31 August 2011

Tanzania, Arusha, Arusha Coffee Lodge

A great tip when going on a safari holiday in Tanzania is to fly into Kilimanjaroo and stay the first night(s) in the Arusha Coffee Lodge for a pre-safari retreat. Arusha Coffee Lodge is a Boutique hotel lodge with 18 plantation houses beautifully located at the foot of Mount Meru in Tanzania’s largest coffee plantation. Chill at the pool, relax at your private deck patio, enjoy the fine cuisine, walk in the gardens or read a book at the open fireplace. Great way to get rid of your jetlag.














And....if you are too excited to just lay down and unwind.... you can also go for a day game drive with picnic lunch to Mt Meru and Arusha National Park or visit the Maasai market in Arusha on Faya Road.




Maasai market






Tanzania, Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

Glamour in the bush.....

We just celebrated our wedding anniversary, so was dreaming away thinking of our honeymoon in Tanzania. The most incredibly expensive - but most luxurious, amazing, breathtaking - place I have ever stayed is the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. Its really top of the bill, so real honeymoon material or a great way to celebrate that you have won the lottery : ) But what you will get is an unforgettable experience; it's for a reason that it is often referred to as the 8th wonder of the world.








The Ngorongoro Crater itself is awesome, the colors, the vegetation, the wildlife.... And the Crater Lodge is dramatically build at the edge of the Crater, guaranteeing amazing views. The Crater Lodge has 30 individual huts (=suites) divided into three separate camps (North, South, Tree) with each its own communal lounge and dining building. The exterior design of the mini roundels is inspired by the Maasai mud-and-stick manyattai, and the interior of each fabulous suite is a combination of hardwood, crystal, gold, silver, ruby and raw silk. Most memorable features: a private butler, an open fire, a balcony deck and an ensuite bathroom with chandeliers and fresh roses...

A bathroom with a view...























A few tips to maximise your return on -the huge- investment:
- You will definitively want to spend more time in the Ngorongoro Crater than just one night (we could not afford more nights in the Crater Lodge), so start with two nights in another place and enjoy the fantastic gamedrives. We stayed at http://www.serenahotels.com/serenangorongoro/default-en.html.
- Arrive just before check in time and leave just after check out time.
- Plan your gamedrives around the check in/out. The Crater Lodge will also provide an excellent picnic lunch.
- Take a bath, call your butler to order a glass of wine and enjoy it while gazing at zebra's and buffalo's and sinking deeper into the hot water... life is good : )
- Have dinner and breakfast in the beautifully decorated communal area of the (North/South or Tree) Camp.

We did not found a chocolate on our pillow but a bag with fresh Tanzanian coffee beans and a personal letter that ended with the words 'We look forward to welcoming you back to share our African Dream'. We wish....

One of my favorite pictures of the Ngorongoro Crater