Asheton Hotel

The hotel itself was comfortable and nice, but I wasn’t happy with how the owner, Daniel, handled our transfer. We paid for a trip from Lalibela to Gondar that was meant to be in a 4x4 and then a new minibus. We did ride the minibus, but for the last two hours we ended up on a��� local bus with much less comfort, and got no discount.

At 300 birr a night, it’s a decent budget stay. The inner courtyard is quiet, and the basic rooms were clean. The shower had warm water most of the time, while wi-fi was usable from 6:00 - 8:00 am. It’s near downtown and Unique restaurant, which is very good and dirt cheap, though the rock hewn churches aren’t very close.

The people running the place weren’t warm or nice to guests, and the service was super poor. My room price changed when I arrived, even though I had booked it. I also didn’t want to take their guide tour because it was crazy expensive, and that became a big problem for them. They followed me around saying I’d have problems with other guides, which was creepy. The rooms and bathrooms are old and dirty. Some rooms are so tiny you can barely open the door without hitting your legs on the bed. The restaurant was open sometimes and closed other times.

Fiker, who works here, was really helpful and speaks excellent English. The garden courtyard is beautiful, and the rooms were clean with plenty of hot water. A great place for the price, and much nicer than Lonely Planet suggests.