In general, people in Tanzania and Kenya seem not to like me, which is weird because in the US everyone loved me. I’m discriminated by Precision Air, and many other places because I’m a dog, but there have been a few gems in my travels. I want other doggies to have an easier time than me while traveling Africa so I’m going to keep a running list here of the places where I’ve been welcomed.
The Places I’ve Stayed
1. Hilton Hotel, Nairobi
- Website: http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/NBOHITW-Hilton-Nairobi-hotel/index.do
- Telephone Number: +254-20-2288000
- Location: The center of downtown Nairobi
- Price: $180-280/night for a double room
All the people that worked at the Hilton were excited to see me and quickly learned my name. Everyday at breakfast they would greet me by name and also they gave me my first meal of goat, yummy! When my mom went back to the Hilton a month after our stay without me, everyone remembered me and asked where I was, they missed me!
The bed was super comfortable at the Hilton
The Pool at the Hilton
2. Ryan’s Bay Hotel, Mwanza
- Website: http://www.ryansbay.com/
- Telephone number: +255-28-254-2347
- Location: On the shore of Lake Victoria just next to downtown Mwanza
- Price: $120/night for a double room
The people at Ryan’s Bay were super welcoming to me after a long drive from Nairobi. Even though I only stayed there for one night, I kept going back for dinner because the people were so nice to me. The room was huge and I had a great view of Lake Victoria every night at dinner.
View of Capri Point from Ryan’s Bay
The view from dinner at Ryan’s Bay
3. Speke Bay, Lake Victoria
- Website: http://www.spekebay.com/C01/UK/welcome.htm
- Telephone number: +255-28-262-1236
- Location: On the shores of Lake Victoria, about a 2 hour drive from Mwanza and 15 minute drive from the Western Corridor Gate of the Serengeti
- Price: $300/night for a triple room, includes dinner and breakfast
This was my first real beach and it was beautiful! There’s only 8 bungalows at the hotel so we basically had the whole beach to ourselves and I got to run up and down, digging and swimming! They even let me come in the restaurant and when we left they asked me to bring back 3 more dogs just like me 🙂
Post Lake Victoria-swimming at Speke Bay
The view of Lake Victoria from our bungalow
4. Setavin Hotel, Musoma, Tanzania
- Telephone number: +255 282 622 282
- Location: The center of Musoma town, which is located on Lake Victoria, 1 1/2 hours from the border of Kenya and 2 1/2 hours from Mwanza
- Price: $50/night for a double room, includes breakfast
Mom and I weren’t expecting much from the hotel selection in Musoma because Marcel had warned that the town was similar to Butare in Rwanda, however I was pleasantly surprised with Setavin Hotel. The people who worked there accepted me right away and all learned my name and also helped me practice the ‘sit’ command. The room was super clean and I had fun playing on the balcony while mom had dinner and breakfast. Before I left, all the staff made sure to say goodbye and one of them even fed me by hand!
Me on the bed at Setavin Hotel
The outside of Setavin Hotel
5. Snowcrest Hotel, Arusha, Tanzania
- Website: http://www.snowcresthotel.com/
- Telephone number: +255 272 543 100
- Location: Just outside the center of Arusha near the Arusha International Conference Center
- Price: $230/night for a triple room, includes breakfast
We arrived here late at night and the guards and the reception were so nice and welcoming to us. They smiled at me and quickly checked us in and showed us to our wonderful room. The beds were comfy and had nice fluffy duvets. We were really hungry so we ordered room service at 12:30am and it came quickly. In the morning, the humans had a yummy breakfast buffet and I got to play in the huge gardens surrounding the hotel. Five paws for the Snowcrest!
Me and mom at the Snowcrest
Me and the guard at Snowcrest Hotel
6. Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, Nakuru, Kenya
- Website: http://www.sarovahotels.com/lionhill/
- Telephone number: +254 020 231 5139
- Location: On a hill overlooking Lake Nakuru inside Lake Nakuru National Park just outside of Nakuru town
- Price: $180/night for a double room, includes breakfast
Even though it was difficult to enter Lake Nakuru National Park as a dog, once I arrived at the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, I was treated like a star! The individual bungalows are spaced far enough apart for lots of privacy and the view of the Lake in the morning is delightful! Also, the beds are super comfy and have a hot water compress inside for a warm, snuggly, night’s sleep 🙂
Just outside our bungalow, overlooking Lake Nakuru
Me on the bed at the Sarova Lion Hill
7. Peacock Hotel, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Website: http://www.peacock-hotel.com/
- Telephone number: +255 22 2120334
- Location: The city center of Dar es Salaam
- Price: $95/night, includes breakfast
This may be the only hotel that will allow dogs like me in all of Dar es Salaam, even though it’s a big city and the capital of Tanzania at that. Mom, Sham (our awesome taxi driver), and I drove and drove and drove around the city looking for a place we could stay for almost an hour in the very early morning and the Peacock Hotel finally welcomed us with open arms. They allowed us to check in at 7:00 am so that we could sleep after two long days of flying. The rooms are clean with big, comfy beds, a tv, free wi-fi, and air conditioning. We truly loved everything about our stay here!
In the bathroom on a pile of Peacock towels
Me on the comfy bed with LOTS of pillows
titotravels 