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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 in a previous post, 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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Hotels in Dar es Salaam #11: 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 #12: 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) are a good option.
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: Hotel Slipway