White House Hostels - Arusha

The outdoor common area looked cool and welcoming, but with nobody around it felt abandoned and strange. We arrived around New Year's to a completely empty hostel and left for somewhere else within two hours because I felt uncomfortable and dirty. After talking to other people, I heard this is usually an awesome place to stay. Maybe the recent civil unrest has kept visitors away and changed the atmosphere. If there had been more guests, I might have been able to overlook the issues and stay. The location is somewhat outside the main part of the city. Our safari guide pointed one way and warned us it wasn't safe, then said to walk the other way, which made us uneasy about going outside. Check-in was also awkward. I received an email saying my reservation was received but not confirmed, and when I realized a few days before the trip that no confirmation had come, I contacted them. They said I could pay on arrival. My brother had the same issue and never got a reply. When we showed up, there were no other guests, and the two workers didn't seem to be expecting us. It was a little hard to communicate with them in English, though that wasn't surprising. We eventually got shown to our rooms, and the manager arrived about an hour later. My bathroom had no shower curtain, and there was mold or something on the shower. The room door kept sticking and was hard to open.

There are different services here that can make people happy. The White House hostels can be useful for all kinds of people, and you can enjoy what they provide.

We held our wedding reception at White House in December 2024, and Lucy organized everything so well that it all went smoothly. The staff were helpful throughout our stay and really went above and beyond. Thank you all for making our special day so memorable.

The price was reasonable for accommodation that was quite nice, and we really enjoyed the food. The safari they arranged for us was excellent and worth the money. Still, a couple of things disappointed us. The happy hour sign advertised discounted prices, but we weren't given the discount, which felt misleading. We were also told beforehand that the taxi transfer was included, then asked for $50 each way when we arrived. After talking it through, we worked out a deal that included one transfer.