The best accommodations Maputo

The majestic Polana Hotel, of the luxury hotel chain Serena, is one of the most beautiful in Maputo. It has a bar, a restaurant, a café, a Hollywood pool, a gym, a spa, tennis courts... It's a real vacation resort. All the rooms are different, quite iconoclastic for a luxury hotel, with colonial Portuguese headboards in carved wood for the most part. The bar terrace with its view of the ocean and the sublime pool decorated with a white colonnade is dazzling.

The international hotel chain has a beautiful new address in Maputo very bleisure, urban and contemporary, inaugurated in 2018. A real 4-star hotel with a good rating because the service is impeccable, everything is gleaming and designer. Its main asset: the view from the rooms and especially its rooftop restaurant and sky bar terrace on a high floor (hence its name): the horizon of the city and the bay of Maputo. The futuristic restaurant serves fusion, local and international cuisine. Its state-of-the-art spa with sauna is a must.

Since 1992, this youth hostel opened by the charismatic Fatima is an institution in Maputo as well as in Tofo. We like the atmosphere of a cosmopolitan hub where we can get information about the city or the country from the super-professional staff. We like the inner courtyard, the terrace, the colored walls and the lively restaurant-bar, the starting point to go out in Maputo. If Fatima has a big heart by opening orphanages, we regret the dilapidation of the rooms, especially the dormitory without air-conditioning and overcrowded, the worn out mattresses and the approximate cleanliness. Camping, Wifi.

Just a stone's throw from Tunduru Garden, The Base is ideally placed for daytime strolls or evening outings. The hostel has a shared kitchen and a sumptuous rooftop terrace. The atmosphere is quiet, friendly and comfortable, as there is only one dormitory with 6 beds and a few double rooms with private bathrooms. The whole place is clean and air-conditioned, a very good point. The Base organizes transfers to Tofo on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you book a double room, avoid the one in the basement, which feels a bit like a cellar.

In the heart of Maputo, at the top of the hill in the center, the Cardoso Hotel is a true and beautiful 4 star hotel with a vast, white and elegant estate. It enjoys a breathtaking view of the bay. Designed for business travelers and tourists, the rooms are comfortable without being ultra-luxurious, but the choice and the service make it an address of standing. We like the reception in the lush gardens, the Fiamma restaurant with African and Mediterranean influences and the Pôr do Sol bar overlooking the garden and the pool.

In the residential and chic area of Sommerschield in the upper town, this hotel offers a dozen double rooms that were really low-priced before, a little more expensive now, but still interesting because they offer a good standard despite the lack of swimming pool at this price level. The rooms are large, air-conditioned, the bathroom with bathtub. The whole is charming with elegant wooden furniture and a sitting area with sofa. Breakfast is served on a small outdoor terrace with trees and shade. Wifi.

This is the perfect example of a small, modern, local business hotel, and therefore cheap for Europeans. Opt for the double rooms which are less like university rooms. They are all air-conditioned, with private bathroom, refrigerator, safe, satellite TV and Wifi. There is a restaurant, a café on the terrace and a small pool area. The service is a bit expensive compared to the overall quality of the hotel, which deserves to be better maintained and the service is not very attentive (breakfast almost non-existent, etc.).

The Terminus is a 3-star hotel that does not lack comfort: spacious and elegant rooms, all in a local style. We appreciate the African decorations at the entrance, the naive paintings on the walls and a terrace with a swimming pool to enjoy warm days and a professional service. The hotel also has a restaurant known for the cuisine of its Mozambican chef, Virgílio Maxlhungo. Also a bar, rustic English pub style, where it is nice to have a last drink. The site is very quiet, yet in the heart of downtown.

The Santa Cruz hotel is located on the avenue of Julho, rather well placed in the central district of Polana Cimento, a few minutes from the botanical garden Tunduru in the center. The rooms are correct and comfortable and above all at a low price for a medium standard: air conditioning, as well as a private bathroom and Wifi. Some rooms have a superb view on the bay, don't hesitate to ask if they are available. A nice view makes all the difference! In the morning, breakfast is continental and a la carte.

In the Polana Cimento neighborhood, this hotel would be a good address if it were a little less expensive: simple, friendly, tastefully decorated. The twelve rooms of the Jacaranda Guesthouse are rather small, but welcoming, comfortable and air-conditioned. It's a pity that shampoo is missing and that the service is approximate. Transfer to the airport, and free parking. The restaurant offers good Portuguese cuisine, in an airy, unpretentious setting. And every morning, breakfast is served as a buffet.