Zawadi House

Tanzania , Arusha
Arusha, Kundayo Road, Sekei
Show on Google | Map

75 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

06 Oct 2025

charles

Clara was absolutely amazing! Professional, friendly, flexible and accommodating!
Thank you Clara for being AWESOME!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

30 Sep 2025

TING

The staff were very accommodating especially Clara and Regina. They went out of their way to store our leftovers from outside restaurant in their refrigerator and warm up our for next day lunch. They stored our extra luggage for a whole week while we traveled to other cities. We can not say thanks enough to them.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Sep 2025

TING

very helpful staff service

The staff were very helpful and accommodating. They let us check out late than usual. They even warm up our food from the outside restaurants to take with us for lunch. They went out of their way to help us. I would not hesitate to book there again if I am in town.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Sep 2025

Alex

The host Joseph is very friendly and helpful. The property is very safe, presentable and quiet.
Room is large with good storage, comfy bed & functional ensuite. Breakfast is excellent and service genuine and obliging.
To get there you drive down a dirt bumpy road, with many local shops. We didn't go into the neighbourhood as transport came to us. I recommend that you have a guide when venturing off in the area or city.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2025

Cheng

Great customer service, but facility is on the older side

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 May 2025

Scott

Clara was so helpful and kind. Breakfast was great. We felt safe and well taken care of. Laundry service was affordable and fast. Zawadi House is a great value for the money. The rooms and bathrooms are due for some updates, but overall we enjoyed our stay.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Apr 2025

Laura

El personal muy amable y servicial. Llegamos tarde y nos prepararon la cena al momento, muy delicioso todo.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2025

Craig

Everyone greeted us with smiles and was very pleasant. Shower was excellent, food was delicious and fresh. I would absolutely stay here again!

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

05 Oct 2024

Michelle

Very lovely boutique hotel

My time at Zawadi House Lodge was perfect. It is a very quiet establishment that proved to be a perfect place to recover from my long flights from Melbourne, Australia.
The lodge is nestled in a suburb of Arusha and it is a little piece of paradise. The lush garden keeps the place nice and cool and the furnishings are very comfortable. There were tea and coffee making facilities in my room and the shower was high preasure and very hot (which was ideal). Bed was also very comfortable with lots of pillows.
Breakfast was made fresh to order and was filling and tasty. I also dined in in the evening and enjoyed a variety of local dishes that were enoyable and of good value. Internet was also good, enabling mebto do some work on Xero.
When i wanted to go in to town, staff (the lovely Regina) organised a trustworthy and reliable driver for me.
The city centre is exceptionally busy and I was happy to be in a more peaceful and quiet location on the outskirts.
The staff were all professional, friendly and exceptionally helpful.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

14 Aug 2024

David

An absolute gem! Quiet, peaceful, surroundings, a short taxi from downtown...with a lovely staff.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jul 2024

Lisa

The grounds and common areas at the Zawadi House are absolutely beautiful, So peaceful and green. The rooms are average but definitely comfortable. Additionally the breakfast was great and included a small buffet of starters plus made to order eggs, etc. we enjoyed our 1 night stay here (before our safari) very much m.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2024

Adam

We were only here for 1 night but it was a great hotel. The staff was amazing and the breakfast was delicious. Highly recommend this hotel.

6/10

Pleasant

12 Feb 2024

Caroline

Friendly staff, problems with safe lock, water supply and electricity outages. Very quiet and conveniently located. No place to sit in the garden, no lawn furniture.

Business_and_leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

27 Dec 2023

Patrick

Fantastic stay!

Wonderful place and fantastic food. We had to find a place to stay before an early AM flight and they were even able to arrange for a 4AM transfer to the airport. Highly recommended!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Sep 2022

James

OUTSTANDING

My wife and I had a great stay at the Zawadi house. We were met at the reception by Yvonne, Nicholas, and Afti. We felt welcomed instantly. They did everything they could to make her stay comfortable and succeeded at every turn. I highly recommend this hotel and it's staff. If I get back to Arusha I will certainly stay there again.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

26 Aug 2022

JEROME

1 star motel. Ratings are bogus

Property is run down. It’s not what it looks like in the pictures. Also the reviews for this property appears to be bogus.
In the USA this property would get a 1 star rating. No microwave or refrigerator in the room.
Plus points are good service, clean and safe room

Business

10/10

Exceptional

19 Aug 2022

Julia

Zawadi house has a beautiful garden and clean facility. The staff are friendly and amenable. Laundry service was great.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

12 Aug 2022

Lawrence

Very pleasant accomodation. Enjoyed staff and stay.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Feb 2022

Nilanjan

Great and unique environment. Fantasticx friendly staff. Rooms have essential amenities like USB port charging. Only drawback would be its location, which is a bit out of the town and away from key locations in town.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

16 Feb 2022

Ronald

At first internet was down, but restored. Clean enough though washrooms needed some attention. Narrow road to hotel. Otherwise, good quiet place to stay.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jul 2021

Alexey

A nice and friendly place with a welcome warm and good shower! And a comfy bar for beers, flat screen TV to watch the international news and football (soccer)!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

Tranquil Hideaway

Tranquil Tropical Hideaway
Cozy secluded tropical lodge filled with welcoming staff who clearly took pride in their lodge and their country. Edwin the driver and guide went out of his way to help us feel welcome and assisted us to recover our lost luggage with his persistence in calling the airline as well as making a special trip to rendezvous with our suitcases on the way to safari. Lucky welcomed us warmly and managed the details of our staff and communications efficiently. Victor kept our room clean and comfortable as we rested during the rain and recovered from jet lag. Eric feed us well morning and evening! Do not miss his delicious chicken soup! We hope to return soon.

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

11 Aug 2019

Happy

Some of the parts of the room in very bad condition.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Jul 2019

Carol

Very nice and clean and very safe and quiet. A little out of the way.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jun 2019

Dark

The staff is amazing, clean place and quiet. Close to town.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 Jun 2019

Chris

Great Arusha base

This is an excellent place to stay in Arusha pre/post safari or Kili climb. The staff are very welcoming and helpful. The rooms are comfortable and excellent value for money.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

They were very acommandating on check out time and were very friendly. Nice place in a area that I was unsure of but turned out very well with making new friends that showed us the neighborhood.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jun 2019

Marina

Friendliest staff, comfortable rooms, great price

Fantastic stay, great price. The staff there all went out of their way to help us and emanated the friendliness and smiling culture of all the Tanzanian people we met. Especially shout out to Emanuel and Edward at the front desk, and the chef who made sure we were all fed. Don’t expect the expedient service you’re used to in the western world. But does it matter when you’re on holiday? It’s made up for by the attention and care and the way they all want to ensure you have the best experience of their country.

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

09 May 2019

Verified traveler

My room was large, convenient, and very clean. The grounds were excellent and the staff was welcoming and helpful.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

15 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

I was very impressed with the service. The staff is very kind and helpful at all time. Will definitely recommend anyone travelling to Arusha to stay there.

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

11 Apr 2019

Gillian

Basic and comfortable

The staff here were lovely, couldn’t do enough for you. The grounds were lovely and we had a good meal. The room was a bit run down but clean. It’s off the main road a bit and a good bit outside of Arusha. It suited us fine as we were getting taxi to the airport the next morning but the road from the main road to the hotel isn’t really a road. Very basic accommodation (by western standards) and comfortable.

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

07 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Great value!! Highly recommended.

Zawade House Lodge was a lovely oasis amongst the busyness of the big city of Arusha. The grounds are well cared for, the quaint stylish lodge attractive and the rooms very comfortable. To top it off the staff are amazingly hospitable and kind. They ensured our stay was a good one!

Family

2/10

Poor

18 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

Horrible

The bedsheets smelled like they had not been cleaned, the room was dirty and had spiders in various corners, the wifi never worked, and despite being assured we could pay with CC their machine was not working. The best part of the stay was the food which was good local food, however aside from that, we would never go back.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

The attentiveness and friendliness of the staff. Can't say there was anything we didn't like.

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

06 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Cost a lot more than expected but was beautiful

Aside from the \"free\" airport shuttle actually being 120usd...which they did discount but even with emails and website didn't waiver...the place was great. Be ready for everything to be expensive then you'll enjoy your trip. I'd advise confirming total prices of everything before arriving in writing including tours

8/10

Excellent

10 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Nice place quite .. not very central but good if need good sleep. Staff was friendly

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

07 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

The staff were very accommodating and friendly and the room was clean with hall the amenities I needed. The evening was extremely quiet and I was able to fall asleep quickly.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

15 Nov 2018

Jennifer

The location is amazing! The staff is incredibly friendly. The food is fantastic! The rooms are a bit dirty, but not too bad.

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

15 Nov 2018

Jessica

Nice Tanzanian-owned and run hotel

Charming, quiet, clean hotel in a real Arusha neighborhood. Young, local staff is eager to please and delivers personalized service. Dinner is cooked fresh from scratch- nothing is warmed over- you order from a menu with good choices for Western travelers and they knock on your door when it’s time to go to the dining room. Great way to learn more about the area and the people.

10/10

Exceptional

04 Nov 2018

Richard

The staff are absolutely superb. Such an oasis and relaxing place to stay in Arusha.

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2018

Sheila

I am telling you this little hotel is like finding Shangri-La!!! Everything about this jewel of a hotel in Arusha was amazing! The friendly, courteous & helpful staff was by far the biggest asset at Zawadi House Lodge. The room was perfect, cozy and clean. The food was extraordinary and creatively prepared. I had the receptionist find me a driver (Emmanuel) to take me to Arusha National Park to climb Mt Meru for a day hike. Emmanuel helped speed up my paperwork and before I knew it I was on a walking safari looking at giraffe, zebras, African buffalo etc.. It was the best day in Africa to have the Zawadi house arrange for my big adventure!!! I hated to check out. The whole staff came to say good-bye with a fun photo session before I left. I would highly recommend the Zawadi House Lodge to anyone!!!

8/10

Excellent

17 Sep 2018

Jacob

Great Hotel

The Zawadi House was a great escape from busy and dusty Arusha. The hotel was clean and had a nice grass area around the front. The bed was comfortable, the shower presssure and the air conditioner worked great. The staff was helpful and kind. I would definitely stay here again.

Friends

6/10

Pleasant

23 Aug 2018

Verified traveler

Great artwork. A nice stop on the way to and from our Safari

8/10

Excellent

30 Jul 2018

CHEE HUNG

A little hidden gem in Arusha.

Very comfort & clean, quiet place with great hospitality! Food provided are good & well setup.

Friends

8/10

Excellent

16 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

nice, clean, new hotel, with value for money

If you are in Ausha don't miss it out. Siple but clean comfortable, great breakfast and nice staff. Recommend it

6/10

Pleasant

28 Jan 2018

John C

Budget accommodation with great staff.

Disappointed with our choice of hotel, found the rooms small, dated and had poor lighting. The hotel was also a little far from the city centre and hard to find off a small dirt road. Having said this, it is a budget hotel, therefore it was priced right, it offered free wifi, the staff were very nice and helpful and we had a great dinner at there restaurant.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

05 Jan 2018

Alfa

we had a great time in zawadi house great customer care, good environment and we had a good moment to rest.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Sep 2017

Timothy

Good value

Clean, good mattress, good water pressure in shower. Very friendly and accommodating staff. Quite neighborhood.

8/10

Excellent

05 Sep 2017

Nancy

Peaceful oasis - boutique hotel excellent service

Wonderful, personalized service. Beautiful grounds, well worth the bumpy road ride get there. Staff is extremely attentive and friendly. They were able to arrange fantastic safari to Ngorongoro crater for us and provided convenient transport to the meetings we had in town. I highly recommend this lovely boutique hotel!

10/10

Exceptional

04 Sep 2017

Amini

A great place to stay in Arusha

I loved staying at Zawadi House. Everyone was friendly and professional. Emmanuel made my stay enjoyable. I really appreciate it. I had the chance to meet the owner Margaret. She is wonderful and warm. I enjoyed our conversation. I wish her and the family all of the success in the world. Next time you are in Arusha, seriously consider staying at Zawadi House.

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2017

Carlos

Nice hotel closer to the airport

This hotel is a great choice if you need to bridge your stay between the arrival/departure of your Safari. It is close to the airport, the price is very reasonable and is absolutely clean and comfortable. The staff was amazing, and the hotel counts with a good restaurant an a bar.

The road from the main road to the hotel is unpaved and in bad shape, but don't be afraid, the hotel is very clean. I definitely recommend this hotel.

8/10

Excellent

18 Aug 2017

Danielle

Warm welcoming guesthouse that rocks

Zawaldi is a lovely guest house with very welcoming and engaging staff. My room was well appointed however I couldn't open the curtains as they looked onto the main courtyard and reception - that is my only gripe. Best chicken curry at the restaurant and the bar reflects the owners R&B music tastes

8/10

Excellent

12 Aug 2017

Verified traveler

Good for leisure travelers

Personnel are very helpful and understanding.

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jun 2017

Frances

First night before start of safari, very good stay

Our first night in Tanzania before the start of our safari. The hotel is set back from the main road but very pretty property with excellent service. Would def recommend for people coming through Arusha.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jun 2017

Kamal

My Stay at Zawadi House was great. Great food, friendly staff, and in a quiet area surrounded by nature. My hosts took great care of me and catered to my personal needs whenever i asked, and even offered at times when i didn't ask. I would recommend this hotel to anyone going to Arusha.

8/10

Excellent

03 Jan 2017

Verified traveler

Nice one-night stay before a safari

This was a nice hotel. Staff were friendly and helpful. Food was good; we didn't want to wait until the restaurant opened at 1930 to order our food, as we wanted to get to bed early and they were happy to let us eat earlier. They provided us with a menu shortly after check-in and we let them know what we wanted and the time we wanted to eat.

8/10

Excellent

11 Sep 2016

Veer

Hotel employees were very warm and welcoming. Room was ok. Food was good. Internet service is very poor.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jul 2016

Verified traveler

Tucked out of the way and great service

Zawadi House is tucked out of the way but easily found by most tour operators. Great service, Emmanuel makes it run smoothly. No complaints

10/10

Exceptional

25 Dec 2015

Jenny

Single best service experience ever

I've travelled around the the world but I can honestly say that this was the best service experience I've ever had at a hotel. There were only a few guests when we stayed and we got to know the staff by name. They went out of their way to make sure we had a good experience and even prepared a special Christmas cake with a song for our breakfast on 25th of December. We also had a member of our company who came down with food poisoning and the lovely chef prepared food especially for her while the receptionist accompanied us personally to the pharmacy which was open on Christmas Day. Thanks Sawadi for lovely memories and we would recommend this to any travellers staying in Arusha (we stayed in connection to a safari).

Family

8/10

Excellent

16 Nov 2015

Ofelia

An oasis in the desert

It was an oasis in the desert,

The neighborhood was the pits, the hotel was very nice.
A wall separated both.
The rooms were quiet, spacious and comfortable.
The staff did their best to make the stay as best as possible.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

05 Oct 2015

karla

Great customer service but no power.

Exceptional customer service, so my rating is based solely on the lack of electricity, malfunctioning power generator and no water. The assistant manager Manuel went out if his way to make our stay pleasant in lieu of all the issues I mentioned. The location is out of the way, about 20 min from the center of Arusha, so figure a $20 cab ride to and from town. It was really nice to have a TV alter 16 days of tents and mountain climbing; it would have been fantastic to have running hot water and power!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Sep 2015

Lior

Good Base for arusha

We stayed in another hotel in Arusha with no hot water. So we moved to this hotel. Lovely staff and small family feel. Room had hot water, safe, air-conditioning (though it stopped) and was a good Base for us in arusha. Loved the little white rabbits in the garden. Service in kitchen very slow if you don't order ahead. All staff very friendly and helpful.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

16 Sep 2015

Brett

A good introduction to Tanzania.

A fairly small hotel that I think struggles with any unusual requests. Wifi didn't work with not much attempt to assist. The kitchen serves very nice food but 1 1/4 hours waiting for main meal was exhausting after a huge day. The staff are lovely and try there best with what they have.

8/10

Excellent

16 Mar 2015

Leslie

Zwadi House is oasis in dry Arusha, Tanzania

This hotel is truly an oasis in the middle of a true African neighborhood off the main highway through Arusha. Don't let the pothole strewn dirt road to the entrance scare you. The place is small, cozy, beautiful with pretty gardens and bunnies in the front grass. The staff were awesome and personable. Breakfast was HUGE and included with the price. The fresh fruit plate alone was a meal. If you have to be in Arusha - I would definitely stay here.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Dec 2014

Verified traveler

Friendly and comfortable place to start a safari

We arrived here after a long flight from the US with a group of 8. The staff was very friendly accommodating our late check in as well as opening up the bar for a night cap. The hotel is quaint and comfortable and a great way to begin the safari experience. As is typical in Arusha you can hear dogs barking at night and the prayers in the morning but is all part of the culture. The road to the hotel is rough but in an area where safe to walk out during the day for supplies and the courtyard was wonderful for our briefing after breakfast.

10/10

Exceptional

10 Oct 2014

Traci Caves

Wonderful experience

Stayed four nights- two before and two after safari. Delicious meals with flexible timing. Emanuel was exceptional in providing any services we required. Housekeeping was responsive to our laundry needs and kept the room dry clean. Shuttle services to and from the airport were right on time as well as additional transportation twice into town. Very friendly staff! Thank you to everyone at Zawadi House.

8/10

Excellent

29 Sep 2014

Sfg

Big Smiles

It is a great place for a good night sleep before starting the safari. Very friendly staff! I forgot my reading glasses and they were delivered to me by the ever so friendly Emanual to my next connecting flight at Arusha airport. I liked my experience.

8/10

Excellent

17 Jul 2014

Walker

Zawadi House provides a welcome and well designed respite in Arusha. The staff provided excellent service and could not be more helpful.

6/10

Pleasant

28 May 2014

A. J.

Nothing Special

Hotel in a very secluded area. Not appropriate to leave the grounds for walking. Road to the Hotels is a dirt road through small narrow streets and in very poor condition, even for a 4x4. Staff were very pleasant, friendly and helpful but they do not have much experience with looking after guests. Food in the restaurant was average.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2014

francine

I am a return visitor from last year and was once again pleased with my 3 night stay. Staff was friendly and attentive and I greatly appreciated the air conditioning! It's located just outside of Arusha in a residential neighborhood, but I didn't find it too loud. If you're looking for a place close to Arusha bars and nightlife, look elsewhere. ZH isn't a hostel or an upscale safari lodge, but rather a good choice for the transitional traveler looking for Western style amenities at decent price in Arusha. I did have trouble connecting to their WIFI, but I didn't bring it up to the staff. If I had, I'm sure it would have been promptly addressed.

6/10

Pleasant

19 Mar 2014

Karlskrona

Perfect hotel for overnight stay before safari

Stayed here 2 nights, one before and one after a safari. The room was clean and the service was ok, however the price of the dinner varied a lot from one evening to another.

10/10

Exceptional

12 Mar 2014

Verified traveler

Amazing

The Zawadi House is fantastic. It's an incredible nice place to stay and the rooms are beautiful. You receive a warmly welcome from the staff.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Feb 2014

Dinah

Clean nice place, and very friendly stuff

We stayed at this hotel the night of arrival to Tanzania, before we went on a safari. Everyone on the stuff was incredibly nice - we arrived in the middle of the night, and had no trouble checking in. The room and the bathroom were both clean, although tiny. The bed was comfortable, the water was hot, the toiletries were provided. The breakfast in the morning was awesome - plenty of fruit, and hot items (eggs, porridge) cooked to order. The stuff went out of their way to make us comfortable - they served breakfast after the official \"breakfast end time\" because we needed to sleep in due to very late arrival.
I wish we also stayed there the night after safari on the way out of the country (instead of staying in a supposedly fancy downtown hotel which was supposed to be \"five star\" but turned out to be terrible).

8/10

Excellent

30 Jan 2014

Verified traveler

Very pleasant, quiet hotel set in pretty garden

On entry through the gates it looks like a very smart house, rather than hotel. It is deceptively large but has a very homely, quiet feel and there is a pretty garden at the front and courtyard beyond the reception area. The ensuite rooms are immaculate, attractive and v.well appointed but not huge.The beds are super-comfy and the staff very welcoming and helpful. The internet connection is erratic unless you use the modem - which is shared with other guests. The electricity went off a few times in the night - a bit of a pain as I needed to pack for early start the next day.
In all, I would highly recommend the hotel, particularly if you have the energy to go into town for supper.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2014

Daniel Watson-Weller

Great peaceful place to stay

Just a 5min cab ride to the center of town this is a fantastic new peaceful place to stay. The staff is fantastic, the quality of the room great. The only challenge is internet in that it is spotty at best. I would stay here again and in fact am going to after going on Safari with my mother.

Family