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Located in the heart of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, our hotel is an intermediate point between the Meliá Serengeti Lodge Meliá Collection and Gran Meliá Arusha hotels, near Lake Manyara Airport, and between the Serengeti National Park and the Tarangire National Park. Both its interior and exterior design are in harmony with the environment that surrounds it. Its facilities and services are respectful of the natural environment. It features very spacious rooms, The Spa and offers unique experiences. The hotel, with a sustainable philosophy, has been designed for guests to feel immersed in the Tanzanian culture. Enjoy a 4x4 or walking safari through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a luxury picnic at the edge of the crater or a visit to a Maasai village. It has all the comforts and a handcrafted decoration that imbues the spaces with their own personality. Step into our spa to relax and enjoy a massage. A prime location where you can live an exclusive and memorable adventure.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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While the Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection's value proposition receives mixed reviews due to pricing concerns, guests consistently laud the hotel for its prime location with unmatched crater views. The service here is often highlighted as warm and attentive, ensuring a personalized and professional experience.
Cleanliness and luxurious amenities, including heated pools and comfortable rooms, are also highly praised, contributing to the serene and opulent atmosphere that makes this lodge a tranquil retreat. However, some guests have noted that the rooms can feel a bit tight space-wise.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Serene
Rooms
Stylish
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Luxurious
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It was an absolute delight of a stay. From the warmest welcome we’ve ever had to the amazing views to the crater, everything was top-notch and way above our expectations.
Cesar, the GM, pays tremendous attention to details. Everything is locally produced, sourced or created. We met artisans, painters and even the chef who explained to us about their ingredients and where they came from.
Even the vases for the shampoo, conditioner and body lotion were locally produced.
The hotel is brand new and yet they managed to combine modern design with safari aesthetics which blends perfectly well.
It’s the only hotel in the crater with a heated pool, jacuzzi and with a suite like the one we had. Our terrace was gigantic offering unobtrusive views to the crater and caldera. Our terrace even had a dining space and a fireplace which was set up at night by the Maasai so we could enjoy the outdoors.
Our suite even had a living room, kitchenette, and an office space which is perfect for longer stays.
The food and menu created by Chef Alberto Leiva is absolutely fantastic. We got to taste not only local food, but also lobster from Zanzibar and meat from South Africa. The first evening we got to try Mediterranean dishes including tortilla given the Spanish origins of Chef Alberto. As Iberian ourselves we felt right at home.
Lisbetty was a wonderful supervisor and host, she was the one who got everything organized for us. Whether it’s advising us about the time we should wake up, have breakfast, go down to the caldera, she was always ready to give us tips to enhance our stay.
Veronica and the waiting staff was also absolutely amazing and very kind. We truly appreciate how everyone was so welcoming.
We met with the Masai in our first day and I got to learn how they do fire, how they dance and even about their hunting habits and weapons. It was absolutely incredible.
I so regret to have booked only two nights. This hotel is a must! And I really want to come back soon.
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Melia Ngorongoro, Guest Services / Front Office at Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection
Responded Mar 2, 2024
Dear Melanie, ¡Greetings from Ngorongoro Lodge, Member of Melia Collection! First of all, we would like to thank you for choosing our Lodge as part of your safari adventure in Tanzania, we are thrilled to know that we were able to contribute to such as an amazing experience. It is delightful to hear that our staff members impressed you with their warm smiles, genuine hospitality, and their willingness to go above and beyond to ensure your satisfaction throughout your stay. Dear Melanie, I will share your amazing feedback with all special Veronica , the Massai and everyone who made you very happy for our side. We believe that exceptional customer service is a key element in creating memorable experiences, and your kind words affirm our commitment to delivering outstanding service to all our valued guests. It was an absolute pleasure to host you and Mr.Diogo, we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future for another exceptional holiday experience. We miss you already. Lisbetty Lopez Perez Guest Experience Manager
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Our holiday company upgraded us to this hotel as part of our safari package. We can honestly say that it was lovely to have some real luxury between our stays at tented lodges! The panoramic view from the hotel, which is perched on the crater rim, is spectacular to say the least! We were upgraded to a suite and enjoyed the same 180 degree view as from the main reception area. This hotel has undergone new management and a complete refurb and if you stay here, you will not be disappointed! The food was excellent as was the choice of drinks. We had the Silver package which is worth the money and it felt like most of the drinks ( bar a few) were included. We were well looked after by Daniel in the dining room.
The good thing about this place is that you are already inside the national park and it only about a 30 min drive down to the floor of the crater. It was busy with jeeps but August is the peak season. We actually got to see a rhino!
There is still some building work going on at the hotel but this did not interfere with our stay. I believe they are adding a pool.
Absolutely no complaints about this hotel…it was a joy to stay here!
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Bring warm clothing for early morning game drive.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Melia Ngorongoro, Guest Services / Front Office at Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection
Responded Aug 29, 2023
Dear clairemN3287DA: Greetings from Ngorongoro Lodge Member of Melia Collection! We would like to take this opportunity and thanking you for sharing with us your experience during your stay in our Lodge. We are very happy to know that we were able to reach your needs and you had a pleasant stay with us. On behalf of the team, once again we thank you very much for the review. Sincerely!! Lisbetty Lopez Perez Guest Experience Manager
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If you can afford it, stay here. We could only afford one night at the end of our safari at this lodge but it was really so worth it. All guest rooms offer unmatched views of Ngorongoro Crater. The view that most tourists only get for 15 minutes at a crowded observation deck, you'll enjoy over sun-downer drinks at the lodges outdoor decks, from the heated pool, from the treadmill in the gym and even from your bed in you room. Views of the crater are stunning at every turn in this hotel. You will not find a place without a jaw dropping vista.
Not sure what room rate we booked since it was through our tour company, but we had all inclusive food, drinks and even minibar and in-room snacks. Wide selection of inclusions as well, not like some 'all-inclusives'. Staff here was some of the best we encountered in Tanzania. Truly friendly and attentive. The Melia brand is lucky to have managers Jacob and Jonah. The staff in the restauraunt and house keeping staff we encountered were also top notch.
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Date of stay: February 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mohamed benedict, Guest Services / Front Office at Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection
Responded 5 weeks ago
Dear alanwong123. Greetings from Ngorongoro Lodge, Member of Melia Collection! First of all, we would like to thank you for choosing our Lodge during your last visit to Tanzania, as well as for taking some of your valuable time to send us your feedback through Trip Advisor. It is such a pleasure to receive feedback positive as yours, for our staff, the best reward is knowing that our guests leave happy and wishing to come back, so your response will be shared with all our team. We are very happy to know that we were able to meet your needs and that you had an enjoyable stay with us. On behalf of the team, we once again thank you very much for your feedback. Best regards!! Lisbetty Lopez Perez Guest Experience Manager.
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Our stay at the Grand Meliá Ngorongoro was absolutely delightful! The rooms were stunning, offering breathtaking views of the crater and beautifully designed interiors that combined luxury with local charm. The staff were exceptionally friendly and attentive, making us feel truly welcomed throughout our visit. We enjoyed delicious meals at the on-site restaurants, enhancing our experience even further. The lodge's serene atmosphere and proximity to nature made it a perfect retreat after our safari adventures. We highly recommend this gem for anyone visiting Tanzania.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Melia Ngorongoro, Guest Services / Front Office at Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection
Responded Dec 10, 2024
Dear Excursion1562344117009, Jambo! On behalf of the entire Ngorongoro Lodge team, we would like to thank you for share this great review about your experience with us. We are really glad to know that we reached your needs and your could enjoyed properly your stay at this beautiful location. Once again, our most sincere thanks for the review! We hope to welcome you back soon. I remain at your disposal Best regards, Lisbetty Lopez Perez Guest Experience Manager
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Our stay at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge was unforgettable. From luxurious rooms (including a suite upgrade) to stunning wildlife views, every detail was exceptional.
The service was impeccable—the staff noticed even small things, like an uneven table, and shared fascinating stories about their experiences with local wildlife. The food was incredible, with authentic flavors and pastries rivaling those in France.
The heated pool was a highlight, letting us enjoy sunrise swims in total comfort. This lodge offers unmatched luxury, amazing service, and breathtaking surroundings. Highly recommend!
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Melia Ngorongoro, Guest Services / Front Office at Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection
Responded Dec 24, 2024
Dear simply0celine, Greetings from Ngorongoro Lodge Member of Melia Collection! We are very happy to know that we were able to meet your needs and that you had an enjoyable stay with us. On behalf of the team, we once again thank you very much for your feedback. Best regards!! Lisbetty Lopez Perez Guest Experience Manager.
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My wife, son and I were fortunate enough to recently stay at the Melia during our 2 week Kenya/Tanzania journey celebrating our son’s college graduation. The Melia is absolutely incredible! Our only misfortune with the experience was that we could only stay 1 night due to a tight schedule on our part. Upon entering the resort, one is blown away at the vistas portraying the the crater and surrounding volcanic panoramas. We are well travelled and have witnessed some amazing sights including Machu Picchu, Patagonia, the Alps and the Great Barrier Reef to name a few. The view offered at the Melia rivals such beauty. Beyond the view, the Melia offers a variety of other 5 star delights including culinary, service and facilities. The meals are offered family style amongst your group which allows you to sample a bit of everything. Coming from a line of cooks/chefs, we know good food. We sampled nothing that was not top notch—everything from the lunch pizza and chicken burger (the best chicken burger that we have ever been served!), breakfast omelets to the finer cuisine offered at dinner! By the way, the cocktails (which are part of the package) are of extremely high brand and well made. Beyond the luxury dining and bar facilities, the resort sports a beautiful gym, infinity pool, lounge and rooms offering stunning views. The evening is rounded out with local Masai dancers offering a glimpse of their lifestyle. We highly encourage a visit—a 2/3 night stay would be perfect!
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Melia Ngorongoro, Guest Services / Front Office at Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection
Responded Jul 15, 2024
Dear Mr. Scott. B, ¡Greetings from Ngorongoro Lodge, Member of Melia Collection! First of all, we would like to thank you for choosing our Lodge as part of your safari adventure in Tanzania, we are thrilled to know that we were able to contribute to such as an amazing experience. It is delightful to hear that our staff members impressed you with their warm smiles, genuine hospitality, and their willingness to go above and beyond to ensure your satisfaction throughout your stay. I will share your amazing feedback with all the staff, the Massai and everyone who made you very happy for our side. We hope to see you again.!! Big hug from our entire team. Kind Regards, Lisbetty Lopez Perez Guest Experience Manager
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Our family of 4 stayed here for 2 nights in January 2024. There is a lot to love about the property - from the moment you walk through the entrance you are greeted by the most show stopping view of the Ngorongoro Crater! You would be hard pressed to find a better view anywhere. The lounge area is beautifully designed and very cosy. The food was abundant and Alberto took great care of us, especially when we requested a few meal variations for our children. The rooms were comfortable however given the room rate they were very small. Also, for the price I would have expected a ceiling fan at a minimum, but also air conditioning. The rooms were quite stuffy as you could not have the windows open with the curtains closed so at night, there was zero fresh air. This really needs to be rectified as a simple thing like the right window configuration shouldn’t let this beautiful hotel down. Like all Melia properties, the staff were warm, friendly, welcoming and respectful. A highlight was finding the resident buffalo right outside our window one morning!
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Be sure to check if your room has air conditioning before booking
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Melia Ngorongoro, Guest Services / Front Office at Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection
Responded Feb 5, 2024
Dear LittleAffy, Greetings from Ngorongoro Lodge Member of Melia Collection! It is such a pleasure to receive feedback positive as yours, for our staff, the best reward is knowing that our guests leave happy and wishing to come back, so your response will be shared with all our team. We work out in the rest of observations that you made because are incredibly important for us in order to constantly improve our service. Be assured we will continue working with our passion to make you feel special and unique during your future trips to Tanzania. Kind Regards, Lisbetty Lopez Perez Guest Experience Manager
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Considering the photos on the Melia website and the price of the rooms, we were disappointed. After two nights at Melia Serengeti we expected more.
The rooms are really small, with two suitcases it is difficult to move around, no place to work, no dressing table for the ladies. What is really missing is a large mirror to get ready.
The bathroom is tiny, the shower tray is very poorly made, the water escapes and soaks the entire room. No place to store toiletries…
The room is very poorly insulated, you can hear absolutely every noise in the hallway. To access the swimming pool you have to go down the floors and cross the corridors.
Disappointing for a 5 star. On the other hand, the swimming pool is heated, very pleasant. The team takes great care.
And an undeniable WoW effect when it comes to the view of the crater
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Prévoir des tenues chaudes car il fait froid dans les couloirs et dans les salles communes.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hotel is located in a beautiful location. Service is on par for a 5* luxury hotel. The rooms are on the smaller side but clean and comfortable enough. However, the reason for the one star rating is the terrible food. We were served overcooked frozen shrimp in a “Tom Yum” soup that tasted more like blended vegetable soup. We were also served “Chinese style rice” that was reminiscent of pre-made frozen rice that was re-heated. We were also served noodles that tasted like overcooked unflavoured pad Thai. There was one main dish which was acceptable and this was the beef skewers. For a hotel of this caliber, I could not have imagined food this terrible. Please note these were the only options available for dinner.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Avoid Mondays since that’s Asian night and was the night we stayed. Maybe the food is better when...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mohamed benedict, Guest Services / Front Office at Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection
Responded Oct 5, 2024
Dear Ms Britneywhatever Greetings from Ngorongoro Lodge, Member of Melia collection! Thank very much for your feedback as this is the best way we can improve. As you commented with our General Manager in Serengeti, the last 15 days we had a large number of guests from Asia, so we decided to try a new special menu for all of them. Unfortunately, the result wasn't the expected. We apologized for the experience you had, and we wish you would have had a good homecoming. Thanks so much Kind Regards Mohamed Benedict Rajab Guest Experience Supervisor
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the location of the hotel is perfect, with an amazing view on the crater. rooms are newly refurbished as well as the common area. when we visited the renovation works were still in progress in some zones and the personnel in training. The foreign staff is constantly working and supervising the operations, from check in to checkout, and will raise the standard with time. Somehow I found the all set up a bit confused with the local stuff very polite and willing to help but insecure on what to do. With time this will hopefully disappear. Simple things as getting an extra towel for the shower seems to require top management authorization. with time all these things will become routine (hopefully) . In summary, great place to stay, service needs some practice (and this is why i can't give a 5stars rating) , all the right requisites and commitment to get to a 5stars experience.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Melia Ngorongoro, Guest Services / Front Office at Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá Collection
Responded Aug 7, 2023
Dear gionatav417: Jambo!! Thank you for choosing Ngorongoro Lodge for your visit to the Crater. It has been our true pleasure accommodating you and we are happy to hear that you had a wonderful stay with us. Once again thank you for taking time to share your feedback we do appreciate your honesty and opinions, and I would like to ask you to please accept our apologies for any inconvenience you have had. Our most sincere thanks for the review! We hope to welcome you back soon. I remain at your disposal. Best regards, Lisbetty López Pérez Guest Experience Manager
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There are more places to choose from in the Lerai Ranger Post area.
PRICE RANGE
C$1,418 - C$1,510 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
TanzaniaArusha RegionNgorongoro Conservation AreaLerai Ranger Post
NUMBER OF ROOMS
60
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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