Hillside Retreat - Africa Amini Life — Hotel in Arusha

From the moment we arrived, we knew this was a magical place, and in a heartbeat decided to extend our stay. Not only does staying here impact the bottom line of the multiple ways the Africa Amini foundation supports local health and community projects, there’s so much on offer, all without any sense of urgency or push. ||Tucked away in the lush mountainside, the track twists and turns but trust the signs and soon you’ll meet the incredibly welcoming and thoughtful team, Pearl, Lucas, Malachi - all utterly brilliant with our young kids. ||The food (oh my…) was seriously impeccable - truly the best we had in our whole Tanzanian trip - made with love and brought to a wonderfully laid table right outside our gorgeous accommodation - with the bonus of waking to find an unexpected visit from a giraffe casually mooching through our garden and serenaded by the sound of bush babies as we ate in the evenings. ||The neat swimming pool, grounds, coffee bar and even the micro gift shop - all perfection. ||The story behind its inception and the progress they’ve built here in the area is truly inspirational. I visited the incredible Africa Amini Alama Clinic (about 10 mins drive away) for a booked massage which was wonderful, if a little selfish compared to all the excursions on offer to locally-founded schools and working co-operatives. They’re an integral part of the community around Mount Meru. You get a real sense of the good they do in one short visit so I’d recommend it highly. ||The dwelling itself that we stayed in was unique - single story, homely in style, thoughtfully rustic but with a wonderful attention to detail, and brimming with a genuine warmth. There were oodles of wonderful creepy crawlies, which we embraced but bug spray cans were provided. You’re truly in thick of nature and it certainly has a calming, restorative vibe. ||We could have happily stayed a month or more in this hidden gem that we feel blessed to have discovered and will endeavour to reach again with our family in the future. ||(tip: Plan your route via NgareNanyuki or Kingori to avoid paying

This is a magical, peaceful, comfortable little gem tucked up in the hills nor far from Arusha. Sadly, we only had one night here but it was well worth it. The drive to this hidden spot takes about 45 min up a dirt unpaved road but you get a glimpse of village life there along the way. The rooms are rustic but well decorated and designed. The beds are comfortable, the bathrooms are great. We had a wonderful patio off or our room where we had our meals. The food is outstanding, with most of it grown on site. The staff are wonderful, warm and friendly. This hotel is run by two female MDs from Austria who have spend their entire lives supporting this community. They run health clinics and schools in the area funded by your stay there. We did a nice hike with a staff member to the nearby secondary school and were given a tour by two students. Highly recommended. There are opportunities to sponser local children who attend the schools. Because this place is up in the hills, it was nice and cool with fog, a nice break from the heat and humidity below. There is a small pool and they provide ample drinking water and you can even charge your European devices here. We did not want to leave but this was the perfect spot to rest after our long trip to Tanzania. This is a unique place not...

we stayed 3 nights and made a lot of wonderful experiences. first: the wonderful and lovely people who work there. Lucas and his team are so welcoming people. very sincere and always there to make your stay as comfortable as possible. secondly: the food was unbelievable delicious. always fresh and very tasty. thirdly: very beautiful nature around . you can do a walking nature tour , visit the village and their projects or do safaris . fourthly: every thing is so well organized. nothing to worry about. from transportation, to safaris, the meal service, everything. fifthly: the whole complex was build by heart. next to nice surroundings you also have a nice small pool area to relax and enjoy. our room (the deluxe bungalow) was huge and clean and had a mosquito net. only, when it got dark, a lot of insects came in our sleeping room, spiders of course too. so it took a while to get used to it. but we learned that they were harmless, so we relaxed and enjoyed our stay. we really recommend that place especially because of the hearty and...