Summit Lodge — Hotel in Arusha

So we came here because we were doing a Kilimanjaro summit with Climb Kili (which was AMAZING - this review is for the hotel, not ClimbKili), but otherwise would never have picked it, and with good reason. Few things that were surprising for a hotel:

1. WiFi was nonexistent in the rooms: every 30 seconds it kicks you off. Had to go to the roof restaurant for any reliable connection

2. restaurant with very limited food options: they have an expansive menu, but don’t be fooled - we were told they only had chicken and pizza, and every entree costs around $20, which is an absurd price in Tanzania. Food quality is middling as well.

3. Service: they seem uninterested in helping you solve your problems. For example, one night we wanted to change some of our dollars to TZH. The receptionist told us that she did not have any/could not change for us but when I asked if she could help me, she said “I don’t know”. Since this hotel is located way off the main road, I asked for help getting a taxi and was quoted $40 to get the 10 minutes away when a local taxi would cost around $2.

4. rooms: the rooms are adequate – beds are fine, showers are decent, AC worked (only after asking the front desk to get someone to change the temperature from blowing hot air since there was no remote in the room). Standard fare, nothing to complain about, but nothing extraordinary.

Overall would not recommend staying here especially given the price point – for an extra 20 or $30 you can stay at the four points or other...

Really mixed opinions of this hotel. I stayed three times in less than two weeks during my Kili climb and Safari tour. Positive: staff is nice every time, trustworthy and try their best. Place is clean.

Room for improvement: there are so many inconsistencies with the food, rooms. First room the toilet didn’t work, the other the remote for the a/c was missing and the third room, water and coffee were missing. It’s like there is no quality check after cleaning. I had a few good meals at the buffet and then some frustrating ones. At times I needed to keep asking morning staff to get coffee, bread and fruit because the stations were empty. It’s so strange because the next meal everything was perfect and staff were super attentive.

Bad: the hotel is in a pretty bad location. You can’t really leave and walk around. My wife and I left twice to go get some food at a local restaurant and visit the pharmacy. No one bothered us and seeing the school kids was special-but I wouldn’t recommend leaving the hotel at night!

Given a choice, I would not stay here again. Purely because of the location! I could look past the other minor issues because the hotel is clean and the...

We just got back from Africa and our last night was at the Summit Lodge in Arusha. It was the perfect place to stay on our last day. The rooms are clean and spacious with comfy soft pillows and clean floors. Pretty sunsets can be seen from the rooftop restaurant. But what was the most amazing part of this hotel was the service! Harriet and her staff helped us with a late noon check out since our flight wasn’t until 9pm. But after them helping us try to get internet in our room but couldn’t and letting us move to another room so we could have internet in our room, Harriet let us check out when we had to leave at 4pm for our flight. She said it was for the inconvenience of us having to move to another room. She helped me inquire about a half day canoeing trip to nearby Lake Duluti. So we were able to go on a canoe in Lake Duluti and come back and shower and rest in our room until we were picked up by our driver to the airport. We really appreciated their over-the-top hospitality and service. Thank you so much for making our last day so pleasant...