A review of the Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro in Tanzania during the trip The Great Eastern Summer.
Highlights
- Five Star international standard facilities and rooms.
- Located in the heart of Dar es Salaam.
- Best terrace in the city with sweeping sea views for parties and events.
- Professional and friendly multi-lingual staff.
Experience
The previous capital of Tanzania has plenty of hotel options, but the Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, the Kilimanjaro easily the best five-star hotel in the city.
Primarily a business hotel, this property also caters to tourists stopping over before traveling to various destinations around the country.
Coming from the airport the hotel is only twenty minutes away and a very straight forward drive.
After passing security, the door men welcomed us to the hotel. The reception is very professional and quickly processed the check in finding the reservation immediately. I even chatted in Mandarin with a staff member from China. It’s always interesting to see how expats view a new country.
We were shown our room, a Sea View Twin, with ceiling to floor windows facing the harbor. A hallway with the closet and bathroom on either side opened up to the 31 m2 room. A modern Romanesque lounge chair was set next to the windows and view. The beds faced the TV and work desk.
The room came with all expected amenities such as a minibar, coffee machine, flat screen TV with satellite channels, phone, safe, and even an iPod docking station. Wifi was fast and easy to connect to.
The green tiled bathroom was very modern with a stylish standalone tub as a centerpiece. The rare pull out mirror cabinet was an interesting design. Shower and toilet are separate compartments and have views through the large window to the sea.
After settling into the room, we headed out for a city tour. All the major sites within the city center are in close proximity of the hotel and in walking distance. Sites of interest further away can easily be reached by car.
On our return, we did a tour of the hotel to see the main points of interest. The most impressive features to a tourist would be the large terrace on the top of the building. This lounge offers great 360 views over the harbor and city. There was a wedding ceremony when we visited.
The outdoor infinity pool and bar, Citrus, also have a great sea view.
We also visited The Palm and the Oriental, the hotel’s signature Asian restaurant.
There is also a nightclub, Rouge and casino, though the casino is under renovation at the moment. Plenty of modern meeting rooms will suite the needs of businesses.
The Anantara Spa is available if guests need to relax and a small shopping arcade offers a selection of stores to browse.
After the tour we went to the Regency Club to enjoy a local beer and a large selection of snacks.
The next morning we had an early flight and staff at The Palm, which wasn’t opened yet, made special arrangements so that we could have an early breakfast before our departure. Small accommodations like this can really make a difference and for restaurant staff to be empowered to make these decisions to benefit guests is a hallmark of great management.
The Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam is a modern, well-managed, and professional luxury hotel with an excellent harbor side location. Like it’s name, Kilimanjaro the tallest mountain on the continent, the Hyatt stands above the rest.
I highly recommend a stay here if visiting Dar es Salaam for either business or pleasure.
Contact
Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro
Address: 24, Kivukoni Front P.O. Box 9574, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Telephone: +255 764 70 1234
Website: http://www.daressalaam.kilimanjaro.hyatt.com/
Email: daressalaam.kilimanjaro@hyatt.com