I tried, I really tried, to like this hotel -- since I was in Bagamoyo for work and they booked me here -- but I have to say I hated it.

I've been trying to figure out why. Basically it is a mid-level Holiday Inn type place stuck in the middle of Tanzania. The property is long and narrow, and the rooms are in two-story buildings which have no sea view or indeed no view of anything except the parking lot. The pool is likewise surrounded by concrete.

The check-in staff are very chilly -- I actually asked them why they don't smile and just got a shrug. I guess it is the antiseptic dullness of the place that gets to them. The beach is a downer -- there are guys trying to sell you stuff and the tides are hectic, so for most of the day you can't really swim at all. On a Saturday afternoon, presumably their peak period, they decided to revamp one of the outdoor spaces with bandsaws and hammering for hour after hour. No the way to enjoy the beach.

The restaurant is... more