Betsi Bed & Breakfast (BBB)

This is the first time I'm writing a review on booking.com. I'm writing it because a 5/5 isn't enough. Bruk and Betsi are really doing something amazing. Clean, cozy, comfortable, and with hosts that are the best one can imagine. I went there expecting just another guesthouse and I found friends, who helped me with everything I needed - excursions included - and made my time there just great! 100000/10 would recommend :)

This is a wonderful B&B; it is very local and very convenient to the National Museum (across the street), and in an area filled with little shops, , grocery stores, ATMs, restaurants and only about 4 km north of Meskal Square. Biruk and Betsi are wonderful hosts and work very hard to ensure all their guests are well taken care of, and clearly enjoy what they do. It is their place and they show it!! They are a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for their city. Rooms are very spacious and equipped with all the basics. The building is secure and one floor of a 5 story building with offices in the other space. Food was very satisfying and will get you off to a good start for your day. Note that this is a good solid B&B; it is not a fully equipped business or family-style hotel but it's wonderful place that will serve you well for a stay in Addis! It is PERFECT for a DIY tourist.

The location is right next to a poorer 'shanty town', which are unfortunately very common in Addis. That's absolutely not a knock against the establishment, but may make some people uncomfortable.

I had a wonderful experience at Betsy Hotel. Every staff member I encountered, from the valet to the check- in, to the cleaning staff was delightful and eager to help! They were extremely accommodating and allowed me to check in early at like 8 am, and waited for me at the airport that early. Betsy and Bruke took me to a wonderful cultural space on my first night to get to the soul of Ethiopia, with live music and dance and lovely traditional drinks. As a solo (woman) traveler, I felt very safe in the location and took advantage to walk to dinner, check out a couple of monuments and the National Museum, and have drinks. They also organized for me a week trip to the south of Ethiopia to visit the tribes and Bruke also came with me! This journey has been the most profound and interesting experience of my life, I could enjoy the traditional dances and singing, a wedding ceremony, a face painting by the kids, and the jungle, among many other things. I was there for my birthday, and Bruke made sure that I had the most amazing birthday, with a surprise cake, a ceremony from the Dorze people, a hotel with a view of the biggest lakes in Ethiopia, etc. I highly recommend staying with them if u want to experience the essence of the Ethiopian heart! You will have a great time! :)

The location is nice, just in front of the National Museum. Betsey picked me from the airport to the hotel, and they charged me only 10$. Staff knowing the country history and explaining to the guest. Particularly, the availability of Biruk to assist me during my 2 days stay was exceptional. He took me to the mountain, the city tour, foods and parks.... I really appreciate his company.

The external view from the room. The breakfast was a bit poor but compare to the room price, I can understand. Simply, they need to improve as the name of the Hotel is BBB ( Betsi Bed and Breakfast) so they have to take care of the triple B.

I loved my whole experience chez Betsi. Found it by chance. It was the best introduction to Addis Ababa that I could have dreamed of. A true home away from Home thanks to Biruk, Kris and Frie. Location is excellent being right across the street from the National Museum. Close to many University faculties including where the Ethnological museum is. I love walking so not far from the cathedral, Unity Park, Friendship Park, Addis Ababa Park, Ethiopia Park among other sites . The staff were fabulous, helpful, professional and proactive. My room was spacious with a very comfortable bed. Everything was very clean and the breakfast copious.

There was nothing that I didn't appreciate. For me it was a perfect soft landing in Ethiopia and especially with a complimentary airport pick-up.

Great location - across from the National Museum. Was wonderful that they offered a pickup from the airport. Our Ethiopian Airways flight was delayed, and passport control took a long time, but they were happy to wait for me despite it being late at night.

The room listing mentioned providing tea/coffee facilities and bottle of water. I checked in close to midnight, after spending much of the day travelling to Ethiopia, I was hungry and thirsty. At the very least, I just needed to drink something. There wasn't a bottle of water in the room. According to the travel advisory information I'd got, the tap water isn't safe to drink. I couldn't even make tea in the room because there weren't any cups, and received no reply when asking the host for this. Breakfast was included, but was poorly organised- no one was around on my first morning to explain to me (aside from another guest) how it worked, the quanitities put out didn't seem sufficient for everyone to partake in, and getting it replenished wasn't easy. The room itself (especially the bathroom) were not adequately cleaned. The listing mentioned luggage storage, and 23/7 reception; yet when I requested if my bags could be kept after check-out ahead of my flight that night, it didn't seem they were easily able to do so since - the main manager was only able to do so until a certain time because he had another job- i.e. there was not someone always available at reception.

Nice staff

power outages are common but I think that's common in African countries

Betsi, the host, was the best thing about this B&B. She gave me a warm welcome in her perfect English. When she noticed I was struggling to find a place to eat, she personally drove me to a nice and not too expensive restaurant. Betsi was always ready to help me out with anything.

The place was a bit noisy - there was some noise from the hallway, and from the part of town where the B&B is located. It was also difficult to keep the room dark during daytime.

Betsi Bed & Breakfast is a simple but amazing and homely place. It's all about the staff: Betsy and Birku are amazing hosts who made us feel welcome from the moment they greeted us at Addis airport to take us to the guesthouse. We had some trouble at the immigration but they patiently waited for us over 1.5 hours in the middle of the night and kept in contact with us through WhatsApp - we were really overwhelmed and so thankful. They are providing a free airport shuttle which is a very helpful goodie. Staying at BBB was special in many ways. Their location can't be more central just opposite the National Museum of Ethiopia. With Betsy and Birku you feel like being with friends. They are very sociable and knowledgeable! I can highly recommend to make a day tour with them through Addis Ababa and surroundings showing you not only landmarks but also the people's daily life. We had a layover of 24 hrs and they made the most of it taking us even to Mount Entoto overlooking the whole capital. They provide a decent breakfast with a nice local touch like spicy tea and ethiopian coffee. Their big rooms are quite basic but clean and hot water is always available. Free WiFi is working without any complaints. If you are looking for a place to stay in Addis having a local experience with open minded and friendly people you shouldn't look further. Dear Betsy and Birku, thanks again for your hospitality. We came as strangers and left as friends! አመሰግናለሁ

There is nothing that we didn't like!