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Table of Contents
First, because many of you come to this post looking for more information about City Style Hotel, I will begin with that.
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Good Hotels in Dar es Salaam #1: City Style Hotel Dar es salaam
City Style Hotel is a budget hotel located off Shekilango Road, in an area known as Sinza Mugabe.
City Style Hotel is a 3-star property. The amenities at this Sinza hotel include a gym, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi and good local food.
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Best Luxury Hotels in Dar es Salaam
Next up, let’s proceed with luxury Dar es Salaam hotels.
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Dar es Salaam Best Hotels #2: Sea Cliff Hotel (Luxury Hotel Dar es Salaam/Most Expensive Hotel in Dar es Salaam)
My absolute favorite place in the whole of Dar es Salaam is the upper outdoor deck at the Karambezi Café located at the Sea Cliff Hotel.
Why? Because of the UNBEATABLE ocean views.
This is a place I often take people to. Some have even been known to change their departure date from Dar es Salaam once they have been there.
Yes, the view at Sea Cliff Hotel is that powerful!
The hotel is beautifully decorated. The food at its restaurants is fantastic. The service is some of the best you’ll find in Dar es Salaam. As you can tell, I can’t find much negative to say about it.
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Best Hotel in Dar es Salaam Tanzania #3: Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel (Hotels in Dar es Salaam City Centre)
One of the two most prestigious hotels in Dar es Salaam, the Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel is located in the heart of the city.
Although it has beautiful gardens, it generally doesn’t have the delightful ocean views that are so special in Dar es Salaam.
From some rooms/places in the hotel you can see the Indian Ocean in the distance but nothing compared to what you can get at the Sea Cliff Hotel or at The Hyatt Regency.
Still, the rooms are very comfortable; the service is amazing and very customer oriented.
The food is good and, as I mentioned earlier, the gardens are beautiful!
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Best Hotels Dar es Salaam #4: Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro (Luxury Hotel Dar es Salaam)
When the Who’s Who stay in Dar es Salaam, there is a great chance that they will stay at the Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro.
The Hyatt Regency, located on Dar es Salaam’s downtown waterfront offers magnificent views of Dar es Salaam’s harbour (best enjoyed from Level 8), the hotel’s rooftop bar.
The rooms are beautiful and comfortable.
Frankly, though, I find them a little underwhelming given all the hype surrounding The Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam.
The Hyatt has some excellent eateries, including Oriental, a great East Asian restaurant, and the Flame Tree Lounge, which is where in my family birthday cakes are always ordered (they are simply delicious!).
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Dar es salaam Hotels with a View
If you are looking for a Dar es Salaam hotel with a good view, these are some hotels to consider:
- Sea Cliff Hotel
- Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro
- Ramada Resort Dar es Salaam
- Mediterraneo Hotel & Conference Room, as well as
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Best Hotel Dar es Salaam #5: Harbour View Suites (Dar es salaam Hotels with a View)
If you want to stay in downtown Dar es Salaam, the Harbor View Suites is a hotel to consider.
Located in the heart of the city centre, Harbour View Suites offers both regular and self-catering accommodation. These come in the form of studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom suites with kitchenettes.
Harbour View Suites also has a good restaurant, Flavours, that offers fantastic views. This is where you can find my best local secret place in Dar es Salaam.
Harbour View Suites features a gym and swimming pool. It is located within a big commercial building, with the hotel taking up only a few floors of that building.
This unusual location and the navigation it necessitates is a small drawback of the establishment.
Harbour View Suites is only a 5-minute walk from the Zanzibar ferry terminal.
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Hotel Near Ocean Dar es Salaam
One of the best things about Dar es Salaam, is its proximity to the Indian Ocean.
Many travelers to Dar es Salaam, therefore, want to stay near the ocean.
Of the luxury hotels mentioned above, Sea Cliff Hotel, is right by the ocean but doesn’t have beach access, and whereas Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro is located on Dar es Salaam’s downtown waterfront, it too has no beach access but has some incredible views of the ocean and Dar es Salaam Harbour.
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Best Hotels in Dar es Salaam #6: Ramada Hotel Tanzania (Hotel Near Ocean Dar es Salaam)
Ramada Resort Dar es Salaam is one of Dar es Salaam’s premier beachfront properties.
Like Azure Boutique Resort, Ramada Resort is also on the Mbezi Beach hotel strip, so pay attention to this if you have to commute to town regularly while you are in Dar es Salaam, especially if you have to do so during rush hour.
That said, if you are on a leisure holiday or your business in Dar es Salaam doesn’t take you too far from Mbezi Beach, Ramada Resort with its white sands, beautiful swimming pool, and amazing ocean views might be the place for you.
I find the food and drinks at Ramada unnecessarily expensive, especially that the food doesn’t always live up to expectations. Still, the location and environment are great plusses.
Be sure to get an ocean facing room if you can. The ocean-facing suites are particularly delightful!
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Best Hotels in Dar es Salaam #7: Azure Boutique Resort (Former Beachcomber Dar es Salaam)
Dar es Salaam is a big city plagued with serious traffic jams, so the first thing I will have to point out to you, if you are thinking of staying at Azure Boutique Resort, is that it is located on Dar es Salaam’s northern Mbezi Beach strip.
This is not particularly far from the city center, but if your business in Dar es Salaam requires you to commute during rush hour, then this might not be the place for you.
If, on the other hand, your are in Dar es Salaam for leisure and are looking for an inexpensive place to stay by the beach, then this new Dar es Salaam offering (it used to be the Beachcomber Hotel until very recently), might just be what you are looking for.
Right on the ocean, in an area full of beach hotels and water-related activities, Azure Boutique Resort is particularly quiet and peaceful.
On top of proximity to the ocean, it also has a big beautifully maintained swimming pool.
The service is friendly and attentive but the choice of food and beverages is a little limited.
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Best Hotels in Dar es Salaam #8: Hotel Slipway (Hotel Near Ocean Dar es Salaam)
Hotel Slipway, found at The Slipway, a popular Dar es Salaam leisure and entertainment center, is the place to stay for those who want to be at the heart of the everyday life of the city’s well-heeled.
At The Slipway, you will find beautiful boutiques, lots of arts and crafts, your choice of great restaurants and bars, and some of the best sunsets you can witness in Dar es Salaam.
That said, the rooms in the older wing of the hotel are a little dated. For me, this is not what I would expect from this part of town.
Hotel Slipway is located on the Msasani Peninsula, Dar es Salaam’s most affluent locale.
If you’ve got a little more to splurge, and yet still want to take advantage of all that is on offer at The Slipway, I would consider staying at the Coral Beach Hotel next door.
For the young, trendy, and artsy, though, Hotel Slipway is an easy way to enjoy some of the best that Dar es Salaam has to offer.
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Best Hotels in Dar es Salaam #9: Coral Beach Hotel (Hotel Near Ocean Dar es Salaam)
If you love beautiful sunsets, then you are in for a treat at the Coral Beach Hotel (this is a place where Dar es Salaam locals go for those too).
Coral Beach Hotel is located on the same street as Hotel Slipway. So…how does Coral Beach compare to that?
Above all, Coral Beach Hotel is more peaceful and relaxing.
Whereas Hotel Slipway is a hive of activity given its location in a popular entertainment and leisure center, Coral Beach Hotel feels very much like a big private villa with its beautiful lush gardens, indoor rock fountain features, and multi-level spread.
The rooms are neat and beautifully decorated, some with ocean views.
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The Beach Club, a swanky restaurant at the hotel located by the ocean, is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the Indian Ocean, while having bites and drinks.
The service throughout the hotel is somewhat lackadaisical. The food is also a little touch-and-go. At times it is very good (especially the Indian cuisine), sometimes not so good.
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Best Hotels in Dar es Salaam #10: Jangwani Sea Breeze Resort (Hotel Near Ocean Dar es Salaam)
If you are coming to Dar es Salaam for a budget beachside holiday, then Jangwani Sea Breeze Resort might be just the place for you.
A very popular establishment, even for Dar es Salaam locals, Jangwani Sea Breeze Resort has good access to the beach. It also has 3 swimming pools and entertainment on weekends and public holidays.
Jangwani Sea Breeze Resort is very well priced and serves noteworthy breakfast (my ex-boyfriend and I used to go there often for regular breakfast dates).
The accommodation facilities are a bit dated and simple, but they are very clean and serve the purpose.
I do not recommend this hotel if you are in Dar es Salaam for business due to its location.
Jangwani Sea Breeze Resort is located on Mbezi Beach. This is quite a while away from downtown Dar es Salaam, especially during rush hour.
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Best Hotels in Dar es Salaam #11: Kipepeo Beach and Village (Hotel Near Ocean Dar es Salaam)
Many of Dar es Salaam’s beaches are highly commercialized, noisy, and because of proximity to urban waste, have dirty water that many people choose not to swim in.
When I want to spend time at the beach in Dar es Salaam, including swimming in the ocean, I go to one of two places: Mbudya Island or Kipepeo Beach in Kigamboni. Why? Because in those two places I am sure to find clean ocean water. Also, they offer the simplicity and calm that I expect when I spend time at the ocean.
On top of very good, well-priced food, a well-stocked bar, and good service, Kipepeo Beach also offers budget accommodation in the form of beach bandas (huts) and chalets.
Beware though: Kipepeo Beach is located in Kigamboni, which is a 5-minute ferry ride from downtown Dar es Salaam across Dar es Salaam harbour.
The establishment is then a further 20-minute drive from the ferry terminal.
The Kigamboni ferry can get very crowded and runs on an erratic schedule, so I do not recommend this option if 1) you are in Dar es Salaam for business, 2) if you plan to cross over to the city often, or 3) if you plan on having late nights out on the town.
Kipepo Beach is a good choice if you are looking for a calm, leisurely, beach-based Dar es Salaam holiday.
Dar es Salaam Beach Hotels #12: Mediterraneo Hotel & Conference Room (Hotel Near Ocean Dar es Salaam)
On the shores of the Dar es Salaam residential neighborhood of Kawe (between Mikocheni and Mbezi Beach), is a charming boutique hotel called Mediterraneo.
With beautiful gardens that are a delight both during the day and at night, artistically decorated Mediterraneo is also home to one of Dar es Salaam’s most popular Italian restaurants of the same name.
The experience of the Indian Ocean and the views across it, at Mediterraneo, are simply stunning!
Before I moved to Dar es Salaam, this is one of the places that first made me fall in love with the city.
Mediterraneo is a small one-level boutique hotel with tastefully decorated rooms and well-fitted modern bathrooms.
It has a swimming pool near the ocean and beach access.
Kawe Beach, where Mediterraneo is located, is about a 45-minute drive from downtown Dar es Salaam (longer during rush hour). Beware of this if you need to commute to other parts of the city, especially at that time.
Hotels Dar es Salaam #13 (Kutani): Protea Hotel by Marriot Dar es Salaam Amani Beach (Hotel Near Ocean Dar es Salaam)
Thirty-three kilometers south of downtown Dar es Salaam lies the lovely Protea Hotel by Marriot Dar e Salaam Amani Beach.
Idyllic, tranquil, and with only 10 cottages, Amani Beach offers one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere near Dar es Salaam…complete with a four-poster bed on the beach.
The food is simple but good. The service is very friendly.
If you want an unadulterated, quiet beach away from the city, this might be the perfect place for you.
Hotels in Dar es Salaam #14: Sea Cliff Court Hotel & Luxury Apartments
Nestled in the affluent neighborhood of Masaki on the Msasani Peninsula, Sea Cliff Court Hotel & Luxury Apartments always gives me the feeling of being one of Dar es Salaam’s best kept secrets.
Featuring studios, and one- and two-bedroom apartments that all have kitchens, the accommodation at Sea Cliff Court can be rented on a daily or monthly basis, self-catering or not.
Whatever the case, Sea Cliff Court also features two reputable restaurants, so meals are always available on the premises.
Sea Cliff Court also has a beautiful swimming pool and a gym.
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Hotels in Dar es Salaam #15: Protea Hotel by Marriott Dar es Salaam Oysterbay
If you are looking for easy, apartment style accommodation, then the Protea Hotel Oysterbay might be the place for you.
With friendly staff, the Protea Hotel Oysterbay offers studios, lofts, and one- to three-bedroom apartments in an open airy environment. Each of these come with a kitchenette.
The hotel also has a restaurant, so though self-catering is an option, meals are also readily available.
This establishment is in a prime location, in the upscale residential neighborhood of Oysterbay, only a short 10-minute ride from downtown Dar es Salaam.
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Best Area to Stay in Dar es Salaam
The best area to stay when you are visiting Dar es Salaam is purely dependent on what you plan to do when you are in the city.
If you are on a business trip and will primarily have business in the city center, the obvious choice is to stay in Dar es Salaam’s central business district.
If you are on a more leisurely holiday or your business in Dar es Salaam does not take place in the city center, you’d probably want to stay on the Msasani Peninsula, Dar es Salaam’s premier residential district.
Specifically, look out for accommodation in the neighborhoods of Oysterbay and Masaki (which are both located on the Msasani Peninsula).
The Msasani Peninsula is also home to most of Dar es Salaams’s trendiest bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and shops.
If you want to get away from the city of Dar es Salaam and want more of a beach holiday, then aim for a hotel on the Mbezi Beach strip of hotels.
If you REALLY have no business in other parts of Dar es Salaam, the hotels on Dar es Salaam’s southern beaches (think Kigamboni and hotels further south such as Ras Kutani and Protea Hotel Amani Beach).
The residential neighborhoods of Mikocheni, Kinondoni, and Upanga are also good areas to stay in Dar es Salaam, especially if what takes you to Dar is located primarily in those neighborhoods.
While there are a lot of inexpensive hotels located in Kariakoo, I do not advise that you stay there unless you specifically have business in Kariakoo.
Photo Credits: Ramada Resort Dar es Salaam, Sea Cliff Hotel, TripAdvisor, Leopard Tours Limited, Jumia Travel, LastMinute.co.nz, Expedia, TripAdvisor, TripAdvisor, Hotel Slipway, Coral Beach, TripAdvisor, GoIbibo.com, HotelsCombined, Coral Beach Hotel