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Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam (Kilimanjaro), Tanzania REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
I actually live in an apartment in Dar es Salaam for the short term, but I wanted to get away from my ant/roach-infested apartment for one night so decided to check this place out. Having been converted from a Kempinski just two months ago, they're still learning about Hyatt and points and what to do with people with statuses, but overall pretty good. Gorgeous entrance with soft huge maroon carpet leading to the door... I was in heels and kept sinking into the carpet.
Location: Very close to the ferries that would take you to Zanzibar or South Beach. Away from most of the embassies/consulates and from expats who live in the Msasani Peninsula area (10-45 min drive away, depending on traffic). Check in: Very friendly and nice front desk staff, though they didn't seem to know I was a diamond until I asked "do I get an upgrade as a diamond member?" She asked, "Are you a diamond member?" and I pointed her to my profile. She then checked and said that since the Uganda High Commission had booked the club rooms / suites, there were no rooms available for upgrade. I did get "upgraded" from the city view to the water view. Room: There were security guards on every floor, so it felt very safe. The hallways on the room floors were bleak. All white, looks like it's trying to be new/modern but the white was just a teeny little dirty, a little off. Wooden doors. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the doors to my non-upgraded room, a regular sized room that looked new, minimalist, and modern. Glass windows with wooden blinds between the bathroom (there's a jacuzzi tub, large enough for just one person, a small walk-in toilet area, and an equally small walk-in shower with a rain-showehead) and the bed (which was really springy and didn't sink in when I landed in it like I expected it to as with other Hyatt beds; the pillows were thin, couples who love pillows would probably ask for more pillows in the room). No portico products, thank goodness - it's white river falls / waterleau, which I hadn't seen before but smelled nice enough. I had a view of the water and the smallest infinity pool I'd ever seen. There's not much to see of the water though, just a tiny island I really wanted to be a part of and also commercial ships/boats. The view of the water faces southeast, so there's not really a great view of the sunset or sunrise. Toothpaste: (Yes, toothpaste deserves its own category in Hyatt reviews.) I miss the tubes of Aquafresh toothpaste and unfortunately they didn't have that here. They have simple dental kits though. It took a while for housekeeping to come with the dental kit though, but it looked like they were making rounds at night with a huge cart of toiletries for everyone, so I didn't mind. Lounge: Small but nice. At 6pm, they lay out wines (5 different types of champagne/whites/reds), hard liquor, fruits, cheeses (goat cheese, brie, cheddar) with crackers, appetizers (very flavorful little cups of things like calamari with tomatoes; smoked fish with parsley; shredded chicken bits with slices of onion and green onion), and desserts (chocolate pudding with cookies on the bottom topped with white chocolate shavings; plain vanilla cake with raspberry/strawberry swirls topped with dark chocolate shavings; fruit tarts). I'm really appreciative of the desserts here because good ones are hard to come by in Dar. It's sort of too bad the lounge (as with all of the better rooms) faces southeast with a view of the water: there's no view of the sunset as you enjoy your hor d'ouerves. Oh, there's someone by the door but no one asked me for my room number or anything. Seems like anyone can could just walk in - no key access. Internet: Free for diamond members. They give you a voucher. I was able to use the same voucher number for both my phone and my computer simultaneously. Fast enough. Spa facilities: I checked out the Anantara Spa too late, but they gave me a full tour of the facilities anyway. The steam room/saunas were already shut down for the night but they offered to start it up for me. I said I'd come back another day. The receptionists were so geniunely nice! They said they're all Thai. The place smelled really nice, as spa facilities always do. Every time I walk into one of them, I want to buy everything they display at the reception desk (by the way, all of the scents, candles, little boxes are 20% off if you buy it there). Women/men have separate saunas/steamrooms/whirlpools, which looked like they were in fine condition. The spa rooms for couples were large and looked quite nice. The prices aren't too steep. I took a glance and I think I saw some 45-minute treatments for 60,000 TZS / $35. Breakfast: I had breakfast at The Palm included in my rate, but forgot to ask if diamond members get it too (the lounge is open for breakfast too, but didn't have time to check out what was there). Excellent breakfast buffet for just 25000 TZS (about $15). Ten different types of breads/pastries. Ten different types of veggie/fruit juices. Actual fruits. Stewed fruits. Yogurts. Congee (plain and chicken). Proper sausages. Bacon. Mushrooms. Tomatoes. Fried noodles. Baked beans. Honey glazed ham. Omelette station. Cold cuts (6 diff types). Waffle station with syrup, honey, etc. Salads/olives. Cheeses. Tea/coffee. Cereals. I was pretty full. Though if this isn't included in the rate, I probably would have just gone into town and gotten my usual breakfast in Dar es Salaam (chapati with honey, 2 chicken samosas/sambusas, and other assorted breads for less than 1500 TZS / $1). Alright, back to my ant-infested apartment... |
Thank you for the thorough review! I'll be staying there for a night during my honeymoon and will be sure to check back and add my thoughts. Based on your comments it sounds like a worthwhile hotel, and I'm glad we have booked it.
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Originally Posted by kate02121
(Post 18104946)
Thank you for the thorough review! I'll be staying there for a night during my honeymoon and will be sure to check back and add my thoughts. Based on your comments it sounds like a worthwhile hotel, and I'm glad we have booked it.
Thanks |
outside the two year time limit - is that forgiveable in a review master thread?
anyone been to the Kilimanjaro recently? any updates?
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answering my own question
arrived late for a one night stay, and of course got given an upgrade to a nice suite - I think that the 7th floor is all suites (only 16 rooms vs 33 on the other floors). Small lounge but with decent nibbles and wine/beer/spirits
very good generally for 'proper' Africa.. wish that there were hotels like this in some other capitals! |
Stayed for a couple of nights this week, a bit of an oasis given other "hotels" elsewhere in country. As a lowly pleb member got u/g to the Regency floor.
Wifi was free. Rooms a bit dark with lots of wood. Slightly odd arrangement with TV in the corner and chaise next to the window. Had room service one night which was excellent. Didn't realise they had a casino, but I probably saved a few bucks here anyhow. Will stay again, now I just need to work out the sink plug!! |
I spent one night here, passing through Dar es Salaam. I should admit up front that I was pretty whacked-out psychologically. I had some issues (probably mine more than the hotels); they bent over backwards to make everything right.
The Lounge was fine, and staffed throughout the day. Evening reception offered up what seemed like quality food, though vegetarian fare was limited (as it should be, given the number of us about). There's a limited morning breakfast in the Lounge, but a much better one offered to Diamonds in the restaurant. Some interesting dishes on the buffet (carrot pie?), again, many not for vegetarians; the rest of y'all should really enjoy. The fitness center was huge, well-kept and well-equipped. The only drawback was that once the sun set, it was too dark to read on the cardio equipment - another minor thing affecting a minority of guests. Pool and a large deck on the same level; some people were using the deck for jogging laps. Hotel security is good; this was a concern because my stay coincided with the announcement of election results and some street activity related to that announcement. The airport shuttle was US$55; I opted for a taxi at $15. Zanzibar ferry is virtually across the street. |
I have decided not to contribute my usual detailed reviews of stays for a few months so I'll just touch on a couple of points.
I had an enjoyable two night stay recently and found the hotel to be a very solid Regency property. I was upgraded to a regency suite which was spacious with its own kitchenette. The Regency Club lounge is small with the evening offerings minimal but of a high quality. Breakfast is served in the restaurant which is very nice. I also ate in the restaurant one evening and had a very nice meal. Food and drink prices at the hotel, including room service, were very reasonable. Staff are polite but, in which I assume is an African thing, not particularly engaged; several seemed bored, even. On landing at the airport I negotiated a fare with a hawker for USD22. He originally wanted USD35 and I suspect I probably still overpaid a little. That said, leaving the airport about 4pm on a weekday, traffic was horrendous. The journey took an hour and there were considerable periods where we didn't move an inch. From Dar I took the ferry to Zanzibar. A bellman was happy to go to the ferry terminal and purchase a ticket for me, charging me TZS5000 for the return taxi. When it was my term to go to the ferry the driver charged me TZS10000 for the one way trip. I'd be happy to return. |
I recently completed a one week stay for work. Overall, the hotel is very nice albeit a bit sterile / modern for my taste. My (standard) room was clean & well-appointed including nice bathroom amenities by Inaya Zanzibar. The breakfast buffet was delicious with plenty of variety. I especially enjoyed the fresh squeezed juices. The gym was beautiful and spacious with great variety of machines. The pool was relatively small and quite warm (perfect for me). The pool deck area was nice. I ate dinner twice in the Asian restaurant and found it to be good. My main/only complaint is that I felt the hotel and staff lacked 'warmth'. I say this because I didn't feel the staff were very interested in the guests. They were fine, but not terribly engaging or friendly. I have not stayed in other similar level hotels in Dar so not sure how it compares. Overall I found this to be a solid option and would be fine staying here again.
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had a short 1 night stay arrived just before midnight and left at 11 am for the ferry to Zanzibar.
check-in was efficient and friendly. when the agent pulled up my reservation, she noticed I was LT Glob. "you are a Lifetime Globalist" ... then a pause for about 5 seconds and then a... "wow".. . don't seem to be that many LTG there... she thanked me for the loyalty and I could feel in her voice that it was truly appreciated and came from her heart..... not like the standard "thank you for your loyalty" in the US. i hav a 2nd 1-nighter in 8 days before our red eye back to ZRH. interestingly, the 2 single night stays were merged to show us staying 9 nights... the agent fixed that and couldn't explain. I was proactively upgraded to a Regency Suite. a true suite with seperate living room, full bathroom and a 2nd toilet, plus a kitchenette. i especially liked the possibility to directly enter the bathroom from both sides of the bed! room had a balcony but door was unfortunately locked with a key. there is no club lounge. breakfast in the main lounge was fantastic. great stay, super friendly and helpful staff. |
It looks rather small and gloomy.
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Nah, Impala just showed you half the suite. Let me add the rest (sorry, I tried uploading multiple times but it kept error-ring out - I have no intention of sending you to my flickr account). Not pictured: a kitchenette type place to the right of the entrance, and a guest bath to the left of the entrance:
Living room: Bathroom: Bedroom: |
Thanks for the additional pics. I had issues loading myself... and was out in the sun when uploading, didńt really see the quality of pics. Appologies...
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Thanks for reviews and pics Solewalker and Impala. I'm going to be coming in on the Swiss Air flight at the end of June and staying one night at the Hyatt before heading over to Zanzibar the next day. My wife and I will have a 4 and 8 year old with us. The hotel seems to be kind of far from the airport (at least time-wise). Would you suggest taking the ferry to Zanzibar (which seems closer to the hotel) or going back to the airport the next day and taking a flight? We are going to be in Africa for a month in different climate zones so we will have a fair ammount of luggage.
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