Reviews of Oyster Bay

"Oyster Bay is a small, boutique hotel located along the Indian Ocean in Dar es Salaam. With only eight rooms and beautiful large trees that shade the lawn, and a swimming pool, it is a quiet and comfortable stop coming in from safari before leaving for home. The rooms are a modern design and quite large with a large sofa and writing desk. There is plenty of outdoor seating in the shade as well.

We enjoyed breakfast outside in the mornings and because we were the only guests, we had lunch and dinner inside as the weather was quite warm. The staff are very friendly and efficient. The food was absolutely outstanding. Breakfast included a wide selection of fresh fruits, yogurt and a hot breakfast cooked to order, should you want that. We loved lunch and dinner from locally-caught shrimp, fish and lobster to a dinner of all local dishes.

We also did a walk on the beach across the street with one of the askaris escorting us." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania; 10n in Rwanda; 8n in Kenya

"Our stay at Oyster Bay was the perfect end to our safari holiday. It is a wonderful oasis in which to relax and re-charge. We appreciated being back in the world of wifi, mobile coverage and aircon !
Our room (no 8, apparently the best) was vast, very comfortable and cool. The double aspect provided a view of the garden and pool to one side, and the Indian ocean to the other side. We used the 15m pool to swim laps.
Food was really delicious and plentiful. There is no menu and they will cook anything you want. We had the most amazing sea food platter for dinner on the patio, preceded by a tasty avocado and mango starter.
Service was attentive yet not intrusive (Saidi and Upendo cared for us beautifully). We were the only guests during our stay and it feels like being in a private home.
Everything is included in the price (airport transfers, all food and drinks) and overall we felt this to be good value." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"Really personalised attention especially after the flights.

Lovely atmosphere for dinner on the terrace." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"see earlier comments [Ed: see below]" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania

"beautiful accommodation and so welcoming. All the staff worked hard to make you feel at home, great food.

only regret we did not book 2 nights before heading off on safari!" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania

"Very hospitable and friendly, maybe a bit too friendly (manager joined us for drinks in the evening without having been asked ...),
excellent food; water in the pool dirty" See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar

"We stayed at Oyster Bay for a short night on our trip home. Our plane was at 3AM, but the hotel was just as accommodating as could be, and drove us to the airport at 1AM.

The food was excellent, as usual, and the hotel was just as beautiful." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania

"What a delightful place! Everyone was very helpful, welcoming, and friendly. The hotel itself is beautiful. For our first two nights, we were the only ones there.

We asked Demetria to recommend a place to shop for local wares. She not only recommended a great little shopping area, but arranged for a taxi to take us there and wait for us. The food was outstanding. The hotel took us to and from both airports, which was such a load off our minds, not having to worry about getting a taxi.

We would recommend Oyster Bay to anyone!" See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania

"The hotel is located quite a way from the airport so it takes about an hour in bad traffic at rich hour but our driver was great and knew all the short cuts.
Our room on the first floor was wonderful, with a great bathroom, just right to relax in after a long flight.

The welcome and service were second to none. We were the only guests for dinner when we arrived and were asked what we would like to eat. The result was lobster, perfectly cooked and served. The staff provided a birthday cake and all sang Happy Birthday for my wife's birthday. A perfect start to our holiday." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"My family had lived in Oyster Bay from 1949 until 1980. I was now returning to Tanzania after 44 years in celebration of my 65th birthday. We chose to stay here because of memories of many happy hours spent on the beach now called Coco beach.

The hotel was a wonderful oasis of peace and calm after the noise and traffic congestion on the drive from the airport. But it was still wonderful to be back in Dar.
One of the staff, Lucas, very kindly walked with us all along Msasani Road behind the hotel for 2 hours to help me to try and find my family's house. The area had changed so much that we never found it.

When the staff learned that I was returning after such a long time, they went to great lengths to find some of the foods and treats which I had enjoyed as a child: vitumbua, samosas, madafu, mkate mimina. The chef also baked me a delicious birthday carrot cake and I was served lobster and kingfish for dinner. Nothing was too much trouble. They were delighted at my attempts to practise my swahili and helped with some words I had forgotten.

Rhys and I enjoyed an early evening walk along the beach and felt perfectly safe. We did not carry any cameras or valuables. All the staff were kind, helpful and welcoming and could not have done more to make our first night in Tanzania so wonderful." See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania