In Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina”, we learn that “happy families are all alike” but that “every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” So it would seem to be with guests at hospitality establishments… From our experience, the overwhelming number of our guests, are happy people who are greatly satisfied with their experience at our iKWETA Safari Camp. Majority speak highly of our safari luxury accommodation, friendly staff and service, good food, and more generally, the beauty of our natural environment. But from our experience, it is also almost impossible to escape the odd guest, the overly negative guest – the one outlier, so to speak – so consumed with angst over matters which only he or she may know, but whose demeanour from the outset quickly demonstrates that he/she has an axe to grind. This reviewer is one of these. Or why would he be so consumed with negativism as to file such negative claims 5 months after his stay... Nevertheless, we take this reviewer’s comments seriously. It is for that reason we have taken the time to respond to each of his many spurious claims, in a detailed, and we hope, well-considered fashion. This is unlike some other establishments where this same reviewer stayed, and subsequently went on to make similarly negativistic claims. Several of the concerned establishments did not bother to respond to him at all, which in itself may be considered a powerful response. But rather surprisingly, when this same reviewer made really damning claims about a high-end beach resort at the Kenya coast – about “cash, jewellery and other items stolen from their locked safe” (sic) in “five different rooms” (sic) – this elicited a somewhat perfunctory response by the concerned beach resort... This reviewer and his party, who he informs were “from abroad”, arrived at our iKWETA Safari Camp and were greeted with our usual warm welcome and drink. However, from the very start, the reviewer and members of the group exhibited airs of entitlement. The reviewer, who was the lead guest, behaved as if it was sheer waste of their time to fill out the Guest Registration forms before check-in, which is a lawful requirement in Kenya. Hence, the reviewer contemptuously scribbled on his form. It's even fair to share that the lead guest and his party looked down on the staff – as implied by the reviewer’s commentary alluding to the effect that staff should be standing at attention and at their beck and call – as if this was last century and at the time before Kenya’s independence… This reviewer and his party from abroad actually stayed at our Camp in September 2023 – and not in August 2023, as he claims in his review submitted some 5 months later. So, since this reviewer seems to be shrouded in negativism, could he be confusing some of the so-called “disappointing aspects” (sic) of his stay at our Camp with that of his stay at another establishment? Our staff were extra-attentive, especially as regards meeting the needs of the young toddler in the group. Nevertheless, and with the benefit of hindsight, we can share that the attention of our staff was never appreciated; rather, it was taken for granted, a further sign of the group’s sense of entitlement. Similarly, one of our managers spent considerable time outsourcing a good safari guide and vehicle for the group’s game drives. Again, there was little appreciation for a service provided gratis by us. Our cuisine is based on the freshest produce and is prepared on order. Guests always have options to recommend any dietary restrictions and preferences not appearing on the daily menu. Majority of our guests compliment our cuisine and many even rave about it… Therefore, it is a put-down by this reviewer to be dismissive of our cuisine as “bland”, which is both blatantly unkind and utterly disdainful of the efforts of all concerned: our gardeners who work hard to grow fresh organic fruits and vegetables, our kitchen staff who prepare the dishes with joy and passion, and our service staff who present our offerings to guests and receive their compliments with pride. Nevertheless, we understand full well that such negativism as exhibited by this reviewer is part of the nihilism that is now sadly becoming commonplace among some social groups and is one of social media's dark sides. As is the norm for most small camps and lodges like ours, it is not possible – nor is it objective for guests to expect – that every soft drink and every type of alcohol can be in stock. Hence, for sodas, we offer the three most popular types, and we have a good variety of the most popular brands of beer, and quality affordable wines and spirits. We also offer fresh tropical juices in season, made from fruits we grow and hand-pick ourselves: mango juice, papaya juice, pineapple juice, passion fruit juice, watermelon juice, and soon, we will have dragon fruit juice as well. All are freshly harvested and pressed to order, and are delicious and full of pure vitamins and minerals… The reviewer communicated with our iKWETA Safari Camp the day before check-in and he specifically requested a “baby crib”. We were happy to comply as we have beautiful hand-crafted baby cribs that are appreciated by all. However, on arrival, the reviewer started fussing about a “high chair” instead. Could this be another example of the reviewer’s foggy recall? Now about the reviewer's claim about a “dribble shower"… It seems that he did not pay attention to the briefing by housekeeping staff on how to run the showers for maximun pressure and hot water – understandably because of the reviewer’s condescending attitude towards our staff – implying that such briefing was a waste of his and his groups’ time. Further, the manager, at the initial briefing during check-in, always advises all guests to notify relevant staff if there is any issue in the tents, restaurant or otherwise. No one in this group reported anything amiss during their stay. iKWETA Safari Camp is not located near villages as the reviewer claims, and we liaise with local authorities and Kenya Wildlife Service, who are readily responsible if there is a noise nuisance. [The law in Kenya defines “noise” as a nuisance that is experienced more 30m from its source.] As for Wi-fi, we offer free Internet connection throughout our Camp as an amenity to enhance guest experience. Connections are available in the Guest Tents and in the Common Areas (around the Swimming Pool, Guest Lounge, and in the Indoor, Verandah and Outdoor Dining Areas) – all via Wi-Fi running on the available 4G cellular network of the leading national service provider. Our Internet service is usually stable, with a bandwidth peaking at 20Mbps, which most guests are appreciative to have for their basic needs while on safari, such as being able to access email, browse the Web, upload or download some photos, and even stream a video or engage in reasonably stable telephone communication over the Internet… Obviously, Internet service via a cellular network is not stable like on fiber-optic, a service which is not currently available in remote locations where most small camps and lodges like ours are located. We could subscribe to higher cellular bandwidth, at much higher cost, but that would be counter to our business model of providing Best Value for Money, which includes free Internet at reasonable bandwidth and cost. If the reviewer were not imbued with negativity in all he has to say about iKWETA Safari Camp, and since he lives in Kenya, he would be objective enough to acknowledge that, anywhere away from the main urban areas, and especially in remote rural areas where camps and lodges like ours are located, Internet connections can at times be “slow and intermittent”… The swimming pool, like the design and layout of the rest of iKWETA Safari Camp, reflects eco-friendliness and natural elegance. It is designed as a natural pool to integrate into our environment with pool water reflecting the surrounding indigenous trees and vegetation. The pool is cleaned every morning and every afternoon and treated as necessary. Yet, this reviewer prefers to trash on our efforts in that regard as well... Our cats are well cared for and provide highly effective and environmentally-safe rodent control and snake deterrence. We tell guests not to feed the cats as they are clever creatures and will come back for more. At the restaurant, our service staff are keen to keep cats from disturbing guests. This reviewer, of course, had to add to his list of “disappointing aspects” yet more negativity to top it up. In conclusion, and rather surprisingly, this reviewer and members of his party from abroad had no negative feedback when asked by our managers about their stay at check-out. Therefore, we remain dumbfounded as to why the reviewer decided one fine day – many months after his stay – to write a review of our Camp with a string of negative claims, even to the point of advising others to avoid our Camp. It is as if he was prompted by the competition.