Singita Sasakawa Lodge is located in the Grumeti Reserves in Northern Tanzania. We stayed at the Lodge for five nights in January 2019, and I can honestly say it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.
From the moment we arrived I was in love! As the truck pulled up in the circular drive, several members of the team came out to welcome us, carrying antique silver entree dishes with chilled hand towels to allow us to freshen up immediately on arrival. It was quite a glamorous first impression!!
The front entry of the Lodge had a huge opening with spectacular views out over a wide expanse of lawn then over the vast plains of the majestic Serengeti below.
I am a huge fan of the Singita properties, due in large part to their exceptional interior design. Sasakwa was designed in a way that made you feel instantly at home. Almost as though you had stopped off to stay with relatives at a grand manor house in Africa.
The huge Lodge is perched high on a mountain with views from almost every point down over the open plains of the Serengeti. From the garden or the endless wrap around verandahs, you can watch giraffes meandering over the open plains below.
The furniture is comfortable with a strong East African Influence. Endless linen couches dressed with divine scatter cushions, antique chandeliers, and low slung leather chairs exude a sense of old world grandeur whilst still maintaining a warmth and coziness. I felt instantly at home.
The Sasakwa staff were also incredibly warm and welcoming. Kim was our safari guide. He was amazing. Each morning and night he would take us driving in the bush looking for animals. He had a lovely way about him. A warm and light hearted personality. He would tell us stories about the animals, and he honestly made our entire safari experience incredibly special.
Semeni looked after all our food at the Lodge. She was equally divine. Each morning after our game drive, Semeni would have set up a gorgeous table somewhere in the garden looking out at the beautiful views.
She would then proceed to serve the most delicious food, whilst I roared laughing at the monkeys and their crazy antics around the grounds of the Lodge. I’m sure they drove poor Semeni and all the other staff totally insane, stealing salt shakers and scurrying off with their treasure into the bush. But I kind of loved these crazy little critters, especially the ones whizzing by with tiny little babies clutching on to their chests.
I think they have quite the life at the Lodge, however if they gave Semeni too much trouble, she would swiftly grab a leather sling shot and take aim. Monkeys would literally fly in all directions. I am almost certain she was way too much of a softy to ever shoot them, even with something light!! But the effect of taking aim was all that was needed!
When we arrived at Sasakwa, Bronwyn the Manager very kindly advised us that they were not busy and she had decided to upgrade us to one of the two bedroom stand-alone cottages. I’m fairly sure I leapt in the air with glee at this announcement, and after I had seen the cottage I pretty much made the decision that I was never leaving!! Utterly superb, with a private plunge pool perched over the Serengeti. I was in heaven.
The Lodge also had a gorgeous book lined library filled with divine old hard backs and coffee table books on Africa and the wildlife. There was a superb lounge room adjacent to the library with a big screen TV. On our first night, after an absolutely gorgeous dinner served by Semeni in the garden, we adjourned to the lounge area where the staff had set up the Movie ‘Out Of Africa’ and were serving divine desserts and green tea to let us settle in and wail with tears at the tragic ending. It was the most perfect evening. Did I mention that I never wanted to leave!!!
Singita Saskawa is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of my top five places to stay in the world. I will definitely go back, hopefully on many occasions. It is comfortable and luxurious, and exudes an old world elegance second to none. I absolutely loved it!
