Kibo Palace Hotel Arusha — Hotel in Arusha

This place was a true let down to Tanzanian hospitality. The pictures in the booking and travel sites are a betrayal!!||We arrived at noon and the first red flag was that we spent a couple of minutes at the gate without being let in, in fact we had to send someone inside to inform them of our arrival for them to open. ||We did an inspection of the place before actual check in. The building was run down in some places and there’s an incomplete building on one side that’s a complete eyesore. We also noticed the big, beautiful pool (which had enticed us in the pictures) was very filthy. They promised us it would be cleaned in no time. ||The rooms were big and beautiful but were not fully set up (drinking water, tissues, towels and coffee stations missing). They had to bring these things at our request.||We left to explore the beautiful city of Arusha and came back at 4:30pm. To our disappointment, the pool was still as filthy as we had left it. We resolved to staying in our rooms with cranky kids who had their hopes up in having lots of fun in the pool. ||Once settled in our rooms, we noticed that we had no running water and we informed the front desk. Again, they promised to work on it ASAP. Trusting them, we went outdoors to their beautiful gardens, this, they got right.||Fast forward to 6:30pm, we still had no water. We kept on getting promises that it was being sorted out. 7:00pm, we couldn’t imagine staying in a hotel without water, I mean, how could we even trust the meals we’d order? ||We had to check out of the hotel at 7:30pm without a refund. The owners were unresponsive and after waiting for long for their communication, we decided to seek another accommodation. ||We left there angry parents with tired, hungry and disappointed kids!!||To the owners, your hotel has great potential. If you really care about your staff and clients, you should get your act together and do extensive renovations, motivate and train your staff, hire more too and live up to the great Tanzanian hospitality that your country is known for!||Oh, and if you are up for that refund, you have...

I spent 10 months living here and I miss it!|The only real negative for me was that there was often a lot of street noise but it was usually quiet at night. |I was living alone and I always felt so safe while living here. If I was going out at night, the askari (security) would get a taxi for me and give the driver instructions to wait with me until my friends were there to meet me. Security would always call me before allowing any visitors up to my apartment in the evenings.|The ladies at reception were lovely and helpful.|Abel and the house keeping team were friendly, respectful and looked after me well. If anything went wrong with my apartment, a housekeeper was there almost immediately. At times a plumber needed to be called and they were usually there within an hour. Better than at home!|My bed was comfortable and I had a huge kitchen. I would have liked an oven but I made do with what was available. I had a washing machine on my balcony, which was very handy.|The apartments are in a real local part of town. All the shopkeepers nearby knew where I lived and I often had random people on the street offer to help carry my grocery shopping.|There is an ATM very conveniently located across the street.|The building manager (Zeno) and her assistant (Dorcus) were a great help when I wanted to inspect the apartments. They even found alternative accommodation for me until an apartment was available AND negotiated a good rate for me. If you are looking at a long stay here, do ask about rates as they can do better deals for longer stays.|If you are looking for somewhere central to stay in Arusha, particularly for a long stay, this is a...

We stayed at the Kibo Palace Hotel for 2 nights before and one night after our 2 week safari. It was excellent both times. The rooms are spacious, the beds are comfortable, and the showers beat anything you will get on safari. I have seen reviews that say the A/C is loud, but it's loud in all hotels. Our room had all the amenities we needed - toiletries, towels, bedding, safe, etc... we asked for an extra roll of toilet paper and it arrived immediately after I hung up the phone. The restaurant is great, it offers a fixed menu if you are on a safari itinerary, and regular menu for when you're off your itinerary; both were equally delicious and had meat, vegetarian and gluten free options. Breakfast had a lot of choices, hot and cold, including an omelet station. The tables out by the pool are lovely, the back garden and pool area are meticulously maintained. Every staff member we encountered was lovely and helpful. We were always greeted with a smile and a warm greeting.

TIPPING: The staff obviously work very hard, and it seems they work long hours as we always saw the same people no matter what time of day it was. We tipped quite a bit, leaving a few $ with certain staff members (porter, waiter/waitress, bar staff) and a little at the desk for housekeeping and kitchen staff. However..... we regret not being prepared with more single US dollars. It may sound like a lot, but offering $2 to $3 per interaction is not a lot when you've spent so much to get there. Bring more...