Overall

This was my favorite Marriott family hotel in and Dar es Salaam for leisure tourism. The Four Points in DAR would be my favorite for a business stay or  airport layover.

The hotel consists of only 10 bungalows. I believe this is the smallest Marriott property I have stayed at. Since triple occupancy is allowed, the maximum number of guests should be 30. The property does let in a very limited number of day guests, mostly only those visiting guests.

As I understand this property has been around for 30 years. It was originally built by an Italian couple who ran it until they retired and sold the property to a Tanzanian businessman. That businessman then brought this property along with the other nearby Protea properties into the Protea and therefore Marriott portfolio.

Location

The property has the name Dar es Salaam in it, but consider it as the state of Dar es Salaam, not the city of DAR. This is in a rural location. I understand that the politicians want to expand the city in this direction, but I cannot imaging that happening at a pace that would affect the feel of this location anytime soon.

You can get to the property by car. The hotel will arrange transfers for USD 60 each way to anywhere in DAR city. I chose to take an Uber for around 17 USD from DAR. It is not so easy to find an Uber for the way back. Therefore I recommend you try to convince the Uber driver to pick you up for your departure. This worked well in my case. Otherwise for the return you could take the hotel's pricey offer.

There are two ways to leave DAR city. One is to take the ferry across the inlet or take the bridge. Because there is a lot of construction leading up to the bridge, I recommend taking the ferry. Both options cost roughly the same.

Should you take the ferry, make sure you have the number plate of your driver and his mobile number. You cannot ride in the car with the driver. You must get out and walk onto the ferry. It can happen that your car does not make the first ferry. It is then good to be able to communicate with the driver. That way you can wait in a cafe until he comes rather than stand in the sun for 20-30 minutes. The ferries run about ever 15 minutes - the distance is not far.

The road is paved reasonably well until the last couple of km's. Then it is dirt and rather bumpy. I am told the local government wants to pave the main road the last 25 km to the end. Yes, the road ends literally. I guess this should happen this year.

That will not change however, the hotel's road which is a left hand off the main road, straigh towards the coast. This road is very bumpy and sometimes impassable during the rainy seasons. During the dry season you can get through with a normal sedan, but it is slow driving. In all from DAR to this hotel plan 1.5-4 hours to get here. I would also try to keep to daytime driving.

Check In

The check in occurs in a building off to the side of the drive up. First they deal with your documents and then they sit you down near the resturant, offer you a welcome drink (choice from different juices) and present you with a necklace of flowers. I felt it was a nice touch.

In my case the manager, who lives on-site, welcomed me as a Ambassador member and personally brought me to the room. The luggage was also transported. Since there are several steps and dirt paths, I would recommend taking any assistance offered.

I was then shown the different features of the bungalow.

Room

As mentioned there are ten bungalows. I understand that they are all the same inside, both from layout and furnishing. If you are looking at the property from the beach they are from left to right numbered 1-10. Those to the left are more on a cliff and above the beach. Those to the right are have a bit easier access to the beach. I had bungalow 2. If you want the most privacy, I would go for bungalows 1 or 10. That said, there are so few guests that you will rarely have anyone walking between your bungalow and your view of the ocean.

A bungalow from outside

The main bed. The mosquito net was really not required, since there is a constant breeze keeping the pests away. The net gets lifted out of the way during the day during housekeeping and is put down again during the nightly turndown service.

The extra bed with mosuito net. The net is a bit tricky to navigate. You have to untuck it from the bottom and crawl through the hole. The air conditioning did not generally work sufficiently in my room. I generally had all of the windows open and als had the aircon on, more to support air circulation. Above the main bed is also a big ceiling fan. I found this essential for a god sleep. I would recommend to move the extra bed alon the side of the main bed in front of the aircon. That corner where the single bed is stnading in the picture is simply too warm for a decent sleep.​

The bathroom has two built in closets, a seaparte WC with door, a walk-in shower. You can close the bathroom using the sliding doors.This is​​​​​​ actually a foyer. There is also a front door. However I never used it after opening it once. It is more convenien to use the back door. This room has the mini fridge, water boiler, etc. The room leads to the safe room. It is a bit of a strange closet where the electrical box and safe is located. I guess you could store your suitcases here. For me it was dead space.

This is the metallic front door.

Service

Everyone, especially the manager, Ashray, were extremely friendly and helpful. Ashray regularly walks the property and chats with the guests, providing information, collecting feedback,etc. He goes out of his way to make sure that the guests have a memorable stay!

During my stay New Year's occurred. Ashray arranged for the beach bar to be opened again after dinner had finished. We had a bonfire with a small fireworks display, sparklers and some complimentary stroke-of-midnight sparkling wine.

Dining

Breakfast and dinner are served in the main building, while lunch is served at the beach bar. The kitchen for both is in the main building.

Breakfast is served as a buffet. There is also an station for cooked-to-order omelettes and pancakes. I am sure if you had any special wishes, they would try to accommodate them. The selection of food is typical international food augmented by lots of fresh juices, full coconuts and a changing selection of local specialities.

The hotel has a rather unusual arrangement for lunch and dinner. They request that your place your order in advance and tell them your desired eating time. I can highly recommend that you try to adhere to this. I had to wait one time 2.5 hours for lunch because I decided to just walk up and order at the beach bar. I think this was probably an outlier, but the service for anything cooked in the kitchen was generally slow. Other things like drinks from the bar were served in a prompt manner.

On my extreme case the manager had to go into the kitchen and personally sort out the issues. He profusely apologized afterward. And offered a small compensation for the experience. A good service recovery.

Each day of the week has its own menu. So, I guess you will see it repeat if you are there for more than one week. However, most people will only see a daily changing menu. There is a separate children's menu, which I think was constant. There are also some chalkboard daily specials.

I felt the variety was sufficient to satisfy most palates, with meat, fish and vegetartian options always available. I enjoyed all dishes. 

Concerning drinks, the wine, beer, fresh juices and other drinks selection was fine. I felt that the mixed cocktails were a bit sweet for my taste. If you have any particular drinks wishes, ask the manager. He might be able to find a supply for you.

Beach bar:

The Beach

Althought there is also a nice swimming pool for the times when the ocean is a bit rough, the beach is why people come here. There are beautiful views. There is quite a big difference between high and low tides.

If you walk along the property past bungalow 1 you come to a path leading through the forest to the house of the original property owners. They still have the house that they visit now and then. Their farm is still in operation and provides some of the supplies the hotel needs.

You can continue beyond the house down a path. This leads to a lookout point and stairs. These stairs than lead you to a completely undeveloped, pristine beach. If you want some real privacy then I recommend heading there.

Update November 2021

The hotel is now listing the airport transfer at 80 USD. I do not think this is realistic. Heading back in January for a full update.