyone else had arrived, which they were well aware of.  The manager apparently was on a day trip, the owner on leave, very convenient for both if true.  The girls on reception when they eventually appeared were unable to offer us any help finding alternative accommodation, so we said OK, we’ll find something else tonight but we’ll come back tomorrow for our booked rooms for the remaining two nights. No, we’re also full then we were told, even though the whiteboard in reception showed 8 rooms vacating.  Obviously upsetting one group was easier for them than more incoming the next day.
The local staff did not have the authority, ability or wherewithal to find us an alternative or to offer us any compensation for what they admitted was their error.  This may not have been their fault, but what was completely staggering was the abdication of responsibility by the owner/manager,  who they had on the phone but was not prepared to speak to us about the situation and offer us something.  This was both cowardly and incompetent business practice, which presumably is their normal modus operandi, since we’ve not even had the courtesy of any contact from the owner since to apologise for the mess.  After wasting over half an hour in totally fruitless discussion, we gave up and left to try and organise an alternative on a busy Friday night, feeling shocked and disgusted at the way we had been treated.
Incidentally, whilst this was going on a couple of us had a look at the accommodation. It looked tightly packed round a small courtyard, in need of a bit of maintenance, right next to the road and no obvious river. In other words, nothing special.
Do yourselves a favour and go elsewhere, as even with written confirmation your booking may not be honoured and these guys don’t deserve your business.
We fetched up at the Sedia Hotel, just down the road, where they sorted us out 3 riverside houses no problem (see separate review).  It was far nicer and the only pity is we didn’t book it in the first place and save ourselves all the grief!



Avoid.... Incompetent and Dishonourable

We arrived at the Rivernest Boutique Cottages, and were told that they had been overbooked (though we had booked online several months prior) and that we were to be moved. We were sent to a different hotel a few minutes drive away, and given a room. The hotel we were re-booked at was cheaper than Rivernest, and we did not receive a credit or a refund of any kind. We had heard good things about this place, but unfortunately got to experience none of them. Good luck!

Booked somewhere else without our knowledge!?!

The comments and photos on the website portrayed a significantly better facility than what I found.  The 'bones' of the place are pretty good (units look okay from outside, they circle around a pond, there are plants), but it needs a fair amount of upkeep: care and attention required. Front door wouldn't lock securely, furniture tired, would not be hard to get over perimeter of compound, and as it was quite a ways out of Maun (on a main highway--not sure what 'river' we were supposed to be beside...) with no other guests, it felt somewhat insecure...

Disappointed

We stayed here for a night before a flight out. The front desk staff were helpful. Rooms were clean but basic. Each suite had 2 rooms with beds and bathroom and separate sitting area/kitchen. We sat on deck overlooking dry riverbed. We ate dinner and breakfast here too. Food was good and service was pretty fast. We wanted to go birding one morning before our midday flight.. the manager at the desk agreed to take us for a walk along the river. It didn't look like much but we got 15 new birds in 3 hours (after 10 days on safari). Pretty incredible. The manager had no idea of the birds names but she pointed them all out. She even found a hammerkop nest and a giant eagle owl in town! She had a good time with us and didn't charge us anything for the walk. Great service!

Great place to stay for a night

very spacious suites. fairly comfortable beds. minimal bugs, and clean. A good place to stay if you are visiting Maun & the Okavango Delta.  It was nice to be able to spread out. Breakfast was fair. But there are decent places to eat around here.

Good Experience.

We asked to see the self catering cottage. It looked okay at a glimpse but we were disappointed. The mattress was old and lumpy and uncomfortable. I slept on the couch the second night. We reported a broken bedside lamp and nothing was done to repair it. Pots and utensils inadequate for self catering. Curtains not fitting properly. Curtain rod broken. Staff unfriendly. Linen old and pillows old. Overpriced for what you get. Gardens were neat and the pool was clean.
Garden rubbish dumped over the wall on the river side. Garden on road way was uninviting. Needs maintenance and staff training. Would not stay there again.

Booked two nights wish we hadn't booked at all.

Rivernest is on the main highway NORTH of Maun (Mah-oon to locals).  This means that if you are traveling to points south you have to skirt downtown Maun.  It is close to the airport and close to the main road from it.  So it is convenient for air travel.  It is also convenient for driving north to Okavango, Moremi, and Caprivi.

There is no river adjacent Rivernest.  Just a dry aroyo which likely flows in the rainy season.  Parking is secure in a gated parking lot.  Accommodation is in comfortable suites in detached buildings that house duplex suites.  Suites have a living room with kitchenette, bar table, and fridge.  Suites have basic, but functional furniture.  It was clean with spotless bathroom.  Met our requirements.

The grounds are compact with groomed gardens.  Pleasing so close to the city.  Although it is close the highway, it is far enough distant that traffic noise is barely audible.

Breakfast was wholesome and commendable with buffet bar.  There is a small pool adjacent a raised deck, which appears to be intended for gatherings.

Viola, the manager was knowledgeable, and extremely helpful.  She can be a great resource if you are going to visit Okavango and Moremi.  The staff was also attentive and helpful.

In summary, for us, it was good value.  We believe, you are unlikely to go wrong at Rivernest.  We will stay here if/when we pass through Maun again.  Especially if Viola is manager.

Affordable, comfortable, and secure stop. Convenient for air travel.  Excellent stop to Okavango.

We had booked ahead, arrived at 7pm after a 10 hour drive.  The place was deserted.  The cook had "gone home" so the restaurant was shut.  No bar, nothing.

The room was dirty, the door looked as if it had been forced open.  It was bleak.  The light bulbs didn't all work, there was no air conditioner or fan.  Large windows opened low onto veranda (did not feel very secure) and more importantly, without netting would let bugs and mosquitoes straight in.

This was beyond budget (not that it was cheap by any means), it was not very nice.

We left without staying

Rivernest Boutique Cottages

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