My wife and I stayed here for several days last month during our safari.
The rooms had been recently renovated and were equal to the rating of the lodge.
The meals were excellent and the box lunches provided for our game drive met our needs.
All of the staff we encountered were friendly and the service was excellent.
Once again, the timing of hot water availability was a bit of a pain.

We stayed at the Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Seregeti SOPA lodges on a Safari. All are of a similar standard.

The accommodation at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is excellent (with the very notable exception of the accommodation for singles travelling alone – ***see below***). Rooms our housed in large two storey African “style” circular huts. Our room (number 74) was huge with a large queen (?) size bed, separate entrance hall, a glassed in balcony, with two comfy chairs overlooking the crater, a small desk. No Internet access of course. Bathroom was very large. Nice.

The hotel entrance, bars and gift shop etc are all excellent. Gift shop not the cheapest – but hey what do you expect ! There bar has excellent views over the crater – and when it’s warm there are great comfortable sun recliners. Didn’t use the pool.

Meals are excellent – breakfasts are always buffet style with a huge selection – including African style food. They make fresh omelettes upon request and the pancakes are to die for. The dinners seem to alternate between buffet and menu. But all the food is really good. Lunches are also good – usually buffet – but some Safaris will arrange for packed lunches – all SOPA packed lunches are excellent with sandwiches, juice, fruit etc. At all meals you have to buy your own drinks, including bottled water which is $US2 (2000 Tanzanian Shillings).

Some nights, the dinner staff put on a show – full on African singing and dancing show. Very nice touch that.

Service was very good – staff were very helpful – there are plenty of them around – but they always expect and wait for a tip. They always help you with your luggage to your room – and in the early morning – they are waiting outside your room to take your bag for you. We took a big wad (250) US 1 dollar bills… which we used for all tips. In general $US1 for every tip is appropriate.

A couple of negatives (and the first one is a **huge** one):

- As we were a couple travelling together – we got an excellent room – however, we were travelling with a number of people who were travelling as singles. And they, of course, had paid single room supplements. They were all given rooms of a much lower quality – small motel style, no view, cramped, little privacy etc. These guys were annoyed to hear how good our room was. If you are travelling as a single, and you are paying a single supplement – ensure that you get one of the rooms with a view !
- In the evenings, after dinner, there are staff members waiting to escort you back to your room – “because of the Buffalo”. But this is unnecessary when your room is within 50 paces of where you are. They just won’t take no for an answer And of course they are all too keen for tips. It’s a bit too much “in your face"
- We were charged $2 to “move” our bill from the bar to dinner. A bit over-the-top.
- Hot water is only on between 6am->9am and 6pm->9pm. This is a high class expensive place, and that’s not good enough. Sometimes you come back from a Safari all dusty at 4pm and you can’t shower until 6pm. Which is uncomfortable and annoying. Although that I did discover that the hot water was available one mid-afternoon.

We stayed at this lodge as part of Tanzania safari, and loved it. We were lucky to get one of the newly renovated rooms - new carpet, new curtains, completely renovated bathroom with enormous shower, new fixtures and fittings, it was lovely. I think most of the renovations are complete now at this lodge, and looking at the pictures of the previous rooms, it has made a huge difference. The view from our room (and all common areas of the lodge) was an uninterrupted view down into the crater, from the glassed in balcony with rocking chairs.

Food was great (although no toast at breakfast, only bread), and wine list was extensive, and very reasonable. All the staff were very friendly (if a little pushy sometimes on 'encouraging' us to speak swahili), and the checkin and checkout staff were lovely and very efficient. Bar drinks and water are very reasonably priced.

The picnic lunch provided for the all-day game drives wasn't great - I would stock up on food from the breakfast buffet (they seem quite used to this, as there is a note on the yoghurts asking for those who want to take them out on safari to please take the the plastic spoons) or ask for a vegetarian lunch, as the food sits in the jeep all day in the heat.

As part of an eleven day safari, my husband and I stayed two nights at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. En route to the lodge, we visited Olduvai Gorge and a Maasai village. We stayed in Room 40 of the lodge (two double beds) and were thrilled with the view and great glassed in balcony (with table and two chairs). This was the first time with no mosquito nets (thanks to the cool temps in the evenings) in days. Cape buffalo grazed just below our second floor room. Amazing! We enjoyed lovely sunsets and ideal temps/game viewing in the crater. This hotel is only minutes from entering the crater. One of its best features. Our room was well appointed and clean. Staff was friendly (greeted with juice and washcloths). Pleasant porters took our bags to/from our room. Check in/out was speedy. Great gift shop and we took an optional nature walk (so-so only....mostly walking in a field with cattle) one afternoon. Food was quite good (both buffet and menu). Wine selection was also the best we had seen. Nightly entertainment after dinner. I can easily recommend this lodge as a good place to stay for visiting Ngorongoro Crater.