Odd collection of items: model stela, condoms, Jesus...

I happened to be traveling with Jess in Axum, so we were able to split a room in the Africa Hotel for a mere 40 birr each. Our room was clean and the beds comfortable, while the large bathroom had real hot shower and good water pressure. The hotel had an open plan surrounding a courtyard, so all rooms could take full advantage of the constant Ethiopian sunshine.

Pick-up from the airport with the other arriving guests was free with reservations, which were easily made over email. The return ride in the hotel's own taxi was a reasonable 15 birr, even though I rode alone. On arrival Jess informed the staff that we now needed a double instead of the single she requested, and they were happy to accommodate us. The reception area was mysteriously decorated with pictures of Jesus, miniature versions of Axum's famous stelae, and of course, a dispenser box of condoms.

Already a mess!

Jess & a St. George beer in Africa Hotel's restaurant

After some bad experiences in Lalibela, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that internet in Ethiopia's smaller towns was hopeless. Not so at Africa Hotel. It was still dial-up of course, but there were no cuts in service and it was as fast as anyone could expect from dial-up. For better speed and service than Lalibela's various cafes, Africa Hotel only charged me 25 birr for 45 minutes of use.

According to Bradt, Africa Hotel had a juice bar. We found a restaurant and a separate bar, but no juice; perhaps it had recently changed but no one spoke enough English to explain the discrepancy. No matter, the restaurant was surprisingly inexpensive. In fact, it was so cheap we ordered far more than we needed to eat, unaware how large the portions would be. The potato-egg salad we assumed would be appetizer size could have easily served as our full meal. The tuna pizza—yes, we were craving pizza—was cheeseless and obviously I had been dreaming to imagine steak-quality tuna to be used when canned does just as well. With a few beers, this meal that would have filled 3 people came to 38 birr each.

For simplicity's sake and due to a morning flight out, I ate breakfast in the restaurant as well. A delicious bowl of shiro—the waitress explained the types as "big water" and "little water," meaning different levels of wetness—plus fresh rolls was just 7 birr.

Friendly staff, kind if somewhat overworked manager and overall great hotel facilities made Africa Hotel the best hotel value in Ethiopia by a wide margin.

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