We didn’t stay long here (14 hours total) so we couldn’t see too much of the place. It’s located about a ½ hour drive from Kilimanjaro Airport. The last 5 minutes of that drive are on a mile-long pot-hole-filled dirt driveway.

At check in we were greeted with a glass of pineapple juice, which was a very nice surprise. Our room however was a good 10-minute walk from the reception and restaurant building, and at night that was just a bit unnerving.

The food here was better than at the Emin Pasha, but that’s not saying a lot. The atmosphere was a bit more American. In fact maybe a little too much. During breakfast (2 days after Christmas) they were playing the Dolly Parton Christmas CD over and over again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge Dolly fan, but hearing "White Christmas" while sitting just a few degrees latitude from the Equator was a little surreal. At least they did have a choice of juices, but you did have to dodge the occasional yellow jacket.

The room was average-sized. The beds were really uncomfortable and I didn’t sleep well.