My son and I spent 2 nights at Plantation Lodge in July, 2011. It was our base for visiting Ngorongo Crater. It was one of those “must stay at” places booked by my travel agent. The Lodge is at the end of a long dusty, bumpy, dirt road. You begin wonder where in the word you are headed. All of a sudden, you drive up to the gates, the attendants open it, and you find yourself in a beautiful oasis. The grounds are very well maintained and lush with tropical plants. It seems every garden is a little different. I don’t know if it was coincidence, but the owner (Renata) came out to meet us as we were walking to the front door. Nice touch. There is plenty of staff and they are very polite and helpful. Everyone was low key and discrete but made you feel welcome. The room (Forest East) was very clean and had a patio overlooking the grounds. The food was very good, tasty, and well presented. They can compete with any fine restaurant in the US. They serve afternoon tea/coffee with biscuits and snacks until 5:00 PM. The lodge caters to families and couples. I don’t know how many people they can sleep but the grounds and restaurant were never crowded. They obviously do not cater to larger tour groups. They have Wi-Fi and also a desktop computer available to guests. We did not make full use of the beautiful grounds. We were on the go with safari drives. It would have been nice to have spent a few hours at the main patio just to relax. The Crater was terrific with great wildlife diversity, and is probably no more than 15-20 minutes away. This location, the beautiful grounds, and the warm welcome, make Plantation Lodge a great place to stay.