Bete Serkie Lalibela

I was alone in entire hotel and I was the only guest during my stay. The staff was very friendly and helpful, he told me many interesting things about Ethiopia and current situation in this country. I had big room with hot water.

Outside the hotel I wasn't feel safe especialy after dark. The lights weren't working and the kids were throwing stones at me

Very nice place. The receptionist was polite and very helpful. He offered us a guide. Kalehiwot was knowledgeable and open to our suggestions. Highly recommended!

My room was upgraded because no one else was staying at the hotel when I was there (more on this later). The room that I was upgraded to was large, but fairly bare. The hotel is in a good location, a short walk from Lalibela’s famous churches. The manager was able to organise a vegan breakfast for me, which was greatly appreciated.

While the property is fine, prospective guests need to be aware that Lalībela is currently unsafe and, like all other destinations in the Amhara region, should be avoided. Lalibela is under a state of emergency, with a 6am - 7pm curfew. The government and FANO are engaged in a war that periodically becomes very intense. Flights between Lalibela and Addis Ababa may be cancelled at short notice. While I was in Lalibela, government shelling was frequently heard (which rattled Lalibela and, for a tourist [the locals have become inured to it] was quite terrifying!). The government currently only controls the airport and Lalibela. It does not control the road between the airport and Lalibela, nor does it control the countryside around Lalibela. The relationship between the government troops stationed in Lalibela and the townsfolk of Lalibela (many of whom support FANO) is tense. There are intermittent killings by FANO within the area of Lalibela under government control. All internet access in Lalibela has been banned by the government (albeit locals, at great risk, find ways to circumvent this ban). Don’t necessarily trust a travel agent if they tell you that the situation in Lalibela is OK. People in Addis Ababa frequently don’t know the situation on the ground in Lalibela.

This is a very basic hotel. But despite the many shortfalls ( like no toilet amenities, breakfast was just eggs and bread, no wifi in rooms, hotel is on the main road so it is noisy) I can still say that I made a good decision to stay in this hotel. They communicated well with me prior to my arrival so they made proper arrangements for my hotel transfer. They also hooked me up with a local guide for tours.  Staff was helpful. The local guide the hotel contacted for me was VERY good. His name is Abeje Mengesha. His WhatsApp number is +251 92 160 0830  He is college educated and is very knowledgeable. He is very kind and genuinely enjoys sharing his knowledge. He has a very good eye and loves photography. He took lots of pictures and videos of me. He also speaks very good English so I really enjoyed our interaction. In Ethiopia, most guides have thick accent and speak broken English. Having a great guide made all the difference as I was able to overlook the shortfalls of the hotel.

The host was incredibly nice. The room was specious and clean. We thought we might not get the hot water in the shower but there was hot water! The room rate was very low from an international travel standard and it even included a nice breakfast.

Very kind personel, quite place.

The care taken by the staff to ensure the success of my stay. The accommodation of my daily itinerary in the preparation of breakfast and evening needs.

1. Very good and well laid out property 2. Awesome helpful & polite staff 3. Spacious clean room and garden. Near to Churches. 4. Multi layered property with gardens, beautiful view.

1. The internet connection at rooms can be improved. It's barely working. 2. Dinner options can be improved very much beyond plain Spaghetti with Sauce and Injera. But I understand there is an emergency going on, so food sourcing options are limited.