Onsea House
It is difficult to quantify what appeals to us about Onsea House, however, if a climber
is willing to upgrade their accommodation from one of our standard options and wishes
to be looked after by consummate professionals with excellent taste and sensitivity
to the needs of discerning travellers, there is no better place that we could recommend
close to Arusha, than Onsea.
Visitors should remember that running a quality, luxurious hospitality operation
within the context of somewhere like Arusha has unavoidable limitations in terms
of the consistency of provision of power, communications, and water and yet Onsea
seems to negotiate these challenges with extraordinary professionalism and competence.
While the location is excellent, in terms of the fantastic view over the Kisongo
Plateau, Arusha Town, and towards Mount Meru; its being insulated from the noise
and traffic and crime of central Arusha, and it’s convenient traffic-free road access
from the main road that runs between Arusha and Kilimanjaro airport just 40 minutes
away, Onsea’s principal asset is undoubtedly its management team.
Onsea’s Management
From an operator’s perspective, we have a privileged insight into the inner machinations
of local hospitality operations and unfailingly find Onsea a reassuring pleasure
to deal with. At the head of their leadership hierarchy are two very different Belgian
cousins who evidently enjoy an excellent and productive working relationship: one
is a highly organised, exacting administrator, with an obvious intolerance of anything
compromising to Onsea’s concept and standards, and the other is an overtly inspired
artist, with a rare degree of flair and creativity for his work. Happily, his work
- while also managerial - is largely focussed on producing some of the most inspiring
food that we have found in East Africa. Axel has worked with fine cuisine all his
professional life, since training as a youngster with a famous Belgian restaurant
and bringing his wide 3* Michelin experience to his creations at Onsea.
Onsea House is Excellent for Post Climb Relaxation
Onsea is a natural choice for climbers as it’s remoteness (while being only 10-15
minutes from Arusha) offers a salubrious and quiet environment in which to relax
on a lush green hillside, on which gentle (if slow!) walks are possible. Additionally,
there is a very pleasant swimming pool very conveniently located in good proximity
to the bar and restaurant and TV room. Another huge benefit is the provision of massages
by a couple of well-trained local ladies that have an extended team that can be brought
in where there is a large climb group. While massage is more usually sought after
a strenuous climb, we find that many climbers that have finished a stressful week
of preparartion prior to flying out, will benefit from a pre-climb massage to loosen
them up ahead of Kilimanjaro. Being as mentally and physically relaxed as possible
and eliminating any unnecessary duress is key to thorough and optimal acclimatisation
and therefore summit success. In this context a pre-climb massage (and indeed, a
stay at Onsea!) may well be considered as a possible shrewd investment.
Criticism of Onsea House
In our experience, one can provide the very best service and offer the highest available
quality and yet still find dissatisfaction amongst that very small element of humanity
that is frankly unpleasable or, in some cases, which evidently derive from a nouveau
riche culture that prides itself in its ability to find fault where those of more
gracious dispositions are thoroughly satisfied. That said, rather than risk being
accused of making unqualified recommendations, we would like to address a couple
of issues that prospective guests should consider, so as to ensure that their expectations
of what Onsea House aims to achieve are appropriately informed.
Meal Costs at Onsea House
We are aware that meal prices at Onsea have occasionally been compared unfavourably
to other local providers. While it is certainly true that Onsea’s meal prices are
amongst the highest around Arusha, this ought to be somewhat obvious and expected,
since the product that they serve is sourced far more carefully than the vast majority
of restaurants and is frankly of higher quality, generally.
Meal Quantities at Onsea
Arguably the most pertinent criticism we can find of Onsea House is that some climbers
who may be large-framed and have high calorific requirements, may find that Onsea’s
emphasis is configured with a more conspicuous bias on quality than quantity. Where
a climber is however concerned about quantities we suggest that they have a private
word with the chef-manager, or his deputy, if he is available, and discuss their
concerns with him. While the waiters are well trained, discrete and courteous, it
will not suffice to express such concerns to them.
Is Onsea ‘Western’?
We have seen Onsea described as ‘western’. While it is run by Belgians, we do not
find it accurate or appropriate to describe Onsea as ‘western’, anymore than a hotel
made with mud walls and a hole in the ground for a lavatory should be described as
‘African’. It is true that Onsea, and it’s beautiful new annexed wellness development,
Machweo, are made cleanly and solidly using architectural styles that would satisfy
a discerning western-educated architect; and that the efficiency and exigence of
its administration may more usually be associated with western business owners than
with locals; however, Onsea is simply a beautiful property that melds the best of
what is African and ‘western’ into a highly pleasurable experience, which we feel
is the best available in the area and is likely to be the most restful and relaxing
for tired climbers.
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Trip Advisor Review Disclaimer:
We estimate that around 30% of the reviews on Trip Advisor are probably fraudulent;
something that Trip Advisor is powerless to prevent. What was begun as a chance
for fellow travellers to review hotels honestly, has since been subverted as a tool
for unscrupulous businesses to promote their own services and to damage their competition’s
reputations, and for disgruntled guests whose unreasonable demands have not been
pandered to, to punish their accommodation providers.
While the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency banned Trip Advisor from claiming that
its reviews were genuine, and while we advise that readers do not assume to be genuine
everything that they read, we nonetheless feel that Trip Advisor is still helpful,
in the absence of there yet being a more credible alternative service.
