I initially had mixed feelings about this place. It's roughly 2.5 to 3 hours drive from Arusha, 1.5 to 2 hours of which is a really punishing dirt road. I'm from the Philippines and have trodden many dirt roads in my life but this one was just unbelievable. It didn't help that it rained the previous days so the road sometimes vanished into streams and catchments or some semblance of it went through a river bed. I almost regretted picking this place as my first lodge after a very long trip from Manila (24 hours at least) but all the body pain and stress evaporated as soon as the Maasai porters brought us to our room.
The view overlooking the Tarangire National Park simply took my breath away. The rooms were actually attached to the side of a rock outcrop and in fact, our main wall was the rock outcrop! It has many windows and a balcony, thus maximizing the view day and night. Don't miss the incredible sunrise in the morning!
My room had two levels, the bedroom upstairs and an open bathroom and toilet downstairs. No one will likely peep but if your prissy about privacy, that could be an issue. The food was simple but just enough to get the day started or to end a long game drive. The packed lunch was a little lite.
The lodge is actually outside of the Tarangire park ("boundary") but close enough to an alternate entrance (about 30 mins). It is in the same general area where the more glitzy Tarangire Treetops Lodge is located (actually, the final "road" forks to either lodge). I would surmise that the views from these lodges would be comparable.
To go back to the lodge (I booked two nights), the driver had to exit the park through the main entrance, take the tarmac highway (about 1 hour), and enter the off road again (1.5-2hr). I was told that many drivers get lost getting to the lodge at nightfall. Luckily, my driver knew the area very well. To leave the lodge, the same way must be taken. In other words, I had to suffer three times over.
My other concern is that the lodge ran on battery power (you will find it on the roof) so it couldn't charge my camera, cellphone, and ipad. Better inform the driver/guide so you can make a pitstop somewhere with electricity.
I do believe that this lodge is worth it but if I had to do it all over again, I would stay here for one night only and spend the other night in a lodge or tented camp inside Tarangire park until the dirt road situation improves. I would recommend Oliver's Camp, Sopa Lodge, and Safari Lodge for the second night.
