Lal Hotel and Spa

It was a nice location and I would have no complaints, were it not that I was bitten at night by, what I believe were bed bugs. The bites exactly fit the description. Luckily, the room was quite spacious and thus our suitcases were at a good distance of the bed, so I believe they did not climb on-board our suitcases.

The hotel staff was nice but the pool wasn't kept up nor was there wifi in the rooms. Hot water is great and it was very clean! I recommend it for the price.

Aesthetically beautiful in terms of decor. Room was relatively clean. However, not much else is appealing about this place. It is a great distance from the other hotels and the Lalibela churches but they do have free shuttle if you call in advance and reserve. The breakfast is free and decent. Please be very aware of the tour guide that is stationed at this hotel because he will charge you double the price of what a tour to the Lalibela churches actually cost. There is no WiFi in the rooms, if you want to use WiFi it must be in the reception area of the hotel. Far worst than the WiFi issue is that they had no hot water system installed...be prepared for a cold bath. Also the television has one working for channel and seems to go out after 10pm. Definitely not recommended for around $50 a night.

We stayed at the Lal Hotel for 2 nights during the low season. The hotel staff are very friendly and well accommodating. The rooms were nice and spacious, with comfortable beds and hot showers. There was a TV but was not hooked up to any satellite, so you couldn't watch anything if you wanted to. Shopping and restaurants are close by. Ask for recommendations.

This was a good choice, walking distance to the churces with restaurant, bar etc. we wanted a bigger property and this worked well.

This was a good choice for Lalibela easy walk to churches, free airport shuttle. It is a big property which is what I was looking for. We were quickly put in a room. I wish wifi was in the rooms it ruins mealtims to have to catch up on business in the restaurant and lobby. There is no place to work with a computer either and you are not allowed to sit at a restaurant table in between meal times.

We visited Lal during the off season and the place was pretty empty. Our room was nice and comfortable though cold at night. This was exacerbated by the solar hot water: no sun, no hot showers. Wifi didn't work in our room but was OK — by Ethiopian standards — elsewhere. Cleaning was spotty; they missed a few days. The sauna was a small closet but was a nice balm for the cold. All in all, for a remote location during off season, we found Lal to be adequate, and the staff to be friendly and helpful.

Well given that we booked for 2 nights but could only stay 1 because of flights,the hotel gave us a refund ($100) which must be a lot of money in Lalibela so I think they were more than decent.In fact it was a pleasure to do business with hotels.com

This was the cheapest hotel we could find in Lalibela, so I was pleasantly surprised (note: all these ratings are on the scale of African hotels, which is definitely different than that for American/European hotels). Few issues with hot water and electricity, relatively clean, shuttle service to and from airport, free wifi, and breakfast included with some rooms.

Thoroughly enjoyed seeing Lalibela and the hotel was great. Bright and cheerful rooms, good food (although breakfast was a bit hit and miss, mainly miss in the off season). Staff were lovely. Not really impressed with the amount they charge, had better for half the price in lots of countries, developing and otherwise. They are improving the place but shouldn't expect current paying customers to foot that bill! Tour guide was good, but an organised tour group may have been more economically viable. Once again too much money! They are offering fantastic 2 - 3 * accommodation and service but charging 4* rates. They need to realise that not everyone from the 'developed' countries has a lot of money to spend, having forked out for an expensive 'once in a lifetime' holiday. They should charge according to what they need and not their perceptions of our income. I don't mean this to be insulting but I felt insulted to be told I should tip well as they may not be earning much for the next few months! My recommendations to an inexperienced traveller would be 'there are a lot more exciting and interesting things to see in the world that would possibly give better value for money.'