The Ad Lib Executive lodge

Location: lilongwe, Area 9, Mthutama drive plot # 9/67, Lilongwe, mw

Star Rating: 7.1 Stars

Property Type: Bed and breakfasts

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

Check-in: 01:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Check-out: 10:00 AM

Amenities & Facilities

• Non-smoking rooms
• Air conditioning
• Swimming pool
• Restaurant
• Room service
• Terrace
• Family rooms
• BBQ facilities
• Luggage storage
• Safety deposit box
• Fax/photocopying
• Tour desk
• Ironing service
• Hot tub/Jacuzzi
• Car hire
• Sauna
• Packed lunches
• Currency exchange
• Karaoke
• Non-smoking throughout
• Shared lounge/TV area
• Shuttle service (additional charge)
• Kid meals
• Kids' outdoor play equipment
• Evening entertainment
• Public Bath
• Entertainment staff
• Outdoor furniture
• Coffee Shop on site
• Fruits
• Personal trainer
• Staff adhere to local safety protocols
• Guest rooms disinfected between stays
• Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
• Physical distancing rules followed
• Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
• Cashless payment available
• Fire extinguishers
• First aid kit available
• Sanitized tableware & silverware
• Contactless check-in/check-out
• Invoice provided
• Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
• Smoke alarms
• Guest room sealed after cleaning
• Property cleaned by professional cleaning companies
• Physical distancing in dining areas
• Food delivered to guest room
• Process in place to check health of guests
• Access to health care professionals
• Screens / Barriers between staff and guests for safety
• Face masks for guests available
• 24-hour security
• Delivered food - securely covered
• Security alarm
• Thermometers for guests provided by property
• Broadcast Live sport events
• Supervised childcare/activities
• Television in common areas
• Front desk (limited hours)
• Free wired internet
• Snack bar/deli
• Golfing on site
• Airport transportation - pickup (surcharge)
• Airport transportation - drop-off (surcharge)
• Water park access (surcharge)
• Pool sun loungers
• Internet access
• Housekeeping on request
• Concerts/live shows
• Private picnics
• Art gallery on site
• Wine release events
• Exercise/lap pool
• Japanese garden
• Golf cart
• Swimming nearby
• Bicycle-friendly property
• Charcoal grill
• Accessible shuttle
• No accessible shuttle
• Accessible train station shuttle
• No accessible train station shuttle

Rooms Available

• Large Double Room

  The double room provides air conditioning, a tea and coffee maker, a balcony with pool views as well as a private bathroom featuring a bath. The unit offers 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 3 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • TV
  • Air conditioning
  • Refrigerator
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Electric kettle
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Toilet paper
  • Books, DVDs, or music for children
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Hand sanitiser

• Twin Room

  The twin room provides air conditioning, a tea and coffee maker, a balcony with garden views as well as a private bathroom featuring a bath. The unit offers 2 beds.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • TV
  • Air conditioning
  • Refrigerator
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Electric kettle
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Toilet paper
  • Books, DVDs, or music for children
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Hand sanitiser

• Double Room with Shared Bathroom

  The double room offers air conditioning, a tea and coffee maker, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a bath and a shower. The unit offers 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • Air conditioning
  • Refrigerator
  • Toilet
  • Electric kettle
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Toilet paper
  • Hand sanitiser

• Double Room

  Offering free toiletries, this double room includes a private bathroom with a shower. This double room offers a tea and coffee maker, a TV and pool views. The unit offers 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • TV
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Electric kettle
  • Linen
  • Toilet paper
  • Hand sanitiser

Guest Reviews

• Mathias (10/5): -
• Jipimoco (5/5): -
• Caroline (5/5): A great location to catch a bus but I wouldn’t return - It’s closeness to the bus station was why we chose it and the young staff were lovely The bedroom and bathroom were very basic and not clean, sheets in particular were old and stained
• Michel (5/5): - The staff was extremely friendly Booking Pictures do not correspond at all to the reality of the state of the hotel inside and outside.
• Eric (6/5): -
• Christian (5/5): Vraiment decevant pour le prix - Bon déjeuner…. Personnel sympathique Piscine sale …. Toilettes défectueuse s et bruyantes … aucune eau chaude…prix exorbitant sur les boissons …. Et la chambre elle meme….Je comprends parfaitement que je voyage dans un pays pauvre mais cet établissement ne merite pas ni son prix …. Ni son classement….
• Corne (5/5): I've stayed there for two nights, and breakfast was disappointing each time. - the staff was helpful and kind. fast service. no aircon and disappointing breakfast.
• yuji (1/5): - ブッキングコムで予約した料金は低すぎるとして追加料金を請求された
• Lambert (4/5): Travaux urgents dans les salles de bains sont nécessaires. - Les extérieurs, piscine et jardin sont très biens. Le personnel est sympathique. Calme pour un hôtel en plein centre. Les salles de bains sont quasi inutilisables. Toilettes cassées, lavabo s ecroulant littéralement, douche qui ne coule que sur le mur ... Moustiquaires inutilisables aussi
• Derek (4/5): - They promised breakfast prior to my 745am departure, so very disappointed when they completely forgot. Linens were not clean. I will not stay here again.
• Chee Ngui (4/5): - Location was ideal as it is on the outskirts of Lilognowe and eaay to get to the airport. Hotel rooms are basic but doable . There is pool which was well maintained, Due to my short stay I did not get the chance to use it I am not sure if it was a bad day for the hotel. There was no breakfast in the morning because the Chef was not available. No Toliteries (Soap) was provided. There were no hangars in the cupboards despite requesting for some, During check out their Credit Card Machine was not able to print a receipt, It looks like the hotel is under staffed
• Leyla (4/5): 50 Dollar für eine Nacht und nicht funktionierende Dusche- meiden! - Ich kann von der Unterkunft nur abraten. Der Garten ist nett und das Personal zuvorkommend. Das Essen war wirklich gut, sie hatten auch eine vegi Variante. Wo soll ich anfangen. Die Bettwäsche war absolut nicht sauber. Ebenfalls die Handtücher. Der Spühlkasten des Klos war defekt so musste ich mit der Hand in den Spühlkasten ins Wasser fassen und dort einen Haken ziehen. Selbst dann funktionierte die Spühlung nicht richtig. Es gab kein Warmwasser. In der Dusche kam nur ein Rinnsaal an kaltem Wasser raus, mit dem ich nicht wirklich duschen konnte, Haare zu waschen konnte man ganz vergessen. Es war mit Abstand meine teuerste Unterkunft in Malawi und die schlechteste. 50 Dollar für das Zimmer zu verlangen ist absolute Abzocke. Auf meine Beschwerde wurde eingegangen, jedoch kein Preisnachlass gewährt. Wählt lieber eine andere Unterkunft wo ihr für euer Geld auch ein anständiges Zimmer bekommt.
• Simone (7/5): -
• Neil (7/5): Perfect stopover en route to airport. - Great location with lovely pool and garden. Large, pleasant room. Very slow restaurant service.
• Val (8/5): Good budget accommodation. Lovely staff - The space. The really warm and friendly staff who were accommodating and courteous. The flexibility on many fronts. Great gardens That the place ran out of some basic stuff. But the recovery was that the staff made a plan to accommoate the challenge.
• Miham (8/5): Very good - Room was good size. Pool area was very nice. Wifi worked well. This place was hard for taxi driver to find, phone number wrong in booking.com. some areas little worn out. Major issues with the restaurant, many stories how we could order food, then there was no chef, next someone was coming to cook and finally there was no food available. We would have Been just happy If we were told that kitchen was closed and we would have not wasted 3h on this show and gotten food from somewhere else.
• Ross (9/5): Very very good - pool cold but v refreshing! - It matched the vibe I was looking for - sort of mid range, with a pool, in a very convenient location. Lots within walking distance. Check-in experience awful -- confusion with my booking twice which led to problems with price & coordination of items being delivered to me at Ad Lib. Frustrating!
• Halai (7/5): Good -
• Andrew (9/5): Nice quiet setting easy to find from Airport - Easy to find from airport good for one night food was tasty and staff friendly
• Mukwae (8/5): Lovely stay but care must be made to making sure guests enter a clean room. We were the only people staying that weekend - The manager and chef were very sweet and the food was excellent. 💯 It was dirty and the room was not cleaned before we arrived. Shower needs unblocking.
• Du (10/5): Exceptional -
• Oscar (10/5): Exceptional -
• Aisosa (1/5): Was not happy at all, the infrastructure was so unkempt and dirty - The stuff was nice Nothing
• Amanda (7/5): The good place to stay. Great staff! - The lodge was fairly decent and the staff was great! I initially had difficulties contacting the lodge. The lodge phone number and the website were not working. The TV in the room was not work and the pool was dirty.
• Mohamed (6/5): Pleasant -
• Meera (9/5): Superb - Billy the owner was very helpful regarding travel in Malawi and helped us sort some very practical matters. Ad Lib is a great place to start your travels in Malawi.
• Lindsay (9/5): Great hospitality - Wonderful stay, air conditioning, hot water, good wifi. Very clean and the staff was so kind and accommodating- we booked pretty last minute and they apologized for not having the room ready (when it was clearly our fault for the last minute booking) and made us feel so at home while they prepared the room quickly. A bit of a walk from the main attractions of Lilongwe but still walkable to food and a short ride into the center.
• Chilinkhonde (7/5): Good -
• Christophe (7/5): Good - A homey place, clean and tidy, with comfortable bed and lovely colonial architecture. The garden around the rooms gives a nice cottage atmosphere. Caring staff. The mosquito net had holes (though quickly fixable), most likely because it too close to the ceiling fan.
• Florian (8/5): Very good - We feel like at home! Nice garden and the food is good!
• Richard (8/5): Very good -
• Richard (8/5): Very good -
• Michal (8/5): Very good - Nice accommodation given the standards in Malawi. The personnel is friendly, the utilities sufficient. There was a 2-hours blackout during our only night but that's a normal thing in Malawi. There is also a huge breakfast but I recommend to tell the personnel what exactly do you want, otherwise you will be given e.g. a huge, not very breakfast friendly sausage.
• Ruth (2/5): Very disappointing - Staff were very friendly and helpful and the food was so lovely. : the place unfortunately is very run down, broken sockets burnt TVs, our shower was dangerous. The yard could be beautiful but it was not swept or cleaned at all, dust and dirt everywhere the pool could be used.
• Raphaëlle (10/5): Perfect stop after long flight - Excellent one night stay, really good food and welcoming staff !
• Sophie (7/5): Nice stay - Room was beautiful, breakfast was good and staff were nice . Also enjoyed a tasty evening meal . Booked a room with a pool view and didn’t get a pool view. Also didn’t have tea/coffee making facilities as was on the booking .
• Audrey (10/5): Peaceful and at home vibes 😌 - Such a lovely space. I felt like I was back home with great food and service 😋
• Maxim (9/5): Superb - We were welcomed gently by Pius. Lovely little villa with a pool. Well recommended
• Gatsi (8/5): Overall, it was a good stay (one night) and the staff were friendly. - Excellent food and very friendly staff!! May need to include mosquito nets as there were a few mosquitoes in my room
• Maud (3/5): Too expensive for these circumstances, very dirty - Friendly staff Not clean at all, very dirty Very expensive compared to what you get Bad food, served cold and watermelon from the freezer
• Maggie (8/5): Safe accommodation in spacious garden area with professional and kind staff! - Safe neighborhood, professional and kind welcome at reception, spacious, nice room, we specifically were fond of the help of Stella supporting us with our needs regarding our continuing trip (money exchange, transport to Lake Malawi;
• Tadiwa (7/5): Good -
• Marek (10/5): Zikomo - We accidentally booked a shared bathroom. The manager offered my girlfriend another room with a private bathroom Without trouble. Very kind. Thanks
• Huong (10/5): Perfect - Sellaphin, the manager was so attentive and helpful. Feeling like sister when talking to her 😊. Location is quite and nice garden. Nothing
• Jannes (8/5): I'll be back - Nice hosts, authentic place. Good food. Tidiness of the premises. Black outs - to no fault of the hotel but of Escom.
• Thabo (7/5): Good -
• Deborah (8/5): While not perfect, I would definitely stay here again. - The Chef is amazing. The staff is incredibly warm and friendly and helpful. The gardens were beautiful. Locals frequently come here for dinner and to swim in the pool. The water was turned off (district-wide) not just at the hotel several times during my week's stay. Furthermore there were several times I couldn't get hot water. I realize now I should have asked them and confirmed the hot was available, but they could have made this clearer with signs in the rooms to this effect. The mosquito nets need to be replaced. they are currently NOT large enough to cover the larger bed in my room nor touch the floor.
• Visagie (8/5): Very good -
• Anonymous (6/5): Pleasant -
• Jurij (8/5): Very good -
• Ian (7/5): I enjoyed my stay but if I could have had a swim would have been better😀 - The swimming pool attracted me but on my day there was a birthday party and no room in the pool. Just the wrong day I guess. I think for the price it was good but it was a little run down.
• Ruth (6/5): The staff was really nice and it was a good value for the purpose of our stay for one night. - The location was good as it was close to a meeting point for our group trip. It was mostly clean, but it was very evident that the toilet had not been cleaned, so it causes doubt as to what else hadn’t been cleaned.
• Geert (7/5): It is good for an over stay. - The spacious room with patio. There are a lot of paintings on the wall and there was also an art gallary. In the restaurant, the chicken was not eatable. It is a shame, that the man in the kitchen can not cook.
• Olivier (9/5): Superb - Fair price for an excellent location. Great room and friendly staff.
• Michele (9/5): Excellent stay at a lodge in the perfect location. - The room was clean, comfortable and larger than expected. The staff were professional, friendly and accommodating. The location was perfect - we walked to get coffee and to go to the main strip to visit some shops. The mattress was very comfortable which actually surprised me! The included breakfast was delicious. Minor complaint, but hot showers were rare (but we did get a couple) and the one time we needed a taxi, they brought in a driver who super overcharged us (way more than the normal). I use taxis frequently and I should have asked upfront the cost, but never expected it to be so much. I would stay there again for sure! As I mentioned, it was rare to get warm showers.
• James (9/5): Superb - Comfortable room. Lovely grounds. Great breakfast.
• Jule (6/5): Pleasant - The location is good, the beds are comfortable It is too expensive for what you get. The rooms and the common area were not clean. We wanted to get breakfast to go for our trip which didn't work out as discussed before.
• Mughongora (6/5): I enjoyed my stay - The staff were friendly and always willing to help The lodge should consider having ONLY white towels and not any other colour.
• Emily (7/5): Lovely quiet retreat, facilities could do with some work - - The best thing about this hotel is the staff - they are absolutely fantastic. Went out of their way to make vegetarian meals for me as the menu doesn’t have many veggie options, and were really kind throughout my stay. - Location is great, within walking distance of a market selling souvenirs and some nice restaurants. - The food is really good and the prices are reasonable, but make sure to warn them in advance if you have any dietary requirements! - Pool area is great, it feels like a lovely retreat from the chaos of the city, with lots of green and even some chickens roaming about. - Rooms are furnished with blankets, a ceiling fan and mosquito nets. - Shared bathroom leaves a little to be desired (no toilet seat, often no toilet paper, no hand towel). There is also only one shared bathroom which wasn’t an issue for me as the lodge didn’t seem to be full, but could be an issue if it is busy. - The sliding door to my room was quite stiff and difficult to open at times, and needs the handle fixing back onto the door! Found it needed lifting to move it. - Would be good to have hooks in the room to hang up towels, swimsuits etc. - Pool is absolutely freezing this time of year! Has some debris (sand, leaves) in it, but it was still nice to go for a swim. - The sun loungers spend most of the day under the shade of the trees so you’ll need to move one if you want to sunbathe. - Only one working bulb in my room, so it was quite dark at times. - Pillows were pretty lumpy and uncomfortable.
• Koen (6/5): Place needs some maintenance - Joseph, the manager help us with the bus we were going to take. He also tried to fix, less succesful, the shower. The shower had no hot water and no door. In the morning there was no water either. They said (claimed?) this was in the whole neighbourhood, so not their fault.
• Mori_neumann (1/5): Bad - Place is nice There was no hot water at all. Even after I asked, they did mot fix it, I could not shower. The breakfast I ordered also came wrong- asked for hard boiled eggs, they came fried. When talking to the manager, they couldn't give a proper solution. Very poor service overall, dinner took 1.5 hours as usual. I do not recommend this place at all, and I shall definitely not be back.
• Robert (6/5): Ok stay - Large room and comfortable bed. Friendly staff and nice breakfast. As other people have said in previous reviews there’s no hot water or wifi. I’m sure these things could be fixed easily so it’s a shame that they aren’t being.
• Giulia (7/5): nice and convenient place - I stayed only for one night because I had a short transit in Lilongwe. The rooms are spacious and clean. The staff is available to help if needed. The lodge includes a nice garden and outside space. The food was good quality/price. When asking for dinner I received the menu even if only 3 options were available and I was not asked what I wanted for breakfast. However I received a complete breakfast which once good. It is totally fine if there is a limited amount of choices but It would be nice to know it.
• Ana (9/5): Superb -
• Peng (9/5): Superb -
• Christopher (8/5): Very good -
• Jacques (8/5): Very good -
• Melanie (7/5): Good - clean, friendly and helpful staff, food was good. Good location and nice garden. quite expensive for what you get - a lot of things in the room are broken, for example pipes in the bathroom are leaking, door to the bathroom is not working, lights are not working.
• Amelie (7/5): Nice accomodation with minor issues - The breakfast und the restaurant are very good. There is good coffee in the morning and I can recommend the Chambo fish for dinner. I liked the location and the pool. The staff is very friendly and attentive. My toilet was leaking a bit onto the bathroom tiles and instead of the pool view one could directly see into my room from the dining area. I had to keep the curtains shut all day.
• Suzanne (7/5): Good - The staff is very friendly. Garden is very nice. And the lodge hosted a Saturday night gig with good music. The food options were fairly limited. They could do some cleaning of the rooms during the stay.
• Nicole (9/5): Superb - Beautiful rooms and garden As often in malawi,breakfast was only included for one person
• Mori (9/5): Superb - Staff was friendly and helpful, food was good. 1.On Google Maps the location of Ad Lib Lodge is totally wrong, got lost on my way. 2. The phone number of the lodge on Booking.com is a WRONG number (missing a digit). 3. The correct phone number of Ad Lib Lodge cannot be found online. 4. There was no trash bin in my room (but when I asked for one they did provide). I discussed all these issues with the manager, and she seemed keen to fix these issues.
• Sanne (7/5): Good value for money - Big beds and nice view of the garden with big doors. Big bathroom and own fridge amd waterboiler The bathtub did not have a proper stop, so we could not use it because the water kept running out of the tub.
• Haitao (5/5): Passable - Bad facilities, the bathroom even no hot water
• Klokke (4/5): Disappointing -
• Heide (7/5): Good - breakfast lovely ,all really well done location good ,central and! quiet at night It felt like a safe place,also closes gates at 9pm. no water ,but not sure if local issue,as I was not informed .It was available the next morning though. Would have loved a kettle in my room for tea.
• Somersby (8/5): Very good -
• Peter (5/5): Passable -
• Karmel (9/5): Superb -
• Tillo (9/5): Superb -
• Anders (8/5): Very good -

Photos