Impala hotel-thoughts?
 

I've got my itinerary pretty much set

1 night Impala
1 night Manyara Kirurumu
3 Serengeti Serena
2 Ngorongoro Sopa
1 night Impala

with Roy safaris for a two person (mom and me!) private safari for jan 07. I'm just wondering if the Impala is nice. Is it dirty or run down at all? Do you have any other suggestions for upperish accomodations in Arusha?

Hi Hula,
I've stayed at the Impala, and while it was perfect for what I needed (quiet place to crash before and after safari with all amenities on the premises--internet, money exchange, mailbox, restaurants, etc.) it's not upscale in feeling.

Roy will certainly be able to book you a "nicer" hotel. This last trip I stayed at Moivaro, and it was great, very peaceful, but the food was just okay.

Where you book will also depend on what time your flight arrives, what time you're taking off for safari, etc.

Look at the hotels Eben lists on go-safari.com for more ideas.

Again, I liked the Impala but my tastes are a bit perverse.

"I'm just wondering if the Impala is nice."

It's a basic 2-star type hotel, nothing special, I wouldn't call it "nice", more like "adequate" ... we've used it twice for a day room (shower, repack) on the way to the airport on the trip home, and once for overnighting after coming in late in the evening on the KLM flight from Amsterdam. It's fine for that since you're only there a few hours. It's also right around the corner from Roy's, which means you get an early start the first day.

If you have more time on your hands I'd suggest one of the more rural hotels or lodges east of town, there are probably a dozen of them and Roy knows them all. If I had a full day in town I'd much rather be at one of those.

"Roy safaris for a two person private safari for jan 07."

We also have a trip with Roy in Jan 07, maybe we'll see you there :)

Bill

If you're arriving late, the Impala is clean, pleasant at the right price and more than sufficient for a few hours sleep before commencing safari the next morning.

For some dollars more, there are other choices -

in town - Arusha Hotel, Kibo Palace
on outskirts between JRO/Arusha - Rivertrees, Arumeru, Serena Mountain Village, Ngurduto Lodge (owned by the Impala; chalet rooms are lovely), Moivaro Coffee Lodge
... more expensive is Arusha Coffee Lodge
right outside the airport/JRO - KIA Lodge*

*drive time from JRO/KIA Lodge will be almost 1-hr next morning for safari briefing and then onto Manyara.

Likewise, from Rivertrees, Arumeru, and the others - you'll have at least a 30-min drive into Arusha the next morning.

For the last night, if it is an overnight rather than a day-room, you may want to consider any of the others, though being on the outskirts of Arusha, you pretty much stay at these hotels/resorts. If you choose a hotel in Arusha, you can check-out the town.

You have to decide what you wish and if the price differences are justified.

I vaguely remember it from 2002. Although didnt stay there.....i certainly did stop by for some reason and really did like their lobby area.

I think they have a nice Indian restaurant at the back. Can't be totally sure.

Hari

"I think they have a nice Indian restaurant at the back. Can't be totally sure."

Hari, you're right ... the dining area was divided into three 'restaurants', one serving Italian, one Chinese and one Indian ...

The Indian food at the restaurant was good!

Their Pizzas are also good,almost every weekend I go there with my family for pizza treat!

I was at the Impala two weeks ago, and totally concur with the previous posts. A 2-star place...adequate for a night's rest, but not charming or memorable. But not dirty.

The Indian restaurant was pretty good.

I ended up wishing we had stayed again in the Moivaro Coffee Lodge, just 5 km out of town.

Thanks for starting this post! We decided on the Impala for the 1st & last nights of our time in Tanz in Feb 2007 because I decided we will really spend very little time there and I would rather put the money into the rest of the trip. On our last trip we spent the first & last nights in a similar standard hotel and I don't regret that so decided to go the same way this next time.
Happy travels
J

Thanks for all your help, guys (and gals)! I'm sure the Impala would have been fine, but I looked at a few of sandi's reccomendations and really liked the Ngurdoto. A little more expensive, but we will have most of the first day there, so I decided the extra money will be well spent. Currently, Roy is checking availabilites. so hopefully I'll hear back soon whether I'm actually there. Thanks again!

Laura

Hi everyone. We just return from 2 weeks in Tanzania/Kenya and spent our first night (upon arrival) at the Impala. I thought the room was fantastic. The room was very very large, the bathroom marble,. Had a Fridge, two large closets, TV, 2 sitting areas. Not sure what more you need for an overngiht stay. In fact we thought the breakfast was just fine. So that is our opinion on staying at the Impala. We even put the netting around to 'get in the Afican mood'. Better than most Red Roof Inns or Holiday Inns in the states. Maybe we just lucked out on the room.

I too just returned from a stay at the Impala. Nothing special - if you've stayed at a Motel 6 in the US, this is comparable. Rooms are clean and the beds are decent. The best feature is the restaurants - I think all three of the "cuisine" restaurants were very good.

For a quick overnight before heading out, the Impala works out very nicely. If you're looking to stay someplace nice for a couple of nights, I'd look elsewhere.