Stay Report: Maru Maru Hotel (Zanzibar, Tanzania - January 2014)

Stay Report: Maru Maru Hotel
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Just steps from the Fordhani Gardens, seaside, and the Fort is a great boutique hotel - Maru Maru. The hotel is situated next to Fordhani Gardens and the Fort and the hotel is centrally located to walk anywhere around Stone Town from here.  I found the hotel through my search for places to stay in Zanzibar, and it was very easy to book the hotel online.  After booking, I communicated with the general manager via email who was very responsive and nice. I had also booked an airport transfer from hotel, and the car was there when we landed.  It was a nice and smooth transfer to the hotel.

The only negative aspect about the hotel is the location, as it is located down a street but a little off the main road.  During the day it is fine, but at night it can be a bit tricky to walk from the street to the hotel.  The hotel looks updated but it is an older building in Stone Town so the lobby is a bit narrow.  The lobby contains a small waiting area, the check-in desks, as well as stairs to access the upper floors.  Check-in went smoothly and we were shown to our room.

As I was traveling in a group, I had booked 2 rooms – and the rooms were available either had 2 twin or 1 Queen bed; I had booked one of each.  Both rooms were nice and a good size, but the room with the 2 twin beds was a little bigger.  The rooms were centered around an open courtyard so it was nice to have an inside/outside feel.  For the room with the Queen bed, as you entered the room the bed was to the right while to the left was a chest with a TV on top.  There were nightstands on either side of the bed and a mosquito net on top of the bed.  Further into the room, you stepped up and on the right was the bathroom while on the left was the armoire/closet.  The bathroom was nice, modern and updated and had nice toiletries that were made by a local women’s group.  The room was nice but it was a bit compact so while it easily fit two people, it felt cramped when more people were in the room.

The room with the twin beds was laid out differently and had significantly more space.  As you entered into the room, in front of you were the two twin beds, with a nightstand on each side and each had a mosquito net.  Against one wall was the armoire/closet, while next to the door was the chest with the TV on top.  Further along this wall was the entrance to the bathroom, which contained a sink, a toilet, and a shower – all were modern and nice, and again toiletries were made by a local women’s group. 

Breakfast was included and that is served on the rooftop lounge/restaurant which had amazing views of Stone Town and the ocean.  The lounge was also open in the evening so you could enjoy an amazing sunset – the only downside at night is that there is not enough lamps/candles/light so its pretty dark up there.  Breakfast was standard cereals and toast, with fruits and an egg station.  Coffee, and hot chocolate, were made by a machine.  In addition to the breakfast, another amenity provided by the hotel was wifi.  The complimentary wifi was available in the room and it had good speed. 

Overall, it was a nice stay at the Maru Maru.  The hotel is nice and modern, the service is very good and attentive, and the location is very good.  As I said, the hotel is located only a couple of steps away from Fordhani Gardens and the only negative thing about the hotel is the entrance/lobby. To get from the seaside/Fordhani Gardens to the hotel, you have to walk up a road that a night is dimly light (during the day, this is where all the taxis hang out so creates easier access to taxis). There are plenty of people walking and we never had a security issue, but it is something to consider. The lobby is right off the street so there is no major entrance nor a big sitting area; not a big deal to me but some in my group cared about that.  If you can overlook that, you can enjoy a really nice boutique hotel in Zanzibar.

Trip Report: Kenya Airways, Lagos to Dar Es Salaam, Kigali to Lagos via Nairobi (April 2018)

Trip Report: Kenya Airways - Lagos to Dar Es Salaam, Kigali to Lagos via Nairobi

         comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

Traveling around Africa generally can cost a lot, both in time and money.  The ticket price will be high, the travel time long, be very expensive, and most times you have to leave the continent to travel from one country to the other.  Luckily, there are African companies that are making travel within Africa more affordable and convenient; both Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways.  Both are the flag carriers of their respective countries, both seem to have updated fleets, good schedules, and both seem reliable.  I was looking to travel from Nigeria to Tanzania, and return from Rwanda back to Nigeria and in looking at my options both Ethiopian and Kenyan came up in the search.  Both were competitive in price and both had about the same overall travel time, but I choose Kenya Airways for a couple of options: 1) I had flown Ethiopian on my way into Nigeria so wanted to try another airline; 2) it had been about 4 years since I had flown Kenyan so wanted to see what updates were available; 3) the departure timings for Kenyan were better; and 4) Kenya had more options in terms of flight scheduling.

Booking travel with Kenya was very easy through the website.  The site was easy to book and manage your reservation.  I had to make some modifications to my reservation and that could not be accomplished online, so they either have a chat function available or a call center; both of which were helpful.  Another good feature about Kenya is that they offer refunds on your ticket – if your schedule changes and you need to cancel your ticket, you can ask for a refund instead of travel credit.  The refund amount depends on your ticket and class of service, but everything is available online and usually the refund is processed within 4-6 weeks.  A great service from Kenya.

After booking my flight, I managed my reservation through the Kenya Airways app.  Through the app and website I was able to preselect my seats for free, request a special meal, and add my Skyteam frequent flyer number.  I was also able to check-in and print my boarding pass directly from the website 24-hours prior to my departure.  My first flight was from Lagos to Dar Es Salaam via Nairobi.  The Lagos to Nairobi sector was scheduled to depart Lagos at 10:45p and arrive into Nairobi at 6:05am, and then I had 45 minutes to connect to my other flight which was scheduled to depart Nairobi at 6:55am and arrive into Dar Es Salaam at 8:20am.  This was a tight connection, but this is what Kenya Airways provided me and everything was booked on one ticket so I went ahead with it and hoped for the best. 

The first flight was operated by a Boeing 737-800 with a 3-3 seat configuration.  The aircraft operates the Nairobi to Lagos sector, and the same planes brings passengers back to Nairobi.  The incoming aircraft arrived late, and the turnaround time was slow, thus boarding began well past the 10pm which was listed on the boarding pass.  Boarding was done by groups and the groups were strictly enforced; this made for a lengthy and delayed boarding to an already delayed flight.  First impressions upon entering the aircraft were good, as it looked like a new-ish plane with updated seats and personal PTV for each seat.  Each seat also contained a blanket, a pillow, and headphones on them.  The seat pitch was decent, not too tight but not too generous either (I am 6’1 and while my knees were not hitting the back seat, there wasn’t tons of room either) and the seat comfort was also average (it was fine for a 3hr flight but there needed to be more comfort for the longer flights).  Each seat contained a PTV with a USB port and headphone jack, a tray table, and then a seatback pocket with the airline magazine, the duty free, and an airsickness bag.  The doors finally closed, we pushed back for the gate, and headed to the runway for the 5hr 20mi flight to Nairobi.

Kenya Airways is a full service airline so complimentary meals and drinks are provided.  Once we reached cruising altitude, the meal and drink service commenced.  The special meals were delivered at the same time as the regular meal, and for the regular meal there was an option between two choices.  I had ordered a special meal and while I appreciate being served a meal (as these days meals are disappearing from economy), the quality of the meal was not that good.  It was a decent quantity, not too much food but not too light either (perfect for a 4hr flight) but the quality of the food definitely need to be improved.  Complimentary soft drinks, tea, and coffee were also provided.  Once the meal service ended, passengers sat back and watched their screens.  The PTV screens were already on once you sat down, so most passengers just watched the entertainment program the entire flight.  There was a decent selection of TV shows and movies, again good enough for a 3-4 hour flight but you would get bored on longer flights.    

Even though we departed late, we landed roughly on time and taxied to the gate.  There is a separate line for transferring passengers, but because Kenya is starting new flights to the U.S. they have modified the transit so all passengers must go through enhanced screening.  While I understand the security of this, it adds time to the transit process and this needs to be factored into the connection time they provide to customers.  There was a HUGE line of passengers in the transiting security line and it looked like I was going to miss my connection when the airline itself started to call out passengers for my flight.  A representative was pulling passengers and putting them ahead of the security line as I only had a total of 25 minutes to make my connection.  Since I was moved to the front, I went through security and ran to my gate in time to make it to my flight.

The second flight was operated by an Embraer 190 with a 2-2 seat configuration.  While the plane size was small, the seat pitch and comfort were nice and each seat had its own PTV screen as well as USB port.  The plane was only half full so the doors closed and we pushed back for an on-time departure.  Since there were not that many passengers, I was able to move up and stretch out to a row unto myself.  Even though the flight time was 1hr30min, a light breakfast was served just after take-off.  The breakfast consisted of a fresh croissant which was nice, warm and fresh.  It was small but it was nice and that is something I appreciated from Kenyan, especially on this short flight.  Tea, coffee, and complimentary drinks were also served with the meal.  Once the meal service end, most passengers either slept or watched the entertainment system.  The system was not as extensive as the system of my Lagos to Nairobi flight, but there was a decent selection of TV shows to pass the short flight time.  We soon landed in Dar Es Salaam and luckily my bags also made the tight connection in Nairobi.

My return flight was scheduled differently than my outbound flight.  I was returning from Kigali to Lagos via Nairobi, and I had scheduled a long layover in Nairobi.  My flight was scheduled to depart Kigali at 8:30am and arrive into Nairobi 12:35pm, and I was then going to connect to my flight departing Nairobi at 6:35p and arriving back into Lagos at 9:50pm.  The first flight was operated by an Embraer 190 and has a stop in Bujumbura.  The flight was supposed to board at 7:45am, but that came and went without any announcements.  Finally, the announcement was made and we boarded the plane.  This plane looked similar to the plane that I had taken from Nairobi to Dar Es Salaam, with the same legroom, the same individual PTV’s on each screen, and the same 2-2 configuration.  The flight time from Kigali to Bujumbura was only 45 minutes so most passengers past the time watching their screens.  The passengers on the plane consisted of passengers flying from Nairobi to Bujumbura (who stopped in Kigali); passengers flying from Kigali to Bujumbura; passengers flying from Bujumbura to Nairobi; and passengers flying from Kigali to Nairobi (who stopped in Bujumbura).  We landed at Bujumbura, where some passengers got off while others got on, and set off for Nairobi.  Since this was a longer flight, at 1h55m, both a beverage service and a meal service were provided.  The flight was uneventful and we landed in Nairobi close to on-time.

After a scheduled delay, I fought my way through Nairobi traffic to connect to my 6:35p flight to Lagos.  Even though we had boarding groups assigned to us, these were not enforced and everyone boarded as they pleased.  The operating aircraft was a Boeing 737-800, the same aircraft that brought me from Lagos to Nairobi.  The layout was the same, the seat pitch and seat comfort were the same, and again each seat had their own PTV screen.  As this was my fourth flight with Kenyan in the span of two weeks, I had basically exhausted the entertainment options by this point.  As the flight time was 5hr15m, after takeoff a meal and beverage service were provided.  For the rest of the flight, the attendants were not present at all until it was time to get the aircraft ready for landing.  They attendants did not come by with water or to pass through the cabin to collect trash; the attendants just sat in the back talking.  After a bit of a delay, we finally landed in Lagos a bit behind schedule.

Overall, it was a decent experience with Kenya Airways.  Since my last experience with them, some aspects have improved while others have stayed the same.  They definitely have a better on-board product versus what they previously had, and that makes for a better inflight experience.  The food quality still is average, and the overall customer service still needs to be improved.  I had some great flight attendants and great customer service, and I had some really apathetic ones.  I would not hesitate to fly them again, but I would just keep my expectations manageable. 

Stay Report: Park Hyatt Zanzibar (Tanzania - April 2018)

Stay Report: Park Hyatt Zanzibar
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling to Zanzibar for one night so was looking for a hotel that was near Stone Town.  When I had previously traveled to Stone Town, I stayed at Maru Maru (check out that review here) which was nice but I was looking for something more upscale and more centrally located.  During my previous stay, in 2013/2014, the Park Hyatt was just announced to be built and it was being built in a central location so I decided to look the hotel up.  The hotel was having a rewards discount night – possibly due to rainy season when occupancy is lower – but whatever the reason, I was able to book a reward room.  It was very easy to navigate and book the room through both the Hyatt’s website and the app, and when we had an issue and needed to call customer service, they were very responsive and friendly.  

The hotel is located in Stone Town and is about a 10-15 minute walk from the ferry terminal.  From the outside, you cannot tell it is a hotel as there is no grand entrance.  To me, this is a good thing as the hotel blends into the surrounding areas.  As you walk into the hotel, you enter into the open lobby.  The hotel’s design definitely has Arabic/Middle Eastern influences, a nod to Zanzibar’s own Arabic/Middle Eastern heritage.  In the middle of the lobby is a fountain with the check-in desks on the right, the fitness center on the left, and the ocean and other spaces straight ahead.  The lobby seems bright and open with the high ceilings and windows on the roof which let in natural light.  There are two check-in desks, so it creates an intimate experience but could be a lengthy process if there are many guests at the same time.  Check-in was quick, I received my key and proceeded to the room.  The rooms are in a separate building from the main check-in area.  To access this area, there is a hallway next to the check-in desks that leads to a corridor and from there you exit the first building and go up a small incline to access the second building, you go down a long corridor to the elevators that take you up to the rooms.  Even though you are existing one building, you are still within the hotel’s property.

The rooms at the hotel are nice, a decent size, and are nicely decorated. As you entered into the room, on the left was the bathroom while on the right was a luggage holder and the closet which contained storage space as well as a safe.  The bathroom was large and contained a sink, a tub, a shower behind a door, and a toilet behind a separate door.  The bathroom was spacious but the doors did not close fully so it was not complete privacy.  There were two doors in the bathroom, the main door that led into the bathroom and then next to the tub were sliding doors that opened up into the room; not sure why though.

The beds were comfortable and a nice side.  There were on the left side of the room and each had its own nightstand and its own mosquito net and drapery.  The beds looked very elegant and provided a decent night’s sleep.  Across from the beds was the TV on top of a chest with drawers on the bottom.  Next to the TV stand was a table with chairs, and in between the bed and the window were additional chairs.  It was nice that the room had the option of opening the window to let in the sunlight and breeze.  The view of the hotel depends on which side you are on, as one side of the hotel faces the town while the other side faces the ocean.  Overall, the room was nice and comfortable, and provided a good night’s stay.

The hotel overall is beautifully designed and developed hotel, and there are many amenities for the guests to enjoy.  These include a fitness center, a sauna, an outdoor pool, a library, a bar, a coffee shop, a restaurant, concierge service, and mini shopping arcade to gather souvenirs and other gifts.  As I was only there for one night, I was not able to fully experience all of the facilities the hotel had to offer.  I did experience the wifi, which was complimentary and provided decent speeds.  The room came with complimentary breakfast, which I did not partake in but my friends did, and they said it was alright and similar to the breakfast experienced at the Hyatt in Dar Es Salaam (see review HERE).  I also experienced the library, which was located in between the lobby and the entrance to the seaside/pool area.  This addition, which you do not see in many hotels, provided that nice extra touch that made this hotel feel that much more special.

In the end, it was a really nice stay at the Park Hyatt Zanzibar.  The hotel looks amazing and has great designs, the rooms are comfortable, and the service is really good.  There are some hotels that have high ratings and you are not sure why, and then there are others that deserve high ratings for their overall outstanding achievements; the Park Hyatt definitely deserves high ratings for design, service, and overall comfort of the hotel.

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Dar Es Salaam, The Kiliminjaro (Tanzania - April 2018)

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Dar Es Salaam
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I was going to be meeting a friend and staying in Dar Es Salaam for one day.  My friend was staying at the Hyatt Regency for work so I just stayed with them instead of booking my own place.  The hotel is located near the city center and was originally the Kempinski hotel before Hyatt took it over.  From the outside, it looks like a really nice and grand hotel, and the grandeur continues inside into the hotel.

From the outside, you enter the hotel’s parking lot and drive up to the hotel’s main entrance.  After you pass through the security, you enter into grand lobby that has lots of open space and lots of sitting areas.  The left side of the lobby contained the elevators, the check-in desks, another sitting area, and the entrance to one of the restaurants (where breakfast is served).  In the middle of the lobby is a sitting area and a walkway with water underneath which leads to the coffee shop.  To the right of the lobby is another restaurant as well as shops.  Also in the middle of the lobby is the staircase which leads to the second floor which contains the meeting rooms as well as entrance to the spa, fitness center, and pool.  My friend had left a key to the room at the check-in desk, so I went there to collect the key.  Even though I arrived in the morning, there was only one attendant behind the large check-in desks so it took some time for me to retrieve the key.  Once I had the key, I went to the elevators and went to the room.

The hotel is shaped in a block with the hallway down the middle and rooms on either side; one side of the hotel faces the parking lot and the ocean while the other side faces the city and neighborhoods.  The room that I had faced the parking lot and the ocean and generally was a nice room.  As you opened the door, on right was the bathroom while on the left was a luggage storage area next to closets.  The closet was open which meant that if you did unpack into the closet, everyone could see all your clothes.  One side of the closets contained a safe, a mini-fridge as well as a coffee maker.  The hotel also provided two complimentary bottles of water, which were placed next to the coffee maker.  Below the open-closets were drawers for additional storage space.   

The bathroom itself was quite large and contained a shower (behind one door), a toilet (behind a second door) and in the main bathroom a sink and a tub.  There were also nice bathroom toiletries provided in the storage next to the sink.  Next to the tub was a window with blinds that, if opened, opened directly into the room.  I am not sure what about Hyatt bathrooms, but none of them provide complete privacy – why would you want a window into the bathroom from the room?

Further into the room, on the right side was the bed while on the left side was a long shelf that ran across half the room and connected to the desk.  The desk was parallel to the wall so that it stuck out into the room and connected near the bed, which made it difficult for people to move across the room if you are using the desk.  The desk did have plugs and USB ports, which was a nice and welcomed gesture.  Mounted on the wall in the middle of the room was the TV and across from the TV was the bed.

This room had one queen bed and generally the bed was comfortable.  There was a nice duvet and the bed was comfortable enough for a good night’s sleep.  The only downside was that the bed was not as spacious if you are sharing it.  On both sides of the bed was a small night stand with plugs and light switches next to them, and in between the bed and the window was a couch.   Overall, the room was nice and had all the amenities needed; it wasn’t a spacious room but neither was it a tight room.

The hotel is a full-service hotel so there are many facilities for guests to enjoy.  These include a sauna, a fitness center, a spa, meeting rooms, a coffee shop, two restaurants, complimentary wifi, and complimentary bottles of water in the room.  As I was only at the hotel for a short period, I was not able to experience all the facilities.  I tried the coffee shop, one of the restaurants for breakfast, the wifi, and enjoyed the complimentary water.  The coffee shop was nice and relaxing and the service was very good; the wifi was decent speed and did not seem to limit devices, which is a good thing; the room included breakfast so went down to the restaurant, and the selection was decent but not as good as I would have thought coming from a Hyatt; and finally the complimentary bottles of water were a nice gesture.  I did know of people who tried the spa and they enjoyed the massages they received there.

 

Overall, the stay at the Hyatt Regency Dar Es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro was nice.  The hotel is a full-service hotel and has nice facilities.  The rooms are nice and a good size, the bathroom is also spacious and nice, and the beds provide a comfortable night’s sleep.  The hotel is also conveniently located within the city center and is a 10-15 minute walk to the ferry terminal. The only negatives were the following: 1) I asked for additional toiletries from the housekeeping and never received an update nor the toiletries (apparently the housekeeping service is not good at all); and 2) the window between the bathroom and the bedroom.

Trip Report: Precision Air Tanzania - Zanzibar, Tanzania to Nairobi, Kenya (April 2018)

Trip Report: Precision Air Tanzania - Zanzibar to Nairobi

         comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was in Zanzibar and wanted to travel to Nairobi directly, without having to stop or travel back to Dar Es Salaam.  There are only two airlines that fly directly on this route – Kenya Airways and Precision Air.  Kenya Airways is the national airline of Kenya while Precision Air is a Tanzania-based airline that is also partly owned by Kenya Airways.  Both airlines operate various flights throughout the day, so the choice is based on timing and preference.  I chose to fly with Precision Air for a couple of reasons: 1) I was already flying with Kenya Airways on other sectors (check out the reviews here) so wanted to try a different airline; 2) the flight timing was better with Precision Air; and 3) the flight was a bit cheaper, but not by much.  I booked the flight directly through the Precision Air website, and it was generally easy and efficient to do so.  While booking the flight, I could select the flight times but I could not pre-select seats at time of purchase.  After booking the ticket, I received the confirmation in my email.

I had previously flown with Precision Air, about 5 years, on a short, 20-minute flight from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar (check out the review here) so I was somewhat familiar with their product.  They mainly operate a regional network of short flights using ATR, propeller aircraft.  Since the previous flight was only 20-minutes, I did not get a chance to experience the full service of Precision Air but now I would on this flight.  The flight from Zanzibar to Nairobi was the second sector of the flight, as the plane originated in Dar Es Salaam and stopped in Zanzibar before continuing on to Nairobi.  As they mainly operate shorter flights, the service is a bit limited onboard but complimentary luggage (one piece of 23kg) is included. 

My flight was scheduled for a 7:35p departure with a 9:15p arrival into Nairobi.  There was an earlier flight at 6p that I was trying to get on, and for this I had contacted the airline via email but got no response so I had to call them.  On the telephone, they told me the charge to change the flight would be $200 – which seems like a big price to pay (and frankly was almost the price I paid for the ticket itself) so I did not make the change.  24hours prior to my flight I went to the website and was able to check-in online.  Through the check-in, I was able to pre-select my seat as well as receive an electronic boarding pass. 

I made it to the airport with plenty of time before the flight, and at this time at night there were only Precision Air departures – either to Nairobi or Dar Es Salaam.  Given this, check-in was very quick and easy; luggage was tagged and I received my boarding pass.  Given the flight was supposed to take off at 7:35p, we were to start boarding at 7p but the incoming aircraft was delayed due to heavy rains in the area.  They finally called the boarding of the flight, but there was no order as we were just called to the boarding.  Once the boarding passes were collected, we made our way onto the bus which took us to our aircraft parked at the end.  The operating aircraft was an ATR4272 in with a 2-2 seat configuration.  Boarding happens through the rear of the aircraft, as in the front is where the luggage is stored. 

 

On board, the plane looked fairly new and was in good condition.  The seats were comfortable and had good legroom (especially for someone who is tall like me).  The only thing that was an issue was the lack of overhead bin space given it was not a big aircraft.  After all the passengers boarded and took their seats, the boarding door closed, manual safety demonstrations were conducted, and we taxied to the runway.

Take-off was generally smooth, which was surprising given how bad the weather was (it was raining all day).  Once we reached cruising altitude, the inflight service commenced.  Complimentary drinks were served along with a choice of biscuits or a chicken-sandwich.  There was no other option besides chicken, so if you did not eat chicken and/or meat the only choice were the biscuits.  After the service, passengers were left on their own for the remainder of the flight.  The seatpocket did contain an airline magazine, as well as the safety card and the sickness bag, so that was something to read during the flight.  Most passengers either slept or watched pre-downloaded shows until it was time to land in Nairobi.  We started our descent, the cabin was prepped for landing, and we landed in Nairobi a bit behind schedule and then taxied to the gate.

Overall, it was generally a pleasant flight with Precision Air.  The flight time was 1hr 20minute and for that short flight time you got a comfortable seat with decent legroom, complimentary luggage and drinks, biscuits or a sandwich, and decent service.  My only complaint was that the price for the flight was a bit high, given the short distance and the minimal service, but other than that a good flight onboard Precision Air,

Stay Report: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dar es Salaam - Oyster Bay (Tanzania - December 2013/January 2014)

Stay Report: DoubleTree Dar Es Salaam - Oyster Bay
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

pictures courtesy of DoubleTree 

I was traveling around East Africa and was going to start and stop my trip in Tanzania, and was looking for a hotel that was nice and with easy access to goods and services.  I found and booked the DoubleTree, Oyster Bay through the Hilton website when they were having one of their 'special' sales which include drastically low prices for pre-paid rooms. After I booked the rooms, I contacted the hotel to confirm some of the details of the reservation; I contacted them through email but the hotel never responded - I finally got results and messages back from the hotel using Facebook as they did reply to these messages. When we got to the hotel and checked-in, I went to confirm the details I had emailed about but the front-desk staff seemed confused as to what I was talking about. They were nice and pleasant and could check me in ok, but extras and additional services seemed difficult. 

photo courtesy of DoubleTree

The hotel is located in an enclave with the hotel on one side and shops and restaurants on the other. The hotel premises include the hotel itself, an on-site restaurant (with slow service), a coffee shop, a pool with a cafe, and a deck.  There are no beaches at this hotel (to get to the beach, you have to drive about 10-12 minutes to the closest public beach). There is also a fitness center and a spa.  From the outside, the hotel looked very nice and modern.

As you enter into the lobby, on left side were the check-in desks while to the right was a sitting area.  Straight ahead was the restaurant and the deck which led downstairs to the fitness center and spa.  I went to check-in and while the staff were generally friendly, they were not the most competent staff; it took a long time for things to be understood and even then some things were lost.  I finally finished checking in and proceeded to my room.

photo courtesy of DoubleTree

As I was traveling with a group, I had booked two rooms – one with a king bed and one with 2 queens; both rooms were quite large and similarly laid out.  As you entered into the room, on left hand side was the bathroom while on the right was the closet.  The bathroom was spacious and contained a sink, a toilet, a nice size tub, and toiletries as well.  The closet across from the bathroom was also spacious and provided plenty of storage room.  There was also a safe in the room.  As you proceeded further into the room, the beds were located along the left side of the wall while across the right was the chest with a TV on top and drawers on the bottom.  The beds were large and comfortable and provided a good nights’ sleep.  There was also a nightstand in between the beds and next to the beds was a window.   Across the other side, in between the chest and the window, was a desk and a chair.  Depending on your room location, there were two views from the window; you were either looking out onto the front entrance of the hotel or you were overlooking that back of the hotel with the gardens and the ocean; the back view was a much better view. 

photo courtesy of DoubleTree

Since I was there for an extended period, I got to try out different facilities at the hotel.  I tried the wifi, which was complimentary and basic enough to check and receive mail; I tried the restaurant for dinner where the food was ok, the service slow and the price high; I tried the fitness center which was decent; the pool which got crowded with locals swimming for the day; and the spa for massage which was pretty good and relatively inexpensive, but the one at the Hilton Addis was better.  Breakfast was included in the room and that was decent and standard with cereal, breads, other breakfast items, and an omelet station. 

The positives about the hotel are the hotel is located in a nice part of town and right next to the hotel is a nice shopping complex with restaurants, a small supermarket, shops, and a market for souvenirs.  Because of the location of the hotel, there are plenty of taxis and rickshaws available to take you to other parts of the city (the hotel is located about 20 minutes from downtown and about 45 mins from the airport).  The hotel also looks nice and provides spacious rooms.

photo courtesy of DoubleTree

The negatives about the hotel include the staff, which seemed nice but confused. The service at the hotel restaurant was slow and also confused (especially if you have any dietary or religious issues, the staff seemed generally confused with these requests).  One major annoyance was that the hotel NEVER had change.  I got very large notes when I exchanged money and tried to get smaller bills from the money charger, shops, or supermarket when we were there.  Each time I asked the front desk for smaller bills, and I asked many times, they said they did not have any change at all. This was somewhat annoying as smaller bills were easier to pay for cabs (who never had change either)

If you want a good night stay in a good hotel, and do not mind being away from the city but being

walking distance to markets and some restaurants, then you will enjoy this hotel.  Due to the location, the hotel was peaceful and tranquil. Just be prepared for confused staff and delayed service.

Trip Report: Precision Air - Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar (December 2013)

Trip Report: Precision Air - Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar

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We were travelling in Tanzania and needed to get from Dar Es Salaam (DAR) to Zanzibar (ZNZ).  There are ferries that cross daily between the city and the island and operate many times during the day.  I have had friends take them and say they are perfectly fine, but a) I have heard too many stories of overloading on the boats; b) the water is very rough naturally and if its the rainy season (as it was when we went there in late December) than the water gets even more rough; and c) why take the chances when you can take a 15-minute flight. Having said that about the ferries, the airlines also don't have the best reputation for safety or timeliness; however, based on the research I did, the people I talked to, and my family's preference, we choose to fly.  

I booked my flight online through Precision Air.  Precision Air is a Tanzanian-based airline that flies to many destinations within Tanzania, and to other African countries in partnership with Kenya Airways (Kenya Airways owns 49% of Precision Air).  While they do have fares and schedules available online, the website is not the most user-friendly, does not look trustworthy, and requires patience and perseverance to navigate and complete your transactions.  After I booked my flight online, I emailed Precision Air to confirm the booking and they responded very quickly.  I was very impressed with their response times to emails and their customer service in this aspect.  After I had booked my travel, I needed to make a change to the flight and that was done free of cost (Precision Air offers a one-time, free of charge, booking change) and all through email and received the confirmations.  Very efficient.

I had a couple of days in DAR after my international flight and before my flight to ZNZ, and even though I had the confirmation emails, I noticed that at DAR airport Precision Air has a stall (outside the immigration and security when you exit the doors).  I went to the stall to confirm my booking and to ensure the flight was online (Precision Air was known to have some timeliness issues).  I was assured that my flights were confirmed and everything was on time, and was told to be at the airport 3-hours in advance.  Precision Air does have multiple flights a day to Zanzibar, but they are not as frequent and are scattered throughout the day so if you have an international connection, I would plan accordingly.

On the day of the flight, we arrived at the airport 3-hours in advance but there was nobody at the counter.  We waited and 2-hours prior to departure the counters opened and we checked in and received our boarding passes.  I did notice that a lot of the passengers who were flying were connecting passengers; i.e passengers who had just come off of an international flight and were connecting to Zanzibar on Precision Air and all via one-ticket.  We proceeded up to the domestic waiting lounges and waited for our flight (we had about 1.5 hour to wait).  

the plane @ ZNZ

There is not a lot to do at DAR airport.  The domestic side has a lot of seats in the middle and then the doors to the gates against the wall.  In the back of the chairs is a cafe/coffee shop, but that was about it (the international side wasn't much better, and to read about that, check out the post on kenya airways).  Mainly you just sit and wait, and do some plane-spotting. 

There are about 3 or 4 Tanzania-based airlines which fly around the country (and sometimes to other parts of the continent) and the one that has gotten most of the attention is 'fastjet', the startup founded by easyjet's stelios.  fastjet does fly to zanzibar, but not from DAR to ZNZ.  From DAR it flies to some northern cities, but mainly to other cities within the continent (very inexpensive fares to South Africa). 

About 30 mins prior to the departure time, we were called for boarding.  It was a little haphazard and there was no boarding announcement; they just opened the door to the gate which is was supposed to go through and people just started going through.  

entrance via the rear of the plane

The plane is a turboprop and you enter from the rear of the plane (the front of the plane has no entrance).  Boarding went fine and we were all seated and ready to go by the scheduled departure time.

The seats on the plane were generally comfortable and the pitch was pretty decent (I am 6'1 and I did not have an issue).  As it is a small plane, there is not a lot of storage space up top or underneath your seat, so keep that in mind.  

The flying time to ZNZ is 15-minutes, yep, 15 minutes so there was really no time to experience the service of Precision Air.  When we landed at ZNZ, some passengers got off while others were continuing on.  Precision Air usually does a loop so it goes from DAR to ZNZ to NBO and back to DAR; or DAR to ZNZ to another African city and then back to DAR - it picks up passengers at each stop (if you are on the first stop, very convenient, but if you are on the last stop then very inconvenient).  We landed at ZNZ on time and were let out on the runway to walk to the airport.  

For our return, we needed to change our flight again so we went to the Precision Air office in Zanzibar city (near Muzammil building with all the other airline offices) to change our flight.  The wait time was somewhat lengthy, but the agent was very nice and easily helped us change our flight (for a fee this time since this was our second change, the first is free and the second costs money - not that much though; about $30 for 3 passengers).  The return flight went equally smoothly and there were already passengers on board from Precision Air's earlier leg.  

baggage pick-up @ ZNZ

Overall, the price was pretty good, the plane was nice and in working order and it was a 15-minute flight which I am glad I choose (when we got to Zanzibar, we were told that due to the rainy season the waters had been extremely choppy so many ferry services were cancelled for days).  Yes there can be delays and there can be issues (there was an in-flight magazine with a letter from the Airline's CEO which detailed the financial trouble the airline was in and how it had to return two boeing planes, which it had required for expansion outside the country, which it is no longer doing).   Having said all that, the flight was smooth, it was fast and efficient, and it was a decent price so what more can you ask for :)