Standard room

The bedrooms, like most large Serena hotels / lodges, are unimaginative but practical. They are set down long corridors, adjacent to each other and have a polished, wooden floor, cream painted walls with stencils of stampeding wildebeest and hanging batiks. There is a wooden dressing table and chair, with a large mirror and a hurricane lamp. The double bed is covered with a deep green bedspread, has a wooden head stead and small, wooden bedside tables either side of it.

There are a couple of cosy rugs on the floor next to the bed to keep the chill off your feet; it gets very cold up here. The bed looks out onto the Crater floor through a set of double, wooden doors.

The view from your bed is spectacular and, we thought, is the reason anyone comes to stay here. From the French doors there is a small, tiled verandah, with stone-studded walls separating you from next door. Every room has a view over the Ngorongoro Crater which is spectacular on a clear day.

All of the rooms have their own small bathroom, decorated in much the same way as the bedrooms. They are practical and very simple. A large wooden mirror hangs above the single sink unit, which is set in wood and stone. There is a hair dryer, clean towels, a couple of complimentary toiletries and a couple of bath robes. There is only a shower in most bathrooms.

The bedrooms here aren't inspirational but are comfortable; it's the views over the Crater makes this place worth considering.