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.

I went for dinner and the food was amazing, the service was excellent, the ambience , furniture (wooden) the beautiful chandeliers and a fire place. The rustic feel was just out of this world. The waiters were smartly dressed, keen on taking the order the food did not take long and the music was just on point. Located in a quiet place full of flora and fauna with crisp fresh air. This was magical for me. I wish I had arrived before dusk to take pictures.

1 night – 3 rooms – 6 guests Hotel: Marvelous place to stay in a coffee plantation style garden. Rooms: Deluxe rooms, very big, impressive, with fireplace. No climatization but it was fine with the fan. Double & twin rooms. Food/restaurant: Friendly staff but extremely slow service, nice cocktails and food. Generous lunch box for our safari day (burger, chicken and rice, nuts, apple and yogurt…) but box leaking and salad was cooked by the heat by lunch time. Why stay there: The perfect place to start or end a safari in a pleasant atmosphere, close to Arusha airport (2.5 km) for easy flight to parks.

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.

We stayed here one night prior to our safari and at the end of our safari had a day room here before our flight left out of Tanzania. The hotel is beautiful and we wish we could have enjoyed the amenities longer. The room was large, food was good, and the bartenders at the bar were excellent. There are a ton of vervet monkeys living here and they were fun to watch as well. The gift shop also had a lot to offer. We would stay here again.