Zanzibar/Dar October 2019

October is low season pretty much throughout Tanzania. Which is my favorite time to travel! I prefer to enjoy the beautiful places with fewer people.
Coffee shops and restaurants that are not crowded, hotels with fewer guests.
We enjoyed our stay in Zanzibar and Dar, even if our main purpose for traveling was more business than pleasure, we made sure we got our rest and relaxation in!
Traveling with a baby can be complicated, but everywhere we stayed went above and beyond to make sure Little Lion was comfortable and safe. The food was great.
Every hotel we stayed at had a swimming pool, offered a complimentary breakfast and featured something unique.

We stayed at four hotels during our trip:

Mizingani Seafront Hotel – Stonetown

Mizingani Seafront Hotel
Good: Great location, beautiful and (mostly) authentically Zanzibar-style decorated (there were a few very odd wall hangings that were from 1950s/1960s America. ??? why???). Wonderful staff and service. Nice swimming pool. Best breakfast. An in-room kettle and mini fridge which is very helpful when traveling with a baby.
Bad: Issue with hot water in our bathroom (they came and fixed it as soon as we informed them).
No baby bed for Little Lion.
General Impression: These guys know how to do Swahili hospitality, and we would definitely stay again. Breakfast definitely put them over the top for us.
Full post and photos here.

Kholle House – Stonetown

Kholle House
Good: They had the sweetest baby bed for Little Lion. He looked like a prince there in the bed with the netting all around him.
A very nice walk-in bathtub, that not only Little Lion enjoyed for the longest bath he has EVER taken, but I got a lovely soak in it as well.
Bad: The service was very reserved, a bit ‘cold’. The manager passed around us several times but didn’t greet us. In general, the staff seemed distracted and busy, but not overly interested in the guests.
General Impression: An over-decorated hotel that could remove some unnecessary nick-knacks and improve their hospitality. But they did have a great bathtub.
And when I say ‘over-decorated’ please understand that I love the bohemian style and beautiful art on the walls. But even this was excessive for me. It was difficult to reach light switches or maneuver hallways because of how much decorative non-essentials were splattered everywhere.

Uzuri Villa – Jambiani

Uzuri Villa
Good: Beachfront, sand-covered front lawn with an on-premise swimming pool. Fantastic food (they make their own bread, gnocchi and gelato), and very accommodating for us with the baby – they didn’t have their own high-chair for Little Lion, but borrowed one from another hotel during our stay.
I loved the set-up for the mosquito netting around the bed: it was attached to a frame anchored to the wall and ceiling, not directly connected to the bed which made getting in and out of bed much easier.
Bad: We had an unusual night-time visitor which really freaked me out! (See the full story here).
While the food was fantastic (I ordered the gnocchi twice), it was really expensive and there were not local restaurants in the immediate vicinity that we could use instead.
The shower was a very creative design where the water came out as a waterfall. Really pretty, but impractical for bathing/washing hair.
General Impression: A beautiful beachfront villa with Italian charm, excellent food with a hefty price. But all in all, I would stay there again.
Full post and photos here.

Holiday Inn – Dar es Salaam

Holiday Inn – Dar es Salaam
Yes, it does seem a bit odd that we stayed at such an American establishment. Mr Mechanic arranged it because he thought it was right in the same neighborhood as our early morning appointment. Turns out it wasn’t, but it was still a very clean hotel with a great breakfast. They even had a rooftop pool – night swims are on another level of relaxation.
Good: A gym, a rooftop restaurant, a swimming pool? I’ll take it! Our room had a mini-fridge and kettle (again, sooo convenient with a baby), and we actually watched some TV (news/sports) for the first time in probably 6 months.
Bad: If you’re after something authentically Tanzanian, this isn’t it.
General Impression: An American hotel in the center of Dar es Salaam.