The Charity Hotel International

I loved having a balcony facing Mount Meru, and there are several kinds of rooms, some looking over reception instead. Breakfast was dependable, with toast, eggs, fruit, jam, and also sweet potatoes, greens, meat, and chapati, plus tea, coffee, and juice. I ate dinner there quite a few times too, and the menu ran to four pages. I spent nearly a month there, from mid-October to mid-November 2025, while volunteering nearby. The garden is beautiful enough that local couples use it for wedding pictures, and it feels like a peaceful pocket behind the busy streets of Sakina, fairly near downtown. Charity and the staff worked hard to make things comfortable, even during the election shutdown. They arranged rides, handled laundry, made calls, and tried to answer questions when nobody seemed to know the answers. They let our safari group meet there, and I could host friends from a nearby college on the property. They made guests and visitors feel welcome over and over. Arusha can be dusty and hectic, traffic can be dangerous, communication is tricky, and plumbing and internet aren’t always reliable. That’s part of life here, and nothing is perfect. The rooms are adequate, the food is good, the garden is lovely, and the staff keep making an effort to help.

The rooms were decent, and it’s a nice little place. What really stood out was how friendly and helpful the staff were, especially at the front desk.

My room had a balcony looking toward Mount Meru, and there’s a restaurant and bar by a lovely garden. It’s budget accommodation, but the room was spacious, comfortable, clean, and had mineral water and AC. Some parts feel old and could use repairs. I didn’t mind the small shower leak or the occasional dead plug, given the room size and balcony. The staff were nice.

The garden was peaceful, breakfast was a good buffet, and the staff were welcoming. They helped us get taxis and brought extra towels late at night when someone in our group had travel sickness. I stayed as part of a budget safari with 7 wonders. The room itself was dark, some lights didn’t work, and there was food and rubbish under the chair. Another traveler said they got bed bugs there. The bathroom was dirty, with mold on the walls. It has potential, but the bathrooms need a deep clean.