Tanzania Travel Guide
Glamping / Tanzania Hotels / Africa Hotels / → All Tags
Only While Glamping Can You See Lions and Get Spa Treatments
If you've always wanted to go on an African safari, but aren't really that into roughing it, the Bilila Lodge Kempinski in Tanzania can help you out with a three-night glamping package that will let you see the animals in the Serengeti and get pampered at the same time.
As part of the Beauty and the Beast package, you get to stay in a room—no tents here—overlooking the plains of the national park, giving you a chance to observe the wildlife from your sun deck. Your days will be spent out in the bush, alongside veteran guides on game drives in search of the elusive Big Five—lions, leopards, rhinos, buffaloes and elephants—or floating overhead in a hot air balloon.
Private Island Hotels / Island Hotels / Private Hotels / Tanzania Hotels / Glamping / → All Tags
My Own Private Island: Tanzania's Lupita Island
Where: Tanzania
All this week, HotelChatter contributor Eric Rosen will be taking us on a guided tour of the globe’s most exclusive, luxurious, over-the-top vacation retreats in our new Private Islands Series. We’ll venture from the Bahamas to Fiji, from Africa’s crystalline Lake Tanganyika to the emerald waters of Cambodia, and everywhere in between. That is, everywhere you can be ruler of your own little island.
Today we travel to the pristine waters of Tanzania’s Lake Tanganyika, where we find the tiny jewel of Lupita Island, a glamping lodge run by Firelight Expeditions as part of its safari packages.
Hotel Openings / Tanzania Hotels / Honeymoon Hotels / Zanzibar Hotels / → All Tags
Zanzibar's New Star of the East Hotel Is Fit for a Royal Honeymoon
While Prince Wills and Princess-to-be Kate Middleton are rumored to be spending their honeymoon in Isles of Scilly, we can't help thinking the royal couple should maybe pull a switcheroo and shack up at the newly opened Star of the East on Zanzibar.
The Tanzania hotel would provide a paparazzi-free zone. It only offers 11 villas, and each has its own private plunge pool, Jacuzzi, personal butler, ginormous furnished terrace and lush garden full vegetation, from which the newlyweds will be able to watch the sunset and get all romantic.
Tanzania Hotels / Fairmont Hotels / Island Hotels / → All Tags
We're Half-Convinced On The Fairmont Zanzibar
We've had a sudden and inexplicable fascination with the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar which led us to the Fairmont Zanzibar in Unguja City. We quite like Fairmont, we're fascinated by Zanzibar, what could be better?
Well, according to the TripAdvisor reviews, nothing. But then again, no hotel is worse either, because the Fairmont is basically the only place to stay in Unguja City.
It all comes down to who you believe more: the recent guest who reckons they were "spoiled rotten" (they had the Asali Suite with private chefs) or others who complain of an unmanned pool bar and unfriendly service in the restaurant.
To give Fairmont Zanzibar the benefit of the doubt, they have just done $10 million worth of renovations, so perhaps even those who complained might find it better now. If we do get there we'll be signing up for their Breakfast & Dinner Package (we love our food) which includes accommodation and, as you'd expect, breakfast and dinner daily, starting at $489 a night.
[Photo: viaggiatrice74]
Tanzania Hotel Reviews / Exotic Beach Resorts / → All Tags
A Mnemba to Remember
If you want exotic, exclusive, beachy, private island bliss, then get yourself to the coast of Tanzania, where you can catch a ride over to Mnemba Island Lodge.
A twenty-minute speedboat ride from the town of Matemwe, off the Northeast coast of Zanzibar, will get you to this little coral atoll. And what will you see when you get there?
A whole lot of beach, and a whole lot of nobody. This island's best feature is its intimacy and privacy - roughly translated, it's you and the sand. And that's all.
Amazing Race All Stars / Zanzibar Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Amazing Race 11 Hotel Update: Stone Town Inn
Finally! The Amazing Racers, who our sibling Jaunted has been dutifully covering throughout this crappy All-Star season, stopped at a hotel for a challenge.
The lucky hotel was the Stone Town Inn in Zanzibar, Tanzania which also goes by the name of Beyt al Chai. Apparently, the Zanzibar nobility would meet here in the olden days for some quality tea time, hence the chai name.
There's only six rooms in the place, thankfully with private bathrooms and air-conditioning. The hotel's location near the Kelele Square makes it the perfect stop for those chilling in Zanzibar for whatever reason. Or for those like the All Stars who were making a puzzle. Those crazy reality TV challenges!
Related Stories:
· Beyt al Chai reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Chasing Racers: The All Star map [Jaunted]
Cubicle Dreamin' / Glamping / Africa Hotels / Luxury Safari / Luxury Lodges / → All Tags
Cubicle Dreamin': Let's Go On Safari
Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.
When you realise you've got nearly halfway through February and you still haven't started what you really want to do this year, it's time to shake things up a bit. And what better way than getting a bit wild in Africa: in a luxury safari lodge, of course (there's wild and then there's just uncomfortable). My pick today is Tanzania's Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, a luxury resort built on the edge of a crater. The website is a touch on the over-poetic side, describing the resort as:
Sensitively constructed so as to take nothing from its environment whilst affording endless vistas over the heat-shimmering reaches of the crater below, the clustered boulder-built buildings of the Lodge hug the crater rim, linked by rope-lashed timber walkways that skirt the buttressed roots of ancient, liana-hung trees.
It goes on to talk about the "concentrated hush of a game-viewing hide" and finally describes the Lodge as "a unique blend of world-class luxury, timeless volcanic splendour and ethnic style". While nearly nothing on earth could be quite as magical as they describe (and nearly nobody on earth knows so many positive-sounding adjectives), guest reviews almost unanimously agree that the Ngorongoro is a marvellous place to stay. While you're there, you can do wildlife walks, crater hikes, visit Maasai villages and even have a massage. Rooms come complete with your own cave-style wall paintings of giraffes and gazelle.
[Photo: jamesrider]
Cubicle Dreamin' / Tanzania Hotel Reviews / Hoteliers / → All Tags
Cubicle Dreamin', Special Friday Edition: A Hotelier's Wish
Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.
Today's special edition is brought to us by hotelier Richard Chanter of the Chanters Lodge hotel and blog in Livingstone, Zambia who is desperate for a vacation. Enjoy.
I'd love to go back to Dar es Salaam for a break. Kunduchi Beach was beautifully located as I recall, 35 long years ago, with white sands and glorious sunshine. The architecture makes the hotel seem like an Arabian palace! Life of a king! No responsibilities for a week! Visit new friends!
I bet the Tanzanians that stayed at our Lodge are great cooks, Indian ladies usually are, so when I got menu fatigue in the hotel I'd call them up and book myself in for a curry or two! No stock taking! Not my staff! No purchasing! No guests! I'm a guest! Wow!
Do I take the laptop? Guess so, after all it's a pleasure not a pain. Gotta blog anyway! Does Kunduchi have wifi? Don't know, no stress, if they don't I'll find somewhere that does and explore a bit! Tanzanians are humble, friendly and cheerful, so I guess my short break on the beach in Dar will be just great! Swim in the pool, enjoy the seafood, read a book. I'm nearly there already!
[Photo: Heart of Daftness]
Related Stories:
· Hotel Blog Watch: The Chanters Lodge Blog [HotelChatter]
Hotels / → All Tags
Tree House Romance in Africa
Not long after launching their Bollywood edition, T+L has a new magazine called Travel + Romance.
T+R has teamed up with The Knot to put forth all romantic travel stories including the "Six Romantic Resorts Close to Nature" ("close" meaning if you want to leave the comfort of your luxury hotel to check out some widlife, you can but you don't have to nor is it recommended.)
On top of the list is the Lake Manyara Tree Lodge in Tanzania where you can play Tarzan and Jane in one of the resort's 10 tree houses. Due to the limited lodging, only 20 guests are allowed at a time but there is a personal butler for each couple.
As for the wildlife, the tree houses are on the shores of Lake Manyara and offer supreme views of the landscape and the lions, elephants and ibex that roam it. So you and your lover don't have to pet the animals.
Related Stories:
· Six Luxury Resorts Close to Nature [Travel + Romance]
· T+L Goes to Bollywood [HotelChatter]
Miscellaneous / → All Tags
Amazing Race 5 Hotel Update: Lake Manyara
The Amazing Race crew jetted off to Africa last night, and ended up at Lake Manyara in Tanzania.
Before they arrived at their pit stop, the racers were challenged to eat an entire ostrich egg at the Kavishe Hotel. Now the Kavishe Hotel didn't look like the sort of place you wanted to spend your dream African safari, but it did look like an authentic African hotel. While the Kavishe Hotels looked like the perfect place for an ostrich egg eating contest, the lush grounds of the Lake Manyara pit stop were probably more appealing to the weary race participants.
Lake Manyara sits in the midst of a beautiful national park that is peppered with luxury lodges and camps. Looks like the perfect spot to set up base camp for a safari.
Popular Stories
Follow Us
Hotels In: Africa | Asia | Australia | Caribbean | Europe | North America | South America
Our Publications:
Jaunted | HotelChatter | VegasChatter
