Editor Pick
Right Hotel at the Right Time
- July 30, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
midtownmjd from New York, New York
The Movenpick Royal Palm Hotel is an oasis in the dusty bustle of Dar es Salaam: airy, shiny, and comfortable. Normally in Africa, I might be disappointed to see a semi-characterless hotel that looks like it could be in New York City, but after more than two weeks of trekking, camping, and, of course, spending a night at the Jambo Inn, I was excited to experience even an ounce of luxury. Discounted luxury, luckily—I used points accumulated on a credit card to lower the room price from US$175 to just US$25.
We got a US$20 fixed-rate cab from the Dar airport’s taxi stand to the Movenpick. The hotel had some trouble checking us in—they couldn’t find our reservation, made online, for an hour—but we didn’t mind sipping our complimentary orange juice (served in champagne glasses) and waiting. Eventually, we were brought to our room by an overly friendly bellhop.
The room was beautiful, and the beds were welcoming and comfortable. There was a TV with CNN International available (yay!), a large desk, a sitting area, and turn-down service with chocolates in the evening. The best part, of course, was the shower—the best one I’d had in weeks. Hot, strong, clean, and roomy, it was very impressive and unlike any other I saw in Tanzania.
The only annoyance after our trouble checking in was the lack of Internet access; the business center closes at 4pm on Saturdays, so we were turned away at 3:58pm and couldn’t access our email accounts at all during our stay. Instead, we used the time to wander past the business center and into the gift shop. The same area houses a tour company and some other small businesses, but they were all closed for the weekend.
We were exhausted (and everything was closed), so we whiled away part of the afternoon in the hotel’s bakery/café, which is overpriced but serves delicious snacks and ice cream. Then, for dinner, we decided to skip the US$42 buffet (it features a different theme every evening) and go to the hotel’s Italian restaurant instead. We arrived just after its 7pm opening to shockingly good service, food, and décor—all for a reasonable price. We enjoyed a delicious bread basket with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tapenade, roasted garlic, and bruschetta; soup (vegetable and crab bisque); penne all’arrabbiata; and stuffed eggplant. I also ordered the wine of the month, a sweet South African chenin blanc, for 7,500 schillings. And for dessert, a perfect chocolate-cappuccino mousse (11,000 schillings). Main dishes were priced around 14,000 schillings.
The next morning we took the hotel’s shuttle service to the airport for our flight home; it was more expensive than a cab, but the hotel is removed from the city center and any street taxis, and they didn’t seem to want to call us one. Anyway, the shuttle was convenient and on time.
While its service isn’t impeccable, the Movenpick is about the nicest hotel you’ll find in Dar and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for the comforts of home, a bit of luxury, or a great Italian meal.
From journal Tanzania from 0 to 19,340 Feet