rcornelius

Originally published at Rodney's Blog. Please leave any comments there.

I promise I will get around to posting pics and experiences later. For now I just wanted to write about my hotel experience.

So after 6 nights on Mt Kilimanjaro living in tents, I have to confess that it is nice to finally stay in a hotel in Zanzibar. The hotel I chose to stay at is the Zanzibar Palace Hotel in Stone Town. Granted it is far away from the popular beaches, but from a historical and architecture perspective, it is cool to stay around Stone Town.

So far so good in the hotel. I am staying in a suite call the Dunia Suite and I have to confess it is pretty nice! The only thing off-putting is that it is on the top floor and there is no lift, but after climbing to 5900 meters this should be a cake-walk, right?

The coolest thing about my room besides the furniture is that the bathroom is essentially outside (yet tastefully concealed) and I have my own private sundeck. The AC works and the power is on 99,5% of the time. And the wifi is fast. And I got a great rate due to the fact that as of this week I am the last guest before they close for the low season, so I feel like I have the run of the place.

So this is what heaven feels like after putting myself through the trial-by-fire that was climbing Kili

And now for the pics!

The entrance to my hotel room. Something cool is behind the door

The bed is really high up! Has an Arabian feel to it.

The TV and the artwork

The relaxing chairs in my room. A good chunk of the downtime will be spent here!

These stairs lead to the second level of my hotel room

The sitting table on the second level…perfect for reading newspapers downloaded to my iPad in the morning.

The sundeck. Won’t spend that much time there, but since the hotel will deliver martinis straight to my sunbed if I request it, I will have to take them up on that offer.

My shower and sink, with a view to the sea. It’s open air but I have complete privacy.

The sink with a view

A huge bathtub. I used it the first night and plan to use it again before I check out.

These bathrobes make me feel like Liberace.

The view of the bathroom and additional sitting area once you get to the top of the stairs

For the rest of the week, I have a lot of things I want to do, but not a lot of things planned (if you know what I mean). I am taking it pole pole all the way this week. I need the recovery to restore my sanity and get prepared for the craziness that will be my return to my normal life..