Palace Hotel

The Palace Hotel stands in the middle of Arusha’s business district, with Mount Meru in the background. Kilimanjaro International Airport is 45 minutes away, which is rather handy for the first or last night of a trip. Gardens lie between the hotel and a historic neighbouring building. For rooms you can choose between Standard, Superior, Deluxe and Executive, plus studios and suites. Meals are served in the Twiga Dining Room, a rather formal restaurant with views over the city and of Mount Meru, where Tanzanian and international dishes are on the menu. Right next door is the bar, which also serves smaller dishes. And if there’s a meeting to fit in before the safari: the three conference rooms are called Jumbo, Bongo and Faru. Sounds a bit like a game drive already, doesn’t it? An upmarket city hotel for anyone who wants one last breath of city air before the bush.