I booked my Kili trip with Acacia Africa who outsources to Zara tours, the mob who operate this hotel. Included in the package was a night's accomodation before and after the trek. Zara operates their treks with fantastic efficency and are reasonably priced.

The good things about Springlands- the hotel is simple, clean and sufficient. Don't expect luxury because it's not but it's not a dive either. Expect power outages and some minor maintainences issues here are there. The staff (and there's lots of them) are friendly and I suspect that they have been orientated to smile and greet every guest that passes by. Things are quite efficently run although there is a bit of a queue in the morning to pay the cashier on checkout. Nice cheap beer in the beer garden.

The bad things- the food was mediocre- boiled eggs like rocks for breakfast. Lunch and dinner are more like a boarding school. The hotel is a fair way out of town although I enjoyed walking into town in the late afternoon for dinner (taxi back for safety factors). Some things are expensive by local standards like massage and laundry.

My friend and I stayed here in October 2010 as part of our Kili climb and Safari and had a nice time in doing so.

Our room was clean, no problems in getting hot water (definitely needed on our return!!) and the staff were friendly and helpful.

I've read through a couple of reviews and I want to respond directly to some points made.

Location - Yes it is out of town, but I think it's easily within walking distance. The walk in to town was pleasant, talking to schoolchildren and locals and there is a gift/art shop along the way. The town was pretty busy so I welcomed the quietness of the hotel. Taxi's from town to the hotel are dirt cheap should you wish to do that also.

"Monopoly of essentials" - By that I take it that it was meant as bottles of water & such? When you go to Spain, do you drink the water there or do you buy it? Exactly.

Unhelpful staff - Can't agree with this one at all. I found the staff extremely helpful & approachable. It was nice to see Zainab (owner) mingling with the guests too.

They also have some great places to stay whilst on safari too if you ever get the chance to do that.

I've had no doubts about recommending Zara/Springlands to friends who are heading to TZ since I've been back. I'd also urge you to book through Zara and not through global agencies where possible. SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS!

So It's about 1:30am California time and i'm wide awake, but that's because in Tanzania it's the middle of the afternoon and i'm still caught up on there time. Just got home earlier today, but anywho to the review: So i stayed in the hotel for about four nights and my stay was decent enough, so firstly the staff here is by far the best thing about the hotel, they are kind and caring and seem to really want to try and help as much they can. I only had trouble with one of the girl's who was a cashier, who seemed to always be in a very bad mood. The rooms in the hotel are average, good beds, toilets that flush, but the showers seem to be hit or miss. The first night i had no hot water, but the other three i did. However there is very little water pressure for some reason so don't expect a super soothing shower. In regards to the food served here it isn't half bad. Prices however are a different story: Breakfast is on the house, lunch is $8 and dinner is $10. Which i feel is a bit expensive as on one day while shopping in Moshi I fed both myself and my guide two huge meals for lunch for well under $10. But perhaps that's just me being picky. They offer some cool little things like cheap massages which i took advantage of before and after my climb, also my favorite little spot was the garden bar. I spent many an hour sitting there with my book and a drinks, drink prices are awesome: $1 a soda and $2 a beer. All in all i feel that hotel gives you everything you need but perhaps not everything you'd want, If your looking for something luxurious this probably won't be the place for you. But if your like me and all you need are the basics this place will do just fine.

This is quite a difficult review to do as the hotel is used as a base for your pre and post Kili climb and the two are pretty synonymous, so therefore a great Kili experience inevitably results in a good review. I’m going to review the hotel objectively as an independent source of accommodation. The hotel is really basic and is more like an inn or a high end backpacker hostel. The rooms have little amenities, just a bar of soap, toilet paper and towels. The towels are quite old. Beds and pillows are very hard. Mosquito nets are tatty. Please take precautions as this is a malaria area and there are lots of mozzies around. There is an electric air fan in the room, no aircon. The fan makes little difference in the heat. My shower did have hot water but most of the holes were clogged, so I had a half stream of water as a shower. Food is tasty but again, basic. Meals are a choice of two starches, one protein, vegetables and one dessert, hardly a proper buffet, more like a boarding house meal. Breakfast is similar. There wasn’t even orange juice. You have a choice of 4 types of soda, wine, water and beer to drink. Don’t expect cocktails by the pool. Dining arrangements are communal, again in order to enhance your Kili experience as this is where you meet a lot of people, however, after a while all I wanted was a spot where the two of us could have a meal alone quietly. The staff are really very helpful and friendly. Your Kili climb will undoubtedly be amazing, your guides, porters etc, this is what Zara is good at, and as a base for this, the hotel completely serves it’s purpose as you are in and out pre and post the climb, however I would not recommend it as simply accommodation. I noted that the majority of the guests are quite young and I'm assuming perhaps don’t have much experience with high standards of accommodation, and hence some of the glowing reviews. I don’t agree with the assertion that “this is africa”. I have stayed at fantastic establishments all over Africa, where the standards are equal to or exceed other top western establishments. Just set your standards low for this particular hotel.