Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge

The coffee tour was very informative and culminated in a live roasting and cupping. As roasters ourselves this was a treat. we loved meeting the artisans with disabilities who work at Shanga and shopping to support their work. The cabins were beautiful and comfortable. the food was wonderful and came with beautiful dining experiences in different spaces throughout the property.

We stayed at this hotel for a total of 3 nights. One night before climbing Kilimanjaro and two nights after. The staff were all very lovely and helpful. The food was good we ate in the posher restaurant, the bistro/ pizza place and the outside restaurant at lunch. All were good as was the breakfast. The hotel happily stored our luggage for us whilst we did our climb and also kept our valuables in their safe. We used the spa which was nice and did the coffee tour which was interesting. There are various gift shops, a coffee shop selling cakes, coffee and sandwiches and a workshop where they do glass blowing etc I would recommend staying here.

The only good thing I can say about this operation is the outstanding service we received from a few staff members. It was as if they were trying to compensate for their indifferent colleagues and/or the mediocrity of the place. Other than these few islands of exceptional service in a sea of indifference (at best), I have no idea why this faux colonial operation/tourist trap gets high ratings. The hotel reception I have received was the most shocking in decades for a property marketing itself as premium. It was treated like a nuisance/disruptor of sleep. The lunch buffet was far below acceptable and that's being very, very generous. We have had much, much better food in the middle of the bush in 4 different lodges where serving good food is a massive challenge and I could only bow to the operators & chefs. The property borders a busy road and there is no noise barrier. We were assigned what was supposed to be a suite next to that road and when I inquired about other rooms, I was told that the property was full. I inquired again and was ready to call the local agent for a transfer to another property. The person with us probably sensed what was about to happen an another room a bit away from the road was miraculously available and shown to us. Still noisier than should be allowed but not worth the hassle of a transfer given a very early checkout for the airport. I will still tell our agent to never again inflict this pain on other people. For me it's one of the (not so few) cases where I am simply puzzled by how forgiving reviewers seem to be in the face of glaring deficiencies. We have stayed in some very beautiful park settings in bigger cities in East Africa and they unmask this one for what it is: a minimal investment to extract maximum money tourist trap. There is no love nor pride on display anywhere. and where you experience great service, it seems entirely based on personal initiative and not on training/corporate culture. You have been cautioned to do your homework.