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Arusha Coffee Lodge

May 1, 2015 in Food, Travel by traveleatlove | No comments

I’m not done with Tanzania yet! I have a few more blog posts to write, and I plan on savoring each photo and memory as I write about this experience of a lifetime.

For other posts on our travel in Tanzania, check out these links:

Luxury Accommodations at Maramboi Tented Camp, Tanzania

Tarangire National Park Safari with Overseas Adventure Travel, Tanzania

Serengeti Camping

Serengeti Game Drives

Shanga and Riverhouse Arusha Tanzania

On the same day we had an incredible experience at Shanga, we relaxed over lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge. It was a luxurious property that was a real treat for our travel-weary bodies. We arrived at the Arusha Coffee Lodge and were welcomed with creamy cold coffee drinks that were just what we needed after our morning at Shanga. We found seats under a shaded pavilion and then gathered around to watch a Tanzanian cooking demo.

Our chefs showed us how to make delicious Tanzanian dishes such as Makande (mixed bean pot), Pilau (spiced rice), and Kuku Paka (chicken in coconut).

Meanwhile, polenta bubbled away in a cauldron. Once ready, it would provide the perfect base for the saucy dishes we enjoyed.

Sticking with the South African wine theme that was woven through our Tanzania trip, we shared a bottle of Graham Beck brut, always a favorite of mine. A wine trip to South Africa is on my bucket list!

Lunch was simply amazing, a mix of spices and fresh ingredients that made us all go back for more.

After lunch we all moved on to a comfy seating area for orange cake and to sample coffee grown on the plantation down the street. The coffee was smooth and rich, perfect without milk or sugar. Simple, perfect, just the way so many things in Tanzania were.

Arusha Coffee Lodge is most definitely a place I would love to visit again, perhaps to stay on the way to Tarangire. It’s well located, elegant, and has an excellent food and beverage offering.

Tags: Arusha, Food, Graham Beck, hotels, restaurants. Africa, sparkling wine, Tanzania, Travel, travel blog, wine

Travel Tuesday: Inn at Mystic

April 28, 2015 in Travel by traveleatlove | 1 comment

It was a beautiful New England weekend, perfect for a getaway to Mystic, Connecticut. The kind people at the Inn at Mystic invited us to be their guests for a night, and since I hadn’t been to Mystic since I was very young, we were excited to make a weekend of it.

There’s a ton to do in Mystic, including shopping, great eating, visiting the Mystic Seaport and all of the historic boats, and I will share more on that later. Our home base for the trip, Inn at Mystic, could not have been better. Located just at the edge of town, the inn is perched atop a hill, giving it stunning views of Mystic Harbor and Fischer’s Island Sound.

inn at mystic

Everyone at the inn, and everyone in Mystic, in fact, was really friendly and welcoming. It’s a happy little town, and being that it’s so beautiful, it’s easy to see why.

Our room was absolutely lovely. My favorite features included a gigantic Jacuzzi tub and a wood burning fireplace, along with our balcony with beautiful views.

Decor was simple and classic, blues, whites, and browns creating a relaxing and comfortable vibe. The room featured a variety of high end toiletries and a coffee maker, both nice touches. Every little comfort was thought of, and we felt so well taken care of.

The Inn at Mystic’s restaurant Harbour House shares the stunning views that our room had, and offers guests an expansive patio for enjoying food and drink and a bit of sunshine.

Inside the restaurant was equally as sunny and bright. What an inviting space!

The bar had a great cocktail menu, and I had a delicious Manhattan during Happy Hour while we chatted about our day and started to get hungry for dinner.

Our stay generously included dinner at Harbour House, and we stuck with the seafood theme we had kicked off at lunch. Ahi Tuna Tacos were some of the best fish tacos I have ever had. I don’t need to eat fried fish tacos ever again! Everything in the tacos was bursting with flavor, citrus, spice, and an addictive wasabi dipping sauce.

The seafood tower we ordered was the stuff of my dreams. Giant shrimp, lobster, clams, and oysters, all with spicy cocktail sauce and mignonette made for a filling and healthy dinner. It also provided fuel for dancing into the night.

Harbour House was just getting started when we finished dinner, so some Connecticut wine and dancing rounded out our night, all in all a beautiful and really fun experience. The Inn at Mystic went above and beyond and clearly knew the true meaning of hospitality from start to finish. I would return again in a heartbeat; in fact I am trying to convince family and friends to meet us there for a weekend getaway.

The Inn at Mystic welcomed us as their guests, and our room, dinner, and breakfast were hosted. All opinions are my own.

Tags: Connecticut, CT, hotels, inns, Travel, travel blog

Tanzania: Luxury at Maramboi Tented Camp + Maasai Warrior Game Walk

March 19, 2015 in Food, Living, Travel by traveleatlove | 4 comments

In the weeks leading up to our trip to Tanzania, we reviewed our itinerary about a million times and checked out the websites of the lodges and camps we were to stay at, all the while finding it almost impossible to imagine ourselves there. We’ve been back for a week, and honestly it all seems like a dream. The colors, the smells, the sounds, the food, all so vibrant that they felt part of a different world that we got to be part of for a short while.

Upon arrival we learned that there was a slight change to our itinerary for the our visit to Tarangire National Park. Instead of staying in Lake Burunge, we were moved to Maramboi Tented Camp which turned out to be a very lucky switch for us.

After a dusty day of game driving in Tarangire, we pulled up to Maramboi and were greeted with cold towels and hibiscus iced tea. Tanzanian welcomes are something I could get used to!

Being that it’s a camp, the accommodations at Maramboi are technically tents, but tents that happen to be permanent and luxurious.

This is glamping at its finest! Our bed was so comfy, and we had a huge shower with plenty of hot water.

We also had a porch with a view for days, which was filled with zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, warthogs, and ostriches.

The grounds of the camp were even more impressive, with a sprawling dining area and a long boardwalk out to the pool, where we happily spent our sunset each night.

Just like in all of the other places we stayed, the food at Maramboi was delicious. Dinners were more African-influenced, while lunch one day was definitely geared toward travelers with options like fish and chips in addition to lentils, spinach, rice, and quiche.

And as it did in every other stop on the trip. mineral-y South African white wines were flowing.

While staying at Maramboi we had the opportunity to go for a nature walk with a junior Maasai warrior, and it was just breathtaking.

While getting up close and personal with non-predator animals, we learned about Maasai culture and our beautiful surroundings. It was definitely one of the more memorable afternoons of the trip for me.

Of course it didn’t hurt to go back to our tent and watch zebras in a watering hole. They were so close at night that we could hear them ripping up grass. Another one of the tents had zebras rubbing up against the tent to scratch. We were definitely at one with nature while also in the lap of luxury at Maramboi.