Despite a lack of information online, there is a vast number of hotels to choose from in Asmara, the capital city of Eritrea.
Before getting into the details about our myriad hotel experiences in Asmara, it bears repeating that it’s best to temper ones expectations when traveling in the developing world. In parts of the world not used to seeing many tourists, bare bones accommodations are the rule rather than the exception – barring you aren’t staying at luxury chains catering to development workers and foreign investors. That said, in Eritrea there aren’t even these luxury chains to choose from even if you have the Starwood points. While there are some luxury hotels popping up (which I’ll get to later), the more affordable options range from what Westerners would consider bare bones. As seasoned travelers to many developing parts of the world, we thought we would be prepared for lack of amenities in our accommodations in Eritrea – things like no internet, spotty electricity, and questionable water supply. However, it was our first stint in Africa, and a lesser visited part of the continent at that.
Take note, and toss any expectations out the window.
The vast majority of travelers to Eritrea do so on some sort of booked tour. As it is much easier to obtain the tricky tourist visa through an Eritrean tourism agent (as we did, via Asmara Grande) or with a group tour with folks like Lupine Travel, it is actually quite easy to arrange hotels for oneself when on the ground in Asmara. We did this, though more via a series of events that made our existing reservations moot.
Having arrived in the middle of the night to Asmara International from Cairo, we were unfortunately not met by the car that was to take us to our accommodation for the evening. After waiting needlessly for nearly an hour, we asked one of the sole remaining cab drivers lingering in the arrivals lot for a ride into town. We instructed him to take us to the hotel where we believed to have reservations: The Ambassador Hotel.
Asmara Hotels: The Bad – Ambassador Hotel
Our taxi driver dropped us off at the Ambassador Hotel, sitting right on Harnet Avenue across from the city’s Catholic Cathedral, sometime after 3am. We arrived expecting to have a reservation, but the sleepy receptionist had no record of our arrival. “No problem,” she muttered, as she waved for the napping bellhop to lead us to our fourth floor room.
An overfilled ride in a decaying, ramshackle elevator deposited us on our floor. David and I exchanged glances, communicating in a haze that we’d take the stairs next time. In dire need of some decent, non-plane sleep, we entered the room with a gentle push of the door, the lock more ornamental than actually functioning. The room, while bare bones, was a sight for the sore eyes of two travel weary souls, and we drifted off to sleep.
It was only when we woke the next day that we understood the gravity of the Hotel Ambassador situation. No electricity, a trickle of running water, and a bathroom with a view of the hallway outside. Literally, bricks had either been removed or not ever placed to begin with that would allow a conspicuous peeping tom to watch our bathroom activities unhampered. Luckily for us, there were only about five people staying in the hotels seven stories.
There were perks to the Ambassador, though. Its location and stature allowed for easy walking access to the city’s main sights and a fantastic view of Harnet Avenue, Asmara’s main thoroughfare. Live music is performed in the hotel’s restaurant regularly, and it boasts a traditional Eritrean coffee lounge (or a coffee lounge as traditional as can be for being located in a modern tourist accommodation). The cost was cheap-ish (relative to others hotels in Asmara, at least), at 800 Nakfa ($53USD) per evening for our twin room, and the art was delightfully eccentric. Decades-old Magic Eye posters adorned the stairwells, caked thoroughly with dust. I never was able to decipher the hidden images in them, but David informed me that New York’s Twin Towers were displayed front-and-center in one titled “The Big Apple.”
We stayed two nights at the Ambassador before moving on in search of water and power. Luckily enough, I had researched options via Google Maps, and went on a scouting trip before our checkout.
Asmara Hotels: The Quirky – Hamasien Hotel
I selected this hotel based on its impressive stature and history. Located less than ten minutes’ walk from the Ambassador in the quiet neighborhood housing many of Asmara’s foreign embassies, the Hamasien stands high among endless bougainvillea trees and hundred year-old Italian colonial-style homes. Built in 1919, it is one of the oldest extant buildings in the city. I was charmed by its fading grandeur, and booked us a room immediately. One night put us back a very modest 560 Nakfa, or $37USD.
Much to David’s chagrin, however, I failed to properly inspect our room. Less enthusiastic about the high vaulted ceilings, moody hotel bar, and antique Fiats in the gravel parking lot, he immediately checked the taps, toilet, and bathtub. Alas, water wasn’t running that day, and instead we were provided with a bucketful that could be replenished so long as we could track down the property’s clandestine groundskeeper.
The room itself, however, was lovely and comfortable. The overhead fan worked, and we had a lovely view of the hotel’s garden. We even felt a modicum of security in the form of a locking dresser and functioning lock on our door, operated by an ancient-looking skeleton key.
The real star of the property, however, was the outdoor patio/bar. There we were served the coldest beers in the city by a waiter in an impeccably pressed black suit for a cost of less than two dollars per bottle. Guzzling beers and writing in my journal made me feel like Hemingway or some similarly pickled travel writer of the last century. I feel like Ernest would have felt quite at home, if no less misanthropic, at the Hamasien Hotel.
We only stayed one night at the Hamasien, as we left the next day for our trip to Massawa. But a night was enough, as our quest for both running water and working electricity in a single hotel had not yet been fulfilled.
*Note that the Hamasien’s sister, and more modern hotel, is located next door – the Emba Soira. I spent some time in the lobby of the Emba Soira in a futile attempt to gain access to their WiFi, and it looked lovely (points for décor straight out of the 1970s, with an exterior to match). They are grouped together as a single hotel on Tripadvisor. You can read reviews here.
Asmara Hotels: The Good – Crystal Hotel
Upon recommendation from other travelers we met in Massawa, we checked in to the Crystal Hotel, just a couple minutes walking from the Hamasien, upon our return to Asmara. Having heard rumors of water, electricity and even WiFi, we were hopeful but certainly not free of skepticism.
As we discovered, the Crystal Hotel had two of three of the above – the missing link being WiFi, which to be honest, we couldn’t find anywhere in the entire country. The Crystal Hotel even one upped our expectations with warm water. To say it was our favorite hotel in Asmara would be an understatement. It also happened to be the most expensive, at 1250 Nakfa ($84USD) per night. I don’t think we would have stayed there our entire stint in Asmara for this reason, but after a week without even a drop of hot water, it was worth the splurge.
The restaurant in Crystal Hotel was also great, serving a vast array of both western and local dishes. The prices were a bit steep – costing around $10USD per plate, but having an English menu made it worth it to us, as finding local cuisine with English explanations was rough in Asmara (needed for us, as David is a vegetarian). My recommendation – ask your hotel for some key phrases written in Tigrinya to carry around with you. The phrase “I am a vegetarian” would have been invaluable during our time in Eritrea
Where the Crystal Hotel excelled in amenities, it lacked in the quirky style we found elsewhere in the city. This is a minor gripe, however, as it really was the teacher’s pet in terms of Asmara hotels, as funky design and architectural significance happened to be negatively correlated with presence of actual useful services. It is also technically the furthest hotel from the center of the action in Asmara, but this is relative. It is, however, the nearest to the famed Fiat Tagliero Service Station.
Massawa Hotel Bonus: The Grand Dahlak Hotel
As far as I know, the only real tourist option in Massawa is the Grand Dahlak Hotel. Clearly built at a time of increased investment in tourism, the Grand Dahlak today sits mostly empty, waiting optimistically on a boom of tourism yet to arrive. That said, as the only option in the crumbling Ottoman town, we ran into more tourists there than in Asmara.
The Grand Dahlak Hotel sits immediately beyond the causeway leading to Old Massawa, a highlight of Eritrea for those interested in Arab history and crumbling old buildings. Massawa was once a key trading port with other parts of the Arab world, and people there are more likely to be of Middle Eastern descent than highland Tigray. Not much remains, however, of the town’s old grandeur, and it may hold less interest to tourists keener on more traditional types of attractions. For us, the fading colors of the buildings, fresh sea air, and centuries-old Ottoman architecture made Old Massawa an ideal subject for photography and aimless wandering.
Amenities wise, the Grand Dahlak falls right below the Crystal Hotel – with electricity, satellite TV, and temperamental running (cold) water. Supposedly there is A/C and WiFi available at times, though our budget room didn’t have the former and the latter was apparently “not working.” Our basic double room cost 1154 Nakfa ($77) per night. The hotel hosts a wide range of room classes, and ours was on the budget end.
The Grand Dahlak Hotel is also host to a great restaurant and bar overlooking the Red Sea and Old Massawa. Serving heavy pours of gin and local Zibib liquor and fresh seafood (David had a gigantic portion of vongole for under $10USD), we spent most of our afternoon there lounging in the shade in various states of inebriation while being entertained by the house Rooster. We named him Zack.
The Grand Dahlak also provides snorkeling tours to Green Island, or a poor man’s Dahlak Archipelago. We did not partake, but heard positive things about the easy trip and crystal clear waters. Bonus: The man who drives the boat has superb, sun-bleached dreadlocks.
Budget Hotels in Asmara
There are a number of truly budget hotels in Asmara as well. Generally running well under 500 Nakfa per night, you can find them scattered throughout the city. I’ve included a few in the map at the bottom of the post. Per my caveat before, these are simple accommodations – don’t expect running water or electricity. But if you’re used to roughing it, you should be fine.
We just happen to be getting fussier in our advancing age.
Luxury Hotels in Asmara
There are also a couple of high range hotels in the city. I can’t speak to personal experiences there, but have heard positive things about the following hotels, if your wallet can take the relatively larger hit:
Asmara Palace Hotel: Located on the road to the airport and quite a bit outside downtown Asmara, this is the most deluxe option in the city. Tiffany Haddish, the Eritrean-American comedian stayed here during her visit to the country in January 2018. They boast all of the amenities we yearned for during our stay in the city – but at a hefty price of over $100USD per night.
Albergo Italia: This hotel boasts the finest Italian restaurant in the city, and is located north of Harnet Ave., near the Central Post Office. We had coffee in the restaurant’s modernist dream of a café, but ran for the door when we saw the prices of the food. The rooms look lovely, as you would hope they would be for $100-160USD per night. That said, it is located in a rather noisy part of town.
Map of Asmara Hotels
Summary
This post is meant to provide a tongue in cheek look at a few accommodation options in the wonderful city of Asmara, as well as to set expectations around what you can expect to find in terms of standard amenities. I would assume that luxury hotel experiences are on no traveler to Eritrea’s list of reasons to go in the first place, so my reviews should provide no real surprises. I also don’t mean to insult any of the accommodations above – all were satisfactory. In the end, a hotel is a place to rest one’s head in between bouts of exploration, and Eritrea provided exploration opportunities we’ll reminisce about for the rest of our lives.
