Chembe Eagles Nest

We arrived at Eagles Nest on Dec 24 and stayed through the 26. You have to drive through a local poor village to arrive at EN, that appears to not be benefiting from the mostly South African lodges that are springing up along the lakes shore of the village. We enjoyed the two twin bed roundville we stayed in that looked out to the lake. Although the shower had absolutely no pressure nor hot water. When I mentioned this to the New Zealand manager she snapped, "Well, if you're swimming in the lake why do you need to wash your hair anyways?!" However, she did have one of the locally hired men fix it and he was very pleasant and wanted me to test it before he left. The food was so so. The starters were very good, but the main courses, especially the vegetables, were overcooked all three dinners we ate there, and were never served on time. The only red wine offered was out of a box and there was a limited selection of beers to choose from - a bit strange for a place that has four stars. Also, the big screened TV on the wall in the "childrens room" right next to the restaurant constantly had the volume turned up so loud it interfered with the ambiance and over powered the music playing. The local staff were clearly uncomfortable and weary whenever the South African (now lives in Blantyre) owner was present, however his wife was lovely and had a calm energy about her. The water and views were beautiful and we definitely relaxed. The biggest negative overall was the uncomfortable and tense dynamics between the owners, manager, and local staff that was tangible and added an unpleasant edge to the experience - especially for a holiday such as Christmas.

What can I say..? Awesome, stunning beautiful! Friendly staff, excellent menu's, clean comfortable chalets, stunning sunsets and lots of fun things to do! A holiday to remember...!