3/5 Karin S. 6 months ago on Google
This
is
billed
as
Eritrea’s
best
hotel
but
it
has
seen
much
better
days.
Originally,
an
Intercontinental
Hotel,
the
government
took
it
over
when
they
pulled
out.
The
lack
of
maintenance
is
apparent.
During
one
stay
we
had
no
hot
water
at
night
but
only
in
the
morning.
Another
room
had
only
hot
air
coming
out
aircon
and
you
couldn’t
open
the
window.
The
toilets
smell
urine,
the
carpets
are
stained.
Cleanliness
is
very
average.
You
can
get
the
BBC
and
Al
Jazeera
and
they
offer
free
WIFI
but
the
log
in
system
is
complicated
and
usually
painfully
slow
and
buggy.
The
food
in
the
Trattoria
Italian
restaurant
is
very
good
as
is
the
service
but
prices
are
very
high,
even
for
Eritrea.
The
breakfast
buffet
costs
$25
if
you
aren’t
staying
at
the
hotel
and
isn’t
worth
it.
The
selection
is
reasonable
enough
but
not
up
to
a
usual
5
star
hotel
breakfast.
They
offer
a
shuttle
gif
$10
to
the
airport
which
is
ten
minutes
away.
It’s
therefore
a
convenient
hotel
if
you
arrive
or
depart
late
at
night.
If
wanting
to
look
around
town
it’s
best
to
stay
in
the
well
managed
and
cheaper
Crystal
Hotel
(also
has
WIFI)
which
gets
good
reviews.
You
can
safely
walk
around
Asmara
from
there.
From
the
Asmara
Palace,
you
pay
20
Nafka
for
a
spot
in
a
share
taxi
into
town.
It’s
very
safe.
Note:
the
bottled
still
water
co.
had
its
licence
revoked
a
few
years
ago
so
only
water
with
gas
is
manufactured
in
Eritrea.
Still
water
must
be
imported.
The
Asmara
Palace
doesn’t
have
still
water!!!
Ask
to
buy
sone
before
staying
g
here,
but
be
sure
it’s
not
s
brand
from
Dubai
as
they
get
contaminated
by
being
next
to
detergent
products
and
taste
like
soap.
The
Ethiopian
and
Sudanese
brands
coming
in
by
toad
are
best.
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