Arusha Safari Lodge

Stairs lead up to the main's building's large patio, with chairs set around a clay fireplace. Indoors, old maps and emotive black-and-white photographs decorate the walls of the restaurant, where pretty decent breakfasts, lunches and dinners are served. Similar artworks hang in the lounge, where a cluster of couches and chairs surround a fireplace. The pool is the place to escape the summer heat. Take a dip, then stroll the gardens, gazing at sacred Mount Meru.

Accommodation is in two large rooms in the main house and seven cottages spread around the garden. The cheery beeswax-yellow cottages are generously spacious, thatched with palm leaves, with polished concrete floors underfoot (both roof and floor could use a little TLC). Mosquito netting drapes the intricately carved four-poster wooden beds from Zanzibar. The en-suite bathrooms, some totally open to the bedroom, have showers, basins, and a flush lavatory. Two bathrooms also have stand-alone Victorian tubs.

Most visitors simply pass through Arusha, which frankly offers scant attractions other than curios. However, the lodge gardens are worth exploring for the interesting plants and birds. The best time is early morning (chances are you'll be woken by the call to prayer from the local mosque). Here for a few days? Head to nearby Arusha National Park. Undeservedly overlooked, the park incorporates Mt Meru, the Momela Lakes (perfect for canoeing), plentiful birdlife, and the chance to spot a leopard.