Serene Beach Resort

You stay at Serene Beach Resort on the Dar es Salaam waterfront, where the rooms face either the garden or the sea. The hotel has a pool for cooling off after a day in the city, and the restaurant plates grilled fish, Tanzanian stews, and cocktails with local gin.

The rooms come with air conditioning and flat-screen TVs. Some have balconies; the family rooms fit two adults and a child. The conference hall takes corporate groups with projectors and flexible seating, while the bar pours Kilimanjaro beer and cocktails mixed with Tanqueray.

The kitchen makes mchemsho, a Tanzanian beef stew with plantains, and the seafood selection includes prawns and calamari. The pool is saltwater, and the wi-fi reaches all rooms. Dar es Salaam's business district is a short drive away, but the beach is right outside.