Not yet bursting with hotel beds. (Hotels in Lesotho)

Member Name: Morgenhund

Product:	Hotels in Lesotho
Date:	21/10/09 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relatively inexpensive

Disadvantages: Limited choice

I recently travelled to Maseru, Lesotho, out of curiosity in order to see what the World's most southerly landlocked country has to offer. I made the mistake of thinking that I'd be able to book online - but most major bookings websites drew a blank, including the hitherto reliable hotelclub.net.

Having tried to book something over the phone from the airport in Jo'burg prior to arriving in Lesotho, I was not in great luck - it appears that most of the flashier hotels (Maseru Sun and Lesotho Sun) seem to get booked up pretty quickly - to be borne in mind is that a large hotel by Lesothan standards means only 100 rooms - many of the more upmarket hotels have considerably less than this - even if touting themselves as "conference centres".

Fortunately the driver of the airport shuttle made a couple of calls along the 20 or so kilometres from Moshoeshoe I International Airport (the old airfield within the city limits is now only used for military use), and managed to ascertain that the Victoria Hotel - which he said was not a bad hotel (by Lesothan standards) had a room for the next two nights. It would have fitted into midrange in terms of price - ZAR/LSM 600 (about GBP 50) a night including breakfast. The other close by hotel in the centre of town - and not in a nasty area was the Lancer's Inn - I went there for a second breakfast one morning. Incidentally the major hotels have a shuttle bus to/from the airport - expect to pay M70 going there and M100 back.

Top end places might cost around M 1000 per night - or more, with midrange places being about M 500-750 per night. B&Bs are likely to be cheaper, although sometimes in not such accessible locations e.g. in residential areas where general advice is not to walk outside at night. Although given Maseru's lack of night life, an early night is a good idea.

You can expect to find airconditioning from midrange and above, but don't take the presence of a business centre or a quick internet connection for granted. If you need to get online then Data Kare (Internet Café on Kingsway next to the FNB bank) might be your best bet. Do not expect midrange to be terribly well furnished - my room at the Victoria could have been said to have had "well-loved" furniture and the dining room was in a similarly used state - although the food (around M 90 for dinner) was edible and tasty. Safes are also not automatically available - so be prepared to hide your valuables well.

Most hotels with offer a full cooked breakfast - those that don't include it in the room rate will usually charge about LSM 75 - or about GBP 6. This is unaffordable by local standards, although relatively cheaper in comparison with European breakfast buffets.

Outside of Maseru you might struggle to find places that accept credit cards - therefore you are advised to stock up with cash (either in SA prior to arrival or in Maseru) as credit cards have still not really taken off for retail purposes.

The choice is not great, and you would do well to book ahead, seeing as development organisations regularly convene in Maseru and book out most of the available accommodation in one fell swoop. Lonely Planets guide to Southern Africa has some tips, including phone numbers, but be prepared to have to take a B&B if you don't book ahead.

Summary: Booking ahead is recommended - if you can find out how!