Review: Swakopmund Luxury Suites

Where is it?

The Swakopmund Luxury Suites is located in downtown Swakopmund along the Namibian coast. The location is pretty much as good as it gets in the city, just around the corner from the main street and within short walking distance to pretty much everything of interest including cafes and restaurants, famous buildings and shopping. And not to forget, the beach.

The arrival experience

The booking was made on the hotel webpage and everything worked as planned until I received an e-mail a day later that they needed me to complete a credit card authorisation form, which I should return by fax or e-mail. As I was not too tempted to send a form with my full credit card details without some kind of encryption it took some time before we had sorted out a way. They were very accommodating though, the booking was held and everything was eventually sorted out.

I had prebooked an airport transfer from Walvis Bay airport to Swakopmund which worked perfectly. The airport is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and although there might be taxi cars available it is usually a good idea to have something arranged. The driver was very friendly and also gave some valuable tips and information about the city, the country and the surroundings. The drive from the airport to Swakopmund took just under an hour and I arrived at the hotel just after 2 pm.

The hotel is small which means that the reception desk is not manned at all times, so if you arrive early or late it might be a good idea to contact the hotel in advance to make necessary arrangements. Check-in is usually between 2 pm and 6 pm.

In the afternoon at 2 pm the reception was obviously manned and I was immediately checked in. The woman at the reception was friendly and after the check-in formalities had been completed she escorted me to the room and gave me a brief introduction to the hotel facilities and amenities.

The room

There are 16 rooms, or as they call them ‘suites’, in the hotel. These are not really suites in the traditional sense but definitely very stylish deluxe rooms in a spotless condition.

And the rooms are certainly very spacious, most of them measuring at least 40 sqm. There was definitely no lack of space. And the room design is very elegant as well in a contemporary and minimalistic kind of way. Most of the design is in white with design details in various pastel colours.

The room had a king-sized bed, a work desk, an armchair, TV and a safe. Right outside there was a small balcony, although with no furniture. There was also a fridge in the room which was quite useful as I wanted to visit a supermarket to buy some groceries, which I could store in the fridge.

The bathroom was located inside the room, rather than in a separate room, and had a walk-in shower, toilet and wash basin. It was just as elegant as the rest of the room and there was absolutely nothing missing in terms of amenities.

Food and drinks

There is no restaurant in the hotel but there are plenty of cafes and restaurants within a short walking distance from the hotel. Getting a proper lunch or dinner should not be a problem, even though there is nothing available at the hotel.

There are also several supermarkets nearby including a Pick’n Pay just two blocks away.

Other facilities

There is a small rooftop outdoor terrace on the first floor of the hotel where you can relax during the day and perhaps have something to drink in the evening.

Service

The service was friendly and accommodating both before my arrival and during the stay. The staff are friendly and helpful, the hotel is well-managed and upon check-in you get all the information you need for a problem-free stay. However as the reception is not managed 24 hours you will not get the same kind of service level as at a larger chain hotel. There is no room service for example. But again, you do get all the necessary information and most things that are not available in the hotel are available within a few minutes walk.

Breakfast

As there is no restaurant in the hotel there is no breakfast service. If you have booked bed and breakfast you get a voucher which can be used at four different cafes which are all close to the hotel.

I decided to have breakfast at the cafe next to the Hansa Hotel, two minutes walk from the hotel. They had a very pleasant outdoor terrace where you could have a seat in the morning sun.

The breakfast deal included a hot dish from the menu, coffee or tea and orange juice. It was actually very pleasant to have breakfast at a cafe outdoors in the sun so I really did not mind the concept. And you also have four different options if you stay several days.

Final impression

A very pleasant, cozy and comfortable hotel with only 16 rooms. The ‘suites’ are spotless and have a very nice design, there is an outdoor rooftop terrace and the location is perfect, pretty much as good as it gets in the city.