Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge

As one of Tanzania’s premium coffee lodges, this property makes for the ideal start or end to any safari holiday, with gourmet dining, sprawling lodge-style rooms and myriad excursions on offer on the site of one of the country’s largest coffee plantations.

Once the 1900s home of the original landowner, interiors here are anything but old-fashioned. Looking out onto stunning forest views, rooms spill out onto private verandas and feature exposed timber beams and four-poster beds among polished floors and cosy exposed brick-surrounded log-burning fires. Then, the ‘plantation suites’ go one up with private balconies, rainforest showers, free-standing baths and sun terraces adorned with fireplaces; there’s even a personal attendant on hand to tend to your every need.

Dining is, as expected from the luxury Elewana brand, first-class. There’s everything from picnics on the plantation to four-course lunches, but it’s dinner-time that’s the real treat, from ultra-fresh, local produce in The Grill, accompanied by an excellent wine list, to straight-from-the-oven pizzas at The Bistro. It's all best capped off with a cocktail or two at the stylish wood-clad bar.

Come daytime, embark on everything from guided tours of the coffee estate to visiting nearby Arusha National Park, all accompanied by commanding views of Mt Meru’s foothills. Nearby, there’s the likes of coffee houses, gift shops and the museum of Natural History, then back at base, a fabulous spa and tree-ringed swimming pool add to the delights.