Hotel Slipway

Although there are no reception rooms as such, guests are free to wander around the pretty, open-air shopping and restaurant complex below. Dine on fresh fish at The Waterfront restaurant, go Japanese at Azuma or enjoy a pizza at The Terrace, all with perfectly peachy sea-views. In the morning, make a beeline for the outdoor pool for a refreshing dip and follow it up with coffee and a pastry from Café Classico. What a stopover.

With 30 rooms spread over two floors, the Slipway feels spacious and really quite luxurious but not so big it’s impersonal. For short stopovers, a standard room is great but there are also mini-apartments if you’re spending any length of time in Dar. Rooms are bright and breezy with colourful throws and cushions, modern bathrooms and enormous (hot!) showers and good-sized balconies with sunset-gazing chairs. Request a sea-view room without a doubt, otherwise, you might find yourself gazing at the car park with your gin & tonic…

If you manage a moment between flights, try a boat trip out to one of the neighbouring islands or stop off in the watersports centre and hire a snorkel for the afternoon. Tours of the city can also be arranged with a little bit of notice. Otherwise, a wander around the curio market, an ice cream on the beach and a dinner of fresh fish before falling into bed is a totally acceptable (and very pleasant!) way to end your safari.