Praia Morena

Still a good deal, with really cheap rates, a great breakfast and friendly service. The rooms were really good back in 2015, but they're old now and need updating. The whole hotel could use a fresh coat of paint too.

Parking is limited, so avoid arriving very late. Praia Morena is a pleasant 3 star hotel in Benguela, Angola, and the unlimited WiFi helped me use Google Translate to communicate with the staff since I don't speak Portuguese. The beds could probably use replacing, but it's a 3 star place, so keep your expectations in check. It's livable, which is the best way I can put it. The food is decent enough, especially breakfast, though I wouldn't expect anything special. There's a gym, hair salon, a nice bar and an ATM inside, plus some upmarket boutique shops, which is really great.

I lived here for 3 months, unfortunately. The roof disco made it hard to sleep, especially for people here on business or for work. Room cleaning wasn't great, and restaurant food took at least an hour, even when I pre-booked. The waiters were very slow and didn't seem interested in providing good service. At reception, the hotel manager and staff seemed to act like they were doing something, but didn't really care about customers' problems. Homeless children stayed at the hotel entrance around the clock asking for money, and hotel security seemed to be okay with it. The hotel itself wasn't nice.

The location is good and the rooms are more or less okay, but internet access is very slow, nowhere near high speed. The mattress is awful and needs replacing. Food from the restaurant takes so long that you should order ahead, and much of the menu isn't in stock anyway. There's no management to speak of.