Description: Immediately after checking into the Impala Hotel, my group headed for dinner at one of the hotel restaurants, and, since it was the Fourth of July, we celebrated by chasing our food with sips of gin-in-a-bag bought earlier that day on the Serengeti. The gin wasn’t awful. The same can be said for the Impala.
Located just off downtown Arusha’s traffic circle, the Impala offers any convenience you might need while in town: an Internet room; Italian, Indian, and Chinese restaurant menus; a
bureau de change; a gift shop; a breakfast buffet; a bar; and hot showers. It just does it all without any charm whatsoever. But sometimes that’s OK.
My main complaint was that my room’s holey mosquito net was questionable, but the hotel is well insulated, so it probably doesn’t pose any real risk. And after ordering dinner, it took close to two hours to receive our food, which was fairly annoying. But once we got it—a mix chosen from the three full menus—it was surprisingly delicious (whether that’s a result of two hours’ worth of starvation and Tusker beers, I’m not sure). But I truly found my veggie pizza, garlic naan, rice, and chicken tikka masala perfectly spiced.
Other than the mosquito net, the room wasn’t bad—not as nice as the lobby, pool, glass elevator, and other public areas, but not bad. The shower was hot and powerful, which was much appreciated. And the breakfast buffet the next morning was quite good and filled us up for another day of traveling. So while I would recommend Karama Lodge over the Impala for anyone headed to Arusha, if the Karama is full, the Impala isn’t a bad second choice. You’ll be able to take care of any business you have to in a safe and reasonably pleasant environment. Current rates are published on the Impala’s website at www.impalahotel.com/.
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