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Average
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About
5.0
#1 of 52 small hotels in Arusha
Location
4.6
Cleanliness
4.7
Service
4.8
Value
4.7
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Olerai Lodge, located in Arusha, is set to become the starting point for countless memorable safaris. Rooted in the heart of Arusha’s savanna and set among a patchwork of local farm fields, Olerai Lodge combines the sublime serenity of the African wilderness with the comforts of home.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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Olerai Lodge is celebrated for its tranquil atmosphere and enchanting gardens that provide a serene getaway. Reviewers are enamored with the spacious and well-appointed rooms, which they find to be a comfortable retreat. The staff's warmth and professionalism are repeatedly praised, enhancing the lodge's reputation for top-notch service.
Amenities, including the pool and unique wildlife experiences, are often highlighted as highlights of a stay. Guests find the value reasonable, given the high-quality offerings and the cleanliness that is consistently maintained throughout the lodge.
Atmosphere
Tranquil
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Pristine
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Outstanding
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My husband and I stayed here for 2 nights to start our trip and loved it here! The room was beautiful, with fresh flowers on the bed and a Welcome Back message made from plants when we returned after the first day. There was WiFi in the room (not always the case in other lodges) and the food, especially the breakfast, was delicious. However the best part of all was the staff! They were the friendliest people and very helpful explaining things to us, as well as accommodating when asked for anything. They exceeded our expectations in every way!
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Date of stay: June 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We arrived from Mumbai, India and stayed for 2 nights here, prior to beginning our Tanzanian safari odyssey from Arusha. Lodge is excellent and staff was very helpful and courteous. Location is around 15 mins drive from Arusha airport, but the road condition can really be very, very bad after the rains which makes the drive from JRO to here almost 90 mins.
Fateh was our bulter and his service was excellent & faultless. Food was very tasty, including the buffet salad and soup + salas service for dinner that would come with a choice from a few items from the main course. The room was very nice and tastefully done (there is no electric kettle though) . We had wonderful views of Mt. Meru when the weather cleared. Though you are not really allowed to walk outside, there is decent birding possible and the African Paradise Flycatcher and the Bronze Sunbird found in the lodge grounds were a birder's delight. The curious/gift shop also had quite a few interesting items at reasonable prices
Overall,Olerai Lodge is an excellent option for those who are planning to have a entire lazy day before/after the safari expeditions and want to connect quickly to the Arusha airport for the safari flight in the morning.
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Far from JRO, road is very bad after the rains. Pretty close to Arusha airport. All rooms are...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Little oasis near Arusha. We spent 2 nights at Olerai after spending 4 days in the parks. We did not leave the premises as it was so nice and relaxed. The rooms are huge and very nice. We had 2 adjacent rooms with a family door, very handy if you would have younger children. The food was really good with a great breakfast. Special mention to the staff who were extremely friendly especially the manager and the people behind the bar. We also liked the music they played which gave it a very relaxed atmosphere. And of course the bonfire in the evening, perfect as it gets chilly at night.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Â Great to relax after or before you go to the parks. 10min from Arusha airport and very close to...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at Olerai before and after our safari. Location is a good starting point, however, in rainy season the roads are absolutely terrible to get in and out without getting stuck. The setting is nice with a few animals like the dik-dik, monkeys, and birds. The staff is friendly and accommodating. The units are spacious and nice. Both times we had minimal amount of water. Couldn't take a shower either time and last time we didn't even have enough water to wash our faces. Staff brought bottled water to wash and buckets of water to flush the toilet. This made it for a not good ending. I would not recommend this place unless they do some major upgrades to improve.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good parts: 1) The room is luxuriously furnished and spacious. The bathroom is big and well appointed, with lovely toiletries (coconut lime) and two separate basins. Hot water anytime 2) The resort is set on spacious grounds, and we spotted lots of monkeys there. Each room has a spacious sitout/balcony 3) There is a nice swimming pool (though we didn't use it) 4) Their cook is pretty good, as all our meals were quite tasty
Bad parts 1) Just horrible approach road. I think the roads inside Serengeti were better. The resort is away from the town and accessible only by a gravel road which is just terrible. 2) WiFi only works in the common areas. We were in Bougainvillea room (number 2) and we didn't get ANY wifi signal in our room 3) While hot water is great, but the shower is weak and extremely unsatisfying. After 5 days in the jungle, the first thing you want is a good strong shower. However, the pressure is weaker than some showers we had in jungle camps 4) Being so far from the city meant that we didn't even have 4G signal on Vodacom network (and a weak 2 bar signal on Airtel) . Again, after 5 days in the jungle, we got NONE of the basics of being back in civilization 5) They were reluctant to refill some buffet items. We went for dinner at 2000 (started at 1900) and the pilaf rice was almost out. We didn't feel like scraping the bowl for the small amount left, and the staff made no attempt to refill it. So net, didn't get to eat it
So in summary, the resort does some things great (furnishing the room) but misses on other significant things.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No air conditioning, no fans, and windows don't have screens! After a 24+ hours of traveling to Tanzania, it was difficult to rest and sleep in the stuffy rooms. Walls are also paper thin so you hear your neighbors. Not a great way to start our 7 day safari. On a positive note the staff is friendly and the food was pretty good! Location is awful.
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Date of stay: January 2022
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amazing lodge located in a very peaceful area with the most welcoming staff ever. When you'll arrive there you'll feel so great. It's beautiful, well decorated. The staff is all so nice, cheerful and always looking to enhance your stay. They even went beyond for my girlfriend's birthday with a nice cake and they all came around the table to sing her a song. She was so happy and emotionally touched.
The food is also something to highlight, the chef at Olerai is incredible. Everything we got was tasting excellent and they make it all in-house, even the breads and morning muesli (which tasted divine!!!).
At night they make a fire where you can sit. We went there and enjoyed talks with the staff. We even learned some Swahili words. It's part of the reason while this place is so great, the whole experience is brilliant.
The only sad part is when you have to leave such a great place. You'd like to stay forever.
Thanks to everyone at Olerai, we loved staying with you and we only hope to be able to visit again in the future !
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Date of stay: May 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We arrived very late at night and the staff was still very friendly and accommodating. We were welcomed with a beverage and they even offered to cook us dinner even though it was 11pm. The room was beautiful and very spacious. Breakfast was wonderful. Sad we couldn’t have stayed longer before moving onto the next place.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The rooms were great and the stay/food was pleasant. They seemed short of staff since when we had issues with water heater in the room, it took them quite some time to fix it. However, the staff did their best to provide the service inspite of limitations.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wonderful lodge off the beaten path. Excellent service, they go above and beyond. Arnold was a great host and bartender. The lady who checked us in was always making sure we had everything we needed. The food was also excellent.
The grounds are beautiful as well and there are monkeys and dikdik around.
We stayed for one night before our safari and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Overall amazing hidden gem in Arusha.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
"Far from JRO, road is very bad after the rains. Pretty close to Arusha airport. All rooms are nearly the same, 2 new/renovated ones look over the open area towards Mt Meru"
There are more places to choose from in the Arusha area.
PRICE RANGE
$191 - $220 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
TanzaniaArusha RegionArusha
NUMBER OF ROOMS
8
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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