This Sprawling Namibian Resort Has Practically 14,000 Acres to Discover — by Foot, Recreation Drive, or Horseback

“I can’t imagine I complained in regards to the journey to get right here,” I instructed my husband. It was our second day at Zannier Resorts Sonop, situated deep within the Namib desert of Namibia, in southern Africa.

We had arrived by street from Windhoek, the capital metropolis, after a six-hour flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. On the airport, our driver met us, and our street journey started. It was dusk once we lastly arrived at Zannier Sonop, too exhausted for something besides a fast dinner and an abbreviated room tour.

It wasn’t till the next day that I had an opportunity to completely recognize the place I used to be. I used to be surprised into silence (actually and figuratively) by the huge expanse of arid panorama interspersed with giant granite boulders. The silence was solely briefly damaged by the chirp of a sand-colored chook that I later discovered was a Grey’s lark, endemic to the nation. The chook’s coloration helps it keep camouflaged from predators and regulates its temperature by reflecting the solar’s warmth.

Late afternoon discovered my husband and I on the horse stables, the place we obtained an enthusiastic welcome from Austin, who leads the driving excursions. When it got here time to pick a horse, I picked Angie, a brown-and-white Andalusian.

“Angie is my favourite horse right here,” Austin admitted, telling us that she was ceaselessly discovered within the kitchen, attempting to get a snack from the chef. Raised on a farm with horses about an hour from Sonop, his love for the animals was evident. In flip, the horses adopted his lead, listening to his instructions to decelerate (like when Angie broke right into a gallop).

Searching into the huge plains, I really felt like I used to be the African model of Beth Dutton in an episode of “Yellowstone” — if it had been shot in an African desert.

Out-of-this-world and presumably once-in-a-lifetime experiences like this draw vacationers to Zannier Sonop. It’s a part of the portfolio of Zannier Resorts, owned by Arnaud Zannier, the son of French designer and entrepreneur Roger Zannier, and though Geraldine Dohogne decorates all Zannier inns, they keep their individuality. Zannier Sonop takes its inspiration from the Nineteen Twenties British colonial model, with plinth hats, classic maps, binoculars, espresso desk journey books, and telescopes used to emphasise the period.

Friends who keep at Sonop are well-traveled and have attention-grabbing backstories. There was the couple from South Africa who had bought their enterprise and just lately moved to a small city in Italy, the Parisians we met whereas driving who had been touring with out their younger youngsters for the primary time, the household of 4 who had flown in through a personal airplane, and the architect and designer couple from Portugal who we dined with at Zannier’s sister lodge, Omanda in Windhoek, the night time earlier than we left Namibia. It was the proper place to be as social as you needed, but it surely additionally gave technique to solo downtime. It was one in all my favourite kinds of holidays, giving the choice for as many or as few actions as you need.

Right here’s what you’ll want to find out about Zannier Resort Sonop.

The Rooms

Our 450-square-foot tented room was a stunner, that includes rolled-up canvas that supplied limitless views of the encompassing desert. Classic steamer trunks doubled as decor and a wardrobe, and in an ingenious design, one other trunk opened to disclose a freezer stocked with complimentary drinks, together with milk for tea or espresso and beer. If we had been tempted to get some work achieved or simply chill out, there have been two seating areas, one with a desk.

The big bogs have copper clawfoot tubs with an connected handheld rain bathe nozzle. I used to be pleasantly shocked to seek out twin self-importance stations, which I used to be additional grateful for once we had a 3 a.m. wake-up name for the dune expertise.

There are eight one-room tents and two two-room tents.

Meals and Drink

Reservations at Zannier Sonop are booked on a full-board foundation. Customary charges embrace breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with non-alcoholic drinks throughout meals. Breakfasts are a la carte, with menu gadgets together with granola and yogurt, avocado toast, pancakes, and bacon.

Lunch is a lighter affair, with the chef bringing out a platter with numerous greens, salads, pasta, burgers, meat, and extra. Though sport meat (beef, oryx, zebra) is a staple of Namibian delicacies, pescatarians like my husband had been effectively accommodated.

Dinner is the spotlight of the gastronomical expertise at Zannier Sonop: A five-course menu that adjustments each day is served, paired with largely South African wines. Dinner could also be served communal model on a big desk, or at smaller tables for 2 as was the case once we had been company.

Actions and Experiences

With practically 14,000 acres of personal reserve land, company at Zannier Sonop can discover by electrical bike, on foot, or by way of morning and afternoon guided drives. Throughout this exercise, you’ll learn to spot desert wildlife like beetles, ostriches, and different birds.

For company searching for a extra lively expertise, select a horse from the Zannier Sonop stables and go on a day or morning journey.

The lodge additionally affords Sossusvlei desert experiences for a further price. These embrace climbing the dunes (Dune 45, Massive Daddy, or Massive Mama) and exploring Useless Vlei. You may also see the desert from the air with a hot-air balloon safari or helicopter tour.

Retire to Sonop and dip within the heated outside infinity pool, which has beautiful views of the desert. After dinner, take pleasure in a traditional movie (choices embrace “Out of Africa” and “The Lion King,” as an example), which is screened on a big projector in entrance of the pool. On a transparent night time, take within the stars by way of a guided astronomy discovery — Zannier Sonop is in one of many world’s 16 designated Worldwide Darkish Sky Reserves.

The Spa

The spa is subsequent to the pool and options two double remedy rooms with giant home windows dealing with the desert panorama. Numerous therapies, together with massages and facials, are provided utilizing natural and pure supplies. The signature remedy is the Namibian Contact therapeutic massage, which makes use of Namibian salt pearls, myrrh, and marula oils.

The spa additionally hosts each day yoga and meditation close to the pool or on the close by gymnasium, and personal yoga courses are additionally accessible. The gymnasium has free weights, barbells, benches, and cardio gear. After a exercise or spa remedy, the employees serves complimentary fruits and drinks.

Household-friendly Choices

Zannier Sonop doesn’t settle for bookings for youngsters underneath 6 years outdated attributable to security causes.  Households can guide the two-bedroom ensuite tents with a shared eating room.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Constructed on the high of boulders and with rooms, a spa, and a pool solely accessible through a collection of steep steps, Zannier Sonop is basically inaccessible to these with mobility points. Friends are transported to and from the lodge through electrical golf carts, and most actions on the property, resembling horse driving and e-bike driving, could also be difficult for many who require mobility help. It isn’t ADA-compliant.

Relating to sustainability, Sonop’s location within the Namib desert makes water entry treasured. There are 5 water holes operated by mechanical pumps. The acquisition of water bottles at Zannier Sonop helps Save The Rhinos Belief. There are greater than 900 photo voltaic panels which give electrical energy to the lodge.

Location

To get to Zannier Sonop, vacationers can fly into their touchdown strip through small constitution planes. Street transfers from the closest airport in Windhoek (Hosea Kutako Worldwide Airport) could be organized with the lodge for an added price. Alternatively, you possibly can lease a automotive from the worldwide airport for the 300-mile drive from the capital. Whereas a protracted drive, it’s scenic, with sightings of untamed horses roaming the streets of Mariental. Make sure you cease on the Tropic of Capricorn for a fast picture and keep away from driving after darkish, as there could also be wild animals on the roadway.

Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

Rooms are booked on an all-inclusive foundation, which incorporates meals, nonalcoholic drinks, and most actions on the reserve (the dinner on the rocks is a further price). To save cash on premium alcohol, it’s possible you’ll need to carry your personal. Nightly charges at Zannier Sonop begin round $500.