Ghion Hotel

I can say a lot of positive things about this hotel:
1. incredibly cheap for what you get. We paid only 300 birr for a room for 2 persons. (In fact there was even a third bed in the room).
2. paradisiac garden with palm trees, flowers and birds
3. relaxed atmosphere where you can meet locals and other travelers
4. a very easy going boss who invited us several times on a drink
5. free wifi, and a computer at your disposal at the reception
5. a perfect view on the lake
6. trips to the monasteries and to the Blue Nile Falls are organized from the Hotel
...
The rooms however are average, and are up for a renovation.
But as a budget traveller nothing to complain about.

In all: a good price-quality ratio

I guess we all wanted to stay at this hotel because of the location by the lake. The room in the hotel is nothing special at all. The hot water didn't work in our bathroom. We paid 100 Birr per night for 2 persons. There is a mosquito net in the room. The food is quite alright.

Unique Quality: I thought I would mention my experience with the hotel manager. Someone told me that you can find a Land Cruiser that goes from Bahir Dar to Lalibela if you get the words out. So as soon as I got to the hotel, I was asking around. The hotel manager told us he would arrange a minibus for us and we thought that would work too. He told me to get ready at 6am on the day I wanted to leave. We were standing freezing cold from 5.45am. We waited til 7am and then we thought we would call him and ask. He said he would come out in 5 minutes....50 minutes passed by so we called again and he said he would come out in one minute. He came out and accused us of not being there at 6am. Every other staff could confirm that we were there. He called someone...maybe the minibus and then he told us that other passengers cancelled so the minibus decided not to leave at all. Shouldn't we know this like last night so we could just take a bus? He then wrote us a route that involves like 4-5 changes of bus and insisted that we would definitely get to Lalibela that day. I saw the route and thought it shouldn't work so I asked him to call Ethiopian Airlines, I thought I would just fly instead. He called and then told me that there was no flight in the afternoon and that I should go on that route he gave me. We went to the bus station to try that and as soon as we talked to one guy on the bus, he told us that it was impossible to do that route. So we asked him to call Ethiopian Airlines and he said there was actually a flight that afternoon. We immediately got out of that bus and walked to the airlines office. We got our tickets in no time. While we were waiting for the flight, we talked with a bunch of locals and they told us that the hotel manager is such a liar. He always says that he can do this and that when he can't in reality. I don't wanna accuse him of anything but I just wanna inform you guys about this so you double check everything that he has to say!

This hotel has a perfect location by the Lake Tana. The garden is very beautiful with a lot of different flowers. The restaurant has a great view over the Lake. The rooms are a but rundown, the window in my room was broken and repaired by some plastic. The room had a hot shower and was clean. Boat trips on the Lake can be arranged by the hotel.

Unique Quality: Great location by the lake.

Directions: Close to the Lake

Not a bad place to stay... situated by the lake, with its own jetty.
Travelers from staying in other hotels even come here to hook up with other travelers to visit the monasteries on Lake Tana or make a trip to the Blue Nile Falls...
Rooms are clean, service is good... manager is friendly, food is so-so...

Picture #4 shows my dinner (lega tibs ali cha - pieces of lamb with injera in spicy sauce) at the hotel restaurant.
Picture #5 shows the jetty just in front of the hotel... where i'd boarded my ferry to take us around the island monasteries.

The Ghion has a wonderful location at the shore of Lake Tana. There are bungalows, rooms and a camp-site.
We had a room with verandah, looking out at the shady terrace and lake.
The hotel has a beautiful garden with flamboyant trees and flowers, nice for an early breakfast, reading a book in the shade or sitting round the campfire in the evening.

Unique Quality: Fantastic view at the lake, good and cheap food, an internetcafe and a very friendly staff.
The hotel has a landing-stage, from where the boattrips to the monasteries start.

Directions: The Ghion Hotel is in the north-west part of the town at the lakeside, just west of the ferry.