Utengule Coffee Lodge — Hotel in Mbeya Region

This place is heaven on Earth, seriously

I don’t say this lightly, but Utengule Coffee Lodge is perfection. Within the first hour of being at the lodge, we changed all our subsequent travel plans to extend our stay. There is not a single negative thing to say about this place and if you’re love coffee, just do yourself a favour and make the booking.

The location is exquisite with a gorgeous view of the distant hills, valleys and surrounding coffee farms. The staff are attentive, professional and seem to go out of their way to ensure you have a wonderful stay. The hospitality shown by Debbie (the manager), Abdul (the receptionist) and the rest of the team is genuine and warm. For our last dinner the team set up a special table for us, knowing that we were on our honeymoon.

The food and drinks are incredible - especially the coffee! The menu was healthy, delicious and varied. We thoroughly enjoyed every meal. We had an coffee mousse for desert one night... we still crave it.

The grounds of the hotel and the rooms themselves are amazing. The rooms are spacious, well equipped and elegant. The beds are ridiculously comfortable. We hadn’t slept that well in a long time!

The hotel boasts a pool, tennis court, volleyball court, masseuse, gorgeous gardens and more. There is plenty to do here to keep you occupied. Although, the setting is so relaxing you may just want to take it easy and enjoy.

If you want to get out and about, the staff at Utengule have you covered. Make sure you do the coffee plantation tour - fascinating and delicious! Abdul went out of his way to take us on a hike to an incredible waterfall (which is on the property - if you can believe it!).

My husband and I are driving from Cairo to Cape Town. By this stage we have almost traversed the continent and can safely put Utungule amongst our favourite experiences. Our only regret is that we have to leave.

Do yourself a favour...

I was at Utengule Coffee Lodge for a week in late October 2023. The seasonal rains had not begun and it was very hot. I started my stay in a regular room, which was clean but very spare and stuffy. The tiny windows weren't large enough to create a cross breeze with the doors to cool the room off, even at night. The second night I moved to an executive suite, which had sufficient ventilation from the windows to make it almost habitable, but it was still too hot to sleep until very late at night. A simple fan would make a big difference. Depending on the other guests, it can also be quite noisy with all windows and most doors left open all night. Other than the heat and noise during the night, it's a peaceful place to stay and the staff is wonderful. The food was fairly good for the most part, but the hotel didn't seem well prepared when my group arrived. For example, instead of the "homemade muesli" listed in the menu, we were served Wheatabix in its place at breakfast on the first day. Some dishes, especially meat dishes, tended to be overly salty. The coffee, of course, is excellent. At check-out, the card readers failed to accept any kind of credit or debit card from anyone in my group, including cards drawn on local banks. The alternative, web-based payment system worked for some cards but not all, and one member of my group had to turn over nearly all his cash, which he had intended to use on his car trip back to Dar es Salaam. While there are really lovely aspects to Utengule Coffee Lodge, the various discomforts and inconveniences combined with relatively high prices for such basic accommodations make it unlikely I will return or recommend...

I was at Utengule Coffee Lodge for a week in late October 2023. The seasonal rains had not begun and it was very hot. I started my stay in a regular room, which was clean but very spare and stuffy. The tiny windows weren't large enough to create a cross breeze with the doors to cool the room off, even at night. The second night I moved to an executive suite, which had sufficient ventilation from the windows to make it almost habitable, but it was still too hot to sleep until very late at night. A simple fan would make a big difference. Depending on the other guests, it can also be quite noisy with all windows and most doors left open all night. Other than the heat and noise during the night, it's a peaceful place to stay and the staff is wonderful. The food was fairly good for the most part, but the hotel didn't seem well prepared when my group arrived. For example, instead of the "homemade muesli" listed in the menu, we were served Wheatabix in its place at breakfast on the first day. Some dishes, especially meat dishes, tended to be overly salty. The coffee, of course, is excellent. At check-out, the card readers failed to accept any kind of credit or debit card from anyone in my group, including cards drawn on local banks. The alternative, web-based payment system worked for some cards but not all, and one member of my group had to turn over nearly all his cash, which he had intended to use on his car trip back to Dar es Salaam. While there are really lovely aspects to Utengule Coffee Lodge, the various discomforts and inconveniences combined with relatively high prices for such basic accommodations make it unlikely I will return or recommend...