Onsea House
near Arusha, Tanzania
A newly opened chic retreat with top gourmet cuisine, just a short drive from Arusha
East of Arusha, a line of hills covered in lush, subtropical
vegetation run up towards the towering cone of Mount Meru. Onsea
House grabs a perch on the first of these green ridges, with
soaring views out to the town and to the distant flank of the Rift
Valley: sunsets seen from here are simply phenomenal. Dirk and Axel
Janssens, two polyglot cousins from Belgium, created this
diminutive boutique guest house with a brief of providing top-notch
accommodation and first-class food. They've succeeded brilliantly
on both counts.
Onsea House bills itself as a 'home from home', and from the moment
that you're greeted by Axel's easy smile it feels good to be here.
The relaxed mood flows over into the bar and sitting room: the
deeply cushioned sofas, bright Tinga Tinga artwork, angular lamps
and light slanting in from high, valley-facing windows impart a
feel that's bright and uplifting. Bedrooms have the same
cared-for feel and the restaurant's gourmet cuisine further gilds
this remarkable African lily.
Reviewed by Guy Hunter Watts
Last updated
03 September 2010
Highs
- You won't find better food in Arusha: just a year after opening, Onsea's restaurant is the favoured venue of the local intelligentsia
- This is a perfect place to chill before or after a safari or gruelling Kili' ascent
- The subtropical garden's exotic plants, trees and bushes are home to myriad avian and insect life
- The dining terrace and alfresco sitting area, with long views out across the valley, is a great place to be at any time of night or day
- The lodge is set on a hillside peppered with smallholdings: you get to see plenty of ethnic colour by simply stepping outside the front gate
Lows
- The 2 rooms that give onto the restaurant's dining terrace feel a little too much in the public eye
- You should expect to hear galagos (night apes) in the small hours
- Rooms in the garden cottage are accessed by exiting through a locked gate, crossing a dirt road, then passing through a second locked gate: all a bit of a to-do
