Mountain Village lodge (Serena) is nestled at the foot of the wooded slopes of Mount Meru, this unique hotel stands amid coffee plantations on the shores of tranquil Lake Duluti. Designed to echo the traditional style of the colonial coffee farm, which originally stood on this site, Mountain Village offers a range of tastefully presented cottage-styled rooms set amid extensive landscaped grounds.

Standing at the gateway to the famous Tanzanian ‘Northern Safari Circuit', the hotel offers a broad range of attractions, which include: walking, mountain biking, canoeing on the lake, and trips to the nearby Arusha and Mount Meru national parks.

The hotel features a stone-built reception with adjoining lounge, library, restaurant, boutique and business centre. Imposing in stature and spacious in concept, the design of the new building echoes the hotel's original incarnation as a working coffee farm dating back to colonial times.

Location
Mountain Village stands on the shores of Lake Duluti, 20 kilometers from Arusha and 60 kilometers from Kilimanjaro International Airport.

Accommodation
All rooms and suites are presented in the style of stone-built cottages, which are grouped in clusters around a flower-filled central ‘village square'. Spacious and elegantly presented in classic country-house style, they feature marble bathrooms, double French doors leading out into the gardens, leaded windows, a stylish work or vanity area, and large and comfortable beds.

Dining
Both the bar and restaurant are located within the traditionally stone-built central reception area and offer blazing log fires, lake and garden views, and an elegant yet relaxed ambience. Cuisine includes local and international dishes and weekend buffet events are held on the broad open-air terraces. They also offer a range of acrobatic and cultural shows for guests’ entertainment.

Breakfast and lunch
Breakfast and lunch are presented in buffet-style and feature a wide range of international choices. In typical safari style, on offer is a ‘full English Breakfast' as well as European options, while lunch menus will typically include meat, poultry, fish and vegetarian options.

Dinner
Their table d'hôte dinner menus feature a salad buffet, soup, entrée, pudding, cheese and biscuits and tea or coffee. Vegetarian options are always available. The majority of meat and dairy products, as well as fruits and vegetables are sourced from the local communities that surround the reserve.

Wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks
The wine list offers a broad selection of old- and new-world wines, and local and imported beers and spirits. They also offer a wide range of soft drinks including an array of freshly-made local fruit juices. Only the finest Tanzanian coffee and tea is served; a wide range of fruit and herbal infusions are also available.

Bush dining
At Mountain Village they are able to expertly arrange breakfasts, lunches, dinners and cocktails on the shores of beautiful Lake Duluti. A number of sites have been dedicated, which are typically presented with tables, safari chairs, ‘bush bar' and a ‘bush kitchen', where a broad range of meats, poultry, fish and vegetables are cooked on-site (supplemented by fresh soups, salads and puddings from our kitchens). In the evenings, ‘sun-downer' cocktails are traditionally served around a campfire and can be followed by a lamp-lit ‘bush dinner'.

Conferences, meetings and events
The Serena Group has unrivalled experience in organizing a unique range of corporate and social events, all of which are supported by state-of-the-art facilities, orchestrated by highly-trained personnel, and enjoy luxury accommodation, world-class catering and diverse leisure options.

Weddings and Honeymoons at Mountain Village
They have extensive experience in planning and staging a wide variety of weddings and receptions, and can also take care of all the necessary formalities; from provision of registrar and certificates to working with you to determine the type of cake, reception and entertainment you would like.

They also offer some unique family and friends accommodation packages, ‘his and hers' pre-wedding preparation options, and a choice of honeymoon options.

Mountain Village makes the ideal wedding venue; the elegant central reception and landscaped grounds offer a superb backdrop for wedding photographs, which can also be set against the extensive gardens and the lakeshore. The gracious dining room also lends itself well to a wedding reception and can be extended to include the exterior terraces, which overlook the flower gardens and lake. They also offer a wide choice of venues for the ceremony itself, such as:

    * On the lawns outside the restaurant
    * On the shores of the lake - just five minute's walk from the lodge
    * In the tented events space, which stands in the coffee plantation adjacent to the lake.

They also offer:
    * A traditional Maasai wedding
    * Live bands, local dancers, choir
    * Tailor-made wedding cake
    * Themed wedding reception
    * Color-coordinated floral arrangements, bouquets and buttonholes
    * Private candle-lit honeymoon dinner for two
    * Luxurious honeymoon Suite supplied with tropical fruit and chilled champagne.
    * Cultural dancing
    * Photography and videography of your special day.
    * Special accommodation packages for the entire wedding party.

Facilities at a glance
    * A selection of en suite rooms and suites
    * Elegant dining room, library and garden terraces
    * Extensive flower gardens and lawns
    * Lakeside dining
    * Guided walks, canoeing or mountain biking
    * Tented conference room
    * Wedding planning and honeymoon venue
    * Gift shop, business centre, WiFi
    * Extensive selection of sports and activities
    * Cultural dance and music

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