So why Elegant, you ask? Jörn Dedig of Elegant Collection fame (The Elegant Desert Eco Camp and The Elegant Guesthouse in Windhoek) is on a mission to restore Namibia’s faded beasties. Formerly an evangelical retreat known as Betesda Lodge, Herr Jörn acquired the property, gave its interior a mighty upgrade and re-opened for business in November 2016 under its new, albeit uninspiring, name.

And it’s amazing what a lick of paint, modern furniture and good scrub can do to a place. Transformed, dare we say, resurrected, Elegant Desert Lodge offers clean, comfortable and elegant-ish accommodation an easy half hour drive to Sesriem which is the entrance to Sosssusvlei.

Accommodation is a line of en suite rooms in a variety of sizes that all open out onto the desert scenery. While not the last word in luxury, the rooms are cool, comfortable and quiet: primed for a restful night.

The main living area features sitting options aplenty starting with inside and outside lounge areas, ditto for dining options including the traditional lapa dining area; you’ve also got a bar, a  pool bar and the large garden dotted with seating in case you run out of options. The icy pool, surrounded by loungers with a view of the landscape - a great place to find yourself to relax.

Sossusvlei is relatively accessible from The Elegant Desert Lodge, just keep in mind there’s a good hour-long drive once you enter the park at Sesriem and you’re about 40km from Sesriem. You’ll need to rise early to catch the good light and beat the heat so request a packed breakfast and save your appetite for brunch. You’ll need it.