Moivaro Lodges and Tented Camps

Truly, I was impressed with my time at Moivaro Lodges and Tented Camps. . I chose the hotel from my Tanzania Friend , and while I had to pay an extra supplement added to my climbing.

It's hard for a hotel to compete with the natural beauty that's already such a presence in this part of Tanzania.

But when you combine the elegant grounds of the Moivaro with its professional and gracious staff, ample rooms, delicious food and general level of service, it's no surprise that I found myself about as sad to leave the hotel as I was to leave the whole Arumeru area.

Other Hotels and Safari Lodges in Arusha

Some points that stood out: Loudly, I loved the showers, from the stone floors and drains tucked way up in the corner (I hate stepping on shower drains) to the sheer force of the water pressure, which was a hard thing to find (except at Moivaro) during my Tanzania stay

Food and Restaurant

The food also blew me away. Rarely do I eat in hotel restaurants, as I usually find the food overpriced and underwhelming compared to what I can get in "real" local restaurants.

But I suspended my rule for Moivaro, not only at the abundant breakfasts--which the hotel pulls off with skill--but even at lunch and dinner, during the latter of which guests can enjoy four well-executed courses blending European culinary techniques with African ingredients and themes, and at a ridiculously good price.

If you have a chance to sample the pumpkin soup or Maasai beef stew (or a mango salad, or a chocolate tart), do so.

Staff

And don't get me started about how impressive the staff is. They clearly know the finer points of service and never failed to greet me by name and with a smile, asking about my climbs, how I slept the night before, and what I had in store for the day.

They can serve as local guides, if you wish, and can help you secure needed items, like a camera left in the car of your climbing group (ahem!), or a cheap cell phone for making calls in the area. And they do laundry better than I can here at home.

Let's see: How can I go about outsourcing my laundry to Tanzania

Accommodation

Finally, the accommodations and grounds of the hotel itself. Each sparklingly clean room is a self-contained bungalow with thatched roof, arched whitewashed and wood-beamed ceilings, gorgeous stone floors, and simple but elegant beds and furnishings.

You've got your own little front deck with chairs for relaxing, beautiful windows that open wide to let in the breezes, and red-trimmed mosquito nets to keep away the bugs that those breezes may bring in.

Landscaping around the windows maintains a sense of privacy, and the only noises I heard at night were the bugs and birds chirping.

Enveloping these huts is a landscape of colorfully accented green that echoes that of nothern Tanzania itself.

The hotel has a network of walking trails leading up into the hills that I plied on a couple of occasions, as well as a pleasant pool area, a communal firepit, and a drop-dead view of Mt. Meru that would've been enough to look at on its own.

And it wasn't until my last day that I noticed the little play area for children--discretely hidden in its own enclave so as not to disturb the child-free, like me.

Much better for us is the bar area, with big comfy chairs, a fireplace, and a staff that makes a delicious dawa.

Price

Was the place perfect? Of course not; anything is.

The hotel computer was unavailable for technical reasons during most of my stay (although had I brought my own, connecting to the Internet from the bar and lounge would've been no problem), and the electricity can go out, as it can everywhere in this part of East Africa.

(Come on, people--put your expectations in context!) But the Moivaro has a hardy generator, and during the brief periods of darkness, the staff did their best to make things "atmospheric" with candles and good cheer.

In short, I really dug this joint, and I'd love to find an excuse to come back and spend more time there.