Our first day on safari, we were disappointed to hear Mara Serena was fully booked, and that we were going to a lodge that we hadn't researched beforehand. The winding entrance road seemed to have giraffe, zebra and a lion perfectly placed by Disney--how could we be seeing so many animals our first hour in the park? It turned out to be a wonderful circumstance that Serena was overbooked. I absolutely loved Ashnil Mara Camp. The location was perfect for all of our game drives on the Mara. The wooden-timbered open lobby/bar/dining area was a comfortable and central meeting place for us to relax, or prepare for game drives. The gift shop has the BEST prices and souvenirs we saw anywhere! (Better than our Maasai Village visit, souvenir shop visits, and other hotel gift shops.) The buffet was varied, good for our gluten-free folks, and well-prepared, but not particularly "fancy". They ran out of popular items fairly early, but we always had enough to eat. Boxed lunches were very nice. Our tents were very nice--solid walled bottoms on the path side, zippered on the deck side overlooking the river. There was a slight musty/mildewy odor on the canvas near the path side, but keeping canvas spotless in a wooded environment is near impossible. As everywhere (on tent safari), it can be loud. (I highly suggest ear plugs and eye mask for sleeping.) The hippos grunt loudly early in the morning, and we were near a small rapid that gushed constantly. You're so tired from game drives, it shouldn't be an issue unless you're a super-light sleeper. The pool was decent sized, but had bugs on the surface most of the time. It was very cold, but then again it was winter. My companions enjoyed their massages, though one of them went overtime, which meant my massage ended up having to be canceled (by me, because it was the only time slot I had available.) The lounge often has entertainment or slide shows in the evening; there are also campfires lit along the river. Just sitting on the riverside lounge chairs is an experience, since you never know what wildlife will be at the river! We loved our waiters, porters and bar staff. (Our porters were amazing; waiting amongst the trees if it was dark to give us lantern light, or waiting to take our bags when needed.) A thoroughly enjoyable stay and I would go again! The only caveat I would have is be prepared to walk considerably, depending on your tent location. Ours was one of the farthest away, which meant we were on a great spot on the river, but it was a trek if we forgot something in our tent. As reference, our travel agent gave us three levels of comfort to choose from on our trip: Basic lodging, Mid-range lodging and Luxury lodging. We chose Mid-range, which meant the places we stayed were clean and comfortable with good food, but not extravagant. Hint: Take lots of 1$ bills for tips!
