Onsea House…

Onsea House is located in the Arusha area in the northern region of Tanzania.
This small lodge offers very pleasant higher-priced accommodation.
It is set in a pleasant semi-rural location around 7km to the east of town, on the lower slopes of a small volcanic hill and with views out across a verdant area of rural homes and shamba farms.

The lodge is reasonably convenient for Kilimanjaro International Airport and caters specifically for late arrivals, with a light evening meal.

The main building, above the access road, contains the bar, lounge, restaurant and two guest rooms. Across the road a separate building contains two further guest rooms with a shared area in between. The pool is in the garden below.

Another slightly larger lodge, Machweo, is on the adjacent plot and guests are usually free to use the facilities there too.

The lodge is hosted by very eager and attentive Belgian owner, Dirk, who is particularly proud of the lodge’s reputation for excellent food.

We are particularly keen on the walking in the immediate area, there are some lovely volcanic foothills, shamba farms, coffee plantations and pretty villages to explore.

It must be said that the lodge is rather expensive. Not necessarily over-priced, but there are certainly lower cost options in this area.

The most disappointing aspect of this lodge is the small size of the plot. So many of the lodges in this area are on large coffee estates and have vast sweeping driveways. But Machweo has a gate of the small road that opens directly onto the lodge.

There is also the potential for noisy neighbours here. Some of us have lived in this specific neighbourhood and are well aware that Saturday night can be music night and Sunday morning there are often hymns being belted out from somewhere. It’s a minor point, but a real one, you are very much part of the community here.

Some people might complain about the long bumpy access road, although it really isn’t a big deal in the greater scheme of things.