Kumbali Country Lodge

Our last night in Malawi we stayed at the Kumbali. We immediately started walking around to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and to take pictures. How beautiful it was. We also saw many monkeys. After a drink we enjoyed a delicious dinner. The next morning we were given a tour to the banana plantation. That was very fun and educational. Unfortunately we had to quickly move on to the airport. We would have liked to stay longer

We stayed here three times during August, using it as our home base for travelling in Malawi and Zambia. It's a luxurious lodge, with wonderful spaces. The food is excellent and the rooms spacious and well equipped. There are unusual features to visit on site; the Farmer's Daughter restaurant is just a few minutes walk away for an outing; and it's close enough to Lilongwe to head off (by car) into the city. And the city is vibrant, colourful and alive (the old part). The new capital part contains government buildings and memorials that are well worth visiting for the history of the country.

This is a very comfortable lodge where we were made very welcome for our first night in Malawi. It took about an hour to drive from the airport. The lodge is set in very attractive gardens with a small swimming pool. The WiFi worked well and the shower was good and hot. The lodge also has a restaurant which serves excellent food.

I stayed two nights at the Kumbali country lodge while waiting for family to arrive in Malawi. The location is excellent with a very peaceful and relaxing environment. Lots of small wildlife available for viewing. Excellent bar and restaurant. I enjoyed sitting at the bar and talking with Hamson. All of the staff were great.

Nice room with balcony. Food was also wonderful in the restaurant with lovely massage service. However, we informed them that we are checking out at 5am the next day and have requested for some coffee and simple packed breakfast. The hotel agreed to the request, saying there is no issue to that but the next morning, the main reception door was locked with no one around in sight. We attempted to knock multiple times but no one came. We waited till 530am and had to leave for the airport- with no coffee or breakfast at all. Pretty disappointing.

If you are reading this review, from my extensive experience, this is by far the best place to stay in Lilongwe. If you are coming to Lilongwe, you need to stay here. The best kitchen in all of Lilongwe and probably in all of Malawi is 5 minutes walk from Kumbali -- "The Farmers Daughter" The food was exceptional - everything about the place is beautiful, very modern and comfortable. If you stay at Kumbali, make sure you go to this cafe style of restaurant right next door to the Lodge. "The Farmers Daughter." It is AWESOME. Kumbali lodge is very special and comfortable -- all the employees who work here are great. Especially the team working in the cafe/restaurant - christopher, Hamson, Mike, Dorothy, Hasan, Elizabeth... and the manager Geraldine is awesome. I hope i have not left any one out. Brilliant team who have their hearts completely in their jobs. The kitchen team - excellent. Do not waste time reading any of the negative comments that have been left (my experience was near perfection, you are coming to Africa - you can't expect it to be like Paris, and it seems many of the negative comments are issues related to just being in Africa, not the resort or the staff) I stayed here for 24 days -- and the team went out of their way to ensure my stay was perfect. I highly highly recommend the Kumbali Lodge. Ideally, I will see them again in 2 weeks.