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Kingdom Hotel
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
- Close to the falls – a few minutes’ walk
- High on entertainment low on snobbery
- Water features, landscaped gardens and themed decor
Like the ancient ruins it is modelled on, the Kingdom is a sprawling dynasty of restaurants, bars, play areas, life-size water features and larger-than life African artefacts; unlike the ancient ruins, it has a sprawling casino in its great enclosure instead of a 30-metre phallis – evidence that this is a family-oriented establishment.
The Kingdom is a Vegas-style take on the Great Zimbabwe Ruins from which the country got its name and while not quite matching its centuries-old predecessor for mystique, it’s certainly up there for excitement.
Enormous warriors guard the entrance, which leads to a circular pit of gambling machines and po-faces skirted by bustling restaurants, shops, coffee bars and and screaming kids. A scary picture but once you’ve beaten the warriors and the one-armed bandits, your kingdom awaits.
The hotel opens on to its own lake-sized water feature and there is much on offer to keep you entertained, well-fed and drunk. Four eating options – one steak, one pizza/pasta, one standard buffet, and one fast-food joint – make way for four drinking options – one plush, one action, one poolside, and one in the pit.
Then there’s the casino where, in Zimbabwe currency, you’ll be raising the stakes by millions at a time. There are four pools with a toddler’s one to catch all the pee and the hotel’s less garish partner, Elephant Hills, has a Gary Player 18-hole golf course which famously had a lion kill – impala, not golfer - on the 16th green.
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Type: Hotel
Rates from: R2955pp sharing
Status: A Touch of Fairy Dust
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The Kingdom wrangles with Ilala for pride of place in Vic Falls and with good reason – it’s across the road; five minutes’ walk to the falls and even less to town and its craft markets and shops.
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Seventh Natural Wonder, adventure capital, wildlife destination and home to some rather splendid hotels, the Victoria Falls will capture your heart.
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