A double-volume bar and restaurant with bright, modern and airy decor swallows up the masses and dominates one side of the Hacienda-style layout, still inexplicably turning its back on that glorious Kalahari view. The rooms also inward-facing are similarly bright, airy and fresh-looking with funky hanging chairs in the private patio, eclectic Namibian art and an elegant makeover inside. The new en suite bathrooms are particularly impressive with shiny shower cubicles and plush finishes.

The restaurant, terrace, bar and lounge area forms an amphitheatre around the large central swimming pool surrounded by lush grass and those same wonderful kalahari acacia trees - and some out-of-place palm trees it must be said.

The only downside of the new and improved Kalahari Anib Lodge is that it is still a stopover and not a destination in its own right. And that is great pity because the Kalahari is one of our most underrated regions with wildlife, extraordinary scenery - those endless parallel grooves in the desert you saw from 30,000ft - and great big lungfuls of whisper-quiet space.

If time allows, an extra night or two will never be nights lost. Either way though, the Kalahari Anib is a refreshed and refreshing place to stay in this beautiful and untouched part of Namibia.

The Gondwana Kalahari Park is 100sq km of classic Kalahari scenery dotted with large groups of springbok, gemsbok and ostrich; lone jackals, hares and porcupines roam the grassy valleys. The kori bustard is the largest flying bird in the world and sociable weavers build nests that are larger than some downtown apartments.